Birds in Tasmania

  Wishing all a great time over the Christmas New Year and above all, stay safe.    I'll couple the wishes with a New Year's resolution to publish more articles!   The accompanying pho...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2014/12/seasons-greetings.html

 On my frequent birding outings to the South Arm peninsula, I often make a detour round the Lauderdale Canal. In the summer months there's little here except the large numbers of domestic duck...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2014/06/heavy-liftinggrey-butcherbird.html

A recent mention of several Great Egrets at Gould's Lagoon reminded me of a similar incident I had witnessed there in January. Great Egrets are normally considered winter visitors to Tasmania, u...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2014/04/e-day-at-goulds-lagoongreat-egret.html

  The rasping call of the Satin Flycatcher, resonating through woodland and forest is, for me, one of  the most anticipated birding events of every spring. "Satins" are one of the last of the ...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2014/02/feisty-flycatchers-satins.html

       Enjoy the Christmas and New Year holiday, but please stay safe.                   The image is of a male Superb Fairy-wren, a common species of the east and s...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/12/seasons-greetings.html

        The second encounter took place a couple of weeks later and less than a kilometre from the Welcome Swallow photo opp. mentioned below. I have taken a little, some might say a larg...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-tale-of-two-swallows-b-dusky.html

       Before spring becomes just a distant memory, I'll relate a couple of encounters with two of our migrant birds. The first is an event that I've often watched, usually from afar, and ...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-tale-of-two-swallows-welcome-swallow.html

        Looking back over the last several weeks, my impression is of at best a mixed Spring for birds. In southern Tasmania we've had one of the wettest (and windiest) Springs for several y...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/10/hard-spring.html

       There are definite signs of Spring about, the most obvious at the moment are the numerous Masked Lapwing pairs that have started nesting in various grassland sites. While for many, ...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/08/return-of-striated-pardalotes.html

     Somewhat frustrated by recent weather conditions, I opted for an early morning visit to the Waterworks Reserve at Dynnyrne, a Hobart suburb, which I hoped would be sheltered from the st...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-early-bird.html

     About 4 weeks ago, a report of yet more vagrant ducks at Gould's Lagoon at Granton in southern Tasmania, found me scurrying off to hopefully find them. The focus of my search was 5 Pink-...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/06/another-vagrant-pink-eared-duck.html

     Driving back from South Arm a couple of weeks back, I noticed a group of predominentlyy white birds a hundred or more metres away which I couldn't readily recognise. I stopped and inves...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/05/togethernessbanded-stilt.html

    A recurring back "issue" has limited my birding opportunities, so the following event was gratefully received.       I was returning from watching granddaughter Caitlyn play soccer,...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/05/suburban-cattle-egret.html

         A report of 3 Freckled Duck at Gould's Lagoon last weekend by Lachie Clark, had me scurrying off to "Gould's" early on monday morning. The report only said 'possible', but by t...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/03/back-to-gouldsfreckled-duck.html

Before the "excitement" at Gould's Lagoon over the sightings of two Baillon's Crakes (see previous blog) becomes a distant thought, albeit a memorable one, it's worth mentioning other sightings...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/02/goulds-lagoon-others.html

  Gould's Lagoon, near Granton, in southern Tasmania, has this summer become something of a Mecca for many local and visiting birders. The centre of their 'excitement' has been the sighting of ...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2013/02/baillons-crake-at-goulds-lagoon.html

                     HAVE A HAPPY, FULFILLING, AND SAFE, CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR.

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2012/12/seasons-greetings.html

Satin Flycatcher (male) Over the last few months I've been surveying bird populations in some of the reserves in the Clarence City Council area ('Clarence' lies on the eastern shore of the...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2012/12/worth-visitpilchers-hill-reserve.html

THE GRANDCHILDREN HAD OPTED FOR A VISIT TO ZOODOO, NOT FAR FROM RICHMOND (SOUTHERN TASMANIA), A FEW WEEKS BACK. I HAVE A SOMEWHAT AMBIVALENT ATTITUDE TOWARDS ZOOS, BUT CONCEDE THAT FOR THE CHILD...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2012/11/not-far-from-madding-crowdaustralian.html

Towards the end of August, there was a noticeable increase in female Golden Whistlers in some of the coastal areas that I frequent. They were feeding quietly among the denser scrub, rarely seen...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2012/10/golden-morningswhistlers.html

Well it's all happening out there, and during the last few weeks, between the showers, I've  had a few close encounters with some of the recently arrived migrant birds, and here they are.  The...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2012/09/more-on-early-migrants.html

 Spring in Tasmania comes in fits and starts. Recent weather conditions have swung from mild, still days, to blustery windswept ones with rain squalls and snow down to the 300 metres mark. I'v...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2012/08/signs-of-spring.html

     As any regular reader would have noticed, I'm a frequent visitor to the Mortimer Bay reserve at Sandford. I often just drop in on my trips round the local traps. This particular morning...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2012/07/another-cuckoo.html

 A few days ago, during a break in the "indifferent" weather, I set forth to visit some of the local traps. The first few seemed ominously quiet, and I finally settled on the Mortimer Bay rese...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2012/06/first-cuckoo-of-winter.html

I had taken my son and granddaughter, Jade, to Fossil Cove, near Blackman's Bay. Jade has a new found interest in fossils which needs to be encouraged, and this site was one that I thought wort...

http://tassiebirds.blogspot.com/2012/06/pardalotes40-spots-or-not.html