Tasmanian
Birding & Mammal Tour
5
to 11 February 2006
Fully accommodated tour seeking all Tassie endemic birds, and species
that are difficult to see on the mainland, such as pink robin, beautiful
firetail and southern emuwren. Mammals could include Tasmanian devil,
southern bettong, eastern quoll, eastern barred bandicoot and platypus.
A pelagic trip off Eaglehawk Neck should give us a swag of seabirds.
The flight to Melaleuca, in the south west. for orange-bellied parrot
is spectacular. The tour starts and finishes in Hobart.
(Day 1) Hobart
Sunday, 5 February
Our first birding in the Hobart area will be the temperate rainforests
on Mt Wellington where we will seek out scrub-tit, which is one of the
more difficult Tassie endemics. Also present here should be olive whistler
and yellow-throated honeyeater. We will then catch the car ferry across
the Dentrecasteaux Channel to Bruny Island for forty-spotted pardalote,
and other delights. After dinner we will visit a colony of little penguins
and short-tailed shearwaters. Red-necked wallaby, Tasmanian pademelon
and common brushtail (in a variety of colour phases) are abundant on
Bruny Island. We have a chance for masked owl.
Overnight: Bruny Island
(Day 2) Bruny Island to Hamilton (Mt Field NP area)
Monday, 6 February
This morning we will bird the eucalypt forests and farmland on Bruny;
here we should pick up beautiful firetail, yellow wattlebird and black-headed
honeyeater. Tasmanian native hens are always in good numbers here. Swift
parrot and yellow-tailed black cockatoo may also be about. Along the
coast we could see pied and sooty oystercatchers and hooded plover.
We journey back to the Tasmanian mainland after lunch and head towards
Hamilton, west of Hobart. Spotlighting tonight could produce the delightful
eastern quoll and eastern barred bandicoot and a chance for the furtive
Tasmanian devil and southern bettong.
Overnight: Hamilton
(Day 3) Hamilton to Derwent Bridge
Tuesday, 7 February
In the early morning we have a chance for platypus. Travelling on to
Mt Field National Park, we look for pink robin in massive swamp gums
and we have more chances for scrub-tit. Also prominent here is the sinister
looking black currawong. Higher up on the mountain we should view flame
robin. After lunch we will travel further west to the centre of the
Tasmania to the small settlement of Derwent Bridge, on the edge of Lake
St Clair. Spotlighting tonight gives us our best chance for Tasmanian
devil, plus common wombat and tawny frogmouth and more chances for eastern
quoll.
Overnight: Derwent Bridge
(Day 4) Derwent Bridge to Seven Mile Beach (Hobart area)
Wednesday, 8 February
Birding the swampy heath lands around Derwent Bridge, we have a chance
for such delights as southern emuwren, beautiful firetail and striated
fieldwren. The adjacent dry eucalypt forest should produce strong-billed
honeyeater and yellow wattlebirds and with luck some swift parrots might
be about. We travel back to Hobart after lunch to check out swamps for
assorted ducks along the Derwent River. Australasian bittern can also
occasionally be seen in this area. Tonight we will spotlight for masked
owl one of our more difficult owls.
Overnight: Seven Mile Beach
(Day 5) Melaleuca return
Thursday, 9 February
We witness spectacular scenery on our morning charter flight down to
the wilderness area of south-west Tasmania. This is the breeding area
of the rare orange-bellied parrot and we should have a good chance of
seeing them, and we might be lucky enough to get ground parrot. Here
we could also see beautiful firetail, striated fieldwren and have another
chance for southern emuwren. Return to Hobart airport in the afternoon.
We have another chance for masked owl tonight.
Overnight: Hobart
(Day 6) Hobart to Eaglehawk Neck
Friday, 10 February
This morning we will check out the mudflats around Sorell for waders
such as eastern curlew, bar-tailed godwit and various sandpipers and
plovers. We'll visit a sand spit along the coast, east of Hobart, where
Pacific gull, fairy tern and hooded plover are possible. We will then
travel down the Tasman Peninsula to Eaglehawk Neck. The wet forest around
Eaglehawk Neck can be good for brush bronzewing and flame robin. Eaglehawk
Neck has its share of geological attractions such as the Tasman Arch,
Blowhole, Devils Kitchen and Tessellated Pavement.
Overnight: Eaglehawk Neck
(Day 7) Pelagic trip off Eaglehawk Neck
Saturday, 11 February
This morning we voyage out into the Tasman Sea, travelling past the
Hippolyte Rocks, to the edge of the continental shelf. A great variety
of seabirds is possible if the gods are willing. These could include
several albatrosses such as wandering, royal ,Buller's ,black-browed,
shy, yellow-nosed and maybe even sooty. Petrels such as northern and
southern giant, cape, white-chinned, great-winged and Gould's are possible.
Short-tailed and fluttering shearwaters should be in abundance and we
should get a couple of the storm-petrels, such as Wilson's and Grey-backed,
as well as the unusual common diving-petrel. Pelagic trips are rich
with possibility. The Hippolyte Rocks are good for Australian fur seal
and we sometimes see common and bottle-nosed dolphins, and if we are
very lucky killer whale. On our return from the pelagic trip,
about 4pm, we will travel back to Hobart Airport.
________________________________________________________________
Additional Information
Cost of seven day tour: $2,810.00 AUD twin share (includes GST); price
does not include airfares other than the Melaleuca flight.
Single supplement: $418.00 AUD
Includes: accommodation for seven nights including the pre-tour evening
(4 February) but does not include 11 February 2006.
All meals from breakfast on 5 February to lunch on 11 February 2006;
transport, guiding, park entrance fees.
Not included: alcohol, laundry, phone calls, personal items
Starting time 7.15 am in Hobart on Sunday 5 February 2006
Accommodation comprises good to excellent quality motels, cabins and
B& Bs
Luggage: Restricted to 2 bags per person.
Transportation: 22 seater bus or 12 seater mini-bus depending on numbers
Limited to: 12 participants
Tour leaders: Philip Maher and Trisha Maher
Please note that the Melaleuca flight and pelagic trip are subject to
weather conditions.
Participants are advised not to book flights to the mainland that depart
prior to 6.45 pm on 11 February.
possible
bird list
possible
mammal list
trip
reports
home
page