Travel 6.9 km along this road without turning off. You will come to a Y junction. Turn left at that point 
and travel a further 3.6 km to the boomgates. Once through the boomgates, it is a further 2 km to the 
Field Study Centre. 
If you get to Gladstone, call in to the hotel and have a beer, then turn around and come back, you’ve 
missed the turn off! 
If coming from Gladstone: 
Travel towards Bridport. After a few kilometres, the sealed road turns to gravel. Travel a further 5.5km 
along the gravel and you will come to the Old Port Road. Turn left onto this road, it is not sign posted. 
Travel 6.9 km along this road without turning off. You will come to a Y junction. Turn left at that point 
and travel a further 3.6 km to the boomgates. Once through the boomgates, it is a further 2 km to the 
Field Study Centre. 
Pelagic bird trips 
Bill Wakefield 
Pelagic bird observing boat-trips from Eaglehawk Neck, which still have vacant seats, are being run on 
Holiday Monday, 8 Mar 2010, and Saturday, 27 Nov 2010. 
This is a time of year when we normally have at least 5 species of Albatross around the boat plus a good 
variety of petrels and shearwaters. 
The route taken is generally down the coast to The Little Hippolyte then out to the Hippolyte its self. As 
we pass close in to the cliffs wonderful views are obtained of the Devils Kitchen, often from the inside, 
plus Tasman Arch and Waterfall Bay. A couple of underwater ridges that we pass over one running out 
from The thumbs and the other from the southern end of Fortescue Bay often cause upwellings attracting 
large feeding frenzies of birds, dolphins and seals. Gannets, Black-faced Cormorants, Crested Terns along 
with Silver, Kelp and Pacific Gulls all combining to make the spectacle. Sea Eagles are often present 
hunting in the area along with a Peregrine Falcon. This later species will hunt out at sea taking small 
petrels, which it eats back at its lookout. 
After a trip round the Hippolyte and a look at the Seals sleeping on the rock ledges and in the caves, we 
then move out towards the edge of the Continental Shelf with its increase in seabird species searching for 
their food in the up-welling from the currents moving along its edge. During February we generally see 
Mako Sharks which often come up behind the boat and have a good old chew on the burley box. 
The costs of these privately organised charters are shared equally amongst the participants and should be 
between $100 and $130 each. Would those wishing to enquire or book seats please contact Bill Wakefield 
on (03) 6228 0990 after 29 Nov 2009 (as Els and I will be away on Goose Is in the Flinders Group until 
then). There will be more information posted on the TFNC website. 
Changes to Bulletin 
The committee is considering changes to the bulletins, which have become longer of late. 
The bulletin will be slimmer with fewer pages, keeping its primary function of informing members of our 
upcoming program of meetings & speakers, excursions, and other events. In future, trip reports in the 
bulletin will not include long species-lists — instead, these lists will be put on our website. 
There is also the possibility of excursion reports going on the website as they come-in, and of being more 
closely linked with the excursion photos. What do people think? 
We are also keen to lodge our species observations with the Natural Values Atlas. To this end, we plan to 
have a standard blank list (downloadable from the website) with appropriate headings for people to enter 
their observations, which they would then send to Mark Wapstra to collate and enter into the NVA. 
Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club BULLETIN 336 Oct 2009 p3 
