Dear birding-aussers
Back on line after a few months doing other things. Have just had a week in Tasmania visiting friends and the new MONA exhibition at Hobart (superb, well worth a trip).
Visited Bruny Island and found 2×40 Spotted Pardalotes and a Beautiful Firetail just a bit south of Dennes Point together with Black Headed and Yellow-throated Honeyeaters,
Near Hobart – 22 Sooty Oystercatchers roosting on the southern banks of the Derwent,
Waterworks reserve, Hobart – a family of Dusky Robins, Crescent, Black-headed and Strong-billed Honeyeaters, Tassie Thornbills, family of Native Hens, amongst other species, and a pademelon looking very fat nibbling at the dead moss and roots of a fallen tree.
Maria Island – around 20 Cape Barren Geese, Black-headed Honeyeaters, Yellow Wattlebirds, Grey and Black Currawongs, W.B.Sea-Eagles, and 9 Forester Kangaroos and a Pademelon. Not much time for birding as with non-birding friends.
On the Pitt Water at Midway Point and 5 mile Beach, just north of Hobart, large flocks of Bar-tailed Godwits, Greenshanks, Pied Oystercatchers, 1 Whimbrel, White-faced Herons, Masked Lapwings, 18 Eastern Curlew, 26 Chestnut Teal, and everywhere Pacific, Kelp and Silver Gulls, but very few Crested Terns. Musk Lorikeets were very noisy in the red flowering gums at Midway Point.
The weather was brilliant most of the time, a bit of rain, and very pleasantly cool after Sydney and Gloucester.
In the Gloucester area in the last few months, a colony of about 150 breeding Cattle Egret (counted over 50 nests) have set up in willow trees on a small dam between Bucketts Way and the Industrial Estate, first noticed in January, and now with well developed chicks. Nice sightings recently include 2 Glossy Black Cockatoos, flock of Varied Sittellas and 2 Tawny Frogmouths during walks in the Bucketts range 11th and 13th March, plus good view of 2 White-bellied Sea-eagles and their nest on a property on Bucketts Road, well supplied by the nearby fish farm (they are welcome as keep the ducks and cormorants off the fish ponds).
On 10-13 February surveys at the eastern end of Curracabundi National Park added one new species to the Park’s total list – a Brown Goshawk! but we found Speckled Warblers at two new sites, Red-backed Fairywrens near the homestead, Varied Sittellas at one site, and 3 separate sightings of Glossy Black Cockatoos. Also unusual was up to 9 Wonga Pigeons feeding on the Mernot Trail, seen both days. It was extremely hot and birding almost completely died after 11am. All records here go to National Parks office Gloucester and HBOC.
Happy birding to all ===============================
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