Birding

Kimberley Flycatcher

January 31, 2021 by Clare M No Comments

Last week I introduced you to the Kimberley Flycatcher–Microeca tormenti. This species is easier to find in Derby than Broome and the Derby wharf is a good place to go and observe them.

The Kimberley Flycatcher had previously been a sub-species of the Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, but is now a species in its own right as of August 2019. The significant visible difference between the Lemon-bellied Flycatcher and the Kimberley Flycatcher is the lack of “lemon” colour in the Kimberley Flycatcher. In fact it is a rather dull bird for Australia!

The Kimberley Flycatcher that we encountered at the Derby wharf was quite a cooperative bird. It was not bothered at all by our presence under the large trees. It appeared just as intrigued with us as we were with it. There are not many people visiting the Derby wharf at this time of year!

I was not sure if the Kimberley Flycatcher would fly off as we approached and so I took a few photos through the vegetation initially.

Kimberley Flycatcher

I slowly moved around to the other side of the tree hoping for some other photos. The Kimberley Flycatcher almost seemed intrigued as to what I was doing! It posed rather nicely too.

Kimberley Flycatcher

If you came across a Lemon-bellied Flycatcher further north in Australia you would easily believe it was a different species. The photo below I took in 2014 at Marlow Lagoon. It really does look like a “yellow robin”.

Lemon-bellied Flycatcher

Either of these bird species are a delight to observe regardless of how colourful they are! It is even better if they are content to be photographed!

Written by Clare M
Clare and her husband, Grant, have lived permanently in Broome, Western Australia since 1999 after living in various outback locations around Western Australia and Darwin. She has lived in the Middle East and the United States and traveled extensively in Europe. She monitors Pied Oystercatchers breeding along a 23km stretch of Broome's coastline by bicycle and on foot. She chooses not to participate in social media, but rather wander off into the bush for peace and tranquility. Thankfully she can write posts in advance and get away from technology!