Short trip report - short trip to Flinders Island, Tasmania.

[Lawrie Conole <>]

Hi birders

On Saturday I flew down to Flinders Island and back, and in between spent
about 6 hours checking out a site for our client.  The weather for flying
was cold, gale force wind, showers, sleet - but visibility was often quite
good, and the myriad of islands from the Prom in Victoria down to Flinders
in Tas was very scenic indeed.  The site was in the Patriarchs on the east
coast of Flinders, about half-way up the island.  The list below is mostly
from there, but with a few roadside birds between there and the Whitemark
airport.

Flinders only has 8 of the 12 Tassie endemic bird species, and 7 were found
at the site.  A 'near endemic' was the Tassie Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila
audax fleayi).  A small covey of Brown Quail sunning themselves on a roadside
didn't flinch when I pulled up alongside, wound the window down and looked
down at them.  Nice view!!  First prize for oddity goes to the feral Turkeys.

Another question for you ...

Australian Magpie is said to be introduced on Flinders and King Islands.
 The King Island birds are Victorian from what I heard recently, but the
Flinders birds look Tasmanian (ie. quite small).  Does anyone know the story?

List follows:


*Wild Turkey                         Meleagris gallopavo
Brown Quail                          Coturnix ypsilophora
Cape Barren Goose                    Cereopsis novaehollandiae
Australian Shelduck                  Tadorna tadornoides
Australian Wood Duck                 Chenonetta jubata
Pacific Black Duck                   Anas superciliosa
Wedge-tailed Eagle                   Aquila audax
Nankeen Kestrel                      Falco cenchroides
Painted Button-quail                 Turnix varia
Masked Lapwing                       Vanellus miles
Pacific Gull                         Larus pacificus
Silver Gull                          Larus novaehollandiae
Brush Bronzewing                     Phaps elegans
Green Rosella                        Platycercus caledonicus
Superb Fairy-wren                    Malurus cyaneus
Forty-spotted Pardalote              Pardalotus quadragintus
Tasmanian Scrubwren                  Sericornis humilis
Tasmanian Thornbill                  Acanthiza ewingii
Yellow-throated Honeyeater           Lichenostomus flavicollis
Strong-billed Honeyeater             Melithreptus validirostris
Crescent Honeyeater                  Phylidonyris pyrrhoptera
New Holland Honeyeater               Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
White-fronted Chat                   Epthianura albifrons
Pink Robin                           Petroica rodinogaster
Dusky Robin                          Melanodryas vittata
Grey Shrike-thrush                   Colluricincla harmonica
*Australian Magpie                   Gymnorhina tibicen
Forest Raven                         Corvus tasmanicus
*Skylark                             Alauda arvensis
Australian Pipit                     Anthus australis
*House Sparrow                       Passer domesticus
*European Greenfinch                 Carduelis chloris
*European Goldfinch                  Carduelis carduelis
Welcome Swallow                      Hirundo neoxena
Silvereye                            Zosterops lateralis
*Common Blackbird                    Turdus merula
*Common Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris

Short-beaked Echidna                 Tachyglossus aculeatus
Southern Brown Bandicoot             Isoodon obesulus
Red-necked Wallaby                   Macropus rufogriseus
Tasmanian Pademelon                  Thylogale billardierii

41 species

-- 
=================================
Lawrie Conole
Senior Ecologist
Ornithology & Terrestrial Ecology
 
Ecology Australia Pty. Ltd.
Flora and Fauna Consultants
88B Station Street
FAIRFIELD VIC 3078 Australia
E-mail: m("ecologyaustralia.com.au","lconole");">
Internet: http://www.ecologyaustralia.com.au/
Ph: (03) 9489 4191; Mob: (0419) 588 993
Fax: (03) 9481 7679
ABN 83 006 757 142

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