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AUSTRALIA BIRDING
& NATURE EXPEDITION
Tasmania Tour Description
Hobart, Tasmania, is closer to Antarctica than to Darwin. That latitude and its isolation as an island correlates to a whole collection of different bird species. In particular, twelve species occur in Tasmania that cannot be found in the wild anywhere else in the world. Our goal will be to find all twelve.
| Tasmanian Native-hen | Green Rosella | Forty-spotted Pardalote |
| Tasmanian Scrubwren | Scrubtit | Tasmanian Thornbill |
| Yellow Wattlebird | Yellow-throated Honeyeater | Strong-billed Honeyeater |
| Black-headed Honeyeater | Black Currawong | Dusky Robin |
Day 1: Coming off our Queensland tour, we will fly from Brisbane to Hobart, via Sydney. In the afternoon we can drive to the top of 4170-ft. Mount Wellington for a magnificent view of Hobart and the sea and inland channels. Hobart hotel for one night.
Day 2: Van transport will take us to nearby Bruny Island where we will stay 2 nights. We begin our tour of Bruny Island, seeking the Tasmanian endemics. We especially want to find Forty-spotted Pardalote, an endangered species with a severely restricted range where white gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) grows. Other species we could encounter are Brown Falcon, Brown Goshawk, Grey Goshawk, Pacific Gull, Kelp Gull, Hooded Plover, Hoary-headed Grebe, Great Cormorant, Brown Quail, Southern Boobook, Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo, Flame Robin, Scarlet Robin, Little Grassbird, Crescent Honeyeater, Spotted Pardalote, Beautiful Firetail, Forest Raven, White-fronted Chat, Striated Fieldwren, Yellow Wattlebird, and Little Wattlebird.
Day 3: In addition to birds, we could see Bennetts Wallaby, the endemic Tasmanian Pademelon, and nocturnal marsupials such as Brown Bandicoot, Brushtail Possum and Eastern Quoll. At night we might also find Little Penguins coming ashore to their burrows. Our visit will coincide with chicks at the nesting sites.
Day 4: In early morning we will board the ferry to the main island and travel to a national park for more birding. Additional species found there on our previous trip include Green Rosella, Superb Fairywren, Brown Thornbill, Black-headed Honeyeater, Pink Robin, and Bassian Thrush. Return to Hobart for overnight hotel.
Day 5: For those continuing with the New Zealand tour, we fly from Hobart to Auckland, via Melbourne.