Andrew Hingston has developed an extraordinarily good ear for identifying birds from their calls. He also has an excellent, in-depth knowledge of Tasmania’s flora and fauna, and is popular with clients. He has published around 30 research papers in peer-reviewed journals (see below), and has worked as a specialist bird and natural history guide for Inala since 2012.
Andrew has lived in Tasmania and been studying our birds all of his life. He bought his first pair of binoculars from a second-hand shop when he was 10 years old. Following this passion led him to a Bachelor of Science in Forest Ecology at the University of Tasmania. He then did an Honours degree investigating the invasion and impact of a feral bumblebee in Tasmania, and the ecology of Tasmania's native bees. Following this, he completed his Ph.D. on the bird and insect pollinators of Tasmanian Blue Gums which included studies into the now Critically Endangered swift parrot.
Andrew is currently an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Tasmania, a position which has entailed supervising a student's Masters thesis on the importance of suburban trees as food sources for swift parrots, providing guest lectures to post-graduate students, and continuing his research into the impacts of feral bumblebees. That research prompted the Invasive Species Council Australia to award him the 2006 ‘Vigilance of Weeds and Ferals Award’. He also works periodically as a research assistant at the University of Tasmania, investigating such topics as pollinators of eucalypts and the potential for eucalypt plantations to inter-breed with native forest trees. He has previously worked as a botanist, mapping Tasmanian alpine vegetation. Along with his guiding work at Inala, most of his recent employment has involved running Forestry Tasmania's investigations into the responses of birds to timber harvesting in Tasmanian wet eucalypt forests.
Along with his research, Andrew enjoys practical environmental remediation work. He has a long involvement with the Hobart City Council's Bushcare program of removing environmental weeds from native bushland and was awarded the 2013 ‘Bushcare Legend Golden Secateurs Award’ by the Hobart City Council for “his dedication, passion and commitment to the Mt Nelson Bushcare Group”. He has also raised and planted thousands of native trees for habitat restoration, windbreaks and erosion control.
" Andrew was a really excellent guide, very impressive in every respect. Patient and knowledgeable, an excellent bird spotter by eye and by ear, and extremely well-informed about Tasmanian nature and environment, and gave us much interesting discussion.
Our guided tour was well worth it and very enjoyable." ( Trip Advisor - April 2023 )
"...our guide Andrew was deeply knowledgeable about the birds, trees, mammals, insects, overall ecology and local history. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge, and while I was primarily interested in birding, it makes so much more sense when you have knowledgeable input into the overall context of what you are seeing. His knowledge of habitats, local residents, bird calls etc meant that we were steered into seeing most if not all of the local endemics plus a wide range of other birds, mammals and invertebrates. I was able to photograph most of these, and generally had a fabulous time birding in company with others with similar objectives, and a deeply knowledgeable and caring guide. " ( Alex R from Sydney on TripAdvisor )
"...The guide, Andrew, was so patient and didn't give up listening for the birds until we were able to spot particular species. He was incredibly knowledgeable about not only the bird life, but Tasmanian vegetation, history, and Aboriginal history. We went to very specific spots that only true locals would know. One of the best birding experiences I have ever had worldwide! Thank you so much :)" ( CateQ on TripAdvisor )
"Our guide, Andrew, was quiet and unassuming, but also highly talented and knowledgeable. He listened carefully to our hoped-for sightings and used his patience and extraordinary field-craft to ensure that we had the best possible chance of success." ( Steve and Jackie on TripAdvisor )
Publications
GENERAL ARTICLES AND REPORTS
Hingston A, Cochran T (2016) Inala – A sanctuary for endangered pardalotes. Tasmanian Geographic 41.
Hingston A, Cochran T (2015) Inala, Bruny Island: safe haven for Swift Parrots. Parrot Society of Australia News 25, 24-27.
Hingston AB, Wapstra H, Wapstra A (2005) Where City meets Bush…A Guide to Our Local Bushland. Mt Nelson, Tolmans Hill, Sandy Bay. Mt Nelson and Lambert Gully Bushcare Groups, Hobart, Tasmania.
Hingston AB, Potts BM, Vaillancourt RE (2003) The risk of genetic pollution of native eucalypts from plantations and farm forestry in Victoria. Report to Environmental Health, Private Forestry Victoria.
Potts BM, Barbour RC, Hingston AB (2001) Genetic pollution from farm forestry using eucalypt species and hybrids. A report for the RIRDC/L & WA/FWPRDC Joint Venture Agroforestry Program. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. 108 pp.
Hingston AB, Potts BM (1998) A pictorial catalogue of the insects collected from flowers of Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus in Eastern Tasmania. Technical Report No.5. Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Production Forestry, Hobart.
Hingston A, Cameron M (1997) Plant communities of Mt Arthur, north-east Tasmania. Technical Report 1997/1. Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston.
CHAPTER IN REFEREED BOOK
Ollerton J, Johnson SD, Hingston AB (2006) Geographical variation in diversity and specificity of pollination systems. Chapter 13 in ‘Plant-pollinator interactions: from specialization to generalization’ (eds Waser NM and Ollerton J). pp. 283-308. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES
Wardlaw TJ, Grove SJ, Hingston AB, Balmer JM, Forster LG, Musk RA, Read SM (2018) Responses of flora and fauna in wet eucalypt production forest to the intensity of disturbance in the surrounding landscape. Forest Ecology and Management 409, 694-706. Doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2017.11.060
Fung E, Hill K, Hogendoorn K, Hingston AB, Glatz RV (2017) Co-occurrence of RNA viruses in Tasmanian-introduced bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) and honey bees (Apis mellifera).Apidologie 49, 243-251. Doi: 10.1007/s13592-017-0549-8
Hingston AB, Wotherspoon S (2017) Introduced social bees reduce nectar availability during the breeding season of the Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor). Pacific Conservation Biology 23, 52-62. Doi: 10.1071/PC16025
Hingston AB, Jordan GJ, Wardlaw TJ, Baker SC (2014) Bird assemblages in Tasmanian clearcuts are influenced by the age of eucalypt regeneration but not by distance from mature forest. Global Ecology and Conservation 2, 138-147. Doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2014.09.003
Hingston AB, Piech M (2011) Parrots, people and plants: urban tree removal and habitat loss for the endangered Swift Parrot, Lathamus discolor. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 145, 1-4.
Hingston AB, Piech M (2011) Eucalypt flower production in the suburbs and bush: implications for the endangered Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor. Pacific Conservation Biology 17, 338-346.
Hingston AB, Grove S (2010) From clearfell coupe to old-growth forest: Succession of bird assemblages in Tasmanian lowland wet eucalypt forests. Forest Ecology and Management 259, 459-468. Doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2009.11.001
Ollerton J, Alarcón R, Waser NM, Price MV, Watts S, Cranmer L, Hingston A, Peter CI, Rotenberry J (2009) A global test of the pollination syndrome hypothesis. Annals of Botany 103, 1471-1480. Doi: 10.1093/aob/mcp031
Griffin AR, Hingston AB, Ohmart CP (2009) The effective pollinators of Eucalyptus regnans (Myrtaceae), the world’s tallest flowering plant species. Australian Journal of Botany 57, 18-25. Doi: 10.1071/BT08168
Hingston AB (2007) The potential impact of the Large Earth Bumblebee Bombus terrestris (Apidae) on the Australian mainland: Lessons from Tasmania. The Victorian Naturalist 124, 110-117.
Hingston AB (2006) Is the introduced Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) assisting the naturalization of Agapanthus praecox ssp. orientalis in Tasmania? Ecological Management and Restoration 7, 236-238.
Hingston AB (2006) Is the exotic bumblebee Bombus terrestris really invading Tasmanian native vegetation? Journal of Insect Conservation 10, 289-293. Doi: 10.1007/s10841-006-6711-7
Hingston AB, Herrmann W, Jordan GJ (2006) Reproductive success of a colony of the introduced bumblebee Bombus terrestris (L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in a Tasmanian National Park. Australian Journal of Entomology 45, 137-141. Doi: 10.1111/j.1440-6055.2006.00527.x
Hingston AB (2005) Inbreeding in the introduced Bumblebee Bombus terrestris causes uncertainty in predictions of impacts on native ecosystems. Ecological Management and Restoration 6, 151-153.
Hingston AB (2005) Does the introduced bumblebee, Bombus terrestris (Apidae), prefer flowers of introduced or native plants in Australia? Australian Journal of Zoology 53, 29-34. Doi: 10.1071/ZO04048
Hingston AB, Potts BM (2005) Pollinator activity can explain variation in outcrossing rates within individual trees. Austral Ecology 30, 319-324.
Hingston AB, Gartrell BD, Pinchbeck G (2004) How specialized is the plant-pollinator association between Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus and the swift parrot Lathamus discolor? Austral Ecology 29, 624-630.
Hingston AB, McQuillan PB, Potts BM (2004) Pollinators in seed orchards of Eucalyptus nitens (Myrtaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 52, 209-222. Doi: 10.1071/BT03015
Hingston AB, Potts BM, McQuillan PB (2004) Pollination services provided by various size classes of flower visitors to Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus (Myrtaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 52, 353-369. Doi:10.1071/BT03002
Hingston AB, Potts BM, McQuillan PB (2004) The swift parrot Lathamus discolor (Psittacidae), social bees (Apidae) and native insects as pollinators of Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus (Myrtaceae). Australian Journal of Botany 52, 371-379. Doi: 10.1071/BT03018
Potts BM, Barbour RC, Hingston AB, Vaillancourt RE (2003) Turner Review No. 6 Genetic pollution of native eucalypt gene pools ― identifying the risks. Australian Journal of Botany 51, 1-25. Doi: 10.1071/BT02035_CO
Hingston AB, Marsden-Smedley J, Driscoll DA, Corbett S, Fenton J, Anderson R, Plowman C, Mowling F, Jenkin M, Matsui K, Bonham KJ, Ilowski M, McQuillan PB, Yaxley B, Reid T, Storey D, Poole L, Mallick SA, Fitzgerald N, Kirkpatrick JB, Febey J, Harwood AG, Michaels KF, Russell MJ, Black PG, Emmerson L, Visoiu M, Morgan J, Breen S, Gates S, Bantich M, Desmarchelier JM (2002) Extent of invasion of Tasmanian native vegetation by the exotic bumblebee Bombus terrestris (Apoidea: Apidae). Austral Ecology 27, 162-172.
Hingston AB (2000) Impacts of logging on autumn bird populations in the southern forests of Tasmania. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 134, 19-28.
Hingston AB, McQuillan PB (2000) Are pollination syndromes useful predictors of floral visitors in Tasmania? Austral Ecology 25, 600-609.
Hingston AB (1999) Affinities between southern Tasmanian plants in native bee visitor profiles. Australian Journal of Zoology 47, 361-384. Doi: 10.1071/ZO98043
Hingston AB, McQuillan PB (1999) Displacement of Tasmanian native megachilid bees by the recently introduced bumblebee Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 47, 59-65. Doi: 10.1071/ZO98016
Hingston AB (1998) Temporal and spatial variation in abundances of native bee species on an altitudinal gradient in southern Tasmania. Australian Journal of Zoology 46, 497-507. Doi: 10.1071/ZO97049
Hingston AB, Black PG (1998) The short-term effects of fire and its intensity on avian abundance in Eucalyptus pulchella woodland. The Tasmanian Naturalist 120, 31-43.
Hingston AB, McQuillan PB (1998) Does the recently introduced bumblebee Bombus terrestris (Apidae) threaten Australian ecosystems? Australian Journal of Ecology 23, 539-549.
Hingston AB, McQuillan PB (1998) Nectar robbing in Epacris impressa (Epacridaceae) by the recently introduced bumblebee Bombus terrestris (Apidae) in Tasmania. The Victorian Naturalist 115, 116-119.
Hingston AB, Potts BM (1998) Floral visitors of Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus in eastern Tasmania. Tasforests 10, 125-139.
Battaglia M, Cherry ML, Beadle CL, Sands PJ, Hingston A (1998) Prediction of leaf area index in eucalypt plantations: effects of water stress and temperature. Tree Physiology 18, 521-528.
Cherry M, Hingston A, Battaglia M, Beadle C (1998) Calibrating the LI-COR LAI-2000 for estimating leaf area index in eucalypt plantations. Tasforests 10, 75-82.
PUBLISHED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
Hingston AB (2006) How extensively is the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, invading Tasmanian native vegetation? pp. 95-97 in ‘Feral Animals, Threatened Species and the Role of the Community’. Conference convened by the Threatened Species Network, Tasmania at Hobart Tas. Australia, March 2005. World Wildlife Fund, Australia.
Hingston AB, Mallick SA (2003) Are introduced social bees a threat to the endangered swift parrot? Proceedings of the Birds Australia Members’ Day and Annual General Meeting. Hobart Tasmania Australia, 31 May 2003.
Ollerton J, Johnson S, Hingston A (2002) Patterns of specialization and generalization across ecosystems. Symposium on Specialization and Generalization in Plant-Pollinator Interactions, Proceedings of the 87th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. Tucson Arizona USA, 4 -9 Aug. 2002.
Hingston AB, McQuillan PB (1998) The impact of the large earth bumblebee Bombus terrestris on Australian ecosystems. p. 209 in ‘Social Insects at the turn of the Millenium’ eds Michael P. Schwarz and Katja Hogendoorn. 13th Congress of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects IUSSI, Adelaide SA Australia, 29 Dec. 1998 - 3 Jan. 1999.
