Our next stop was at Fern Tree trail, up on Mt. Wellington, and in the clouds. It was cold and dreary, and eventually it would start to rain. Murray (above) and Rita (below left) were dressed for the conditions, but photography became very tough. We saw Tasmanian Thornbill and Tasmanian Scrubwren in the dark gullies (like the one Rita is traversing) but just could not locate a Scrubtit in the drizzle. A female Pink Robin in a dark gully was a nice non-endemic bonus. We also heard a Black Currawong, but couldn't see it through the trees. The rain did let up enough, though, to locate a Strong-billed Honeyeater (below right) in the car park.

The rain would start and stop all afternoon as we visited Wielangta Forest and the coast (Murray on the shores of Prosser Bay, above). We found the final endemic of the day — Black Currawong (right) — near the forest; indeed, one field had 110 of them. There were also a few Gray Currawong of the Tasmania race arguata (below), so we watched them in short flights. Black lacks the white patch on the wing coverts of Gray, and bill shape is different.

So we would end up with 11 of the 12 endemics, a fine one-day showing, given the weather, and we found other birds of interest, including a nice male Flame Robin (left). Late in the afternoon we drove a farm road onto the Earlham Estate, with paddocks on the shore, and found 7 Cape Barren Goose grazing there.

By the end of the afternoon we were nicely set up for a night drive through the countryside after dinner. which proved to be successful for mammals (including four Eastern Quoll) even though it was rainy and we missed the endangered Tasmanian Devil.

I was particularly impressed with one bird found on the shores of Prosser Bay, near Orford, in the afternoon: Hooded Plover (below). This Australian species is apparently everywhere scarce, local, and often declining. Its bold pattern makes it among the most attractive plovers on earth.