Although the great cruise liners which ply Tasmania’s waters in summer might appear an unlikely habitat for the bird-watcher, they are bringing birders all the same.
Not a summer goes by when I am not contacted through my website by cruise ship passengers seeking an introduction to Hobart’s amazing world of birds.
I always recommend the Waterworks Reserve, not more than four kilometres from the docks, as a convenient port of call, explaining that 11 of Tasmania’s unique species can be spotted there.
Sometimes, if I plan to be in the reserve, I give a guided tour to share my knowledge and in turn glean some myself from the wider birding world.
And so it transpired on New Year’s Day that I found myself in the Waterworks awaiting the arrival of Barry and Lyn Trevis from Hertfordshire in England, fresh off a Virgin Cruises liner.
In previous days I had already done a reconnoitre to inform them what to expect, although the birds were a little scarce on the ground. In recent years some of the more common endemic species – like the black-headed honeyeater and the dusky robin – have become hard to find but I had at least one bird to excite the visitors. I knew of the nesting site of a pair of yellow wattlebirds, the biggest and most dramatic of the honeyeater family which always prove to be a Tassie drawcard for travelling birders, along with our curious turbo-chook, the Tasmanian native-hen.
Regarding the dusky robin, that very morning I had read disturbing news that the latest bird surveys indicate the species is in serious decline in many places it was once frequently spotted.
As I later explained to Barry and Lyn, the question of land-clearance – largely blamed for the demise of many native species – seems an unlikely cause for the collapse in the robin population because it has long tolerated a moderate degree of logging. In fact, these birds were once called “stump robins” for their habit of perching on the remains of logged trees. For the demise of the “duskies”, we must look for other reasons and researchers are working on it. The possibility of warming temperatures and their impact on the insects on which dusky robins feed could well be a reason.
Talking to Barry and Lyn, I tried not to be too negative about the state of Tasmanian birds, and mentioned isolated breeding success stories like that of the orange-bellied parrot.
And Barry had good news from Britain. The once endangered peregrine falcon has staged a dramatic comeback after the banning of harmful farmland pesticides like DDT and can now be seen in Britain’s largest cities.
Barry himself is involved in installing nesting trays at a peregrine haunt, the spire of St Albans Cathedral in his home county.
“Google the livestream,” he said with passion. “You’ll see my trays.”