I am truly honoured to be able to write for 10,000 Birds and let you all know about a very special place for birding. You really do not have to be obsessed with shorebirds to live here, though there are a few people that are….no names mentioned! I had a chuckle to myself as I read Duncan’s report on the New Zealand weather this morning and wondered how many of you know about all of our seasons! We actually have a variety of weather throughout the year, but it is generally one of these
The seasons are marked by the changing birdlife more than anything and they know the date to return to Broome! Here’s the arrival of a Dollarbird from the north and this is their southernmost range on this side of Australia. They will leave in April along with all of the migratory shorebirds and the massive Channel-billed Cuckoo. This year we had a pair of juveniles being fed by Torresian Crows as the gullible parents!
The majority of the shorebirds have returned to Roebuck Bay now and the population is approximately 25,000 in this nutrient rich part of the world. Even in the winter months when most of the birds have gone north we still have 5,000 shorebirds that can easily be observed from the pindan (that is red dirt to you and me!) cliffs of Roebuck Bay. Fourteen species of shorebirds are present in the average flock and it can really test newcomers to the world of shorebirds. Grant and I spend as many hours as we can contribute to re-sightings of individually flagged shorebirds (many done by us) and the weather can be a bit tricky in coming the months. We walked rather rapidly to get away from this storm earlier this year!
The best thing you can do in Broome if you are even half interested in attracting birdlife is add water. It is incredible how fast birds react and you can have a great bird list for your garden. We currently have 109 species, which does include those that fly over e.g. Lesser Frigatebird.
Of course I can’t not mention my Pied Oystercatchers! I have known of a nest site on Cable Beach for 11 years and we have monitored a 23km section of beach from Gantheaume Point to the southern side of Willie Creek for several years now and contribute to Birds Australia’s Nest record scheme. They are on their final attempts by now and just starting to breed in the south of Australia.
I should mention the ephemeral lakes as well…..it’s not all about the beach and mudflats here! This week has brought a Red-necked Phalarope and a Ruff to a nearby lake, so that topped up our year list. I hope to bring you regular updates of all the excitement that goes with birding in Western Australia.
Charlie-can you fix the photos!?
Duncan-no flies in this bit of WA!
Keep an eye out for our Red Knot-some already made it to Foxton via Kooragang Dykes nr Newcastle!
@Duncan
That’s the whole point of individually flagging them: report the colour combination / code and let others tell you what species the bird belonged to.
🙂
Image tag changed so the Oycs look a little more like shorebirds now – my fault, apologies 🙂
Not that we ever query anything, but a photo is good! A NZ Turnstone from Invercargill has been detouring via Broome on southern migration over recent years!
Thanks for the interesting post about Broome, I hope to hear more about all the wild flying things and also about Crocodile Dundee and aborigines.
Yeah, Corey is right!
Apart from minor details, like Cyclones, Dollarbirds, Channel-billed Cuckoos, Torresian Crows, red dirt, Indian Ocean vistas, Lesser Frigatebirds, Pied Oystercatchers, and names like “Gantheaume Point” this post could easily be about a birding spot in New England.
Give us some wallabies!
🙂
I feel confused and tricked! Is this not a birding website and you all want animals! No-one asked Duncan for photos of sheep! Wallabies and birds is easy, but they will be squashed just up the road and the Black Kites and Whistling Kites will be having a feast and I am not sure we need road carnage at this stage of the game! I will try and get a native animal with a native bird for the next posting! Cable Beach has been closed for the longest time in known history-all week-for a rogue crocodile and the Dept of Conservation and Environment tried to harpoon it and then fired 4 shots at it(missed)….but it’s still out there waiting for a tourist. Strong wind warning now, so wait for the Irukandji jellyfish to wash in as well…..welcome to the tropics….nothing like New England!!!!!!
Wow Clare, all of those foreigners are giving you a hard time! Kangaroos, wallabies etc. etc. The next thing is a demand for koala and platypus photos? Lots of those in Broome, of course! lol
Thanks for your kind words Brenton. I may have missed the platypus & koala around here from spending too much time on the beach!
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And here I thought the weather in Western Australia was
1)Hot
2)Miserably hot.
3)Hell.
4)Flies.