South-East Australia Road Trip Spring 2019: Part 4 – Devonport to Port Arthur

Swift Parrot

After visiting Glenrowan we continued south to Port Melbourne to board, with caravan in tow, the Spirit of Tasmania ferry for an overnight crossing of Bass Strait. We had a comfortable self-contained cabin and the bar and restaurant were fun. We arrived in Devonport early the next morning and headed east to the coastal holiday town of Bicheno for a two-night stay.  The area wasn't overly birdy but the first Tasmanian endemics were photographed: Yellow-throated Honeyeater and Yellow Wattlebird.

Yellow Wattlebird

Yellow-throated Honeyeater

We did a day-trip to the beautiful Freycinet Peninsula where we had the Tasmanian race of Echidna up close.

Tasmanian Echidna

Freycinet Peninsula

We moved further south to Orford for two nights in the local caravan park run by a couple who should definitely not be in the hospitality business. The endemics continued with Black-headed Honeyeater, the 600^th bird species in Australia that I've photographed, and Yellow Rosella.

Black-headed Honeyeater

Green Rosella

I sorted out Tasmanian Thornbill from the more numerous Brown Thornbill without much trouble along Wielanta Road. The Tasmanian race of Striated Pardalote (Yellow-tipped) was common. Owling at night was unsuccessful due to the cold, windy conditions which would plague us over the next few days.

Striated (Yellow-tipped) Pardalote

Tasmanian Thornbill

Black-faced Cormorant, White-fronted Chat and Kelp Gull were among birds about.

Black-faced Cormorant

Kelp Gull

White-fronted Chat

Several Hooded Plovers were seen near a fenced off area where they are breeding successfully.

Hooded Plover

We continued south to the historic town of Port Arthur, where the holiday park was pure delight for our four-night stay. I immediately noticed loud parrot noises near the caravan and realised small flocks of 30+ Swift Parrots was feeding along a 200m stretch of flowering Tasmanian blue gum. They were to remain close by during our stay, sometimes feeding on the ground. We saw flocks also in the Port Arthur Nature Reserve and at Fortescue Beach.

Swift Parrot

Swift Parrot flock on ground

Black Currawong kept the endemics ticking over and Bennett's Wallaby and Red-bellied Pademelon were common in the campground.

Black Currawong

Red-bellied Pademelon

About 10 Cape Barren Geese were seen along the road in and Forest Raven was common.

Cape Barren Goose

Forest Raven

Port Arthur

South-East Australia Road Trip Spring 2019: Part 3 - Glenrowan in Victoria

Turquoise Parrot

Following our visit to Eskdale (next post) we continued on to the northern Victorian town of Glenrowan, famed both as the birthplace of Ned Kelly and as the place where he finally met his match with state police. We did a bit of an historic tour and checked in to the Glenrowan Tourist Park for an overnight stay.

It was immediately obvious that this was one very birdy site. Just outside the reception area, Rufous Songlarks and White-winged Trillers were calling all over the place while mixed flocks of White-browed and Masked Woodswallows wheeled overhead. A small flock of White-browed Babblers foraged in the undergrowth.

White-browed Babbler

Masked Woodswallow

Glenrowan is famed as a hotspot for Turquoise Parrot and I found a fine male foraging around our campsite. I saw another single bird later but there did not appear to be any others about.

Turquoise Parrot

Gang Gang Cockatoo also put on a good show with birds coming in to drink and feeding in the trees on some kind of nut.

Gang Gang Cockatoo male

Gang Gang Cockatoo female

Other birds about included Brown Treecreeper and Crested Shrike-tit.

Crested Shrike-tit