First, my sincere thanks to those Birding-Aus people who kindly sent
information on places to go birding near Hobart, Graham, Gary, Chris,
Roy and Murray Lord in particular. I would send individual thanks if I
had not managed to lose your e-mail addresses. We are very grateful.
Friday 4 March - arrival. Feral Pigeons, Silver Gulls, a Kelp Gull or
two and some Black-faced Cormorants on rocks just outside Dock gates.
Sat. 5 March. Visited John Gould Exhibition at Tas. Museum and Art
Gallery - strongly recommended. A fish and chips meal was observed by
Silver Gulls and House Sparrows
Sun. 6 March. Hired small car and found PETER MURRELL RESERVE.
Forest Ravens and Masked Lapwings en route.
Along the Coffee Creek Fire Trail we found ourselves instantly
surrounded by Forty-spotted Pardalotes in a swarm!
Grey Fantails.
Also a young Striated Pardalote
New Holland Honeyeaters
Little Wattlebird (I think more strongly marked than in Victoria).
Blackbird.
Silvereyes (dark flanks much in evidence).
Welcome Swallows and Silver Gulls overhead.
One male Scarlet Robin.
One male Golden Whistler.
One Tas. Native Hen
Yellow-throated Honeyeaters - one was feeding on the ground.
Brown Thornbills - I think- fawn flanks, anyway
Strong-billed honeyeater, splendid views as it ripped loose bark apart
Blackfaced Cuckoo-shrikes, 2 dark birds
Superb Fairy-wrens
Unidentified Scrubwrens
1 very small dark wallaby, no white on tail - ID, please? Dashed into
dense scrub.
Dusky Robin came and posed on the gate while we checked the map before
departure
Starlings on the wires
Back to WREST POINT in afternoon where Brian visited a gemstone
exhibition -
I observed large number of feral Domestic Geese and feral mongrel
Mallard X Ducks, and a few Black Ducks. Also two feral white Muscovy
Ducks.
Along the coast, some Kelp Gulls and a Little Pied Cormorant. Spotted
Doves on a house-roof.
Monday 7 March - WATERWORKS RESERVE
Masked Lapwings
Kelp Gulls, all ages, large flock
Feral Domestic Geese
Welcome Swallows
Tree Martins
Mallard X ducks
Black Ducks
Tas. Native Hens, 3
Superb Fairy Wrens
Gray Fantails
Brown Thornbills - fawn flanks
Dusky Wood-swallow, single bird
New Holland Honeyeaters
Magpies
Forest Ravens
FERNTREE. A noisy party of hikers had just headed up the track near the
church, so we tried the Fern Glade Track instead.
Bassian Thrush
Pink Robin
Unidentified Scrubwren
Golden Whistler heard above us
In township - Eastern Spinebills and Silvereyes in Grevillea - also
bumblebees.
Up MT.WELLINGTON Road - flowering Banksias near Chalet - full of New
Holland Honeyeaters, and an unidentified smaller species. Think I heard
Crescent Honeyeater.
We were impressed by the shrubs with handsome pink, orange and white
berries.
At Summit, no birds, and no wonder in howling cold wind and cloud.
THE DOMAIN - our final try for a Yellow Wattlebird, and we found at
least three in the Grassland Gully area. The call is like the Red WB's
but seems not so deep or coughing. The calling attitude, with head flung
up vertically, displays the wattles waving in the wind and also shows
the pink mouth lining.
We also found a Hobby resting in a bare tree top.
At the Scenic Outlook, a Grey Butcherbird singing - or in view of the
location, should we revive the old name, Derwent Jackass?
At BOWEN BRIDGE, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and a Laughing Kookaburra.
Near Risdon Vale we saw a dead Brushtail possum and a large Wallaby,
also dead.
At RICHMOND BRIDGE, more Geese (possibly owned rather than feral) and
some very mixed Mallard X Black Ducks, plus one or two apparently
pure-bred Black Ducks, plus House Sparrows and Blackbirds.
Near Cambridge, Kelp Gulls on ploughed land.
At the airport, Noisy Miners.
All in all a very enjoyable four days. We will be back for a more
detailed visit. Thanks again.
Anthea and Brian Fleming
--------------------------------------------
Birding-Aus is now on the Web at
www.birding-aus.org
--------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message 'unsubscribe
birding-aus' (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
