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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Larry Sweetland" data-source="post: 1320955" data-attributes="member: 27337">I'll try Mark, and yep Chowie, I did consider bathing in the stuff.Since last post we've been travelling up the east side of Tasmania. The Tasman peninsular was good for large numbers of my personal favourite Tassie endemic, Yellow Wattlebird, and we also picked up 2 more Satin Flycatchers. at the convicts' coal mine. Travelling between the coal mine and Eagle Neck we came across a party of 9 Cape Barren Geese  in a roadside field at Newman's Creek. These were cracking birds, and it was really exciting for about a minute before I started to admit to myself that these birds probably had about as much chance of not being introduced as the headling act at a circus. This was a painfully close call, and I must admit that I'm as tempted to tick'em as I reckon an Aussie birdo visiting Europe would be to tick a flock of Barnacle Geese on the north Norfolk coast, or Red-legged Partridge in southeast Kent. I'm looking into whether or not such a thing as "real" nominate race Cape Barren Geese still exist in fact, as I think there have been lots of introductions. I'd really like to at least see some that breed on the Bass Strait islands and migrate to coastal mainland Aus and Tassie (if they still do) before I tick'em. Anyone up on this?An overnight at Friendly Beach on the Freycinet Peninsular was great for watching Shy Albatrosses from bed! Wish we'd kept a bed list for the van, but I think Nicky's would be bigger, as I get up early more. There were also what I can only describe as clouds of Short-tailed Shearwaters (again visible from bed).A stop at Weldborough Pass for the short rainforest walk produced our first male Pink Robin, at the very start of the trail. It would have been a tragedy to have only seen females of this little dazzler.Last night we stayed at campsite 4 at Stumpy's Bay in Mt William NP in the far northeast of Tassie. You can see Cape Barren Island from here! There is a trail from the campsite to Cobler's Rock, and it was along the last quater of this that we saw 3 Tawny-crowned Honeyeaters. The habitat here is very low heathland veg and "Kangaroo-tail" (spikey grass-like plant) with sparse taller bushes on which they like to sit. These birds were nowhere near as in your face as most honeyeaters. Great, 5 more Aus honeys to go!1237 TAWNY-CROWNED HONEYEATER</blockquote>

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