Following the devastating floods, inflicting vital harm to the highways throughout the north of Australia in December 2022 and January 2023, we knew it will be a number of months earlier than we might return to the banks of the Fitzroy River at Langi Crossing. Even now the gravel observe in to the Fitzroy River has some deep muddy puddles to undergo in four-wheel drive. Now the temperature has dropped to under 20c in a single day the water must evaporate, however additionally it is advantageous to the birdlife alongside the observe.
Once we drove in to Langi Crossing for the primary time this 12 months we didn’t know what would stay after the floods. We had anticipated some severe erosion and that had occurred, however the place we prefer to camp was nonetheless partially accessible for our use. The cliff continues to be a really steep drop off, so you’re feeling protected from the recent and saltwater crocodiles, however the space the place you may sit is so much smaller. The very giant tree is now teetering on the sting of the financial institution and unlikely to final one other moist season later within the 12 months. The Fitzroy River continues to be very excessive and can take a while to drop. You will note how totally different it’s this 12 months to final 12 months right here.
Langi Crossing after the floods
The crocodiles weren’t significantly seen with the cooler climate, however their marks within the mud had been and some sunbathed on the far facet of the river.
Freshwater crocodiles and observe
Regardless of the entire modifications over the previous few months the birdlife seems simply because it has different years. The resilience of the birds is unimaginable and plenty of birds are nonetheless nesting. There are sometimes a pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles current they usually had been there. One was mendacity on an enormous nest on the far facet of the river and Budgerigars had been always touchdown on the branches above the nest.
White-bellied Sea-Eagle nest with Budgerigars above
There have been quite a few Whistling Kites sitting in nests and we had been intrigued to see that Zebra Finch had constructed their very own nests within the base of the nest. One Whistling Kite nest had 5 Zebra Finch nests within the underside of the massive nest. That’s fairly a intelligent technique whether or not it retains you dry or protected or each!
Whistling Kite nest
Zebra Finch nest below a Whistling Kite nest
After the entire rainfall the Boab bushes look spectacular and there are some magnificent specimens within the space. It’s all the time value trying to see what birds are hiding within the foliage.
Crimson-winged Parrot hiding in a Boab tree
We had been in a position to spend 24 hours on the banks of the Fitzroy River at Langi Crossing and we had been in a position to go bushwalking each up and downstream from the place we camp. There have been over seventy chook species noticed throughout this era and some noisy night-time species too. Bush Stone-curlews are all the time noisy once we camp there and go away their footprints within the tracks, so we will discover out the place they walked the subsequent day!
Bush Stone-curlew observe
There are lots of birds that feed on the sting of the river whatever the crocodiles and plenty of birds that fly forwards and backwards from one facet to the opposite. You possibly can simply loosen up on the clifftop watching the world go by for hours on finish and watch the solar rise and fall and the moon rise and fall over a day!
Black-fronted Dotterel
White-necked Heron
Crimson-tailed Black Cockatoos in for a drink
The Torresian Crows had been current as all the time and the Different Sittellas that go to our camp. The tiniest little chook, the Weebill, was flitting amongst the bushes too, however wasn’t prepared to offer me a full frontal picture!
Torresian Crows
Different Sittella…not a giant butterfly!
Weebill
One stand out distinction this 12 months was the invasion of an environmental weed referred to as Noogooru Burr. Sadly it has utterly taken over a lot of the banks of the river after a lot flooding and it’s prone to proceed to unfold by the distant space.
Noogooru Burr weed
We’re conscious of the Cane Toads getting very near Broome now and it has been seen in Derby because the floods. We anticipate to see a pointy decline in Goanna numbers as soon as they do arrive, however for now you may nonetheless stumble throughout them if you end up bush-walking. Sadly the Goannas first defence is to go flat within the hope of not being seen, which in my case meant I’ll effectively have nearly stood on it and we each had an increase in blood strain! I couldn’t have been too scary, as a result of it allowed me to {photograph} it from fairly shut quarters and you may clearly see the inspiration for “dot work”.
Goanna
Though there had been many modifications over the moist months there have been additionally many acquainted birds on this go to. Each go to to Langi Crossing is totally different when you will get there and we hope to make some extra visits earlier than it rains once more on the finish of the 12 months.
