Bruny Island

My wife and I had the delight to spend three wonderful days on Bruny Island in Tasmania, staying at the beautiful Inala, a 500 acre property on South Bruny Island. The property is owned and operated by biologist and wildlife tour operator Dr Tonia Cochrane and is the home to 94 species of birds including all of Tasmania's endemics (for more information see www.inalabruny.com.au). While our time there was not primarily aimed at birding, I did manage to sneak in a few hours on our first day.

In an hour walk around the property, I saw 24 species including 8 of the 12 endemics. Unfortunately, the windy conditions kept many of the small bush birds, including the Forty-spotted Pardalote (which I did see, so another lifer for me!), high in the canopy of a small patch of Eucalyptus viminalis out of range for any sensible photography. However, I did manage to capture a few birds:

Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Inala, Bruny Island

Tree Martin, Inala, Bruny Island

Scarlet Robin (female), Inala, Bruny Island

Also on the property are Bennett's Wallabies including the rare "albino" wallabies. They are not actually albinos but are almost pure white.

Red-necked (Bennett's) Wallaby, Inala, Bruny Island

Late in the afternoon I drove to Jetty Beach following the tip from Tim Dolby in his report of a recent trip to Tasmania. Tim is absolutely spot on - the campground at Jetty Beach is a fantastic place for birds. I stayed in the one location for about 30 minutes and saw more than 20 species of birds including these that made easy photographic subjects:

Dusky Robin, Jetty Beach, Bruny Island

Black-headed Honeyeater (immature), Jetty Beach, Bruny Island

Green Rosella, Jetty Beach, Bruny Island

Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Jetty Beach, Bruny Island

On the way back to Inala, I stopped at Cloudy Bay Lagoon

and found a Pacific Gull fishing in the offshore shallows

Pacific Gull, Cloudy Bay Lagoon, Bruny Island

I've seen other birds, particularly herons and egrets using this technique (flying low over the water flapping wings) to stir up fish but this was the first time I've seen a gull doing it.

Tasmanian Holiday

My wife and I spent 4 days in southern Tasmania recently and while it was essentially a bird photography free holiday (i.e., no big lens or tripod) the local birds were so tame that I was able to capture a few close-ups with just a 28-200mm lens.

First day was on Bruny Island and we were in luck with the sunny and calm weather which made for a fantastic day. While waiting for the ferry from Kettering, we found a pair of White-faced Herons foraging in the grass near the marina.

White-faced Heron, Kettering, Tasmania

The day's highlight was the 3 hour wildlife cruise where we managed to see Humpback Whales, Short-beaked Common Dolphins, New Zealand and Australian Fur Seals, a Southern Elephant Seal, hundreds of Short-tailed Shearwaters and a few Shy Albatross, one of which allowed us close enough for some good shots.

Shy Albatross, off Bruny Island, Tasmania

On Friday, the fog finally lifted from Mt Wellington so we drove to the summit to enjoy one of the world's great views.

Hobart - view from Mt Wellington

On the way back down, a brief stop at The Springs Picnic Ground was rewarded with a very tame Black Currawong.

Black Currawong, The Springs, Mt Wellington, Tasmania

While visiting the Bob Barker (SeaShepherd.org), I found a co-operative Black-faced Cormorant at the Hobart waterfront near Victoria Dock.

Black-faced Cormorant, Hobart, Tasmania

We spent the weekend on the Tasman Peninsula visiting the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park, Port Arthur and Eaglehawk Neck. On our last stop at the Tessellated Pavement, I again managed to get very close to some of the locals.

Kelp Gull, Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania

Sooty Oystercatcher, Eaglehawk Neck, Tasmania

In addition to these shots, we also managed to see 6 of the 12 Tasmanian endemics without even trying - what a great place! Can't wait to get back there for a dedicated birding trip.