Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus)

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Tara

The Green Rosella or Tasmanian Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) is endemic to Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. At 37 cm (14.5 in) long it is the largest species of the rosella genus, Platycercus. Its diet is composed of seeds, fruit, berries and flowers, as well as insects and insect larvae.

Green Rosellas are endemic to Tasmania and are commonly seen throught the island. I saw them best on Bruny Island and Freycinet National Park.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GREEN ROSELLAS

Tasmania Parks & Wildlife

VIDEO

Mike Grant has some nice close up footage on YouTube.

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus)

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Tara

The Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus) is a large cockatoo native to the south-east of Australia measuring 55–65 cm (22–26 in) in length. It has a short crest on the top of its head. Its plumage is mostly brownish black and it has prominent yellow cheek patches and a yellow tail band. The body feathers are edged with yellow giving a scalloped appearance.

These photos were taken near the Cheese Shop on Bruny Island.

Here’s a couple pics taken near Stanthorpe, Queensland.

The Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo is found in forested regions from south and central eastern Queensland to southeastern South Australia and on Tasmania. I have seen them near the afore-mentioned Cheese Shop on Bruny Island, near Hobart, near Girraween in South-East Queensland and on the road to Lamington National Park. They can also be seen in the outer suburbs of Brisbane near Mt Glorius.

LEARN MORE ABOUT YELLOW-TAILED BLACK COCKATOOS

Tasmania Parks & Wildlife

VIDEO

Nice close-ups of a YTBC eating.

Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus)

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Tara

The Superb Fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus), also known as the superb blue-wren or colloquially as the blue wren, is a passerine bird of the family Maluridae, common and familiar across southeastern Australia. They were recently voted as Australia’s favourite bird. Two subspecies groups are recognized: the larger and darker Tasmanian form cyaneus and the smaller and paler mainland form cyanochlamys.

Superb Fairy-wrens have a large range in eastern Australia and Tasmania. I’ve personally seen them in the Captain Cook Caravan Park in Bruny Island, Strahan, around Hobart and near Girraween National Park in Queensland.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SUPERB FAIRY-WRENS

Tasmania Parks & Wildlife

VIDEO

Beautiful close up footage from Chris Rishworth on YouTube.

Bruny Island Penguin Rookery

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Tara

In my other post, I mentioned that you will drive past a Penguin Rookery which is well signed.

P is for Penguin

Penguins start coming ashore after dark. Your lodge will tell you when to go as it varies at different times of the year.

They have excellent information about the Little Penguins as you enter the Rookery. Entry is free and they have strict rules against flash photography. I did the best I could while someone used a red lamp to highlight a penguin. There was no moon and it was really dark. We brought blankets from Captain Cook’s as it was pretty cold even in Autumn!

Sorry, this was the best I could do with no light!Since I couldn’t get a good shot, this one from Wikipedia will have to do.

Tasmanian Native-hen (Tribonyx mortierii)

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Tara

The Tasmanian nativehen (Tribonyx mortierii) is a flightless rail and one of twelve species of birds endemic to the Australian island of Tasmania. Other common names include narkie, native-hen, waterhen and turbo chook.

The Tasmanian Native-hen is entirely confined to Tasmania. They are easily seen wandering around the stream behind the Captain Cook Caravan Park on Bruny Island.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Tasmania Parks & Wildlife

VIDEO

Birding Bruny Island

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Tara

Bruny Island is on the bucket list of many birders for its rich and varied birdlife. Inala has a good list of birds and mammals found here. They can also provide accommodation and guided birding tours.

Being budget travelers, we birded independently as we drove south from the ferry dock. Here are some of the best birds we saw (that I got pics of).

We saw our first Tasmanian endemic bird – Green Rosellas a few km before the Cheese shop.

A small flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos were in the trees surrounding the Cheese Shop.

Assorted sparrows, LBJs and Fairy-wrens were at the Penguin Cafe hoping to snatch up leftover food.

The bright blue Superb Fairy-wrens are male, the brown ones are female.

We saw a Scarlet Robin in the Captain Cook Caravan Park grounds.

Moving down to the beach opposite Captain Cook’s we saw some black swans.

Tasmanian Native Hens were in the grounds at Captain Cook’s.

These Green Rosellas were foraging at the entrance to Captain Cook’s.

We had almost given up hope for the Swift Parrots when a lady said she saw some near her cabin which was one of the cabins nearest the beach. Sure enough, there was a Swift Parrot living up to his name by flying swiftly from one tree to another. I did my best to get a good shot but he wasn’t going to make it easy!

Lodge Review: Captain Cook Caravan Park

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Tara

Captain Cook Caravan Park has something for everyone whether you just need space for a tent or caravan or want to relax in a fully equipped cabin. Prices are pretty good so we went for the cabins and really enjoyed them! Of course the biggest draw was the fact that Captain Cook’s is known for having Swift Parrots hanging around the grounds!

There’s a good variety of cabins, some have 1 or 2 bedrooms, some have full kitchens and some have views of the beach.

Kitchen and dining area

Master bedroom

Extra bedroom with bunk beds

Bathroom Green Rosella near our cabin

Swift Parrot flying swiftly through the grounds.

Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor)

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Tara

The Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor) breeds in Tasmania and migrates north to south eastern Australia from Griffith-Warialda in New South Wales and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is related to the rosellas, with the feeding habits of a lorikeet. It is the only member in the genus Lathamus. The Swift Parrot is endangered with only about 1000 pairs remaining in the wild, and its population is declining. They do live up to their name and were too swift for me to get a good shot on Bruny Island so I have to use the Wikipedia photo.

Here are my feeble attempts.

Swift Parrots have a large range during the non-breeding season as they migrate to the south and east coast of mainland Australia. Many lucky Tasmanians have Swift Parrots coming into their backyards. It is much easier to see them on Bruny Island in Tasmania where they breed and are easier to find. Captain Cook Caravan Park in Adventure Bay has Swifties coming into the trees on their grounds. Look for them on flowering gum trees.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SWIFT PARROTS

Tasmania Parks & Wildlife

VIDEO

Here’s an excellent mini-doco from NSW National Parks.

Highlights Of Bruny Island

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Tara

Once you’ve arrived on Bruny Island by ferry, you will drive off and head down the main road. If you are here for birding, you will probably be staying at either Inala or Captain Cook’s depending on your budget so you need to head south. In this post I will cover the tourist attractions and in the next post I will show you where we saw most of the birds.

Just after leaving the ferry we saw this billboard about conserving the Swift Parrot.

First stop was the Bruny Island Smokehouse. They sell various meats and sauces. You can start building your artisan food picnic here.

There was some pretty amazing scenery on the drive south. There are a couple other places to add to a Bruny Island style picnic – Get Shucked Oysters and Bruny Island Premium Wines.

Since I am fond of cheese, I wasn’t about to pass by the Bruny Island Cheese Co! Free cheese tasting!

I love how they have these educational boards about the Swift Parrots!

Just as you enter the narrow stretch of land you will see the entrance to the Penguin Rookery. Take note as you will want to come back here at night.

What would a picnic be without some sweet treats? The Bruny Island Berry Farm has some delicious jams, cakes and other goodies! Since this is the last stop for food gathering before Adventure Bay, you may want to use their picnic area.

As we came into Adventure Bay, we saw this traditional looking church.

Further down is the Bay of History and the Bligh Museum. We got there too late so didn’t get to go inside………………birding will do that to you!

Destination: Bruny Island, Tasmania

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Tara

Bruny Island is one of Australia‘s top birding destinations but it is also a destination that can appeal to anyone birder or not. If you are planning a trip to Tasmania, I highly recommend a visit here. Bruny Island is easily reached by car + ferry from the mainland. When choosing a rental car, you need to make sure that the company allows its cars to go to Bruny and also that the cars are covered by insurance if you take them on the ferry. We used Bargain Car Rentals who cater to people wanting to visit Bruny Island. Oddly enough, Thrifty seems to encourage people to take their cars to Bruny but when you read the T&Cs it says that the cars are not covered on ferries. Watch out for “Gotchas” like this.

Gotcha!

GETTING TO BRUNY ISLAND

It’s about an hour’s drive to Kettering, then you board the Bruny Island Ferry. The two most interesting spots for birding are represented by the blue dots. The one on the narrow strip is where the Penguin Rookery is. The other one is at Adventure Bay where the Captain Cook Caravan Park and best place to see Swift Parrots is.

Ferries go roughly every 60-90 minutes.

Return fares for a tourist are $30 off-peak, $35 peak and you must have cash only.

THE EXPERIENCE

Loading the cars on the ferry is very well organized, staff will direct you into lanes and motion you forward when its your turn. You can get out and walk around during the 20 minute journey and enjoy the scenery. Here are some pics from my trip.