GRAND AUSTRALIA: TASMANIA EXTENSION NOVEMBER 1–8, 2018 Black Swans (Photo © Terry Cloudman) LEADER: DAVID JAMES LIST COMPILED BY: DAVID JAMES VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM Following our improved itinerary, in 2018 we again experienced some of Tasmania’s finest wildlife and scenic locations. We saw all of Tasmania’s endemic birds and a fine selection of southern Australian specialties that are highly sought-after. The mammals also gave us a great show, featuring amazing views of the bizarre “duck-billed” Platypus, an intimate encounter with the infamous Tasmanian Devil, and daytime sightings of Short-beaked Echidna and Common Wombat. We also sampled Tasmania’s famous modern cuisine that showcases the island’s fresh produce and seafood from the Great Southern Ocean. This year we started in Launceston and finished in Hobart. After the short flight from Melbourne, we headed straight to the Tamar Wetlands around midmorning. While exiting the bus we found our first Tasmanian endemic, the Tasmanian Native Hen, a large flightless rail. The numerous Black Swans showed a spread in their annual cycle with some tending cygnets, some building nests, others not breeding at all. Amongst hundreds of Chestnut Teal we located a few Australian Shelduck as well as Gray Teal and Pacific Black Duck. Along the boardwalk Little Grassbirds were being typically shy and elusive, but we managed brief views with persistence. Forest Ravens perched on the wires, while Gray Fantails hawked among the flowering paperbark trees. The boardwalk winds through the multiple channels of the Tamar River, and the outer channels were teeming with teal and Masked Lapwings, while we picked out a few Pacific Gulls of various ages. Swamp Harriers patrolled the marshes, flushing the waterbirds several times. After lunch on the Launceston waterfront, we located several flocks of Cape Barren Geese in the rural setting of Hadspen. Black-fronted Dotterels, adults and juveniles, were scurrying around the farm dams. A pair of Australian Shelducks had a large group of ducklings that were swimming with a handful of Hoary-headed Grebes. Eurasian Skylarks displayed overhead. Cape Barren Geese (Photo © Terry Cloudman) As we headed farther west, the weather was turning on us, and by the time we got to Mountain Valley Wilderness Lodge it was starting to rain and the light was dim. Both Gray (Clinking) and Black currawongs were vocal and active in the grounds of the lodge. Welcome Swallows were Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Tasmania Extension, 2018 nesting under the eaves of the cabins, while Tree Martins were patrolling overhead and Tasmanian Native Hens were stalking around the lawns. After settling into our cabins we enjoyed a delicious home-cooked Tasmanian meal. As we retired to our cabins, Tasmanian Pademelons scuttled from the path. Thunderstorms were brewing as night fell, creating an ominous setting for the anticipated appearance of the Tasmanian Devils. And the Devils did not disappoint, coming right to our porches as we sat comfortably warm and dry inside. More Tasmanian Pademelons and Brush-tailed Possums also put in appearances. Tasmanian Devil (Photo © Larry Wilson) Day 2 dawned a little damp and gloomy. After a short sleep-in and breakfast in the cabins, we found some good birds around Mountain Valley. Tasmanian Native Hens seemed undaunted by the weather. Shining Bronze-Cuckoos were on the prowl for brood-hosts. A sprightly male Scarlet Robin was foraging around the cabins, coming and going elusively. We tracked down some singing Flame Robins, but they were all somber females. Dusky Robins showed well around the cabins. Before lunch we called into Leven Canyon. Although the birds were quiet, the lookout was spectacular with patches of cloud riding the gusty breeze, folding over the ridges, and sliding through the canyons. Tasmanian Thornbill and Tasmanian Scrubwren added to our growing list of endemic birds. An Olive Whistler appeared for some, but most of us made do with a bright and singing male Golden Whistler. Driving on, we saw Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Green Rosellas, Swamp Harriers, and Masked Lapwings alongside the rural lanes of northern Tasmania. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Tasmania Extension, 2018 Our drive up to Cradle Mountain was characteristically stunning. Storm clouds were brooding over the alpine meadows, but Cradle Mountain was intermittently visible towering above all. Several Common Wombats were grazing on the Button Grass fields amidst the misting rain as we approached Cradle Mountain Lodge. Tasmanian Pademelons and Bennett’s Wallabies were in abundance. Black Currawongs were tame and friendly, calling “ good-day-mate ” in their thick Aussie accents. Unfortunately the weather closed in on us early in the evening, and the comfort of the Lodge and hearty food of the Highland Restaurant beckoned. The following morning we woke to snow and sleet around the cabins. A Platypus or two joined us for breakfast, working the pond outside the Highland Restaurant, oblivious of the weather, as we watched through the windows. After breakfast we retreated down to the valleys and coast to escape the wind and rain. At Moina we searched for Pink and Flame robins but came up empty, although a flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos helped to console our disappointment. At the Tasmanian Arboretum we encountered a small flock of Beautiful Firetails displaying, copulating, and building nests. Several Yellow-throated Honeyeaters were chasing each other madly, barely stopping long enough for us to view them. Dusky Woodswallows were hawking around the giant blue gum trees. Several European Greenfinches were found consorting among the more common European Goldfinches. On our initial scan of the ponds we found no Platypi, but when we looped back again David found one that was foraging in a channel only 20 feet from the bank, giving us great views and photo opportunities for 15 minutes. Along the Bass Strait coast we found Pacific Gulls, Pied Oystercatchers, Bar-tailed Godwits, and Black-faced Cormorants on the beach at Ulverston. Susie found a pair of Red-capped Plovers shepherding two freshly-hatched downy chicks amongst the driftwood piles. Close to shore we spotted both Shy and Black- browed albatrosses and several Australasian Gannets. At Fern Glade Reserve we found nesting Dusky Robins in the parking lot and nesting Tasmanian Thornbills along the Emu River. A lone female Satin Flycatcher scolded us from the tree tops, but we could not find her mate. A White-bellied Sea-Eagle glided majestically through the gorge. Lastly we saw one more Platypus swimming up the river. Pied Oystercatcher (Photo © Terry Cloudman) At the fabulous Bayviews Restaurant we dined on fine local seafood and produce as the sun went down. After dusk we joined the ‘Friends of Burnie Penguins’ for an intimate opportunity Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Tasmania Extension, 2018 to watch at least 20 Little Penguins come ashore, hopping and skidding over the rocks back to their burrows, virtually under our feet. Some were busy lining their burrows with fresh nesting materials, but others were in a more amorous mood and not the least deterred by our presence. The next morning, the weather on Cradle Mountain was still inclement, and the road to Dove Lake was closed to traffic. After breakfast a break in the weather allowed us to explore the grounds of the lodge. Black Currawongs were confiding, but Yellow Wattlebirds and Crescent Honeyeaters were less so. A mixed flock of endemic Scrubtits and Tasmanian Thornbills was very curious. Along the Enchanted Walk we had close extended views of a female Pink Robin and several Tasmanian Scrubwrens deep in the moss forest. Green Rosellas were foraging among the Pencil Pines. Black Currawong (Photo © David James) On the drive to Hobart we stopped for a delicious picnic lunch at Mill Creek Dam. On Lake Dulverton at Oatlands we found a dozen White-eyed Ducks and loads of Hoary-headed Grebes. On Day 5 we awoke in Hobart to a calm, fine day, seemingly perfect for our scenic flight to Melaleuca. We squeezed in an early visit to the famous Orielton Lagoon in Pittwater Nature Reserve. From the Sorrel side we soon found Musk Ducks, Hoary-headed Grebes, and Great- crested Grebes. Kelp Gulls and Pied Oystercatchers were dotted around the shore. Black-faced Cormorants and a Caspian Tern were quickly in the scope. Two Royal Spoonbills and a Little Egret were both bonus birds, quite rare in Tasmania. A flock of 100 Red-necked Stints flew in to surprise us as we were leaving. We headed to the other side of the Lagoon to look at a small flock of shorebirds. As we left the bus we were greeted by raucous Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Eastern Rosellas, and Musk Lorikeets. On the mudflats were three Red Knots, 50 Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Tasmania Extension, 2018 Bar-tailed Godwits, and a single Hudsonian Godwit, a vagrant from America and perhaps only the 10 th Australian record. We arrived at the aerodrome with high hopes but shortly learned that our flight was cancelled due to fog at Melaleuca. Hastily rearranging our schedule, we headed to Waterworks Reserve, where we found several male Scarlet Robins, some Dusky Woodswallows, Striated Pardalotes, Gray (Clinking) Currawongs, and Satin Flycatchers. Black-headed Honeyeaters gave us excellent views. Along the creek we found a ‘pair’ of Pink Robins, but both females. After lunch we visited Gould’s Lagoon where about 30 Freckled Ducks was an exceptional count. Australian Shovelers and White-eyed Ducks were other highlights. Late in the afternoon we went on a dedicated search for Pink Robin and found six or eight, but once again they were all females! On Day 6 we learned that our Melaleuca flight was cancelled again.