Wildlife Calendar

Burnie is a nature lover’s paradise, home to some of Tasmania’s most iconic wildlife.

This wildlife calendar highlights the best times of the year to see these remarkable animals in their natural habitats—there’s something magical to discover in every season.

Learn when little penguins waddle ashore to to tend to their chicks, when platypus are best seen foraging along the water’s edge of creeks, and when wallabies and their joeys are most visible in the open bushland. Keep an eye out for echidnas foraging for ants and enjoy the melodic calls of wattlebirds and kookaburras echoing through the trees.

Use the arrows to the right to scroll through the months of the year ->

	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
Penguins	Chicks fledge, moulting	Adult moult, feeding	Feeding, pre-moult prep	Moulting begins	Moulting	Resting, feeding at sea	Feeding, pre-breeding prep	Returning to burrows	Courtship, egg laying begins	Egg incubation, chick hatching	Chick rearing	Chicks growing, pre-fledge
Native Hens	Chicks hatch	Juveniles learning to forage	Adults nesting	Nesting continues	Foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Nest-building begins	Nesting, laying eggs	Chicks hatch	Chicks foraging	Chicks fledging
Kookaburra	Chicks fledging	Juveniles fledging	Nest-building	Nest-building	Nesting ends	Territorial calls begin	Territorial calls intensify	Nest-building	Egg laying begins	Incubating eggs	Raising chicks	Chicks fledging
Wattlebird	Breeding, raising chicks	Raising chicks	Foraging, nesting	Foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Territorial calls intensify	Nesting, breeding	Raising chicks	Raising chicks	Raising chicks	Breeding resumes
Plovers	Nesting and laying eggs	Incubation and chicks hatch	Chicks learning to forage	Juveniles independent	Foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Nesting and laying eggs	Incubation and chicks hatch	Chicks learning to forage	Juveniles independent	Foraging
Swift Parrots	Breeding, raising chicks	Chicks learning to forage	Foraging and dispersal	Foraging and migration	Migrating north	Resting in migration areas	Resting in migration areas	Returning south	Nesting begins	Egg laying, incubation	Raising chicks	Raising chicks
Eagles	Nest building	Nesting, egg laying	Incubating eggs	Chicks hatch	Raising young	Juveniles learning to hunt	Juveniles hunting	Territorial activity	Territorial activity	Foraging	Nest building	Nest building
Gulls	Chicks fledging	Juveniles foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Nesting begins	Egg laying	Incubating eggs	Chicks hatch	Chicks fledging
Bats	Breeding season	Raising pups	Juveniles flying	Foraging	Foraging	Resting and foraging	Resting and foraging	Resting and foraging	Mating begins	Breeding season	Breeding season	Pups raised
Possums	Mating season	Joeys in pouch	Joeys on back	Foraging with young	Foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Mating season	Mating season	Mating season	Joeys raised
Blue-tongue Skink	Active, basking	Active, basking	Mating season	Egg laying	Dormant	Dormant	Dormant	Emerging	Feeding	Feeding	Mating season	Mating season
Snakes	Active, basking	Active, basking	Mating season	Egg laying	Dormant	Dormant	Dormant	Emerging	Feeding	Feeding	Mating season	Mating season
Freshwater Lobster	Active, foraging	Active, foraging	Foraging, mating	Egg laying	Dormant	Dormant	Dormant	Emerging	Foraging	Foraging	Egg laying	Egg laying
Bandicoot	Mating season	Joeys in pouch	Joeys leaving pouch	Joeys foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Mating season	Mating season	Mating season	Raising young	Raising young
Quolls	Mating season	Gestation	Joeys in pouch	Joeys leaving pouch	Foraging	Foraging	Foraging	Mating season	Mating season	Raising young	Raising young
Tree Frog	Breeding, laying eggs	Tadpoles in water	Tadpoles morphing into frogs	Dormant (if conditions dry)	Dormant (if conditions dry)	Dormant (if conditions dry)	Dormant (if conditions dry)	Breeding, laying eggs	Tadpoles in water	Tadpoles morphing into frogs	Dormant (if conditions dry)
Grass Frog	Breeding, laying eggs	Tadpoles in water	Tadpoles morphing into frogs	Dormant (if conditions dry)	Dormant (if conditions dry)	Dormant (if conditions dry)	Dormant (if conditions dry)	Breeding, laying eggs	Tadpoles in water	Tadpoles morphing into frogs	Dormant (if conditions dry)
Crickets	Calling and mating	Calling and mating	Egg laying	Feeding and calling	Feeding	Dormant (winter months)	Dormant (winter months)	Feeding and calling	Feeding and calling	Egg laying	Calling and mating	Calling and mating
Bees	Foraging for nectar	Foraging for nectar	Foraging for nectar	Dormant (if cold)	Dormant (if cold)	Dormant (if cold)	Emerging and foraging	Foraging for nectar	Foraging for nectar	Foraging for nectar	Foraging for nectar