Tanami Rd, Kimberley region 2018

23/7/2018   617km

It was 13.30 when we got away from Fontaine Ct Ocean Grove and headed up through Skipton to Ararat then west along the Western Hwy. We had really strong headwinds to contend with all the way and the new Landcruiser Troopy did not like it, at one stage I was on a slight hill doing 60kph flat out, very disappointing from a V8 turbo engine pulling a 2ton caravan. We also got into some quite heavy rain late in the day, but kept on going to stop at Talem Bend boat ramp at 22.30. It wasn’t long before we were fast asleep.

24/7   597km

We were up at dawn, I spent my breakfast doing a survey and got 20sp then drove in to Adelaide struggling up the hills and chewing through the diesel. We filled up at the United Servo on the Portrush Rd which at $1.429cpl is the cheapest so far and headed north into another strong headwind. Stopped at Snowtown for 8sp, then topped up the tank at the BP Port Augusta at $1.459cpl and found a cheaper one in town. Had lunch at Port Augusta W estuary Headed up the Stuart Hwy and the wind gradually died away and the sun came out for a pleasant afternoon’s drive up to  Wirramuna just west of Pimba to stop at 17.00. There was just enough time to stretch the legs around the woodland before the sun went down and the stars came out, but we’re too close to the road to call the site peaceful.

25/7     594km

The area is very dry so there aren’t many birds here. We left the site with only 14sp at 8.00 and continued our way north on a bright sunny day slowly warming up as the day progressed. We stopped to stretch the legs at 80m tower Mt Eba station where the habitat was looking very desiccated and only got 4sp. We stopped for lunch at Pootnoura channel 2  where everything was still dry and got 6sp and we stopped for the night at small ephemeral lake 150km S of Kulgera at 15.10, still very dry and only got 3sp before dark.

26/7       522km

In the morning a flock of about 150 Little Corellas came into where we were camped and started feeding on the seeds of the shrubs, they made a sound like the pitter patter of rain. We were soon heading north and the day warmed up to around 30C with a NW wind. There were obvious signs of overgrazing as the wind picked up. Large clouds of dust being picked up and blown away, further degrading the stupid farmer’s property, thankfully we only saw it twice, so most farmers have learnt to de-stock as conditions get poorer. First stop was Northern Territory border rest stop, then 160km south of Alice Springs. We got into Alice Springs and after filling up with fuel (180L used from Port Augusta) and checking on the condition of the Tanami Rd we headed up the road. We stopped at an old site still on the bitumenized section at 102km NW of Alice Springs Tanami Rd NT and only had a lone Torresian Crow before dark.

27/7    337km

Added a few more species and were off early, the first stop was  floodway 130km S of Yuendumu NT which had Hooded Robin, then creek S of Yuendumu,  the dirt starts at about the 200km mark. After the first 50km we stopped to check the caravan and do a survey at Fyfe survey6170 Tanami Rd the survey was poor in the dry but the caravan was poorer, the pantry door had opened and food was all over the place, what a mess! The corrugations aren’t horrendous but they do seem endless. Next stop was Tanami Rd 1, then Truck stop Tanami Rd, where there was only Grey-headed Honeyeater which seems to be the common honeyeater out here. We stopped by Renahans Bore Tanami Rd an old bore that was no longer in use, we were able to get 200m away from the road which reduces the road noise from the occasional night traffic. We’ve been lucky with the wind as the dust from the oncoming traffic has been blowing away from the road which means that my dust covers the road, and the caravan creates quite a bit of dust which then makes the oncoming traffic slow down because they can’t see through my dust which means less stones being thrown at me at lesser speeds, nice! We had a flock of Crested Pigeons come meandering around the camp almost going under my chair as I sat and watched them.

28/7    372km

Up until the mine which is about half way along the track there is constant traffic, big trucks, lots of presumably miners as well as farmers, T/Os (Traditional Owners) and a few tourists. After the mine the traffic dropped off, to mainly T/Os and a few tourists but the road was not being maintained by the mine so was a lot rougher. The first stop was 530km S of Halls Creek Tanami Rd then Quartz ridge Tanami Rd and Conglomerate Ck Tanami Rd, Tanami Rd 2  and Tanami Rd 3.  We crossed into WA and did Tanami Rd 4 Towards the end of the day we came across a second mine with a 42km section of good roads for their trucks, then it went back to poor roads. The area is really dry with way too many fires being lit too often, thus degrading the habitat, I managed to find at least one species on each survey. We camped at a small pull off at Tanami Rd 5 in dubious looking habitat with a small fresh burn at 17.00 and heard a lone Grey-headed Honeyeater before dark.

29/7    440km

In the morning I got a brief look at 3 Ground Cuckoo-shrikes which rate as the bird of the trip up here. As we turned north near Billiluna settlement I was hopeful of an improvement in the road, I was disappointed. We crossed Sturt Ck and found a scungy pool of water fouled by the local stock, but nevertheless got the best 20min survey for the Tanami Rd. Northward to Tanami Rd 6 and dams Tanami Rd. As we neared the highway we got into the hills and I was reduced to 20-30kph as the road got really rough (for a caravan). We had a sigh of relief as we got to the bitumen just east of Halls Creek, I found that by tipping my jerrycans in I had enough fuel to get us to Fitzroy Crossing and had a pleasant afternoon’s drive to Tarunda Caravan Park via  a lunch stop at Laura River. We arrived just on dark, got our patch of concrete and set up home for the duration of our stay here. I have nicknamed the caravan Nutty because it has more than one screw loose after the trip up the Tanami Rd.

5/8     38km

We packed our lunches and did the short drive along the bitumen road to Geikie Gorge to arrive there about 8.00. we then walked along the walking track until it abruptly ended at the beginning of the wall on the north bank, we then lazed in the shade warily watched by some Freshwater Crocodiles on the other bank that were eventually scared into the water by some canoeists who I don’t think even saw them. Eventually we mozied back along the bank getting a better view of the cliffs on the south bank and finding another shady spot to have lunch before walking back to the car park and thus back to Tarunda caravan park. I was going to check out my site just out of town at Fitzroy River but they were moving a huge mining dump truck and it had stopped on the first bridge and they were chopping branches off trees overhanging the bridge to get it through, so we went back the the caravan park and lazed the arvo away.

10/8     99km

It was 15.30 when I made my getaway from Tarunda Caravan park and headed west up the Great Northern hwy and turned right up the Leopold Downs Rd and stopped 1km along it at Leopold downs Rd 1. The ground cover of the scrub was damaged by stock, but otherwise it was good woodland. I had an inquisitive Mistletoebird come and pose for me, also I had a swarm of native sting-less bees buzzing around me and landing on me, they’re as annoying as flies but because they’re native bees it’s somehow okay. As the sun started to set I passed an open grassland and there were heaps of Brown Quail wandering around on the road along with Black-faced Woodswallows and others. I stopped at 6 Mile Bore Ck Divonian Reef CP just on dark with bulging Boab Trees all around me. I sat by the pool in the creek until after dark when I crawled into the back of the troopy where I’d taken the mattress out of the caravan to make an impromptu bed.

11/8    223km

I slept well and was up with the sun and up to Tunnel Creek NP, I was the first one there so I was able to see the Peaceful Doves taking water inside the cave. There was also a Bauhinia in flower with lots of honeyeaters using it, but the place looks overused by tourists. Up to Windjana Gorge with a crowded campground and lots of people in the gorge. There were 15 Freshwater crocodiles in the big pool in the gorge, all on the other bank sunning themselves. The camp fees are steep with a $13 day fee and $13pp to camp, though the place does have showers which will attract a lot of people. Up to the Gibb River Rd and turned west. Stopped just down the road at Lennard River which had a lot of water still with 300 Little Corellas roosting in the riverside trees then into King Leopold Ranges NP. The first stop was at Boundary Ck which was dry with not many birds. I took the 4wd track which has a deep rocky crossing  along it to the Lennard River Gorge walk. I only walked the first kilometre but it had pools of water along it with lots of birds including White-quilled Rock Pigeon, Silver-crowned Friarbird and Northern Fantail. I had my lunch then retraced my track resurveying Boundary Creek and stopping at Lennard River. I had sussed out the site I wanted overlooking the river and I was able to have it, giving me a commanding view of any bird activity along the river and woodland. It’s a popular camping spot so although it wasn’t crowded and I had no one crowding me there were several other campers including on the soft sand on the other bank

12/8   398km

I added a few more birds to the list and set off early towards Derby and came across a herd of cows on the road, there was a good gap so I didn’t slow down too much from my usual 80kph, but one I hadn’t noticed decided to cross the road, all of a sudden there was no gap and I was traveling too fast, I gave it a good thump, enough to bend the bullbar a bit, not good, not happy! I inspected the damage and found it to be superficial and went on over to the Kimberley Downs Rd Gibb River Rd corner  which although dry had 12sp using the good looking scrub. Further east a track leads 12km north up to May River Meda Station. This looks like a popular spot to camp, but I had the site to myself today and got a White-bellied Sea Eagle beside the pools in the river. There is the usual problem here of campers leaving rubbish behind, if this continues then the land owner is likely to ban camping here. Please take all your rubbish away all the time! Just south of Derby is a signpost to Derby wetlands so I took the track and came to the sewerage ponds with 3000 Plumed Whistling Ducks on them, I walked around the fence along the track and found the wetlands around the back which were teeming with birds such as Red-kneed Dotterels and Royal Spoonbills with some Brolga and 3 overwintering or very early arriving  Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. I headed south to the Great Northern Hwy then turned right to go up the Yeeda Rd a bit to stop for lunch, then headed east along the Great Northern Hwy, stopping at Camballin Rd which had 15 White-winged Trillers probably on migration and a Black-chinned Honeyeater in good looking scrub. My old site at Erskine Ranges which although looks interesting with lots of Mulla Mulla, good spinifex and a quite spectacular back-drop of the ranges only had 4 Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes and a Whistling Kite that was patrolling the road. Lakeside camp Mt Wynne Ck has an entrance that is a bit hard to spot, but is another popular free campsite, the lake and surrounding woodland were quite productive with 23sp in the 20min survey. I then completed the loop with a resurvey of Leopold Downs Rd 1 and then back to Fitzroy Crossing and unpacked. I used about 3/4 of one tank to do the 720km, so when its not towing the caravan it’s an economical vehicle using about 67litres of diesel.

18/8    92km

I had the day off today but Bev had to work, so it was 8.30 when I headed down to my old site at Fitzroy River, just out of town, about a 20min walk, I was walking along the side of the road when I heard a thump as something got hit by a car, it was an Agile Wallaby, it was lying crushed on the road with its head lolling about, it wasn’t dead, but the injuries were catastrophic and as I got near it, it stopped moving, I was moved to tears for the poor animal, another anonymous road fatality, the 4wd with the big bull bar hadn’t even slowed down, perhaps the wallaby had come out across the road with no time for the driver to do anything, they do do that. I was soon down by the river, I spent an hour and a half and got 46sp including a big group of Star Finch. Another item that has had to be returned and I’ve received back is my Canon G3x, I tested it out on the Star Finches, and although its better I still think the shots it takes at high zoom are poor quality. I spent the rest of the day putting in waypoints on my new HX1 Hema Navigator (the third) which they claim has fixed the overheating problem, so far it seems to be going okay, anyway we had uploaded my waypoints from the old HX1 to the cloud, but for some reason whole trips are missing, thankfully all my sites are listed in my Birdlife Australia site, but it’s a slow tedious job and I was cross-eyed by the time Bev arrived from work. We took both mattresses out of the caravan and squeezed them into the back of the troopy, filled up the esky with ice and food and headed west to Lakeside camp Wynne Ck arriving just on dark, it was a beautiful balmy evening with no mozzies so I sat and listened to the Blue-winged Kookaburras give their evening cackle and went to bed.

19/9    398km

Up at dawn and had 36sp by the time we’d had our breaky and been for a wander around the dam, there are lots of honeyeaters here. At 7.40 we headed off south down the dirt road nearby and stopped at Marlborough bore Noonkanbah Rd. The main tank only had a small puddle in it so I spent most of my time in the woodland between the tank and the road, Bev went beyond the tank and found some ponds with Jabiru and Glossy Ibis amongst others on them, so we ended up with 32sp in the 20min survey. At Noonkanbah we crossed the Fitzroy river, but the road I’d expected to head west from there didn’t exist, so after doing a few tours of the community I finally found the track the leads to Camballin, a nice track with no traffic. we stopped at Shadforth Bore, then grid Camballin Rd further up the track  a short rough little track leads to 17mile Dam Camballin. The weir has been destroyed by the flooding river, but there were pools on either side of the mess, one had a large Freshwater Crocodile with 6 smaller ones, we also found evidence of a nest, so it’s likely to be a family. We had lunch here amongst the Noogoora burrs and shady trees. Back to the main track, past Camballin the road is good. We stopped at my Camballin Rd site near the highway, but it was quieter than last week, then headed east along the highway, stopping at Erskine Ranges which perversely was much busier than last week with a Red-backed Fairywren  male in breeding plumage with 9sp all up. Our last stop was at Leopold Downs Rd 1 for 11sp in the dying sunlight and it was dark by the time we got back to Tarunda caravan park.

11/9

I had intended leaving yesterday after work, but I had too much work to do in the late afternoon heat and ended up quite heat distressed, it took  nearly 2L of iced water to cool me down, so I spent the night in the caravan park and left after breakfast at 7.00. I stopped just down the road at the Fitzroy River where there were some Common Greenshank then headed east, it soon warmed up to be over 30 degrees, the dry sites had few to zero birds being Floodway E of Fitzroy Crossing, Ngumban cliff lookout, and Park bay W of Halls Creek, but Mary pool still had a pool of water so the birds were still active. Then it was back to dry sites at Laura River, Rockhole Ck, Little Panton River and Leycesters rest Ord River. At one stage they were doing roadworks, quite a long stretch of new tar, it was towards the end where there was no speed restriction, and I had no stones rattling around my wheel arches so I was troddling along at my usual 85kph when a car came the other way, he wasn’t speeding or anything, but he tossed a single stone that went crack on my windscreen and what do you know, a new star is born. Great. On my last survey at 220km S of Wyndham the nearby hills were ablaze with the colour of death. This was a deliberate hot burn at the end of the dry season. This is not environmental management for the benefit of the wildlife, quite the opposite, this is environmental destruction for the sole benefit of the cattle. There are two aims with this sort of burn. The first is to burn the spinifex that the cattle won’t eat, this promotes new growth of the grasses, the trick here is that the non-native grasses grow quicker than our native grasses,  so the more the spinifex is burnt along with the other grasses, the more non-native grasses you end up with, read more food for the cattle. I had one farmer admit that “ooh we don’t burn the good country, just the hills”. So the other aim in burning the hills is that if a wildfire comes through they act as a fire break so his non-native grasses “good country” won’t get burnt. The problem here is that by en large our native birds and animals don’t use these non-native grasses, there are some exceptions such as Grader Grass, but where our native grasses have disappeared so the birds and animals that rely on them tend to disappear also, just two of the species in point are the Carpentarian Grasswren and the Delicate Mouse. So the combination of introduced grasses for the cattle and bad fire management by the cattlemen is causing environmental destruction on a truly vast scale throughout central and northern Australia, and not enough people seem to care. Anyway I stopped not far up the road at Lissadell Rd park bay for the night and was soon joined by some trucks… damn. I was down wind of the fires so the charred ashes of the burnt spinifex occasionally drifted out of the sky on me, quite poignant to see this little fleck of what was once useful habitat come to remind me that it is now gone.

12/9/18 374km

I was woken at dawn by the beautiful fluting calls of a Pied Butcherbird, the not so pleasant call of a Yellow-throated Miner and the downright ugly sound of a truck warming up its engine, I was soon out in the early morning light and added a few birds, had breaky and hit the road. The first stop was a dry creek bed at 120km s of Wyndam. There was a pool of water in the river at Dunham rest area which was host to Crimson and Long-tailed Finch, the latter was collecting nesting material. I was soon on the Gibb River road heading east, it’s bitumen until the El Questro turn off then dirt. The road was rough and corrugated but I was able to comfortably do 60-7kph most of the time. There were the usual people in a screaming hurry going both ways, many in the past paying the price with damaged tyres tossed to the side of the road here and there, too ignorant to take their rubbish home. Interestingly the quality of the roadside habitat improved markedly as soon as I got on to the Gibb river road. A dry floodway 1 Gibb River Rd had 10sp. I stopped at the iconic Pentacost River which still had a trickle running over the rocks and had Black-necked Stork and the expected large flock of Little Corellas. Floodway 2 Gibb River Rd had 13sp in what looked like had recently been a bit of a wetland with the grasses still green on the now dry earth and got some Grey-Fronted Honeyeaters. Lunch was taken at the Durack river which had a large pool with lots of Rufous-throated Honeyeaters, a pair of Banded Honeyeaters and a pair of Grey-headed honeyeaters. Floodway 3 Gibb River Rd had a pool of water with a Black Bittern, Crimson Finches and Long-tailed Finches. I turned south at the T intersection and stopped just down the road at Kennedy Ck. There was a young cyclist named Anni who’s intending cycling all the way to the UK, what a story she’ll have to tell! The pool on the west side where the camp spots are was lifeless with some pig and cattle damage. There was much more activity on the east side with a Marbled Frog that honked for a long time into the night, a flock of 17 Crimson Finches and an Azure Kingfisher. Dinner was taken just on dark and as the mozzies emerged I retreated to the car, the micro-bats fluttering around just not doing their job well enough again.

13/9 240km

This morning it was the eerily wonderful wailing of a Bush Stone-curlew closely followed by the disjointed cackling of some Blue-winged Kookaburras that I awoke to. I took Anni for a brief walk and we saw an Azure Kingfisher, Restless Flycatcher and Olive-backed Oriole. I ended the survey with 45sp. She headed north on her bike, I headed south after some breaky. Hann River had 19sp with a big flock of 30 Varied Lorikeets. After the Gibb river station the road improved into the Mt Barnett roadhouse, but the area is being much more intensely farmed with cattle so the habitat diversity took a dive, but a dry floodway 15km N of Mt Barnett Roadhouse still had 7sp though 2 of them were fly overs not using the habitat. I had a look at Adcock Gorge and got 17sp with the first Blue-faced Honeyeater I’ve seen in WA and a pair of Green-backed Gerygones along with Bar-breasted Honeyeater. The waterfall at the end of the gorge was but a trickle, but I found some Rockhole Frogs in the dank recesses which were a new one for me, they were very timid so it was difficult to get a shot of them and spent over an hour gradually sneaking up on them, but it was still too far away for a great shot. I turned south onto the Mornington Rd which was in good condition and stopped at Slaty Ck for lunch, there was a small pool here and I got a lone Long-tailed Finch. South of the tablelands track the road becomes more of a slow track. The Old Glenroy Meatworks site was barren ground with a pair of Magpie, though that was all, there’s not much left to see here now. The track down Annie Ck into the Mornington Sanctuary is a slow winding track through gullies still with water, a very pleasant drive. I arrived at 14.30 got my site at the Mornington Sanctuary campground and went for a walk along the riparian walk, which has lots of Purple-crowned Fairywrens, some of which I nearly managed a photo of, but I failed. Dinner before dark and bed early.

Common Bluetail female

14/9 0km

Slept in a bit today, had a shower in the rather ordinary shower block, but at least it was hot, then went down to the creek and sat on the bench, but although I had good views of Purple-crowned Fairywren, Buff-sided Robin and Restless Flycatcher, the camera would not take a photo of them, they were out of focus, or in too dark a spot for the anti-shake mechanism to work, and when I finally got a nicely framed shot of a Buff-sided Robin the battery went flat. Several times I was so frustrated with the Canon G3X that I nearly dashed it to the ground. I went back to the car without a single shot being taken and recharged the battery. After lunch I went back to the same spot and was rewarded with a Black Bittern and then I got what look like passable shots of Crimson Finch and Buff-sided Robin, later in the day I was sitting in the shade by the car and a White-gaped Honeyeater posed for me and the camera obliged. At 16.45 I went down to where we were having the pre-survey meeting for all that were coming surveying. Back just on dark, cooked dinner and bed.

15/9 0km

Up at 4.30 and down to the meeting point and in to an AWC vehicle and transported to waterhole 1 Mornington Sanctuary. It was a good site with plenty of birds about, mainly honeyeaters with lots of Brown Honeyeaters and Banded Honeyeaters, just as we finished a Grey Goshawk flew overhead 31sp all up. The surveys last for 2hrs from a 5.30 start. We were collected and back to camp for a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs et al. I spent the rest of the day in the shade, mostly chatting with Marie. Cooked dinner just on dark and was in bed not long after.

16/9 0km

Up at 4.00, the drive was longer to our start point to get there for the 5.30 start at waterhole 2 Mornington sanctuary. The waterhole looked pretty good and with a total sp count of 30, still not a bad spot to be, but of the target species of finches I had none that came down to drink, and of the wider target species of seed eaters I only had a lone Peaceful Dove come and drink at the hole. Back for another breakfast with blueberry muffins the focus. Later in the morning a convoy of AWC vehicles went to Lake Gladstone Marion Station. The lake has been de-stocked for a few years, and the before and after shot difference is mighty evidence of the damage that stock do to a wetland. We got 39sp which isn’t fantastic for a wetland, but it’s still in recovery, and it was mainly woodland sp that were missing, some highlights were Black-breasted Buzzard, Spotted Harrier, Glossy Ibis and a pair of Oriental Pratincole. We went down to the Hann River Tablelands Tk crossing where there were a few cattle fouled pools, but still got 16sp with a pair of Black-fronted Dotterel young with adults. We got back at 16.30, so I had lunch and dinner combined and went and listened to the evening’s presentation explaining what the vision for the AWC is and the difference it’s making to the conservation of native species in the area, and of course a plug for people to donate to this very worthy cause. The work that this and other similar organizations do is vital in the larger scheme of stopping the extinctions that are still happening across Australia and the world. As a single person we can do little, except do volunteer work as I do. What is more important is that if we all pool our resources, i.e. money we can be more powerful than the organizations that are destroying the world and thus force them to do the right thing by the environment, rather than just plead to their better nature, which all too often they just don’t have. So I exhort everyone that will listen to me to donate something to a quality environmental organization on a regular basis. The Gouldian Finches, Purple-crowned Fairywrens, Carpentarian Grasswrens and their struggling kind will not be able to thank you, but they will still be there, which without our support they may no longer soon be, full stop, the end, I like the phrase “Extinction is forever” I also hate it. It was late in the afternoon that I realized I was missing my wallet, ooh dear!

17/9 30km

It was back to a 4.30 rise this morning for the ride up the road to waterhole 3 Mornington Sanctuary, to an active spot. I got 40sp with lots of seed eaters including Pictorella Mannikin and Long-tailed Finch as well as the usual Double-barred Finch, filling up my data sheet as they came down to drink from the nice clean waters. Today’s breakfast was pancakes and waffles. It was during breakfast that my wallet was returned to me, it had fallen out of my pocket on the Lake Gladstone trip, and thankfully hadn’t fallen out of the car, so was discovered on this morning’s drive out to the survey spot, whew what a relief! Then I went for a paddle in my canoe with Cody up the Sir John Gorge which was quite impressive, though with two rock dams to negotiate a difficult ask with one canoe, their solution is to have 3 canoes there, one for each waterhole. We got lots of Sandstone Shrike-thrushes and White-quilled Rock Pigeons on our 4hr paddle and were quite tired by the time we got back. A late lunch then relaxed in the shade.

Red Arrow Dragonfly

18/9    0km

It was an very early 3.30 rise, which turned out to unnecessary as I got to my waterhole 4 Mornington Sanctuary with 50min to spare, it was still dark and a Spotted Nightjar was calling from nearby. The waterhole looked promising with a bit of shale for the birds to drink at and plenty of cover nearby for them, but I had a completely empty sheet at the end of the survey, with a lower than normal total bird count. Back to base for omelette and donuts for breaky, then some of us went with Rohan to Cadjeput waterhole, where I pumped up my canoe and paddled downstream a short way with Rohan and let the wind blow us back, then relaxed in the shade with a pleasant breeze of the waterhole to keep us cool. It was another combined lat lunch-early dinner, then I went and chatted with some of the other volunteers before retiring early.

Common Bluetail females

Blue Skimmer

19/9    382km

My last early rise and another drive out to another promising waterhole 5 Mornington Sanctuary, but this time the only visitors to drink were some Bar-shouldered Doves, and it was another lower total bird count. Tantalizingly about 200m upstream I think I heard a Northern Shrike Tit calling, but I couldn’t chase it as I had to stay at the waterhole, and I’m not certain enough of the call. After breaky I bid everyone farewell and headed out. First stop was Old Glenroy Meatworks which this time was birdless, Slaty Ck Mornington Rd had some banded Honeyeaters, though the Bauhinia that still had some flowers on last week was had no visitors anymore. 240km E of Derby had a big shady Bauhinia with some Red-backed Button Quail  resting underneath, that scattered as I approached. Boundary Ck King Leopold NP was very hot and dry with only a Yellow-tinted Honeyeater detected. Even the Lennard river Gibb river Rd only had 6sp with the resident group of Little Black Cormorants still there. In the late afternoon I stopped at the 6 mile bore ck Divonian Reef CP, a lot of honeyeaters and some Varied Lorikeets were coming to drink at the rocky seep and a Black-eared Cuckoo was quietly feeding along the creekline. A 20min look at the Wikicamps site at the old quarry Oscar ranges didn’t produce much, and my site at Leopold Downs Rd 1 was again productive in the dying light with 11sp. It was a then a dash down the highway back to Tarunda Caravan Park and after dinner bed early.

Common Bluetail female

12/10 454km

Up 6.30 and did the short walk from the caravan park to the IGA supermarket at 7.00. My first job is to fill the drinks isle which takes an hour, then I sorted out the TNT freight and then went and delivered it. I restacked the Chep and Loscam pallets into transportable towers of 10, I then manifested the Toll and Centurion freights for Monday morning, it was then 11.00 and time to go. Finished packing the car and left at 11.30 for the nearly 400km drive to Broome picked up fuel at $1.709cpl before leaving. We arrived there in plenty of time to see Bev off on her flight to Melbourne for Lisa and Matt’s wedding. I topped up the tank at the Shell at $1.809 and on my way to my site at the southern end of Cable Beach I found the United servo selling diesel at $1.719. There were lots of cars, people and free roaming dogs on the beach, but my site is by the rocks where a Lesser Sand Plover, a Reef Egret and some Tattlers had enough space to feed. I then zipped up to Quandong Point on the Cape Leveque Rd and Manari Rd arriving just in time to catch the last of the evening’s gloaming. The track in was sandy, some of the sites may not need 4wd to get into, but a 2wd is likely to get bogged in the sand. Even in 4wd I got stuck getting into my site but using the rear diff-lock was sufficient to get me to my vantage point overlooking the beach. I had dinner in the semi-dark and relaxed above the beach with the perfect balmy breeze and watched the sliver of a moon sink slowly into the silvery sea, very peaceful.

13/10 431km

Up with the sun at 5.30 and went for a walk along the track and down to the rocks. There’s no vehicular access to the beach here, and although this is a popular camping spot, the bush is in good condition, I got 16sp in the 40min survey. Up to James Price Point which has a more spectacular vista from higher cliffs but the shore is further away and in a 20min survey too far, so I contented myself with 13 bush sp. I then back-tracked and went into Barred Ck which is tidal with mangroves. There were good numbers of Fiddler Crabs on the muddy banks and a lone Mudskipper, birdwise it was good to hear Dusky Gerygone and Mangrove Golden Whistler though neither showed themselves, I did get a quick look at some Yellow White-eyes as they scooted through the mangroves. Back to the Cape Leveque Rd and headed north. First stop was at Country Downs Station Rd for 5sp, next was Bobby Ck NE of Beagle Bay, the ck was dry as was a waterhole, but the grassy woodland to the south end of the site held a few birds, with what looked like two rival families of Grey-crowed Babblers having a squabble. Rumbul Bay Rd was better woodland and had 12sp despite the heat with a pair of Sitellas. Cape Leveque Lighthouse was disappointing in that they wanted to charge me $10 just to walk around the area, so I only surveyed the car park, but still got 7sp. I had used more fuel than I’d hoped getting here on the mixture of bitumen and sandy roads, so I turned around and headed back, resurveying the three sites along the Cape Leveque Rd and returning the 14km up the Manari Rd to Barred Ck, arriving at 16.40, and had dinner sitting above the creek, getting 14sp before the mozzies attacked.

14/10 464km

Up with the sun again and relaxed by the bank of the creek. The creek is tidal, and I’ve managed to time both my visits here for low tide, when the muddy creek bed is exposed attracting the waders, I got a Terek Sandpiper amongst others. At 8.30 I headed into Broome and picked up some fuel at the United servo that I’d spotted yesterday, but instead of the $1.719 that I was sure I’d seen, it was $1.799cpl, still cheaper than the others though. I then spent the rest of my time at the Cable Beach site, with the tide still being out, the rocky end of the beach had some good birds, such as Fairy Tern, Common Tern and Gull-billed Tern, as well as Reef Egret, Osprey and others. I then went and sat near the airport to wait for Bev to fly back in. The plane was 1/2hr late, we picked up some breakfast cereals that the IGA in Fitzroy Crossing doesn’t stock and headed east. Our only stop was at Cockatoo Ck, which although cattle damaged, the large pool was hosting Brolga, Glossy Ibis and others. We arrived back at Tarunda caravan park just before dark at 17.30. I had been warned that our caravan had been broken in to on Friday night, and was expecting a horrible mess. The kids had climbed in through a window, but must have only spent a few minutes inside, opening up a few cupboards and draws in search of alcohol, cigarettes and cash, they found none, and thankfully left (we had taken all of our valuables with us as we knew that there was a high risk of us being burgled), they stole only some boxes of matches and a few knick-knacks such as a magnifying glass. So there was only the broken mesh on the window to fix. This relief is tempered by the knowledge that there are kids roaming the streets at night who have zero morals. The blame does not lie with them, it lies with the parents, who are to a distressingly large percentage lazy good-for-nothings, who spend most of their time drinking alcohol and or gambling, these kids are growing up wild, with no parenting, very little schooling and not enough social programmes. Disappointingly, Leedal, the company that I work that owns the IGA, the Fitzroy River Lodge and the Crossing Inn doesn’t seem to be doing anything to improve the life of the kids here. We were supposed to have spent 6 months here, but we are getting out early as my pity for these impotent, pathetic, lazy people is very quickly turning into contempt, and I don’t like the way Leedal, the company is behaving. I must add of course that not all of the people here should be tarred with this brush, just too many. This is a most unpleasant place to live.

Bird list for trip and stay in Fitzroy Crossing. % is of the 120 surveys done. B is for breeding.

• Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata 1 (0.83%)
• Plumed Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna eytoni 3 (2.50%)
• Radjah Shelduck Radjah radjah 1 (0.83%)
• Hardhead Aythya australis 1 (0.83%)
• Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa 5 (4.17%)
• Grey Teal Anas gracilis 2 (1.67%)
• Brown Quail Synoicus ypsilophora 3 (2.50%)
• Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae 2 (1.67%)
• Rock Dove Columba livia 1 (0.83%)
• Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis 1 (0.83%)
• White-quilled Rock-Pigeon Petrophassa albipennis 2 (1.67%)
• Spinifex Pigeon Geophaps plumifera 4 (3.33%)
• Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes 13 (10.83%)
• Diamond Dove Geopelia cuneata 10 (8.33%)
• Peaceful Dove Geopelia placida 53 (44.17%)
• Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis 25 (20.83%)
• Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus 3 (2.50%)
• Eastern Koel Eudynamys orientalis 1 (0.83%)
• Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo Chalcites basalis 4 (3.33%)
• Black-eared Cuckoo Chalcites osculans 3 (2.50%)
• Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus 1 (0.83%)
• Pallid Cuckoo Heteroscenes pallidus 3 (2.50%)
• Australian Bustard Ardeotis australis 1 (0.83%)
• Spotted Nightjar Eurostopodus argus 1 (0.83%)
• Australian Owlet-nightjar Aegotheles cristatus 1 (0.83%)
• Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio 2 (1.67%)
• Eurasian Coot Fulica atra 1 (0.83%)
• Brolga Antigone rubicunda 5 (4.17%)
• Bush Stone-curlew Burhinus grallarius 2 (1.67%)
• Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus fuliginosus 1 (0.83%)
• Black-winged Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus 7 (5.83%)
• Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus 2 (1.67%)
• Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii 2 (1.67%)
• Black-fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops 14 (11.67%) (B)
• Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles 4 (3.33%)
• Red-kneed Dotterel Erythrogonys cinctus 1 (0.83%)
• Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea 1 (0.83%)
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 1 (0.83%)
• Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres 2 (1.67%)
• Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata 1 (0.83%)
• Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus 1 (0.83%)
• Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 4 (3.33%)
• Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes 1 (0.83%)
• Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 2 (1.67%)
• Red-backed Button-quail Turnix maculosus 1 (0.83%)
• Australian Pratincole Stiltia isabella 1 (0.83%)
• Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum 1 (0.83%)
• Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae 6 (5.00%)
• Little Tern Sternula albifrons 1 (0.83%)
• Australian Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon macrotarsa 1 (0.83%)
• Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia 1 (0.83%)
• Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida 3 (2.50%)
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo 1 (0.83%)
• Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii 1 (0.83%)
• Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus 5 (4.17%)
• Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus 2 (1.67%)
• Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis 2 (1.67%)
• Nankeen Night-Heron Nycticorax caledonicus 4 (3.33%)
• Striated Heron Butorides striata 1 (0.83%)
• White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica 6 (5.00%)
• Great Egret Ardea alba 15 (12.50%)
• Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia 6 (5.00%)
• White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae 14 (11.67%)
• Little Egret Egretta garzetta 7 (5.83%)
• Eastern Reef Egret Egretta sacra 2 (1.67%)
• Australian White Ibis Threskiornis moluccus 8 (6.67%)
• Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis 12 (10.00%)
• Yellow-billed Spoonbill Platalea flavipes 1 (0.83%)
• Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia 5 (4.17%)
• Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus 4 (3.33%)
• Brown Booby Sula leucogaster 1 (0.83%)
• Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos 21 (17.50%)
• Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris 11 (9.17%)
• Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius 1 (0.83%)
• Australasian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae 8 (6.67%)
• Osprey Pandion haliaetus 1 (0.83%)
• Black-breasted Buzzard Hamirostra melanosternon 5 (4.17%)
• Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax 5 (4.17%)
• Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides 1 (0.83%)
• Spotted Harrier Circus assimilis 1 (0.83%)
• Grey Goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae 1 (0.83%)
• Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus 10 (8.33%)
• White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster 4 (3.33%)
• Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus 39 (32.50%) (B)
• Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus 4 (3.33%)
• Black Kite Milvus migrans 30 (25.00%)
• Barn Owl Tyto alba 2 (1.67%)
• Barking Owl Ninox connivens 1 (0.83%)
• Southern Boobook Ninox boobook 3 (2.50%)
• Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus 39 (32.50%)
• Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis 2 (1.67%)
• Azure Kingfisher Ceyx azureus 4 (3.33%)
• Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus 7 (5.83%)
• Red-backed Kingfisher Todiramphus pyrrhopygius 2 (1.67%)
• Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii 20 (16.67%)
• Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides 2 (1.67%)
• Australian Hobby Falco longipennis 2 (1.67%)
• Brown Falcon Falco berigora 7 (5.83%)
• Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus 9 (7.50%)
• Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii 20 (16.67%)
• Galah Eolophus roseicapilla 18 (15.00%)
• Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea 35 (29.17%)
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita 4 (3.33%)
• Red-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterus 27 (22.50%)
• Blue Bonnet Northiella haematogaster 1 (0.83%)
• Northern Rosella Platycercus venustus 5 (4.17%)
• Australian Ringneck Barnardius zonarius 3 (2.50%)
• Varied Lorikeet Psitteuteles versicolor 11 (9.17%)
• Red-collared Lorikeet Trichoglossus rubritorquis 19 (15.83%)
• Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus 2 (1.67%)
• Great Bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis 27 (22.50%)
• Purple-crowned Fairy-wren Malurus coronatus 1 (0.83%)
• Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti 7 (5.83%)
• Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus 1 (0.83%)
• Red-backed Fairy-wren Malurus melanocephalus 17 (14.17%)
• White-winged Fairy-wren Malurus leucopterus 2 (1.67%)
• Silver-crowned Friarbird Philemon argenticeps 2 (1.67%)
• Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis 54 (45.00%)
• Banded Honeyeater Cissomela pectoralis 11 (9.17%)
• Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta 45 (37.50%)
• New Holland Honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae 2 (1.67%)
• Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis 1 (0.83%)
• Black-chinned Honeyeater Melithreptus gularis 21 (17.50%)
• Rufous-throated Honeyeater Conopophila rufogularis 44 (36.67%)
• Bar-breasted Honeyeater Ramsayornis fasciatus 3 (2.50%)
• Crimson Chat Epthianura tricolor 3 (2.50%)
• White-gaped Honeyeater Stomiopera unicolor 26 (21.67%)
• Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater Acanthagenys rufogularis 6 (5.00%)
• Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata 3 (2.50%)
• Singing Honeyeater Gavicalis virescens 18 (15.00%)
• Grey-headed Honeyeater Ptilotula keartlandi 10 (8.33%)
• Grey-fronted Honeyeater Ptilotula plumula 5 (4.17%)
• Yellow-tinted Honeyeater Ptilotula flavescens 46 (38.33%)
• White-plumed Honeyeater Ptilotula penicillata 9 (7.50%)
• Yellow-throated Miner Manorina flavigula 13 (10.83%)
• Red-browed Pardalote Pardalotus rubricatus 13 (10.83%)
• Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus 13 (10.83%) (B)
• Green-backed Gerygone Gerygone chloronota 3 (2.50%)
• White-throated Gerygone Gerygone olivacea 5 (4.17%)
• Dusky Gerygone Gerygone tenebrosa 2 (1.67%)
• Mangrove Gerygone Gerygone levigaster 1 (0.83%)
• Weebill Smicrornis brevirostris 24 (20.00%)
• Inland Thornbill Acanthiza apicalis 2 (1.67%)
• Chestnut-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza uropygialis 3 (2.50%)
• Grey-crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis 28 (23.33%)
• Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera 2 (1.67%)
• Ground Cuckoo-shrike Coracina maxima 1 (0.83%)
• Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae 25 (20.83%)
• White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis 22 (18.33%)
• White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor 26 (21.67%)
• Varied Triller Lalage leucomela 1 (0.83%)
• Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris 27 (22.50%)
• Mangrove Golden Whistler Pachycephala melanura 2 (1.67%)
• Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica 11 (9.17%)
• Sandstone Shrike-thrush Colluricincla woodwardi 2 (1.67%)
• Crested Bellbird Oreoica gutturalis 3 (2.50%)
• Chiming Wedgebill Psophodes occidentalis 1 (0.83%)
• Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus 7 (5.83%)
• Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen 9 (7.50%)
• Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis 15 (12.50%)
• Grey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatus 3 (2.50%)
• Masked Woodswallow Artamus personatus 8 (6.67%)
• Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereus 28 (23.33%)
• Little Woodswallow Artamus minor 8 (6.67%)
• White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus 8 (6.67%)
• Northern Fantail Rhipidura rufiventris 2 (1.67%)
• Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys 65 (54.17%)
• Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa 2 (1.67%)
• Torresian Crow Corvus orru 51 (42.50%)
• Little Crow Corvus bennetti 1 (0.83%)
• Little Raven Corvus mellori 1 (0.83%)
• Australian Raven Corvus coronoides 3 (2.50%)
• Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula 1 (0.83%)
• Restless Flycatcher Myiagra inquieta 44 (36.67%)
• Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca 59 (49.17%)
• Jacky Winter Microeca fascinans 2 (1.67%)
• Buff-sided Robin Poecilodryas cerviniventris 1 (0.83%)
• Hooded Robin Melanodryas cucullata 1 (0.83%)
• Mistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceum 31 (25.83%)
• Pictorella Mannikin Heteromunia pectoralis 1 (0.83%)
• Crimson Finch Neochmia phaeton 7 (5.83%)
• Star Finch Neochmia ruficauda 3 (2.50%)
• Long-tailed Finch Poephila acuticauda 7 (5.83%) (B)
• Zebra Finch Taeniopygia guttata 19 (15.83%)
• Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii 22 (18.33%)
• House Sparrow Passer domesticus 2 (1.67%)
• Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae 2 (1.67%)
• Horsfield’s Bushlark Mirafra javanica 2 (1.67%)
• Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis 4 (3.33%)
• Rufous Songlark Cincloramphus mathewsi 4 (3.33%)
• Australian Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus australis 2 (1.67%)
• Fairy Martin Petrochelidon ariel 13 (10.83%) (B)
• Tree Martin Petrochelidon nigricans 1 (0.83%)
• Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena 1 (0.83%)
• Yellow White-eye Zosterops luteus 1 (0.83%)
• Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 1 (0.83%)
• Common Blackbird Turdus merula 1 (0.83%)

If you would like to contribute the the well being of this world, our world, your world, an easy and effective way to do it is to join a quality environmental group. There are many spread across the world all plugging away trying to make the world a better place for wildlife. We belong to Birdlife Australia, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). You can donate your time and or money to these and many others knowing that the world will be a slightly better place because of your effort.