Dear Aus birders,
I just finished a great Tassie trip on the South Coast Track and Bruny
Island. I picked up 28 new species including all the Tassie endemics and some
special parrots. Below, I detail the highlight species and provide a full list
without details. If interested in the detailed list, please email me.
We took ten days to hike the SCT from Malaleuca (flew in on Tasair) to Cockle
Creek. It rained almost continuously for the first six days but the end was
better. We then spent a day in Dover where we experienced some great Tasmanian
hospitality from a friend?s parents. Finally we took a three day trip to Bruny
Island in search of the Forty-spotted Pardalote and other goodies. We tried to
get a hire car for Bruny but the rental car companies were chockers so we
hitched our way from bird to bird.
I?d like to thank all of those on Birding Aus who recently gave advice on
finding the pardalote and those who gave initial advice about Tassie birds. We
are also very appreciative of the kind folks who gave us rides on Bruny Island!
Thank you!
Cheers,
Bert Harris, Adelaide
HIGHLIGHTS
SCT = South Coast Track, BI = Bruny Island
Shy Albatross-SCT: After much scanning, finally got a look at some
albatrosses (~ 20 individuals) from point just east of S cape rivulet. BI: 50+
on Bruny Island boat cruise-close looks
Short-tailed Shearwater- SCT: tens of thousands in the distance from Little
Deadman's Bay. Closer views from first promontory east of the bay. Also distant
views from South Cape Rivulet. BI: thousands in the distance from the neck;
fantastic night-time looks at breeding individuals digging burrows at penguin
colony.
Little Penguin-SCT: one dead individual at Surprise Bay. BI: fantastic looks
at adults and young at the colony at the neck
Tasmanian Native Hen-SCT: good look at a group crossing the road just north
of Cockle Creek. BI: quick view of one in a field near Dennes Hill
Hooded Plover- SCT: Cox Bight 10, Prion Beach 1
Green Rosella-SCT and BI: daily in small numbers
Swift Parrot-BI: group of 12 or so at Dennes Hill. Group of 5 at South Bruny
Nat Park near Grassy Pt in dry sclerophyll forest.
Orange-bellied Parrot-SCT: fantastic views of a brilliant male(s) seen three
times in an hour at the feeder at Malaleuca.
Ground Parrot-SCT: six individuals flushed in buttongrass on Dec 29. Four
just W of the SCT at Cox Bight; 1 east of Buoy Creek; 1 north of Louisa Bay.
Southern Emu-Wren-SCT: several groups H/glimpsed on first days
(buttongrass)-one male seen well west of Louisa River.
Tasmanian Scrubwren-SCT: very common-20+ a day
Scrubtit-SCT: 1 in coastal heath at New River Lagoon; fairly common in ferns
in wet forest west of Surprise Bay; a few in wet forest further along the track
Striated Fieldwren-SCT: one male flushed and seen very well in buttongrass
west of turnoff for Osmiridium Bay
Tasmanian Thornbill-SCT: very common-20+ a day
Forty-spotted Pardalote-BI: Fantastic looks at two in a semi-isolated patch
of White Gum near gravel quarry at Dennes Hill, N. Bruny Is. (about halfway in
between Barnes Bay and Dennes Point along Bruny Is Main Rd-thanks John
Tongue!). Both Spotted and Striated were present in the same gum trees and one
of the 40 spots chased a Striated out of the patch.
Yellow-throated Honeyeater-SCT: one in the distance at Cox Bight, two at the
first big creek crossing (with a fixed rope). BI: common; also several in Dover.
Yellow Wattlebird- BI: fairly common.
Strong-billed Honeyeater- SCT: one group of 6 seen very well at Little
Deadman's Bay-interesting behaviour-probing under bark along trunks and
branches.
Black-headed Honeyeater- BI: common; a few in Dover.
Olive Whistler- SCT: H almost daily; seen Cox Bight, E of New River Lagoon
and on descent to Granite Bch.
Black Currawong- SCT: common
Forest Raven- SCT: almost daily. BI: common
Satin Flycatcher- BI: Great looks at a pair in dry forest near Grassy Point,
South Bruny NP.
Dusky Robin- BI: common with many juveniles, same story in Dover.
Bassian Thrush- SCT: 1 seen and a few H in tall coastal forest W of Prion
Bch; three seen foraging on trail in wet forest W of Surprise Bay; one seen in
tall heath on last day.
Beautiful Firetail- SCT: one seen in flight over buttongrass on Louisa Bay
trail; also a recent report in the OBP log at Malaleuca.
FULL LIST (numbers and alternative names are from Cristidis and Boles)
Black Swan Cygnus atratus 203
Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides 207
Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata 202
Northern MallardI Anas platyrhynchos 948 Mallard
Rock DoveI Columba livia 957
Common Bronzewing Phaps chalcoptera 34
Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta 91 Diomedea
Short-tailed Shearwater Ardenna tenuirostris 71 Puffinus
Little Penguin Eudyptula minor 5
Australasian Gannet Morus serrator 104
Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris 97
Black-faced Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens 98
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae 188
White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster 226
Swamp Harrier Circus approximans 219
Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax 224
Brown Falcon Falco berigora 239
Tasmanian Native-hen Tribonyx mortierii 54 Gallinula
Australian Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris 130 Pied
Oystercatcher
Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus 131
Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis 138
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles 133
Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis 162
Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia 112 Sterna
Pacific Gull Larus pacificus 126
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 981
Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae 125 Larus
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus funereus 267
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita 269
Green Rosella Platycercus caledonicus 285
Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor 309
Orange-bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster 305
Ground Parrot Pezoporus wallicus 311
Pallid Cuckoo Cacomantis pallidus 337 Cuculus
Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis 338
Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae 322
Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus 529
Southern Emu-wren Stipiturus malachurus 526
Tasmanian Scrubwren Sericornis humilis 495
Scrubtit Acanthornis magna 487 A. magn us
Striated Fieldwren Calamanthus fuliginosus 500
Tasmanian Thornbill Acanthiza ewingii 473
Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla 475
Spotted Pardalote Pardalotus punctatus 565
Forty-spotted Pardalote Pardalotus quadragintus 571
Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus 976
Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris 591
Yellow-throated Honeyeater Lichenostomus flavicollis 616
Yellow Wattlebird Anthochaera paradoxa 639
Crescent Honeyeater Phylidonyris pyrrhopterus 630 P. pyrrhopter a
New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae 631
Strong-billed Honeyeater Melithreptus validirostris 582
Black-headed Honeyeater Melithreptus affinis 584
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae 424
Olive Whistler Pachycephala olivacea 405
Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica 408
Dusky Woodswallow Artamus cyanopterus 547
Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus 702
Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen 705 Gymnorhina
Black Currawong Strepera fuliginosa 696
Grey Fantail Rhipidura albiscapa 361 treated as conspecific with Grey
Fantail R. fuliginosa
Forest Raven Corvus tasmanicus 868
Satin Flycatcher Myiagra cyanoleuca 366
Dusky Robin Melanodryas vittata 386
Silvereye Zosterops lateralis 574
Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena 357
Tree Martin Petrochelidon nigricans 359 Hirundo
Bassian Thrush Zoothera lunulata 779
Common BlackbirdI Turdus merula 991
Common StarlingI Sturnus vulgaris 999
Beautiful Firetail Stagonopleura bella 650
House SparrowI Passer domesticus 995
European GoldfinchI Carduelis carduelis 996
Common GreenfinchI Chloris chloris 997 Carduelis
===============================
www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to:
===============================
|
