Hi everyone,
Just back from a 2 week trip to Tassie (mostly non-birding) and managed to
see all the endemics except for Scrubtit (despite a fair bit of searching in
cold, dark rainforest at Ferntree!).
Great to get Forty-spotted Pardalote (at the well-documented Peter Murrell
Reserve near Hobart) - I was there for over an hour and only saw one amongst
many Striated Pardalotes.
Some interesting observations - some birds which we in Victoria think of as
a good sighting are everywhere in Tassie (Olive Whistler - many at Bicheno,
Pink Robins - at 2 locations, Crescent Honeyeaters - very common in Hobart,
Flame/Scarlet Robins - very common everywhere).
Some of the more bizarre birding I have ever done was at Cradle Mountain,
where it snowed continuously for at least 24 hours. Watching Strong-billed,
Black-headed and Yellow-throated Honeyeaters forage in snow-laden eucalypts
was quite a sight!
On the mammal front, Tassie is a gem - managed to see a Tassie Devil,
Eastern Quoll, Long-nosed Potoroo, many Common Wombats and Short-beaked
Echidnas, Red-necked Wallabies, Tasmanian Pademelons and very dark coloured
Brush-tailed Possums. Unfortunately dipped on Platypus, Spot-tailed Quoll
and Southern Bettong.
Overall a fantastic trip in a beautiful place (especially Cradle Mountain
area - breathtaking scenery) and managed about 85 spp and 10 mammal spp.
Major dissappointment, however, was the unbelievable number of fully-laden
logging trucks (many with very old trees) - just a constant procession in
the high country (did anyone see the Sunday program yesterday re: the
logging industry's political stronghold in Tasmania?) Frightening....
Cheers,
Greg
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