28 May 2020

Reflecting on place

posted in: Nature journaling | 1

How much do you know about the place where you live? No doubt you know where to buy food and other essentials. Perhaps you know where to catch the bus / tram / train, or the quickest way to drive to work or school. But what about the landform you live on? In this week of reconciliation, how much do you know about the humans who first lived in this place? And what about the plants and animals who share your place? Are they recent arrivals, or are they the modern descendants of very ancient lineages? Use this activity to reflect on your place.
15 Nov 2018

Stories from the Wildworld – on sale now

posted in: Books, Wildworld Books, Writing | 2

The books have arrived! A big van pulled up in the driveway today, and now we have many boxes of Stories from the Wildworld piled up in our house. Wooopeee! I now pronounce Stories from the Wildworld, my first kid’s … Read More
17 Mar 2016

Books: Bird Minds by Gisela Kaplan

posted in: Books, Tales of science | 6

If they were primates, we’d say they ‘had culture’ ‘were intelligent’ and ‘had complex cognitive abilities’. But as birds, these qualities are largely overlooked. And, what’s more, they are Australian birds. Australia, the arse-end of anywhere, that odd country of … Read More
6 Jun 2015

Why are Australian swans black?

posted in: Tales of science, Wildlife illustration, Writing | 4

Australian swans are black, while most swans are white. Why should this be? When I was a child, growing up in Australia, the only swans I saw were black. At Lake Wendouree in Ballarat, or in the Botanic Gardens of … Read More