Tour Australia with Bob Martinka

Tuesday, January 9, 2024 – Program begins 7:00PM                                  Montana WILD, 2668 Broadwater Ave.                                                          Free – All Are Welcome

Australia harbors many fantastic endemic birds and bizarre wildlife found nowhere else on our planet. Searching for new birding, cultural, scenic, and wildlife experiences, Bob Martinka could not resist the lure of this distant and fascinating country, so he headed there in October 2016.  Join Bob for this tour, illustrated with his exceptional photography and descriptions of this unique land.

Bob will describe the area and habitats visited including the humid tropical forests of northern Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef, the cool mountain forests around Lamington National Park in southern Queensland, and the coast, mountains, and arid interior of New South Wales. Bob’s tour extended all the way down to the rugged coastlines and highlands of Tasmania, home of the Tasmanian Devil!  At sunrise the first morning Bob observed many hundreds of Spectacled Flying-Foxes, a fruit eating bat with a 3-foot wingspan. Marsupial species, including several kinds of kangaroos, were common. The most unique mammal seen was a Duck-Billed Platypus, one of only two mammal species that lay eggs! Unique bird species include Southern Cassowary and several Emu.

​Bob Martinka worked for nearly 30 years with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. He began as a field biologist and then held a number of positions, closing his career as Deputy Director. He has served as a member of the Montana Audubon Board and the Montana Bird Records Committee. In 2022 Bob received the Montana Audubon Lifetime Achievement Award. In retirement, Bob has become an avid photographer, traveling to all seven continents to pursue his interest in birds and most wild things. His personal statistics include having seen 1/3 (3426) of world bird species and having photographed about 20% (2036). In December 2023 Bob will have submitted an eBird checklist on 1,800 consecutive days.