Tasmania's unique array of birds has fascinated Sarah Lloyd since early childhood when she watched them at various places around Hobart. For thirty years Sarah has lived in a eucalypt forest in northern Tasmania. Through her observations of migratory and resident species she has accumulated a vast knowledge of their behaviour and during a year long study of the dawn chorus she gained insights into their vocal repertoires. The many surveys she conducted in bush fragments in northern Tasmania increased her knowledge of the regional variations in their calls - their 'dialects'. The surveys also documented the distribution of bush birds and Sarah is often consulted about the plight of declining woodland species.In 2008 Sarah initiated A Sound Idea, a project to monitor acoustically Tasmania's terrestrial birds assisted by over ninety volunteers using small digital sound recorders. Participants mostly recorded in their backyards or local bush resulting in species lists from over 100 locations that had not been surveyed previously for birds. In The Feathered Tribes of Van Diemen's Land Sarah introduces the non specialist to a brief overview of Tasmania's geography, the functions of bird song and role of sex in the spring dawn chorus, the practical and aesthetic importance of feathers, and other aspects of birds' lives seldom included in field guides. The book includes photographs of over 70 common birds likely to be seen in the backyard, bush or on the farm and provides hints on how to find and identify them. Other topics include some of the hazards experienced by birds - window strikes, cats, poisons and fire - and how they can be avoided or eliminated. It concludes with a plea for the retention, restoration and proper management of bird habitats whether in city, town or country.'The Feathered Tribes of Van Diemen's Land' is taken from a report written in 1832. The descriptions are revealing: the land birds were regarded as 'all of them curious and beautiful', the bronzewings 'delicious to eat', the quail 'afforded the sportsman capital shooting' and Tasmania was 'entirely without singing birds'.