Tamar Island Wetlands, Tasmania

I visited this intriguing place in the chill of a squally late afternoon in April this year. The birding wasn't great that evening but I suspect I just "lucked-out" as it looks like a great spot!

Superb fairy-wren, Tamar Wetlands Reserve

This information brochure describes how the island in the middle of the Tamar River was originally surrounded by marshland. It was used as a base for dredging to make the river more navigable. Eventually the waterway to the west of the island was filled with scuttled ships and barges thereby increasing the flow through the eastern channel. This was to increase boating access to the Port of Launceston.

A impressive history of how "progress" determines the nature of the local landscape!

Now the island and wetlands to the west of the island are a reserve with boardwalks, hides and other facilities including an "interpretative centre".

Great egret arrives, Tamar Wetlands Reserve 

Pacific gull

Chestnut teal - a chilly way to get a feed! 

Masked lapwing looks to be wishing it was a migratory bird!

Black swan

Little black cormorant on the remains of scuttled vessels?

Black-fronted dotterel

Purple swamphen

Introduced Common greenfinch enjoying one of the exotic trees of Tamar Island planted over 100 years ago

Approaching Tamar Island on one of the boardwalks

A pot of gold at Launceston

Looking south through the long lens to Launceston some 10km away and a good sized (150+) flock of white birds never came close enough for identification (first guess would be Australian white ibis)!

The bird hide

Slowly getting used to ebird (but I do miss the simple but versatile Eremaea!)

Google earth view showing the wetlands and main walking trail. The car park is back at the highway. Now I wonder what that green circle can be!?

My iphoto geotags for this walk!

Bird on!

The Observation Point beach walk

Every few weeks or so I found myself trudging along the sand heading east from Cowes to Observation Point. The aim is to walk either side of the high tide when waders and other shorebirds are brought closer together.

I remember several still, sunny late afternoons, walking along with the sun at my back looking forward to seeing what birds are roosting or feeding at the end of the spit. Today's post features the walk as I saw it last Sunday morning 10th November.

We start with one of the many bush tracks through to the beach from the streets of East Cowes or Silverleaves. From the eastern end of the residential area it is still 2.5km of beach walking to the Point.

Surrounded by the calls of Grey fantail, Rufous whistler and Grey shrike-thrush

A little way along the beach, the first bird I catch up with is my "Hoodie Hero" Thinornis rubricollis.

This couple were among several groups of Red-capped plover seen 

I caught up with them again on the way back - with the sun out! Red-capped plover Charadrius ruficapillus

iPhoto geotags - the blog post is tracking from left to right!  This next photo of the beach is taken at the "2nd-from-left" stickpin & looking back west (from where I have come)!

Every few months the shoreline changes. I love the tidal lagoons we have at the moment - they make for great toddler pools! This is a good two hours after high tide (note the high tide level is marked by seaweed and also the tracks from the Nature Park staff quad bike - out to check their feral cat traps)

Observation Point and this section of beach are designated part of the Phillip Island Nature Reserve. As one approaches the spit there is signage indicating its importance as a refuge for migratory waders. It is important to not disturb the birds and good views can be obtained with binoculars and long lenses without a single bird taking flight. Well before the spit care must be taken during the beach walk as local shorebirds may be nesting above the tide line.

Pied oystercatcher - now we are at the end of the spit looking in towards the Rhyll Inlet

Caspian tern (and Pacific gull)

Pacific gull

iPhone shot of the end of the spit (the black dots are the group of godwits shown below)

Incoming! Red-necked stint join the Bar-tailed godwits

"OK fellas, I think we got this lot all rounded up!" Red-necked stints appear to be herding Bar-tailed godwits, Observation Point, Phillip Island

Bird on!

Magical morning light at the beach

This is not today. Today was yuk. This is a week or so ago and the conditions were pretty cool but beautiful. I feel like letting the pictures do the talking today ....

Bird on!

From up high at Woolamai - Albatross!

No quality photos here but I am posting anyway because seeing albatross gives me a bit of a buzz!

At its highest point the Cape Woolamai headland is about .... well I'd guess 112 metres above sea level.

There is the opportunity when walking the circuit trail to get distant views of gliding seabirds and soaring raptors. When identifying birds at this distance the tendency is to rely on the "jizz" of the appearance and the behaviour as well as local knowledge of what is generally seen. Initially they all look like a hazy white speck.

On my walk last weekend (22nd June 2013) the first hazy white speck became Australasian gannet.

I got a little excited when following this next hazy white speck ....

... because when it turned and looked like this I knew we were talking albatross:

A small fishing boat gives some idea of the distances involved, firstly seen out at sea through the iphone.

Now through the camera's long lens ...

... and a heavily cropped view of the bird waiting for scraps shows that classic albatross profile.

I believe that the albatross are Shy albatross (Thallasarche cauta), one of the mollymawks. Knowing very little about pelagic birding I am quite out of my depth here. I can see that there are some taxonomy issues with Thallasarche cauta with some giving it the official common name of White-capped albatross. Other reading indicates that White-capped albatross is best reserved for the New Zealand based Thallasarche steadi. Suffice to say that there have been recent taxonomical changes and that the birds look very similar. It is all quite bewildering!

When later reviewing the day's photos I spent several minutes looking for what this "lifer" must be. I didn't remember noticing anything unusual through the view finder but became convinced that this good-sized black-headed gull-like seabird was something new!

When sanity prevailed I realised that it was the shadow cast by this Pacific gull's wing which created the striking sooty head!

Pair of Sooty oystercatcher

Pacific gulls at home on the hostile coastline

It helps to have calm and bright conditions. The image below shows some walkers enjoying the view looking west along the southern coast of Phillip Island. For those interested in motor sports (any takers?) the Phillip Island Race track can be seen on the cliffs opposite - current home to the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Phillip Island is one of those places where achieving balance between development and conservation is a constant struggle.

Bird on!