Cyclone weather photos and good birding

Tropical Cyclone Laurence narrowly missed Broome in December 2009, by passing about 150km North of Broome sweeping out to sea, gathering speed and heading down the coast and coming in some 250km south of Broome. Having seen the devastation it caused when it came back in, i think we were rather lucky to have been spared. There was major flooding events around the 80 Mile beach area, which considering the area has had little rain in the last few years, wasn't such a bad thing, except that over a 1000 cattle died in the floods, mainly from walking into the wind and out to sea and getting trapped in the mudbanks.

We had 150mm of rain over two days which was torrential at times and left the road closed with some major puddles ! 4 wheel driving skills came in again as we had to forge the long lakes of water on the road many knee deep often coming over the bonnet of the Landcruiser to get in and out of Broome.

Normally the sea off Broome is calm, however the rain and winds made for a choppy sea although looking at the photos now it looks nothing worse than a heavy sea in UK, ideal for a sea watch ! We did see a good number of Brown Booby, Bridled Tern (20), a Pomarine Jaeger (skua) and a Common Noddy.

Brown booby's sat on a rock.

and a close up of a Brown Booby

Entrance point early on the 21st December was a bit of a birding highlight. It was the first time i felt like i was at a top migration spot in UK anticipating a good find and we weren't disappointed. The first bird I looked at was a swiftlet!!!!!!!!!! Great excitement!! Small short winged swift with stiff wing beats. All dark brown above except for a narrow rump band and a dusky pale belly. Short tail square when closed but notch very noticeable when tail opened slightly. They are notoriously difficult to identify with the choice coming down between Black nest-swiftlet and Edible nest-swiftlet, the former being favorite on the narrow pale rump band and pale collar, and dusky belly. However, it will probably just have to go down as a swiftlet in the end. Never the less an exciting morning with back up birds including a beautiful male Crimson chat, a dozen White winged triller (mostly all males and normally in wooded bush) three Black honeyeater (2 male, 1 female) 3 Fork Tailed Swift, 50+ Rufous Throated Honeyeater and a host of Brown Honeyeater.

The next day we went back for more, but only found the chat, a few trillers, but also a bird we have not been able to get to grips with a Kimberley Flycatcher! normally found in the mangroves and reputed by locals to be 'everywhere' we had trouble finding them. They are in fact a sub-species/race of Lemon Bellied Flycatcher and you may note that they don't have a Lemon Belly which separates the



Kimberley Flycatcher an adult identified by the plain dull features with no blotching or tipping to greater or median coverts.

A shot of Entrance Point habitat. This place would be crawling with birders in the UK spring and autumn. Migrants are moving down teh coast and end up here as it a big rocky/sand dune outcrop where the land then turns west into Roebuck Bay. the birds reach the end of the land effectivley and have to re-orientate to find where to go next.

Male Crimson Chat

Male White Winged Triller