Everywhere we went in Tasmania on our last trip two years ago we had to look up to see birds! Around Broome we don’t really have many tall trees, as we live in cyclone territory. You really notice the difference when you go somewhere else birding and by the end of the first day you have a stiff neck from looking up at birds. I suppose the fact that we do spend a fair bit of time on shorebird research makes our “looking up” muscles a bit lazy! Thankfully when we went in search of the Forty-spotted Pardalote there was a sign all about them just beneath a tree that they were in and you could lean back on it and observe with relative ease-perfect! On our visit to historic Port Arthur we came across this pair of White-faced Herons on top of one of the old stone buildings.

We took a day trip to historic Maria Island on the east coast and after dodging a very large Tiger snake we came across this stunning Scarlet Robin. It wasn’t keen on sitting still, but you could hardly miss it in the trees. There are some beautiful robins in Tasmania.

We also came across the Tasmanian Native-hen on the island and they are about the same size as our Purple Swamphens, which are also present. Thankfully these birds are down on ground level and gave our necks a rest from looking up! They were quite happy to wander around close to people in National Parks and campgrounds looking for food.

No doubt we will return from Tasmania with sore necks once again, but we won’t care! Looking forward to sharing our birding adventures when we return.

Written by Clare M
Clare and her husband, Grant, have lived permanently in Broome, Western Australia since 1999 after living in various outback locations around Western Australia and Darwin. She has lived in the Middle East and the United States and traveled extensively in Europe. She monitors Pied Oystercatchers breeding along a 23km stretch of Broome's coastline by bicycle and on foot. She chooses not to participate in social media, but rather wander off into the bush for peace and tranquility. Thankfully she can write posts in advance and get away from technology!