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UID:2510460f1c18d511f2ff80c5ce547959
CATEGORIES:Australasia
CREATED:20160727T160424
SUMMARY:Australia & Tasmania
DESCRIPTION:
Fall in North America come
s as springtime ignites the vast eucalypt forests Down Under, signaling the
rattling hilarity of Laughing Kookaburras initiating courtship and defendi
ng their territories on the ancient island continent of Australia. Approxi
mately the size of the conterminous 48 states of the U.S., our tour in Sout
heast Australia is designed for anyone who has ever imagined gazing straigh
t into the eyes of a curious, 6’ tall Emu—second largest bird on earth, wat
ching a powerful Malleefowl adding compost to its enormous nest, or witness
ing flights of indescribably colored Rainbow Lorikeets and dazzling Crimson
Rosellas. Australia is not only a continent where over 300 birds—40% of i
ts 776 species—are endemic, it is a place where pigeons are often as colorf
ul as parrots and where male wrens—actually members of the fairywren tribe—
wear brilliant shades of blue, red, or purple for their November nuptial pl
umage. Boasting about 50 species of kangaroos and their kin alone, Austral
ia has been the center of speciation for the marsupial clan since Australia
drifted free of Gondwanaland 55 million years ago. We hope to see three o
f the largest species of the kangaroo clan. We will also make a special eff
ort to find the primitive Short-beaked Echidna, possible on either the main
land or in Tasmania, an egg-laying mammal resembling a hedgehog or a miniat
ure porcupine. Our route additionally provides us with a realistic opportu
nity to spot an endangered Koala. Southeast Australia is vast, and the eno
rmity of the country is amplified by the variety of its landscapes. Our lo
op through the states of New South Wales and Victoria will take us over the
Great Dividing Range through the tallest eucalyptus forest in Australia—so
me trees are over 300’—into the vast plains of the Murray River. Here we wi
ll bird savannah, salt bush flats, and river red gum riparian groves, befor
e striking out for the chaparral-like habitat known as mallee. Some of the
birds we may see include Chestnut Quail-Dove, Australian King-Parrot, Majo
r Mitchell’s or Pink Cockatoo, Powerful Owl, Australian Owlet-Nightjar, Taw
ny Frogmouth, Painted Honeyeater, Superb Lyrebird, and a host of other ende
mic birds. One evening we’ll make a special effort to see the enigmatic Pl
ains-wanderer, a nocturnal bird that Phil Maher only pinned down for birder
s and scientists alike in 1980. Aside from this unusual species that looks
like a cross between a quail and a shorebird, a Plains-wanderer excursion
gives us a chance for other birds such as Inland Dotterel or one of world’s
truly unique marsupials, the Fat-tailed Dunnart. Next we’ll hop 160 miles
offshore to Tasmania. The island state of Tasmania hosts an additional 12
species of endemic birds, and we may see them all in our first 24 hours. B
eyond endemics, however, the wet temperate forest of Tasmania is home to on
e of the most beautiful avifaunas in all the world. Species here include b
oth Green and Eastern Rosellas, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Masked Owl, Superb F
airy-Wren, Southern Emu-Wren, Spotted Pardalote, Striated Fieldwren, and Ne
w Holland Honeyeater, along with lovely Pink, Flame, and Scarlet Robins. A
full day pelagic trip from Eaglehawk Neck on the southern coast of Tasmani
a brings us into the purlieu of no fewer than seven species of albatrosses,
as well as a wide assortment of petrels, storm-petrels, prions, and shearw
aters. Evening spotlighting forays may reveal mammals as varied as Platypu
s, Eastern Barred Bandicoot, or the furtive Tasmanian Devil. If you have a
lways wanted to see the birds and the wildlife of Australia, we invite you
to join us this November for spring “down under” in the southern hemisphere
.
Leaders: Steve Davidson, Phil Maher & Rick Taylor
C
ost of Australia & Tasmania includes all accommodations, a
ll meals, all ground transportation, and all entrance fees beginning and en
ding in Melbourne—$9,195.
TO REGISTER: Print out a PDF Registration Form, call us at (520) 558-2351 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You nee
d JavaScript enabled to view it..
Photo: Pretty-faced Wallaby
Photo by: Rick Taylor
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:
Fall in North America comes as springtime ignites the vast eucalypt
forests Down Under, signaling the rattling hilarity of Laughing Kookaburras
initiating courtship and defending their territories on the ancient island
continent of Australia. Approximately the size of the conterminous 48 sta
tes of the U.S., our tour in Southeast Australia is designed for anyone who
has ever imagined gazing straight into the eyes of a curious, 6’ tall Emu—
second largest bird on earth, watching a powerful Malleefowl adding compost
to its enormous nest, or witnessing flights of indescribably colored Rainb
ow Lorikeets and dazzling Crimson Rosellas. Australia is not only a contin
ent where over 300 birds—40% of its 776 species—are endemic, it is a place
where pigeons are often as colorful as parrots and where male wrens—actuall
y members of the fairywren tribe—wear brilliant shades of blue, red, or pur
ple for their November nuptial plumage. Boasting about 50 species of kanga
roos and their kin alone, Australia has been the center of speciation for t
he marsupial clan since Australia drifted free of Gondwanaland 55 million y
ears ago. We hope to see three of the largest species of the kangaroo clan
. We will also make a special effort to find the primitive Short-beaked Ech
idna, possible on either the mainland or in Tasmania, an egg-laying mammal
resembling a hedgehog or a miniature porcupine. Our route additionally pro
vides us with a realistic opportunity to spot an endangered Koala. Southea
st Australia is vast, and the enormity of the country is amplified by the v
ariety of its landscapes. Our loop through the states of New South Wales a
nd Victoria will take us over the Great Dividing Range through the tallest
eucalyptus forest in Australia—some trees are over 300’—into the vast plain
s of the Murray River. Here we will bird savannah, salt bush flats, and riv
er red gum riparian groves, before striking out for the chaparral-like habi
tat known as mallee. Some of the birds we may see include Chestnut Quail-D
ove, Australian King-Parrot, Major Mitchell’s or Pink Cockatoo, Powerful Ow
l, Australian Owlet-Nightjar, Tawny Frogmouth, Painted Honeyeater, Superb L
yrebird, and a host of other endemic birds. One evening we’ll make a speci
al effort to see the enigmatic Plains-wanderer, a nocturnal bird that Phil
Maher only pinned down for birders and scientists alike in 1980. Aside fro
m this unusual species that looks like a cross between a quail and a shoreb
ird, a Plains-wanderer excursion gives us a chance for other birds such as
Inland Dotterel or one of world’s truly unique marsupials, the Fat-tailed D
unnart. Next we’ll hop 160 miles offshore to Tasmania. The island state of
Tasmania hosts an additional 12 species of endemic birds, and we may see t
hem all in our first 24 hours. Beyond endemics, however, the wet temperate
forest of Tasmania is home to one of the most beautiful avifaunas in all t
he world. Species here include both Green and Eastern Rosellas, Shining Br
onze-Cuckoo, Masked Owl, Superb Fairy-Wren, Southern Emu-Wren, Spotted Pard
alote, Striated Fieldwren, and New Holland Honeyeater, along with lovely Pi
nk, Flame, and Scarlet Robins. A full day pelagic trip from Eaglehawk Neck
on the southern coast of Tasmania brings us into the purlieu of no fewer t
han seven species of albatrosses, as well as a wide assortment of petrels,
storm-petrels, prions, and shearwaters. Evening spotlighting forays may re
veal mammals as varied as Platypus, Eastern Barred Bandicoot, or the furtiv
e Tasmanian Devil. If you have always wanted to see the birds and the wild
life of Australia, we invite you to join us this November for spring “down
under” in the southern hemisphere.
Leaders: Steve Davidson, Phil Maher & Rick Taylor
Cost of Aus
tralia & Tasmania includes all accommodations, all meals, all grou
nd transportation, and all entrance fees beginning and ending in Melbourne—
$9,195.
TO REGISTER: Print out a PDF Registration Form, call us at (520) 558-2351 or This email address is being protected from sp
ambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Photo: Pretty-faced Wallaby
Photo by: Rick Taylor
DTSTAMP:20260812T061935
DTSTART;TZID=America/Phoenix;VALUE=DATE:20171028
DTEND;TZID=America/Phoenix;VALUE=DATE:20171114
SEQUENCE:0
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