Birding Lake Coolmunda – Boat Ramp & Adjacent Areas

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Tara

Lake Coolmunda is an amazing birding hotspot and has something for everyone! There were plenty of parrots to keep me happy, lots of water birds in the lake and elusive little Fairy Wrens to watch out for in the bush. These photos were taken around the boat ramp area which also has a campground and picnic area, the area across the road which is really good for parrots and the road leading to the dam. The Coolmunda Caravan Park is where the purple dot is.

As we approached the turn-off to the lake & boat ramp, some Galahs were waiting to greet us.

Before we turned left down the boat ramp road, I heard parrots in the field across the street so we pulled over to investigate. Good move as we found Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, Eastern Rosellas, Pale-headed Rosellas, more Galahs, Red-rump Parrots and Little Corellas!

Noisy Miner

This camping area has spaces for tents and caravans and a nice picnic area which we used for breakfast.

We drove a bit further towards the dam and saw water birds on the lake and some Superb Fairy-wrens in several bushes along the road. Many birds were on private property and as you can see by the signs, trespassers are not wanted! Fair enough, I wouldn’t want strangers traipsing around my property either! The roads here are paved and in excellent condition, normal sedan cars are fine.

We turned around at the above sign and went back to the picnic area for breakfast. We enjoyed a nice view of many water birds while we ate. A Pied Butcherbird came over to ~~beg~~ steal our food! Public conveniences are available here.

When we went back to this area in the evening, there were lots of Red-rumped Parrots foraging in the tall grasses. The light was really beautiful on the lake!

Magpies squabbling, probably over territory or a female.

And with these Outback sunset shots we ended a fantastic day of birding!

Last Chance Birding Near Hobart International Airport

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Tara

Sadly our exciting birding adventure in Tasmania had come to an end. We had seen all the parrots which are found on the island, some seen up close and easily photographed. Others like the Blue-winged Parrots only flew overhead without warning or chance to grab a photo. Our flight was around noon so that gave one last chance to go birding. We left Customs House right after breakfast and drove out to the airport where I knew several parrots species would be easily seen. I had been hoping the elusive Blue-winged Parrots would come closer but they didn’t. This map shows the general area to look for birds.

We started at the patch between the Travelodge and the caravan park where we had seen Galahs and Eastern Rosellas before. They did not disappoint!

I wanted to see birds but not badly enough to pay a $5000 fine!

Musk Lorikeets were everywhere! And that concludes my birding report on Tasmania, hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and are inspired to plan your own trip! If you want to find all the posts in this series, simply click here.

Birding The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Tara

Trees and plants attract birds so it was a good choice to go birding at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart, Tasmania. It is a short drive from the hotel we spent the night at – the Customs House in Salamanca area of Hobart.

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens map

The gardens themselves were beautiful as one might expect.

There is a really cool hide overlooking the garden with stunning views over the river and city.

Our visit was in the late afternoon and found that birds were more easily seen up near the entrance of the gardens. Eastern Rosellas, Musk Lorikeets and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos were easily seen.

Spotted Doves IMG_8102a - Copy

Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius)

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Tara

The Eastern Rosella was named by George Shaw in 1792 and in my opinion is one of Australia’s most beautiful birds.

Three subspecies of Eastern Rosella are recognised:

P. e. eximius, Victoria and southern New South Wales. Black feathers on the back have green margins. Rump is pale green.
P. e. elecica, northeast New South Wales and southeast Queensland. In the male the black feathers on the back have golden-yellow margins, and greenish-yellow in the female. The rump is bluish-green. This subspecies is also called the Golden-mantled Rosella.
P. e. diemenensis, eastern Tasmania. White cheek patches are larger and the red on the head is darker.

My photos above are the Tasmanian subspecies. We saw them easily around Hobart in the Botanical Gardens and near the Travelodge Airport Hotel. I have also seen the 2nd subspecies around the Girraween area in South-east Queensland.