I spent most of the day preparing for my trip to Melaleuca in the southwest of Tasmania starting tomorrow. This is the remote breeding grounds for the highly endangered Orange-bellied Parrot. These parrots winter on the mainland but only breed in this small isolated area. To my knowledge the total population of Orange-bellied Parrots in the wild is only about 200 and many of these individuals were captive bred and released. Obviously this is a very rare bird.

Melaleuca is accessible in two ways. One by air and the second via a nearly 70 kilometer hike. Obviously with my equipment I will be utilizing the former option. I will be departing tomorrow morning and returning to Hobart Tuesday afternoon. During my time there I hope to photograph the Orange-bellied Parrot as well as other birds such as the Beautiful Firetail, Southern Emuwren and others. I am really excited about this trip and can't wait to depart in the morning.