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A beak shaped by sheoaks?
Glossy Black-cockatoos feed almost exclusively on the seeds of sheoak trees (Allocasuarina and Casuarina spp.). Each day they spend many hours extracting seeds from woody sheoak cones – that much I knew. What I didn’t know, until I looked closely at the skull and beak of a Glossy Black-cockatoo, is exactly how their beak is beautifully shaped for the task of extracting a sheoak seed and eating it.
The Glossy Black-cockatoo is also threatened with extinction – and its highly specialized beak is part of the reason why.
A tale of two cocky beaks
At this time of year, I see two different types of large parrots everyday. The Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo and the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. One of them eagerly gobbles down the bird seed offered by some of my neighbours. The other never visits the feeding trays. Why should this be?
Letter from Beechmont, and beyond
A few recent nature journal pages, from Beechmont and beyond. Enjoy!
The Amazing Parrot Beak
The evolution of the parrot beak was a major innovation in the bird world. And it’s likely that it occurred in the place we now call Australia.
Eucalyptus tree shapes
Australia has an extraordinary diversity of Eucalyptus trees, and they naturally grow in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Here’s a few I’ve been lucky enough to meet, and some thoughts on why they might grow like they do.
Why do kangaroos hop?
Hopping is a very energy-efficient way to move for kangaroos, but no other medium-large sized mammal hops. Why?
Why do bird knees bend backwards?
Forget about bees’ knees, what about bird knees?
Bird leg anatomy is often misunderstood, but helpful to know, especially for artists.
The Shining Bronze-cuckoo – a horror story?
For weeks I’ve been hearing the calls of our resident Brown Thornbills, mixed in with the eerie downward trills of the Shining Bronze-cuckoo.
They have an ecological partnership, of sorts. It may make you feel squeamish… But is it a horror story?
Connecting to nature through ‘feel-good’ nature journaling: Practising the KNACK
Rain patters on the roof and drums down the gutters, but doesn’t deter our resident Little Wattlebird. He or she is croaking and squawking raucously from the banksia, surrounded by blooms. I can hear the rain and the bird as I write this: I feel happily connected to nature, in this beloved place I call home. But many people are not so fortunate.
A recent study has found that human connection to nature has declined by more than 60% since 1800. The research also predicts that levels of nature connectedness will continue to decline unless far-reaching changes are made.1
“Nature connectedness is now accepted as a key root cause of the environmental crisis” said Professor Miles Richardson, author of the study. “It’s vitally important for our own mental health as well.”1,2
The main aim of my work is to connect people with nature. I do this by creating images and writing about nature, often together, and selling these creations on a range of items, and also through practising and teaching nature journaling. I started out doing this mostly to help nature: along the way I have also realised how important nature connection is for human health.
This post describes an approach to nature journaling that I think is accessible to a wide range of people and is focussed on connecting to nature. I call it ‘feel-good’ nature journaling.
Tree hollows are animal homes #4 – Wheatbelt Woodlands of Western Australia
Yay – the next ‘Tree hollows are animal homes’ design is here! Thanks to the Moore Catchment Council, Eucalypt Australia and Iluka, I can now offer you a free poster and colour-ins all about the hollow-dwelling fauna of the Western Australian Wheatbelt Woodlands. Read more to find the download links….
A native fish hotspot
I love fish. If I didn’t have a very strong aversion to cold water, I think I may have become a fish biologist.
Anyway, it ended up not to be… but I was thrilled last year when Kevin Warburton from Charles Sturt University asked me to illustrate some freshwater fish…
New greeting cards for 2025
I’m very pleased to release 5 new greeting cards for 2025. They all feature birds… seems to be quite a common theme here! …. but one also has a MAMMAL! Yay how exciting. And a marine mammal at that.
All cards are $4.60 each, printed in Australia on recycled stock, and include a recycled paper envelope.
Tales of Science
Tree hollows are animal homes #3 – Eucalypt Woodland south-eastern Australia
‘Tree hollows are animal homes’ is a new series of designs inspired by the relationship between the many Australian animal species that use hollows and the trees that provide them. This #3 design includes illustrations of 19 animal species that use hollows in the Eucalypt Woodlands of south-eastern Australia.
Free colour-ins to download: Tree hollows are animal homes #1
I’m very excited to release some new colour-in sheets that I’ve created from the first ‘Tree hollows are animal homes’ design. Both colour-ins are free to download, and you are also welcome to make multiple copies of each to give away free.
Tree hollows are animal homes #2
‘Tree hollows are animal homes’ is a new series of designs inspired by the relationship between the many Australian animal species that use hollows and the trees that provide them. This #2 design includes illustrations of 19 animal species that use hollows in the Eucalypt Tall Open Forests (also known as Wet Sclerophyll Forests) of south-eastern Australia.
Tree hollows are animal homes
‘Tree hollows are animal homes’ is a new series of designs inspired by the relationship between the many Australian animal species that use hollows and the trees that provide them. This first set of 5 designs includes illustrations of 19 animal species that use...
The Satin Bowerbird
This issue of A cartoon guide to Australian Ecology explores the life of the Satin Bowerbird in a series of cartoons. The Satin Bowerbird has many Australian Aboriginal names, but I've used the Yugambeh name 'Dooloom' here, only because I live on the Country of the...
Leaf me alone! Are the Pink Slugs of Mt Kaputar pretending to be leaves?
21st February 2022, 6 pm The light is fading, and the wet stems of Ribbony Gums and Snow Gums are dark grey against a white overcast sky. The bare sloping rock face shines with water, water is sponged up by the verdant green mosses, and it saturates some fire-scorched...
Nature journaling
Letter from Beechmont, and beyond
A few recent nature journal pages, from Beechmont and beyond. Enjoy!
Connecting to nature through ‘feel-good’ nature journaling: Practising the KNACK
Rain patters on the roof and drums down the gutters, but doesn’t deter our resident Little Wattlebird. He or she is croaking and squawking raucously from the banksia, surrounded by blooms. I can hear the rain and the bird as I write this: I feel happily connected to nature, in this beloved place I call home. But many people are not so fortunate.
A recent study has found that human connection to nature has declined by more than 60% since 1800. The research also predicts that levels of nature connectedness will continue to decline unless far-reaching changes are made.1
“Nature connectedness is now accepted as a key root cause of the environmental crisis” said Professor Miles Richardson, author of the study. “It’s vitally important for our own mental health as well.”1,2
The main aim of my work is to connect people with nature. I do this by creating images and writing about nature, often together, and selling these creations on a range of items, and also through practising and teaching nature journaling. I started out doing this mostly to help nature: along the way I have also realised how important nature connection is for human health.
This post describes an approach to nature journaling that I think is accessible to a wide range of people and is focussed on connecting to nature. I call it ‘feel-good’ nature journaling.
Sketching at the Zoo
I recently treated myself to a whole day at the Melbourne Zoo, drawing animals. Seeing animals in captivity fills me with mixed feelings, but I tried to focus on the sheer wonder of each critter. I also respect the care and dedication shown by zoo staff - like this...
Why 15-second owls are wonderful, and 12 important elements for teaching nature journaling
A chance encounter with an owl made me reflect on how I teach nature journaling. Here are 12 elements that I think are important.
A super-easy mini-book for exploring nature
I had a fabulous time last Saturday, immersing myself in the garden, and in this little art project. Big thanks to @wildinksketch for the inspiration!
This easy-to-make tiny book is another great way to nature journal. There’s something special and exciting about 3D paper creations. I can’t wait to teach this nature journaling approach to kids and adults ☺️
New workshop series: tickets on sale now!
I’m excited to offer a range of new, full-day nature journaling workshops this year. They’re for people who’d like to learn more about the botany, zoology and ecology of our marvellous Australian nature, while enjoying three beautiful outdoor locations…
Forest portraits
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Cartoons
New designs: Magpie Studies and Australian Kin
Two new designs have just been added to my Redbubble store: ‘Magpie studies’ and ‘Australian kin’.
Gorgeous, fun & educational: New sticker sheets
Add some nature bling to your things, and brighten up your day 🙂
An early morning adventure, featuring a very good boy
One of the lovely things about living in Beechmont is that we never really know what we're going to find on our early morning dog walk...
How we saved summer
A message of hope from the future. If you like this, please share!
A message from a Queensland koala
I’ve been thinking about what I’d like to do for wildlife conservation if I was still working for the government. And because I think that changing human behavior is absolutely essential for wildlife conservation… and because I’ve noticed this year that people seem to like cartoons… this is what I came up with. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Reasons to be cheerful
I’m finding it a bit hard to be cheerful these days. Heat, smoke, prolonged drought and more fires. Frustration at the lack of action on climate change, while its effects are becoming more and more obvious. My beloved Lamington National Park is still closed, so I can’t go and lose myself in its leafy depths. But life continues, in all its beauty. When I take the time to look about, and look closely, I find many reasons to be cheerful.
Impressions of Barambah
I visited the Barambah Environmental Education Centre (about 50 km west of Gympie, Queensland) back in August. I ran a nature journaling workshop for the staff, and did some field work for a series of illustrations for a little book about the centre. Here are some...
Beechmont Nature Journal 22nd September 2019
In this cartoon, spring has come to Beechmont, while Binna Burra has become like Shangri-la: mysterious and inaccessible.
Wildlife illustration
The first ever Paperbark Writer Calendar
For the first time I’ve taken the leap and created a calendar!
Brighten up a nature-lover’s year with drawings that are both recognizable to species, and also make you smile.
New Australian Magpie tea towels, and two new greeting cards
Wise (but silly) magpies, plus the Bettong of Happiness.
Advice from an Australian Magpie
Australian magpies are fiercely loyal, great singers, breed co-operatively and love to be silly. Here’s some advice from one of Australia’s favorite birds.
A beak shaped by sheoaks?
Glossy Black-cockatoos feed almost exclusively on the seeds of sheoak trees (Allocasuarina and Casuarina spp.). Each day they spend many hours extracting seeds from woody sheoak cones – that much I knew. What I didn’t know, until I looked closely at the skull and beak of a Glossy Black-cockatoo, is exactly how their beak is beautifully shaped for the task of extracting a sheoak seed and eating it.
The Glossy Black-cockatoo is also threatened with extinction – and its highly specialized beak is part of the reason why.
A tale of two cocky beaks
At this time of year, I see two different types of large parrots everyday. The Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo and the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. One of them eagerly gobbles down the bird seed offered by some of my neighbours. The other never visits the feeding trays. Why should this be?
Eucalyptus tree shapes
Australia has an extraordinary diversity of Eucalyptus trees, and they naturally grow in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Here’s a few I’ve been lucky enough to meet, and some thoughts on why they might grow like they do.
































