DAY 12
We awake to yet another very windy day. A Pheasant Coucal is calling near
by and a Diamond Dove is sighted in a dead tree near camp. No sign of water
around but presumably not too far away. This morning we manage to get good views
of a more obliging Spinfexbird, this bird being a more greyish-brown in colour.
Two others are seen as well.
We travel through some excellent habitat of Desert Walnuts, Ironwoods,
Grevillea Refracta, Acacia Tumida, Grevillea Wickhamii, Grevillea Erystacha,
Grev Minisoides, and Grev Pyramdalis. (No doubt heaps of spelling mistakes in
that lot!) Unfortunately the wind
is so strong it ids just not worth stopping. Another two Red Kangaroos are
seen.
At 11.15 A.M. we hit the Great Northern Highway with mixed emotions. It
is with relief and a great deal of satisfaction that we have had a successful
incident free trip, but sadness that it was all coming to an end. We thought
about refuelling and heading back the other way, but something to do with family
and commitments meant heading home. A sign of modern society reminded us only
too well in the presence of a dead Barn Owl beside the highway where we came
out. About 45 kms up the road we refuelled at Sandfire Roadhouse in amongst
caravans and tourist buses etc. and we couldn?t wait to get out and have lunch
somewhere peaceful and quiet.
We headed to Eighty Mile Beach where we lunched on the beach.
Unfortunately the tide was low and many of the waders were in the distance but
managed to see a few species we hadn?t seen for a couple of weeks. A couple of
immature Black-breasted Buzzards were seen just inland from the beach. On our
way back to Broome we stopped and watched A Spotted Harrier and two Hobbies
trying to catch a Singing Bushlark. Also whilst travelling a Western Brown Snake
crossed the road and more Red Kangaroos and Agile Wallabies were seen. Arrived
back in Broome at 5.30 P.M. 47 species for the day.
Black-breasted Buzzard
Black Kite
Whistling Kite
White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Spotted Harrier
Brown Goshawk
Brown Falcon
Australian Hobby
Nankeen Kestrel
Australian Bustard
Bar-tailed Godwit
Eastern Curlew
Common Greenshank
Grey-tailed Tattler
Red Knot
Pied Oystercatcher
Red-capped Plover
Greater Sand Plover
Silver Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Lesser Crested Tern
Little Tern
Peaceful Dove
Bar-shouldered Dove
Rainbow Lorikeet
Red-winged Parrot
Pheasant Coucal
Rainbow Bee-eater
White-winged Fairy-Wren
Yellow-throated Miner
Singing Honeyeater
Grey-headed Honeyeater
Brown Honeyeater
Black Honeyeater
Crimson Chat
Magpie-Lark
Willie Wagtail
Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike
White-breasted Woodswallow
Masked Woodswallow
Black-faced Woodswallow
Pied Butcherbird
Torresian Crow
Great Bowerbird
Singing Bushlark
Richard?s Pipit
Zebra Finch
One more day around Broome to follow
Cheers
Dick Jenkin
DUNGOG NSW
