Tag Archives: Yellow Wattlebird

Freycinet National Park

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Sticking out into the sea on Tasmania’s mild east coast is the rugged and beautiful Freycinet Peninsula.   Freycinet National Park consists of knuckles of granite mountains all but surrounded by azure bays and white sand beaches. The dramatic peaks of the Hazards welcome you as you enter the park. The main town in Freycinet, Coles Bay is easily reached from Hobart or Cradle Mountain.  If you are coming from Cradle Mountain, be careful as some of the roads can be dodgy.

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Only a small part of Freycinet is accessible by car.  This is a walker’s paradise and you will get the most out of a visit by spending several days here and doing some of the walks.  Even if you only have one day (as we did), there are still a lot of birds to see in the driveable part of the park and in the Coles Bay area.  Details of walks, fees and facilities are on their website.

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ACCOMMODATION

Pitch a tent or stay in one of Australia’s greatest luxury resorts – the Saffire, it’s all here in Freycinet!  Coles Bay is the closest town to the park entrance.  Although Swansea looks close, since there is  a strip of water leading into a lagoon Bicheno is actually closer if you can’t get Coles Bay.  We stayed at Iluka Holiday Park, review is here.  It’s easy to comapre your options on Wotif.

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I’ll cover birding highlights on the next post.

Yellow Wattlebird (Anthochaera paradoxa)

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The Yellow Wattlebird is the largest of the honeyeaters,and is endemic to Tasmania. They are usually 375–450 millimetres (15–18 in) long.  They are named for the wattles in the corners of their mouths.  Yellow Wattlebirds are slim birds with a short, strong bill.   They are dark-coloured forest birds that somewhat resemble Slandering Grackles.  They have a white face and black-streaked crown.  They also have a long, pendulous yellow-orange wattle.  The wattle becomes brighter during the breeding season.  They have dark wings and a yellow belly,  whereas the upperparts are grey to dusky brown.  The female Yellow Wattlebird is much smaller than the male.  The young Yellow Wattlebirds have much smaller wattles, a paler head and a browner underbelly than the adult birds.  Yellow Wattlebirds are active and acrobatic with a strong flight.  They are fairly tame birds and often enter gardens looking for food.

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If you would like to see this little bird in the wild, first you need to fly to Hobart in Tasmania.  You can use your airline miles to get to Australia.  Once there, hire a car and drive to one of these national parks.  More information about Freycinet, Mole Creek, Cradle Mountain and all of Tasmania’s national parks can be found on the Parks & Wildlife website.  Freycinet has a very impressive bird list!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Birds In Backyards

Wikipedia

Parks & Wildlife

Discover Tasmania

VIDEO

This little guy seems to have been filmed in someone’s backyard but it’s a great close up video which clearly shows his wattles.  Nice to see him enjoying his bath!