Category Archives: Birds and people

Roadkill of the week(end) – Diamond Dove Geopelia cuneata

June 13, 2009 – 9:46 am

I stopped, turned and bore witness to the death of this small wonder.

By Bob Gosford | Also posted in Animals, Birds, Roadkill, Some places I've been | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)

ROADKILL the book: Rule # 1 – DO NOT SWERVE!

May 23, 2009 – 9:14 am

Roadkill will come in handy when next you run into a Black Kite as it lifts, engorged with rotting flesh and on struggling wings, off a carcass on the roadside – or when you run into a wombat, a snake, a horse…you get the drift.

By Bob Gosford | Also posted in Ethnoornithology, Fun stuff, The Arts, The Northern Myth, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)

El Ritual del Hombre-Pajaro – the bird-man cult of Rapa Nui

May 19, 2009 – 8:11 am

The successful man would be declared Tangata-Manu, would take the egg in his hand and lead a procession back to his homeland. Once in residence there he was tapu (taboo) for the next five months of his year long status, and allowed his nails to grow and wore a headdress of human hair.

By Bob Gosford | Also posted in Animals, Birds, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Bird of the week – Kanpanparlala – Crested Bellbird, Oreoica gutturalis

May 2, 2009 – 9:48 pm

The Crested Bellbird has a very distinctive call, from which its Warlpiri name of Kanpanparlala is an onomatopoeic derivation.

By Bob Gosford | Also posted in Animals, Birds, Indigenous land management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

The NT’s new Folk Devils – 12 Hells Angels and a Fink

April 20, 2009 – 6:27 pm

What does distinguish the members of the so-called outlaw motorcycle gangs from the general population are the strong bonds of loyalty and trust between fellow club members in particular and to others that share their lifestyle more generally – some might argue that these are admirable qualities that the rest of us could use more of.

By Bob Gosford | Also posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (4)

Penny Olsen & François le Vaillant’s Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets

April 19, 2009 – 9:20 am

The latest edition of the National Library Magazine, from the Australian National Library in Canberra has a fascinating article by Penny on the life and works of the French naturalist and ornithologist François le Vaillant.

By Bob Gosford | Also posted in Animals, Art, Birds, The Arts, Writing and writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Birds that tell people things – 4 posters of central Australian bird knowledge

April 13, 2009 – 9:23 pm

This series of posters features birds that indicate ecological and social events in four Central Australian Aboriginal languages: Arrernte, Anmatyerr, Alyawarr and Kaytetye.

By Bob Gosford | Also posted in Animals, Birds, Ethnoornithology, Some places I've been, Yuendumu | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

Bird of the week – Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

April 11, 2009 – 11:44 pm

The Turkey Vulture is a common bird in the south of the United States and has a range from southern Canada to the tip of the southern American continent.

By Bob Gosford | Also posted in Birds, Ethnoornithology, Some places I've been | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Ten Poems about Highways and Birds…via negativa

April 9, 2009 – 11:26 pm

Crows commute, heads down,
their line of black Fords slow
but steady. A heron keeps his Bentley in low gear.

By Bob Gosford | Also posted in Art, Fun stuff, The Arts, Writing and writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Bird of the week – Jarlajirrpi – the Australian Owlet-Nightjar

February 2, 2009 – 8:14 am

The Owlet-nightjar, known to the Warlpiri people as Jarlajirrpi, is commonly regarded as a familiar spirit of the Kurdaitcha man – part mercenary contract killer, part quasi-judicial executioner.

By Bob Gosford | Also posted in Animals, Birds, Ethnoornithology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)