THE NUT, A GIANT PENGUIN & A SWIFT SURPRISE: Last days in Tassie.

After departing Green Point we made our way back along the northern Tasmanian coastline. At Stanley we visited the Nut, an ancient volcanic plug that juts out into the surrounding azure waters of Bass Strait.

At 143 metres high, it is quite a steep but worthwhile walk to the summit, where the views are lovely and a circuit can be followed around the top. Alternatively a chairlift operates for ease of access, weather permitting.

Godfreys Beach

The Nut from Peggs Beach

The town of Penguin was our next destination, although we actually free camped at nearby Sulphur Creek, a 48 hour rest stop. This spot was a great place to see Little Penguins returning to their burrows at dusk and we could hear their calls in the scrub behind our van. 

The"big" Little Penguin at Penguin

Before we departed the island, we spent our last couple of days at Forth, again free camping, this time at the sports ground from where we explored the surrounding area. A stroll around the Kelsey Tier nature walk yielded some nice birds including two Swift Parrots, a pleasant surprise, but a couple of mediocre snaps was all I could manage. We spent a couple of days on Bruny Island earlier on our trip searching for them and tracked a small flock down eventually. They just turned up here when I least expected it!  

Swift Parrot

This nomadic and colourful blossom feeder is in danger of extinction in the wild. Breeding only in Tasmania, it's habitat is still being logged and the eggs and young are predated upon by the Sugar Glider. An excellent article on the problems they face here:  http://theconversation.com/sugar-gliders-are-eating-swift-parrots-but-whats-to-blame-19555

Strong-billed Honeyeaters, Satin Flycatchers and a single Brush Bronzewing were some of the other dozen or so species observed along the 3.6 km circuit.  

Brush Bronzewing

We farewelled Tasmania from Devonport on the 27th of January 2013 after ten weeks of very enjoyable travels, an experience that will live long in our memories. A year later we would be exploring the south west of Western Australia:  http://qldbirder.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/on-road-again.html    More on our adventures in between to come.

Devonport

Some Short-tailed Shearwaters and a distant albatross I couldn't identify, accompanied us on our otherwise uneventful journey back to the mainland aboard the Spirit of Tasmania.  

Short-tailed Shearwater

Albatross sp.

Scrolling through my blog archive will show nine previous posts depicting the highlights of our terrific Tassie trip. 

Cheers & Happy Birding!