Broome Roadtrip 11

Another visit whilst in Albany took me to the mudflats of Rushy Point at Little Grove across Princes Royal Harbour from Albany CBD. As it was low tide, I walked out a few hundred metres onto the mud to see what was about. Suddenly all the birds were up and swiftly disappeared. This usually means a raptor is about so I scanned the horizons and saw nothing. "A bit strange"' I thought. Scanned again. Nothing. Then about 60 seconds later a Peregrine Falcon came sailing past me about 20 metres away and 10 metres into the air. Wow. Just two pictures taken and only one decent image.

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

Next day I was off again heading eastwards and home but first stop was Two Peoples Bay and Cheynes Beach. Not much going on in the faunal world at TPB but the plants were going well.

Banded Lapwing, juvenile Vanellus tricolour

New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae

Purple-crowned Lorikeet Glossopsitta porphyrocephala

Further east along the coast just a short way is the skulking hotspot of the universe, Cheynes Beach. Home to the Noisy Scrub-bird (neither note nor pixel), the Western Bristlebird (seen fleetingly and well heard) and the Western Whipbird (seen at Stirling Ranges but not here). The best I could do was Sooty Oystercatcher.

Sooty Oystercatcher Haematapus fuliginosus

Go South 08 -- Bowra Station, Cunnamulla

Bowra Station is owned by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and the visitors are managed by Birds Queensland with two caretakers having calendar-month stays.

It is a very special spot for birds. I intended to stay for 6 days but managed 11. Here are some of the beautiful birds I saw.

Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae

Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Platalea flaviceps

Banded Lapwing Vanellus tricolor

Blue Bonnet Northiella haematogaster

Brown Treecreeper
Climacteris picumnus

Banded Lapwing

A pair of Banded Lapwing were discovered about three weeks ago east of the RAAF base at Sale whilst a BLEG member was searching for the Blue-winged Parrots. I have been checking on them regularly since their discovery and they seem to be settled in. The wet and cold snaps over the last three weeks haven't dented their amour and I have seen one sitting down over the last four days, apparently on a nest ?? It is about 300 metres away from the road so images not so good.

There is a nest in there, somewhere!