Langi Crossing after the floods of January 2023 – 10,000 Birds

Following the devastating floods, inflicting significant damage to the highways throughout the north of Australia in December 2022 and January 2023, we knew it will be a number of months earlier than we may return to the banks of the Fitzroy River at Langi Crossing. Even now the gravel observe in to the Fitzroy River has some deep muddy puddles to undergo in four-wheel drive. Now the temperature has dropped to under 20c in a single day the water must evaporate, however it’s also advantageous to the birdlife alongside the observe.

After we drove in to Langi Crossing for the primary time this yr we didn’t know what would stay after the floods. We had anticipated some critical erosion and that had occurred, however the place we prefer to camp was nonetheless partially accessible for our use. The cliff remains to be a really steep drop off, so you’re feeling protected from the contemporary and saltwater crocodiles, however the space the place you may sit is lots 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 yr. The Fitzroy River remains to be very excessive and can take a while to drop. You will note how totally different it’s this yr to last year here.

Langi Crossing after the floods

The crocodiles weren’t notably seen with the cooler climate, however their marks within the mud had been and some sunbathed on the far aspect of the river.

Freshwater crocodiles and observe

Regardless of all the adjustments over the previous few months the birdlife seems simply because it has different years. The resilience of the birds is unimaginable and plenty of birds are nonetheless nesting. There are sometimes a pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles current and so they had been there. One was mendacity on an enormous nest on the far aspect of the river and Budgerigars had been consistently 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 had 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 protected or each!

Whistling Kite nest

Zebra Finch nest beneath a Whistling Kite nest

After all the rainfall the Boab timber look spectacular and there are some magnificent specimens within the space. It’s at all times value trying to see what birds are hiding within the foliage.

Purple-winged Parrot hiding in a Boab tree

We had been in a position to spend 24 hours on the banks of the Fitzroy River at Langi Crossing and we had been in a position to 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 go away their footprints within the tracks, so we will discover out the place they walked the following day!

Bush Stone-curlew observe

There are lots of birds that feed on the sting of the river whatever the crocodiles and plenty of birds that fly forwards and backwards from one aspect to the opposite. You possibly can simply calm down 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

Purple-tailed Black Cockatoos in for a drink

The Torresian Crows had been current as at all times and the Various Sittellas that go to our camp. The tiniest little hen, the Weebill, was flitting amongst the timber too, however wasn’t prepared to offer me a full frontal photograph!

Torresian Crows

Various Sittella…not a giant butterfly!

Weebill

One stand out distinction this yr 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 via 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 because the floods. We anticipate to see a pointy decline in Goanna numbers as soon as they do arrive, however for now you may nonetheless stumble throughout them if you find yourself bush-walking. Sadly the Goannas first defence is to go flat within the hope of not being seen, which in my case meant I could nicely have nearly stood on it and we each had an increase in blood strain! I couldn’t have been too scary, as a result of it allowed me to {photograph} it from fairly shut quarters and you’ll 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 totally different when you will get there and we hope to make some extra visits earlier than it rains once more on the finish of the yr.