Tag: Australia

Sea Food …

Best eaten fresh.

It was approaching sunset, the golden hour. The tide was very low. Eastern Reef Egrets come in two flavours, the white ones being less common than the dark ones. This guy caught my eye and I very slowly moved closer for a photo. It was a little edgy but something had caught its eye and it was torn between flight and food.

I eventually got as close as either of us dared. I settled down and started taking photos, it resumed hunting in the rock pool.

The evening meal.

The fish didn’t go quietly. It was a few minutes before it could be turned round to a suitable position for swallowing by which time it had erected a line of ferocious looking spines. A whole lot more manipulation was required before the bird could start thinking about dessert.

The Oscar for best supporting actor in this drama goes to the Red Squirrelfish, Sargocentron rubrum, a fish that has a wide distribution in warm seas usually associated with reefs. It’s a nocturnal feeder that grows to about 17cm … awarded posthumously.

I turned away, reflecting on that gossamer thread only to find another Reef Egret enjoying the ocean’s bounty. Bon appétit.

Banana Well …

In recent years the road from Broome to the tip of the Dampier Peninsula has been sealed. About 16km off the highway about half way up the peninsula there is a quiet camping spot called Banana Well. It’s where I spent the last few days.

The campsite itself is in open woodland adjacent to some ponds fed from underground. From there to the sea is about a two and a half kilometre drive, 4wd only on a sandy track and across some mud flats. The adventurous can also visit the Burrguk Creek, keep your dog away from the crocodile and your wheels away from soft mud.

The facilities are somewhat run down but certainly not overcrowded. It’s a great spot for the birder and it also attracts some fishing enthusiasts. Other than that maybe hermits might like it. Mosquitos and Sandflys abound. I discussed the fishing prospects with some other campers. They had launched a boat the day before, a process they described as “Not for the faint-hearted”, caught nothing and got bogged retrieving their vessel. Fortunately they had gone with two vehicles and one was able to tow the other out. They had no intention of doing that again.

Burrguk Creek

For the birdo there is a lot on offer, Melaleuca woodland around the ponds, Savanna woodland, mangroves and at low tide extensive mud flats.

Rufous-throated Honeyeater
Little Friarbird
Little Friarbird
Brown Honeyeater
White-throated Honeyeater
Yellow-tinted Honeyeater
Paperbark Flycatcher
Leaden Flycatcher
Willie Wagtail

At night the sounds of feral donkeys ring through the camp ground but you rarely get to see them.

Other noises through the night included Barking Owls, Bush Stone-curlews and the crazy calls of the Brain Fever Bird, Brush Cuckoo – do they never sleep?

Here are some of the scenic shots, as always, clicking on a gallery opens it up for a better look …

White-breasted Woodswallows

The mud flats are inundated on king tides and some areas on moderate tides. One way to get into trouble is to venture into areas covered by yesterday’s tide. This guy was heading east on our last morning. The sun was in his eyes. He made another 150m after the wheels started slipping! More than enough to ensure that no one could get near enough to tow him out.

Remember the warning sign at the top of the post? It’s out of date. We were unable to extricate the vehicle despite a lot of digging and the deployment of the rescue boards (I have only seen them work on one occasion – much over-rated bit of kit). When the futility of our efforts was eventually acknowledged a tow truck was summoned. The quote was $5,000. There was no way that it could arrive before the next high tide which will have reached above the bottom of the doors but probably not far up the engine. The poor guy was sure his wife was going to kill him.

Khelidonios …

Ancient Greek for like a swallow. Mr Rafinesque came up with the notion that the Marsh Terns looked somewhat like Swallows in 1822 and coined the name Chlidonias for the genus. I have no problem distinguishing Terns from Swallows but distinguishing one tern from another is more of a challenge.

Marsh terns are relatively small as terns go and are most often seen over fresh water. Two species are fairly common in Australia, especially in the north and a third species causes considerable excitement when it shows up. The largest member of the genus is the Whiskered Tern, Chlidonias hybrida (Latin for hybrid because of the mistaken notion that it was a cross between two other species. Taxonomy has its rules, the oldest name prevails, thus the specific name bestowed by Pallas in 1811 later found itself combined with Greek – no respect for the classics).

Whiskered Terns do venture over the sea. These photographs were taken at Entrance Point adjacent to the Port of Broome. There were two present, both post-breeding adults undergoing moult.

Aficionados will observe that the inner primaries are fresh, P7 is nearing full development and the three outer primaries are old and soon to be lost. The secondaries are at much the same stage. Click on the pictures for a better look.

Rainbows …

It was a windy morning, the feathers are somewhat ruffled but the plumage is otherwise in excellent nick. Rainbow Bee-eaters nest in tunnels in river banks, cliffs or any near vertical surface in soil that’s light enough to burrow into. By the end of the breeding season they look pretty battered.

The long central tail streamers indicate that this one’s a boy. Click on the photos for a better view.

Boobies …

My eyes are always drawn to them and they have been much in evidence at the beach in recent days but getting a decent photo has not been easy.

There are ten species in the family Sulidae, three Gannets and seven Boobies assigned to three genera. The three species of Gannet are found over vast areas of temperate seas and are placed in the genus Morus. The Boobies are found in tropical seas. Six species are in the genus Sula and Abbott’s Booby is the odd one out in a genus all its own Papasula. The Sulids usually stay fairly close to the coast, nest on islands and feed on fish which they catch by plunge diving.

Gannets tend to gather in good numbers over schools of fish and dive vertically putting on a fantastic display for the observer. The Booby most frequently seen off Broome beaches is the Brown Booby Sula leucogaster. Over the last few days I’ve been watching them feed less spectacularly by belly flopping. They seem to be taking food from the surface or not far beneath it.

The scientific name leucogaster translates as white belly which might have been a better name than Brown because they are so dark that you need to be very close to see that they’re not black. Perhaps that was rejected because most of the other Boobies also have white underparts. The light bone-coloured bill indicates that this one is an adult female.

Tumbleweed …

Spinifex is the common name of a spiky inland grass. It occurs in low rainfall areas and often has a circular growth form likened to fairy rings. The genus name is Triodia. Among the many species are irritans and tormentosa which give you an idea of how much fun it is to walk through. Grasswrens and Emuwrens like it a lot, hunkered down among the spikes they are fairly safe from predators.

Just to confuse us there is an entirely different genus of grasses called Spinifex. These are coastal plants found in Australia,New Zealand, New Caledonia and Tonga. One of them, Spinifex sericeous, is common around Broome.

It’s a valuable pioneer which helps stabilise dunes by means of its long stolons. The flower heads are quite striking. At maturity the female flower heads break off and go tumbling. One of its popular names is Spring Rolling Grass but it is more often known simply as Coast Spinifex. The female flower heads are about 20cm across.

With the sun low behind them they are very attractive …

Stonefish …

Evolution has equipped these guys with defenses so good they have no need for a flight response.

Wikipedia describes it as “the deadliest fish in the sea, with highly effective venom which can be lethal to humans.” Australia has two species, the Reef Stonefish Synanceia verrucosa and the Estuarine Stonefish S. horrida. They can be found in shallow marine environments from the Queensland NSW border around northern Australia to a little south of Shark Bay, WA. They are two of five species found throughout the warmer waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans extending into the Red Sea and the eastern Mediterranean (probably via the Suez Canal, oops). They are in the family Scorpaenidae along with the Lionfish and Scorpion fishes.

The fun starts if you step on them or grab them. They have about 13 spines along the top surface, each is supplied by two glands. The venom is a mixture of enzymes and other proteins. Pain begins almost immediately, is excruciating and disproportionate to the apparent size of the injury. It’s followed by swelling that may affect the entire limb.

As the effects reach the rest of the body there may be fever, delirium, muscle weakness or paralysis, pulmonary edema, respiratory difficulties, hypotension, bradycardia, arrhythmia, convulsions, heart failure and death. [Saggiomo et al 2021]

All of which could certainly put you off going to the beach. But good news, The deadliest fish in the sea has not been implicated in the death of an Australian since records began. Not something that can be said for sharks, blue-ringed octopuses, irukandji and crocodiles all of which can be found around Broome. Indeed only about 10% of hospital admissions due to stinging fish are the fault of Stonefish and that amounts to about 5 cases per year for the whole of Oz.

If you are off to the beach fastening your seat belt and remaining sober eliminate most of the risks you face. Wearing footwear with reasonably robust soles in shallow water further reduces the risk from stonefish.

For first aid immersion in hot water is recommended. This is not easily organised at the beach … I’d head for the hospital if there is one in easy reach. An antivenene is available.

Above all else don’t try this at home …

The Port …

Ten metre tides, mangroves and vast expanses of mud complicated matters for the fledgeling settlement of Broome. Coastal shipping brought supplies in and the shell and cattle out. A jetty was commissioned and began operation in 1897. Even though it was 900m long ships could only arrive or leave on high spring tides. Henceforth the good people of Broome could take advantage of the West Australian Steam Navigation Company’s fortnightly mail steamer service to travel to Perth or Darwin. SS Charon and SS Gorgon of the Blue Funnel Line traveling between Perth and Singapore called at Broome en route. At low tide they sat on the mud.

The original pier was at Mangrove Point now called Town Beach. It was connected to the commercial centre in Japtown by a tramway. The port was administered by the Department of Harbours and Lights. Names were so much more romantic in those days.

On the morning of October 11th 1935 a fire broke out. It was extinguished in about half an hour but destroyed about 50 feet (15m) of the jetty. Steele Rudd died the same day. The incidents were not related.

A new port was deemed necessary and was opened in 1986. It is situated a little less than 4km southwest of the old port at Entrance Point and offers improved freight handling and deeper water. It is managed by the Kimberley Ports Authority.

After the old port was retired the wharf was dismantled. In the last couple of years a new pier has been constructed which provides a fine promenade for tourists and somewhere for fisherpersons to reach deep water at high tide. It’s only about 200m long so high and dry at low tide. High and dry? Rather high and squishy, you can walk around it if you don’t mind muddy shoes. It makes a fine sight as the moon comes up …