Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park, Townsville

A black kite winged over the river park as I ran and walked in early morning, its feathered strokes slow and powerful, its dark tail forked. In a shallow pool of rainwater nudging the path, a slender,...

Brushtail Possum and the 2009 Australian Word of the Year

At dawn in the Ross River Parkway, white ibises were dim shapes feeding in sporadic drizzle, their black beaks shadowed curves. A sulphur-crested cockatoo squealed like an avian pig as it cruised low ...

Impressions of Townsville

On my morning run/walk, poinciana flowers were drenched flames strewn across dark pavement, and a black lab romped through pools of water adjacent to the path, enjoying the residue of last night’s d...

Townsville: A Birding Paradise

After a week of birding, Townsville’s avian diversity still overwhelms me. My 1997 copy of The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, written by Graham Pizzy and illustrated by Frank Knight, lis...