 During our Tasmania trip, we were hoping against hope that we might see a Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle. A different sub-species and the largest of the Australian wedgies, this bird would be a sight to behold! Well, on South Bruny Island, we had an unexpected encounter with two, possibly three, wedgies.
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 A Cape Barron goose in her big girl pink socks We invested a day and a ferry trip in Maria Island, and we're certainly glad we did!
 But it was no trouble at all - just a great day out, driving to the Freycinet Peninsula from Swansea, and taking in breathtaking scenery (after a breathtaking climb!) and a great lunch at Devil's Corner.
 Our next stop was right over on the east coast of Tasmania: Swansea, a sweet little town with a very big afternoon sea breeze. Make that a howling gale! Even so, musk lorikeets were flocking.
 Goodbye Smithton! We retraced our steps to Burnie, then headed south towards Cradle Mountain. We were headed to a settlement called Lorinna on the eastern shore of Lake Cethana and a rustic off-grid cabin among the tall timbers. And plenty of birds!
 If you want a fabulous day out in nature, do the Tarkine Drive loop, south-west of Smithton. On the way, we saw our first Tasmanian endemic - fondly known as the turbochook!
 This was our first day in Tassie, and we were off to its north-west corner to visit family, see the sights and get to the Tarkine. Look out local beauties: Penguin, Boat Harbour and Stanley!
 We were delighted when our friends invited us to join them for a few days in Tassie in early 2023...and then we decided to make it a three week expedition, starting with crossing Bass Strait on the ferry and taking our vehicle.
 It's been way too long between drinks -- drinking deeply, that is, of the wild and wonderful Otways. Our return trip in February '23 was long overdue.
 On a recent visit to Victoria's Point Danger Gannet colony (in Feb 2023), we saw the chicks preparing to fledge.
 What's pelagic birding? Pelagic birds live mostly on the open ocean, and if you want to see them, you sign on for a pelagic trip, and take a boat well out to sea. I did just that last weekend on the Port Fairy Pelagic. If you're thinking about it, here's what my experience was like...
 We headed to Port Fairy for a pelagic trip in early Feb, and we managed to visit some new places. Here are some of them...
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