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!

GREEN POINT & EDGE OF THE WORLD

After leaving Waratah a change of scenery was called for so we headed to Green Point camp ground situated near the top of the west coast of Tasmania. The camping area was small and quite uneven but we were able to squeeze in to a spot that was reasonably level. 

Green Point campground - our van is at far right.

The bird life was far from prolific, but some Ruddy Turnstones were a welcome find along the rocky shoreline nearby.

Ruddy Turnstones

The wind turbines of Woolnorth windfarm, Tassies' largest, could be seen in the distance past the rugged coastline that broods to the north of the popular surf beach, a short walk from the campground.

Even though it was the middle of summer, wet suits were the order of the day for these surfers enjoying the swells that travel from as far as Argentina, the longest uninterrupted expanse of ocean in the world.

One of the birding highlights was this pert little creature with a spirited song that caught my attention not far from the van one morning. I was able to capture it on "film" before it whirred off into the nearby heath. 

Striated Fieldwren

Sunrise over nearby farming land

Ann Bay

Summer evening shadows

A short drive south to Gardiner Point near the town of Arthur River brought us to this plaque with a poem that refers to the wild and timeless nature of the coastline in the north west. We duly cast our pebbles!  

Cheers & Happy Birding

CRADLE MOUNTAIN & WARATAH

Still in mid January 2013, and the weather in Tasmania can be quite fickle. We arrived at Cradle Mountain National Park to be greeted by heavy cloud cover and reports of snow the previous morning. Not to be daunted, and knowing we could spend the full day here, we enjoyed a leisurely walk along part of the Dove Lake circuit track.

After a lunch break back at the visitors centre, we boarded the shuttle bus to the lake to discover we now had a clear view of the stunning peaks and surrounding landscape. We were duly impressed!

The grey skies and cool conditions didn't seem very amenable to wildlife watching and the birds were few and far between. A lone currawong, a summer visitor to the highlands, was foraging beside the track and a very inactive wombat had no thoughts for food and was content to snooze his way through the afternoon.  

Black Currawong

Common Wombat

While driving back to our caravan site at Waratah, we stopped along the Murchison Highway to view Cradle Mountain from a different perspective.

Waratah is a pretty little town with a very interesting tin-mining heritage and a reputation as one of the coldest and wettest locations in Tassie. A spectacular waterfall flows over the escarpment and was formerly used for the sluicing and processing of tin ore. We certainly enjoyed our stay here and would recommend it as a base for exploring the surrounding area. 

Cheers & Happy Birding!