aussiebirder

This is the final post in the series of our recent stay in South Bruny Island, Tasmania at Inala Nature Reserve. One of the birds we would have seen at Inala if it were Spring and Summer, when it breeds there in the Tasmanian Blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus pictured here), would have been the Critically Endangered Swift Parrot or ‘Swifty‘ as we call it. This small but extremely fast and agile canopy feeder is difficult to see with its green plumage, but its red facial mask helps to spot it in the tree.

We were delighted to find during our Winter month a small flock of the Swifties visiting again this season at Mt Annan Botanical Gardens only 44 km (27 m) from our home. We have posted them some years ago pre Covid and they were back again. Many birders with long lenses were also present there to assist us in finding them feeding on Eucalyptus blossom and lerps.

The Swift Parrot is threatened by habitat loss (loss of old forest breeding and feeding trees) and the Sugar Gliders as well as other bird predators. Over 600 of these birds were sighted recently near the city of Bendigo in Victoria. which gives hope the numbers are holding. These birds migrate each year across the Bass Strait channel to the mainland to escape the cold winter in search of flowering eucalypt blossom, nectar and lerps, which you will see them eating off the back of the leaves in photos below. Click on image to enlarge it.

Some of the endemic birds to Tasmania we saw but have not yet mentioned are the Green Rosella, Tasmanian Thornbill, Yellow-throated Honeyeater, Tasmanian Magpie and Tasmanian Scrubwren.

The Green Rosella look more yellow from their front, but more green on their backs. We already have a ‘Yellow Rosella’ which was made a subclass of the Crimson Rosella Family, and is a separate species found in NSW on the mainland. We enjoyed seeing the rarely seen Black-faced Cormorant, resting on rocks. This bird is only found in the colder southern ocean areas, where we have seen it breeding on the small islands near Bruny Island in past years.

We saw the Tasmanian subspecies of the New Holland Honeyeater (race: canescens) which is slightly different to our own race: novaehollandiae on the mainland.

The Scarlet Robin and Flame Robin were seen frequently at Inala both male and female. They are so brilliant and dazzling in the sunshine. They can be difficult to discern from a distance. The Scarlet has a shorter breast colour and darker head with larger white lores mark. The Scarlet female is the only Robin with significant chest colour though much less than male. Both these bird species are also found on the mainland.

My wife spotted this Brush Bronzewing resting in a park.

This White Goshawk was a resident of Inala and hung out in this eucalypt near the office for fresh road kill which the attendants would bring off the nearby roads each day, as there were frequent collisions with wildlife, particularly if driving at night. They had an open field where they would place the roadkill for them to land on so we could observe. There was no road kill while we were there.

Have a wonderful week and enjoy getting our birding. It was lovely meeting so many keen younger birders while we were pursuing the Swifties. It was an enjoyable experience sharing with each other as it always is. Birding has a lovely social aspect to it when we meet people on the track. If this is your first visit, check out my website for helpful info on birding as well as my books. Please note the price listed for the book in the video below is for delivery to Australian postcodes, international purchases are catered for at the checkout.

While most Swift Parrots, migrate north flying 250 km (150 m) over wild and windy Bass Strait to escape the harshness of Winter cold and lack of food and returning in the warmer Spring months, while a small number of nomadic Swift Parrots remain behind throughout the winter months and survive searching out the flowering eucalypt blossom, which the Pardalotes and endemic honeyeaters would also be enjoying.

Similarly we often want to escape our difficult circumstances and the challenges they bring in life so we find ways to escape them rather then work through them and grow in character and wisdom from the experience as the nomadic Swifties choose to do. We often forget that life’s challenges are for our good, and for our growth and not to destroy us. Sadly our cosy complacent pleasure seeking western civilisation has led us often to make poor choices and our fear and want of easy living make us the loser. God brings difficulties in our life to strengthen our faith and make us grow more dependant on his unlimited resources rather than our own limited ones. In my life journey at this stage in my life my goal is similar to Pauls:

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Adv. Dip. in Counselling and Family Therapy.

Member of Birdlife Australia

To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,

And learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.

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