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Tassie Trip Report

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Subject: Tassie Trip Report
From: Frank Pierce / Janet Mattiske <>
Date: Fri, 01 Oct 2004 12:56:06 +1000

TASSIE TRIP REPORT

Having booked for the September Pelagic Trip at Eaglehawk Neck, Geoff Walker and I decided to add a few days either side to chase the Tasmanian subspecies. Geoff's research and trip planning skills were up to their usual high standard.
We spent 8 days on the Island from 15 to 22/9/04.
We saw 124 species including the 12 Endemics and 33 of the 37 subspecies.
The pelagic trip was very productive with sightings of Grey Petrel and Grey-Headed Albatross being the highlights. Thanks to Chris Lester for organising this. Thanks also to Bill Wakefield for his advice on hotspots for some of our target subspecies.

Details of our sightings are as follows-

ENDEMICS

Tasmanian Native-hen            C       Peter Murrell Res +++
Green Rosella                   C       Peter Murrell Res +++
Forty-spotted Pardalote UC      Peter Murrell Res + Bruny Is
Tasmanian Scrubwren             C       Duck River, Smithton +++
Scrubtit UC Sandpit Res. Wielangta Forest + Mt Mangana Track
Tasmanian Thornbill             FC      South Bruny Is ++
Yellow Wattlebird               C       Peter Murrell Res +++
Yellow-throated Honeyeater      C       Freycinet NP ++
Strong-billed Honeyeater UC Mt Mangana Rd, Bruny Is + Duck River, Smithton
Black-headed Honeyeater C       Freycinet NP ++
Dusky Robin                     C       Bruny Is ++
Black Currawong         C       Derwent Bridge ++

Note - All endemics were seen on Bruny Island

SUBSPECIES

Brown Quail ypsilophora UC S Bruny Is Lighthouse area
Wedge-tailed Eagle              fleayi          UC      Hellier Gorge Res +
Lewin's Rail                    brachipus               Not Seen
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo xanthanotus UC Cape Queen Elizabeth Walk, Bruny Is + Musk Lorikeet didimus UC Hobart Airport + Pittwater
Eastern Rosella         diemenensis     UC      3k e Campbell Town (1 pair)
Ground Parrot leachi UC Ocean Beach Rd 0.5k w of Strahan Airport Southern Boobook leucopsis C Sandpit Res, Wielangta Forest Drive
Masked Owl                      castanops               Not Seen
Australian Owlet-nightjar       tasmanicus      UC      Waterworks Res, Hobart
Azure Kingfisher                diemenensis             Not Seen
Superb Fairy-wren               cyaneus C       widespread
Southern Emu-wren littleri UC T+T Strahan Airport Site Striated Pardalote striatus FC Peter Murrell Res + Striated Fieldwren fuliginosus UC Pipeclay Lagoon C R, e of Clifton Beach Striated Fieldwren diemenensis UC T+T Strahan Airport Site
Brown Thornbill         diemenensis     C       widespread
Yellow-rumped Thornbill leachi          FC      Bruny Is ++
Little Wattlebird               tasmanica       C       Freycinet NP ++
Noisy Miner                     leachi          FC      Freycinet NP ++
New Holland Honeyeater  canescens       C       Tasmania
Tawny-crowned Honeyeater        chelidonia              Not Seen
Eastern Spinebill               dubius          FC      Freycinet NP ++
Scarlet Robin                   leggi           C       Freycinet NP ++
Pink Robin rodinogaster C Sandpit Res, Wielangta Forest Drive + Spotted Quail-thrush dovei UC Mt Mangana Rd, Bruny Island Golden Whistler glaucura C Cape Queen Elizabeth Walk, Bruny Is +
Grey Shrike-thrush              strigata                C       Freycinet NP ++
Grey Fantail                    albiscapa       C       Freycinet NP ++
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike       novaehollandiae FC      Smithton ++
Grey Butcherbird                cinereus        FC      Ouse ++
Australian Magpie               hypoleuca       C       Hobart
Grey Currawong          arguta          C       Lunawanna, Bruny Is ++
Richard's Pipit                 bistriatus      C       Moulting Lagoon
Little Grassbird                gramineus       UC      Lewisham Swamp
Silvereye lateralis UC North end of Great Bay, Bruny Is

OTHER INTERESTING SIGHTINGS

Hooded Plover           Friendly Beaches, Freycinet NP
Long-billed Corella 200 seen 3k e Campbell Town -no distribution shown in field guides. Local farmer advised that they have been there for 5 or 6 years and numbers have been increasing. (Scattered groups of SC Cockatoos and a flock of
                        50 galahs also in general area.)
Little Corella          1 pair  only 15k e Poatina
Swift Parrot Bruny Is - C Queen Elizabeth Walk + 3k e of ferry. Also Pipeclay Lagoon
Beautiful Firetail      Strahan Airport, T+T Site

The weather was good and bad - 2 days rained nearly all day, 3 days of patchy rain and wind, 3 days calm and sunny. The ranger at Strahan said it had rained every day since Anzac Day except 18 to 21/9/04.

We tried for the Masked Owl at 3 well known sites and each time got no response. Our conclusion is that they are unresponsive to tapes and do not call at this time of year. Any confirmation or otherwise of this
would be appreciated.

I'm going to Tassie again in April '05. If anyone can provide sites for the Lewins Rail, Azure Kingfisher or
Tawny-crowned Honeyeater (Western ssp 'chelidonia')  please let me know.

Frank Pierce


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