BirdGuides

www.birdguides.com World of Birds • 2023 7 ❯ fairly common and straightforward enough to connect with. However, this beautiful island has plenty to o er – both in terms of wildlife and more generally – so spending more time here certainly comes recommended. One of the key locations for birders is Bruny Island. Accessed via a short ferry from the town of Kettering, around half an hour south of Hobart, Bruny is a 30-km long landmass with large areas of unspoilt primary forest, white sand beaches and vivid blue lagoons. It supports good populations of most of the Tasmanian endemics and is one of the best places to see the Endangered Forty-spotted Pardalote, a characterful species that has largely disappeared from the Tasmanian mainland due to, among other factors, habitat loss. Halfway along the drive south through Bruny, the eucalyptus forests and pasture suddenly give way to a spectacular isthmus with white sand just had. Even if by local standards our pelagic had rated as pretty unexceptional – quiet even – I was blown away, just as I’m sure almost every birder versed only in pelagic trips in the North Atlantic would be. Swarms of thousands of seabirds, including hundreds of albatrosses – the spectacle was in a di erent league to what we might expect on a boat trip in home waters. And we didn’t even see a single Pterodroma (of which several species are regular) … Of course, there is much more to Tasmania than its rich o shore waters. This island has been separated from the Australian mainland for around 12,000 years, which has given rise to no fewer than 12 endemic bird species, as well as others that breed only on Tasmania and migrate to the mainland for the winter. For the visiting birder, it is easy to clear up on Tasmania in just a few days. Most of the endemics are There! Appearing from a trough, a giant of the oceans – so big it looked to be travelling in slow motion. Everything else around it became a blur. This was my first encounter with a ‘great’ albatross and I was overcome with emotion. I welled up as it passed by at close range, staggered at the sheer scale of it, dwarfing even the surrounding Shy Albatrosses. A lifetime ambition achieved. It was followed by several more Southern Royals – one of which came within touching distance – a couple of Northern Royals and singles of Wandering and Antipodean Albatrosses. Every one was an event. It was hard not to think about the distances they had covered, the sights they had seen, where and when they were born … they are truly awe- inspiring creatures that deserve every inch of our respect and admiration. As we made our way back to shore, I reflected on the experience I’d The beautiful Hooded Plover can be found on Tasmania’s beaches. The extraordinary-looking Pacific Gull is another familiar bird of Tasmania’s coastline. The sheer abundance of seabirds in the waters off Tasmania is not to be missed.