Hump backed whale 
The wonders of modern digital cameras are 
certainly improving our ability to identify more 
distant birds as proved by Ian May when he 
managed a shot of a distant low flying bird. On 
blowing up the image, it could clearly be seen to 
be a Gould's petrel, later followed by another bird 
of the same species. 
As there was not a lot of activity inside the 
continental shelf drop off zone or the area of the 
sea just beyond, we moved a couple of nautical 
miles further out. At this point, four wandering 
albatross appeared along with a couple of black- 
browed albatross, Wilson's storm-petrels, a grey- 
backed storm-petrel, and more sightings of 
Buller's shearwaters along with white chinned 
petrels that don't show white chins. 
On our return to shore, one or more whales 
breeched way to our north towards Maria Island 
as we passed a vast number of short-tailed 
Sentinel Range—6 November 2011 
Janet Fenton 
T welve Field Nats gathered for the fray at 'the 
elephant stalls', as the shelters at the Wedge 
River picnic ground are affectionately called. The 
weather could not have been more perfect as we 
left the rainforest around the car-park, crossed 
the Wedge River and headed a short distance 
across the buttongrass to the foot of the range. 
The quartzite crags towered above us. The 
summit of the range is 974 m, and we had a 
600 m climb ahead of us over a short distance of 
1.5 km. 
It was pleasing to notice healthy pink Sprengelia 
incarnata, and white S. propinqua in blossom, and 
healthy Agastachys odorata near the track (these 
plants are susceptible to Phytophthora root rot). 
Wandering albatross 
shearwaters sitting in a long line on the sea. The 
climax of the day then appeared, heralded by a 
pod of common dolphins. Nine hump-backed 
whales were feeding and came almost up to the 
boat. When one of the animals blew from up wind 
we all looked at one another wondering which of 
us had blown the most awful fuse imaginable! But 
no, it was the whale's breath which is not the kind 
you would wish to come up against when in close 
and intimate conversation with another person, a 
real conversation stopper! 
The birds did all the right things over the day, 
apart from the raptor hunting over the Hippolyte, 
the two jaegers and a single storm-petrel that 
provided only the briefest of glimpses to a couple 
of the folks on board. I believe that I can truly say 
that it was the most enjoyable day's birding and 
company that we have had—one out of the bag! 
Twelve Field Nats gathered for the fray 
Spring flowers were delightful: clouds of Bauera 
rubiodes, Leucopogon oreophilus and yellow 
Acacia mucronata and white and purple 
Euphrasia collina, while purple Melaleuca 
squamea was only just beginning to blossom. 
Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club BULLETIN 341 January 2011 pi 0 
