sunshinecoastbirds: South-East Australia Road Trip Spring 2019: Part 4

Friday 8 November 2019

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.