We’re at the moment within the Moist Season in Broome and we have now had loads of rain already this yr and there may be extra to come back. I can’t emphasise sufficient how essential it’s to test the Fundamental Roads Journey Map earlier than you contemplate travelling round Western Australia in the intervening time. Many roads are closed and plenty of received’t be reopened within the foreseeable future. Freight is having to take a detour of over 4,500kms to get to the Northern Kimberley from Perth by way of South Australia and the Northern Territory. There may be additionally a threat that the highways within the Northern Territory shall be closed at quick discover resulting from their Moist Season, so there may be numerous uncertainty when travelling right now of yr, however much more so this yr.
Because of this we aren’t venturing far by street to go bird-watching! We’ve got been out on the Nice Northern Freeway, which is open with warning, and the bird-life that we solely encounter in very moist years is right here already. This clearly means we have now much more rain to come back over the approaching weeks and months. The sky can go from blue to black very quickly and there are sometimes billowing clouds (see above!) that seem out of nowhere at quick discover after which dump no finish of torrential rain.
Driving in between the white posts!
Black-winged Stilt between the white posts!
Whiskered Terns loafing on the freeway in between the white posts!
The Nice Northern Freeway runs by Roebuck Plains station and even the bulls are resting on the freeway. Lots of our native animals are searching for a spot that’s increased than the water stage. Sand Goannas can swim and transfer across the flooded panorama and now is an effective time to identify Frill-necked lizards both on the freeway or up timber. There are additionally tadpoles in every single place that there’s water-soon to turn into noisy frogs!
Bull
Sand Goanna
Frill-necked Lizard
Tadpoles
Strolling round our native patch we regularly hear the Pheasant Coucals calling on the prime of the timber after which crashing across the vegetation. Pheasant Coucals clearly missed the teachings on flying effectively!
Pheasant Coucal
The White-bellied Sea-Eagles have bred close by and could be noticed hovering throughout the sky and the Australian White Ibis do wish to look down on all of us on the moist floor from the streetlights. They clearly have been on the bottom, as a result of they aren’t precisely white right now of yr!
Juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Australian White Ibis
It’s all the time fascinating to exit simply after a storm and see how the native birdlife is fairing. The Mistletoebirds are nonetheless round and the tree that they nested in is now coated in leaves after all the rain.
Feminine Mistletoebird drying off
The 2 households of Tawny Frogmouths are nonetheless round and one grownup from the pair at Cygnet Park have realised the tree in the course of the roundabout affords the perfect safety in moist climate.
Tawny Frogmouth
The household of Tawny Frogmouths closest to residence are all the time good to watch after a rain occasion! One of many youthful birds simply doesn’t seem capable of preserve a tree-like pose for lengthy and has to show and look as you go by!
Tawny Frogmouths
So, for now we aren’t going removed from residence, however there are worse locations to be caught, so by no means thoughts!