Unique birds and a devil at the South-East edge of the world

Tasmania, the island, 240 kilometers away from Australia in the Indian Ocean, is located where the globe drops downwards. Around the main island there are several smaller islands, most of them only inhabited by rare species of animals and plants. At the moment, no oneis allowed to visit Australia or Tasmania. Their incidence cases are more or less stable and should remain so through this quarantine. But why not dream away for this place from our apartments and houses in Europe, USA, Africa or Latin America and plan our next real trip? Rockjumper, one of the most well-known birding tour specialists from South Africa is organizing an interesting trip for September 2022. This will be 29 days in Australia and five days as culmination in Tasmania. If it works out as planned participants will see about 120-150 bird species. Each of which sounds like longing twitches for birdwatchers: from Long-billed Black Cockabo to Red-capped Parrot, Yellow Wattlebird and Western Spinebill, White-breasted Robin up to the giants like Laughing Kookaburra, Black-Shouldered and Whistling Kites as well as Wedge-tailed Eagles.

Versatile flora and fauna

Australia and Tasmania exhibit a vast variety of habitats: from robinia and eucalyptus woods to subtropical humid forests and moorlands on Tasmania. Unique endemic species with long phylogenetic tradition could arise here.

The travel birding group will not only encounter rare bird species like the Bowerbird with its striking courtship behavior but also special mammals as Western Grey Kangaroo, Wombats, Koala bears, bats and Flying Foxes or the Southern Right Whale. From river tours to hiking in national parks everything is organized. You need to have strong stamina not only for the best twitches but also for the extended tours.

Tasmania as culmination in the end

It is about 12,000 years since Tasmania has physically separated from the  Australian mainland. For nature this was an asset and that is why one fourth of the island is UNESCO’s world heritage site nowadays. Of the 64,519 spare kilometers more than one third is declared as national park, inhabited by unique species. Some of the most interesting ones are: Tasmanian Native Hen, Forty-spotted Pardalote and Black Currawong. If we will be lucky we will encounter the devil.

The Tasmanian Devil got its name thanks to its ears, which turn into red when it is excited, its screeching which can be heard miles away and its curious and partly aggressive behavior. In addition, it exudes an unpleasant smell when outraged. On the Australian mainland the Tasmanian Devil has been extinct for six hundred years, so Tasmania is its last habitat.

Besides the extraordinary natural setting you will have enough space: the population density is only about 7.5 inhabitants per square kilometer. We will leave fall clothing in the cabinet at home as temperature will be very pleasant. Just a sun hat, good binoculars and perhaps a field guide for Australian and Tasmanian bird species will do it. And don’t forget to keep your eBird checklists! Otherwise we will rely on the experienced tour guides.

So, let’s catch the few sun rays at home or take a sunlamp and dream away to Tasmania. There are enough books about the species there to get prepared. Until then familiarity our neighbor remains the center of the world as well as the well-known bird species in our gardens or the next woods. In our mind we are already on our way to the very rare species at the other part of the world, where the day ends while ours just begins.


Our partner Rockjumper Birding Tours offers guided tours in Tasmania. The next available tour is in October 2022: https://www.rockjumperbirding.com/tour-info/australia-tasmania-extension-iii-2021/47993

ZEISS Sponsors Grand Prize for the 2019 Kruger Bird and Wildlife Challenge

The Kruger Bird and Wildlife Challenge was held in South Africa this past February. Organized by BirdLife South Africa, Middlepunt Wetland Trust and Rockjumper Birding Tours, the event was started by BirdLife International to support conservation efforts for the critically endangered white-winged flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi). This very rare African bird is found in just a few regions of Ethiopia and South Africa. Living in especially thick vegetation, it is hard to spot the bird using traditional methods. Thus there are only a few photographs of this bird species, most of which show captured specimens. Financial support is urgently needed, primarily to preserve the small bird’s remaining habitat and support local endeavors undertaken by the different organizations.

Eight teams, each comprising nine bird watchers and conservationists, headed to the event at Kruger National Park. While no white-winged flufftails reside there, the location is ideal for hosting an event of this size. Kruger National Part is one of the few remaining nature reserves on the planet where sufficient land is still available to establish a stable equilibrium between the different species. This has long since ceased to be the case in nearly all nature reserves found in central Europe due to their limited size and the use of chemicals for intensive farming in the surrounding areas. More than 500 bird and over 150 mammal species have been spotted in Kruger National Park, and the teams had to record as many of these as possible.

Over a period of nine days, the participants made their way through the entire park and spent the night at different camps. Unlike many other competitive birding events, including Champions of the Flyway held in Israel, the challenge was not just to spot the largest number of different species. Instead, each species was scored on a scale of one to three, with more points going to less common or difficult-to-find birds.

Thus the world’s biggest heron, the Goliath heron, and the large martial eagle only earned teams one point because these birds are impossible to miss, while spotting a dusky lark earned three points. The peregrine falcon, which is likewise a rare find in Kruger National Park, could also earn a team three points.

For birds commonly found in Europe during the summer months, Kruger National Park is an important destination during the winter migration. These species include the white stork, lesser spotted eagle, Eurasian hobby, barn swallow, common house martin and Alpine swift. Large numbers of one of the pretties birds in eastern Europe, the European roller, spend the winter in the park, taking advantage of the broad selection of various insects as a food source. Other avian species from up north join in, including European and blue-cheeked bee-eaters, whose colors are almost a match for the southern carmine bee-eater. Kruger Natural Park is one of the last natural refuges for vultures in Africa, especially the white-headed and lappet-faced vultures, which are endangered due to chemically contaminated animal cadavers. Conservation groups from Europe and Africa are currently trying to save these animals from extinction, primarily through efforts targeted at informing the local population. ZEISS specifically supports their efforts as part of the Champions of the Flyway event.

The team from BirdLife International together with representatives from Rockjumper Birding Tours and ZEISS won the competition by spotting 328 different species of birds, earning them 496 points. They even won in the “mammals” category by recording 64 species, giving them a total of 560 points. The team “Ayre’s Broomtails” was close behind, having spotted 318 different bird and 58 mammal species, earning them 531 points in total. The “BirdLife International” team also won the prize for discovering the rarest bird during the event, a golden pipit – a rare sight in South Africa. All the teams and assistants had the chance to see and then photograph the bird themselves.

ZEISS provided the grand prize: 10 pairs of ZEISS Terra 8×42 binoculars. The event ultimately raised over 25,000 euros to financially support the conversation of the white-winged flufftail, making this is a promising start for saving this rare bird.