A day in the American south-west with Owls that burrow and stand around in the daylight and an Ibis of remarkable beauty.

Sometimes birds are hard to find. Sometimes not. Bob Gosford takes two steps from his bed and finds an ornithorium of wonder and beauty.

There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that some species are active promoters of fire in the northern Australian savannah landscapes, using small fire-sticks and embers to spread fire throughout the open grass and woodlands of the semi-tropical north.

A look at the work of Madhaviah Krishnan, an Indian journalist and photographer who for 46 years wrote the “Country Notebook” column for The Statesman of Calcutta that ranks among the finest nature writing out of the sub-continent.

The Crows tune up in the soft light. “We are just awake, but not ready yet” some say. “Go back to sleep” say others. The inevitable. Silence. A small croooaak. A waaaark. Crack!. Then ten and more giving full voice. Silence. Once more chuurrppp. Kwaaaark – kwaaaak. Much more now of the rattling, raucous corvid morning symphony.

The real beauty of La Tanrrilla is only revealed when under threat or as part of their elaborate courtship rituals when they spread their glorious wings to reveal a truly magnificent display of colour and light.

Vultures have been called masters of two disciplines: soaring and sanitation (Dunne et al. 1988:136). In towns, villages, and rural communities where there is no modern plumbing or garbage disposal, they provide the only sanitation services. “They eat anything, but especially they like the shit,” observed a worker in a slaughterhouse in Guatemala.

I was wondering where she came from, when she held out a bag and said “I went home to get this bag, I will take them away and see they have a proper burial.” She said “You know what, you are the only one who stopped; after so many cars that sped by, some even hitting the other dead bird.” She went on the explain that when the female had been knocked down, the male flew onto the road and tried to help her somehow. Then as she watched, the male Tawny was knocked down by another car coming the other way.

Yanyuwa traditional owners established the li-Anthawirriyarra (people of the sea) Sea Ranger Unit as a means for managing their vast estate. The rangers are employed to monitor and manage heritage sites such as Macassan camps; monitor and manage turtle and dugong populations and survey, map and eradicate feral animals.

The Tjanpi Desert Weavers have a whimsical and very often funny approach to their art and I’m sure more than a bit of that rubbed off on their northern counterparts, where often weaving is more utilitarian.
You can see some of the Tjanpi Weaver’s wonderful work at their website.Yesterday the Tjanpi’s whimsy won over the practical.