Following the devastating floods, inflicting significant damage to the highways throughout the north of Australia in December 2022 and January 2023, we knew it could be a number of months earlier than we may return to the banks of the Fitzroy River at Langi Crossing. Even now the gravel monitor in to the Fitzroy River has some deep muddy puddles to undergo in four-wheel drive. Now the temperature has dropped to beneath 20c in a single day the water must evaporate, however it is usually advantageous to the birdlife alongside the monitor.
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 critical erosion and that had occurred, however the place we wish to camp was nonetheless partially out there for our use. The cliff remains to be a really steep drop off, so you are feeling secure from the recent and saltwater crocodiles, however the space the place you’ll be able to 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 remains to be very excessive and can take a while to drop. You will notice how completely different it’s this 12 months to last year here.
Langi Crossing after the floods
The crocodiles weren’t significantly seen with the cooler climate, however their marks within the mud have been and some sunbathed on the far aspect of the river.
Freshwater crocodiles and monitor
Regardless of the entire adjustments over the previous few months the birdlife seems simply because it has different years. The resilience of the birds is unimaginable and lots of birds are nonetheless nesting. There are sometimes a pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles current and so they have been there. One was mendacity on an enormous nest on the far aspect of the river and Budgerigars have been continually 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 have 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 secure or each!
Whistling Kite nest
Zebra Finch nest beneath a Whistling Kite nest
After the entire rainfall the Boab timber look spectacular and there are some magnificent specimens within the space. It’s at all times value seeking to see what birds are hiding within the foliage.
Pink-winged Parrot hiding in a Boab tree
We have been capable of spend 24 hours on the banks of the Fitzroy River at Langi Crossing and we have been capable of go bushwalking each up and downstream from the place we camp. There have been over seventy hen species noticed throughout this era and some noisy night-time species too. Bush Stone-curlews are at all times noisy once we camp there and depart their footprints within the tracks, so we will discover out the place they walked the subsequent day!
Bush Stone-curlew monitor
There are various birds that feed on the sting of the river whatever the crocodiles and lots of birds that fly forwards and backwards from one aspect 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
Pink-tailed Black Cockatoos in for a drink
The Torresian Crows have been current as at all times and the Assorted Sittellas that go to our camp. The tiniest little hen, the Weebill, was flitting amongst the timber too, however wasn’t prepared to provide me a full frontal photograph!
Torresian Crows
Assorted Sittella…not a giant butterfly!
Weebill
One stand out distinction this 12 months was the invasion of an environmental weed known 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 means of 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 for the reason that floods. We count on to see a pointy decline in Goanna numbers as soon as they do arrive, however for now you’ll be able to nonetheless stumble throughout them when you’re 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 properly have virtually stood on it and we each had an increase in blood stress! 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 adjustments over the moist months there have been additionally many acquainted birds on this go to. Each go to to Langi Crossing is completely different when you may get there and we hope to make some extra visits earlier than it rains once more on the finish of the 12 months.
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