Broome Roadtrip 02

I lodged at the Broome Bird Observatory for 3 days before and 3 days after the Ashmore Reef Pelagic Cruise. It sits on the edge of Roebuck Bay about 20km from Broome by road. It is a great place for birds!!

Silver Gull, Common Sandpiper

Brahminy Kite

Sanderling

Australian Bushlark

Brown Falcon catching some last rays.

White-bellied Sea-eagle

Whistling Kites

Yellow Chat, male

Roebuck Bay 

Mudskipper, species unknown to me.

Blue-spotted Mudskipper

Broad-billed Flycatcher

Great Egret

Mangrove Mudskippers

Oriental Pratincole

Pacific Golden Plover

High tide roost. Birds on the beach.

A close up of above. What can you see?

Curlew Sandpiper

Lesser Sand Plover

As to the shorebirds above? I reckon you can see Red-necked Avocets, Bar-tailed Godwits, Black-winged Stilts, Caspian Terns, a Common Sandpiper, Crested Terns, Eastern Curlews and Silver Gulls.

Go North -- 06 -- Chill on the Beach

After picking up Erica's car we ventured to the eastern coast of the Cape into the Iron Range NP and camped for several nights at Chilli Beach. During springtime there is a constant and consistent on-shore easterly trade wind. This has the disadvantage of driving, and keeping, algae on the shore hence the edges can be a bit squishy underfoot, the odour can be offensive and you generally want to avoid it. But once the tide has gone out, the exposed sand banks are a delight. Quite a few birds about, 4WDs on the beach, folks fishing and birders birding. A delightful, restful place.

Australian Pied Oystercatchers Haematopus longirostris

Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva

Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleusos

Eastern Reef Egret Ardea sacra light and dark morphs

Beach Stone-curlew Esacus neglectus

Two Beach Stone-curlews came winging in, did a small amount of courting for several minutes then go down to it.

Magic. f8, t1250 and be there.

"Go South, old codger"

There I was in Cairns with just a trip home on the program but with no time constraints although I had booked a bed at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy property, "Bowra", just out of Cunnamulla, for a week before Easter. Today was 13 March so, what to do. First job was to deliver vehicle to a 4WD place in Cairns for a service. Robert and Heath had put on 12.000kms in 7 weeks. They rang me during the afternoon to tell me they had discovered some important work that needed to be done based on some intel I had given them so it was there for 2 days. I walked over to the Esplanade in Cairns to arrive about 4 o'clock at the Seat of Learning under the Tree of Knowledge where a group of local, retired and very knowledgable and enthusiastic birders meet every day. When I had introduced myself, I was informed that my progress up the coast had been noted via eBird lists I had been submitting. In a good way, that was the best introduction you could have. My bona fides were already established. On that basis, one of the dudes offered me a day of birding up in the hinterland whilst the car was out of action. Guided by a local? You bet.

Starting at 6.30, we had seen 36 species by our return at lunchtime. Two lifers: Grey-headed Robin and Spotted Catbird. Good picture of a Pale-yellow Robin. On the way back we diverted to a block of land in an industrial estate subject to tidal vagaries and saw a family of Beach Stone-curlews.

Metallic Starling Aplornis metallica

Beach Stone-curlew Esacus magnirostris

Pale-yellow Robin Tregellasia capito

Later that day I did the Mangrove Boardwalk near the airport [mozzies were amazing] and had another session with the old dudes/seat/tree on the Esplanade.

Olive-backed Sunbird, male Nectarinia jugularis

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva

Eastern Curlew Numinous madagasariensis

with dinner