Wayan or White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae). Northam, Western Australia.
Kaaka-baaka or Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes). Northam, Western Australia.
I’ve been writing about visiting the great Wheatbelt Metropolis of Northam for birding several times this year and I thought I’d got a good handle on what there was to be found along the Avon River there. But this last visit I was genuinely surprised. We’d parked the car at Enright Park with the intention of walking along one bank towards the weir and the Peel Terrace traffic bridge, cross the river and walk back on the other side. The light wasn’t particularly nice – in fact it was quite overcast and dark. There wasn’t much to see – a couple of White-faced Herons (Egretta novaehollandiae), Yellow-billed Spoonbills (Platalea flavipes) and a few Silver Gulls (Larus pacificus). At that point I was a bit bored and my mind was drifting off with thoughts of coffee and cake at the bakery. Then as we crossed the traffic bridge I noticed a tiny little blob bouncing around on the island in the middle of the river. As I walked to get a better look I saw that it was an Australian Spotted Crake. Well that was a first. I was, I have to admit pretty excited after that. As we crossed the weir I saw Common Sandpipers (Actitis hypoleucos), Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus) and Black-fronted Dotterels. By then I was fully engaged and all thoughts of leaving had evaporated. Northam – you never know what you may find.
Australian Spotted Crake (Porzana fluminea). Northam, Western Australia.
Djandjarak or Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus). Northam, Western Australia.
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos). Northam, Western Australia.
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) and Nidoolyorong or Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops). Northam, Western Australia.
Nidoolyorong or Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops). Northam, Western Australia.
Sitting on the banks of the River Avon in Northam waiting for the first light of the sun to seep into the shadows and herald the start of a new day. The birds on the sandbanks and in the trees are just beginning to stir. I was there to photograph Black-fronted Dotterels.
Kaaka-baaka or Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes). Northam, Western Australia.
As the sun’s light filtered through the trees it created a beautiful chiaroscuro that Renaissance artists could only dream about. The Black-winged Stilts and the Yellow-billed Spoonbills were literally glowing against the dark background. Light like this is magical and you can see why it was used in so many religious paintings. The oft given advice about photographing birds and other animals is to always have the sun at your back. If you do this then you miss the opportunity to create something dramatic. You have to act fast as the light doesn’t hang around and no sooner than you are aware of it it is gone. That’s what happened on this morning. From just a faint hintand then it floods in and the shadows disappear.
Djandjarak or Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus subsp. leucocephalus). Northam, Western Australia.
The Black-fronted Dotterels didn’t put in an appearance until I started walking back to the car. They obviously like a lie in. Although the light was past its best I still photographed them picking insects and small crustaceans from the mud and sand. It was after all what I gone to Northam for.
Nidoolyorong or Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops). Northam, Western Australia.
It’s safe to say this summer has been hotter than a very hot thing that is feeling hot. The knock on effect of all that heat is that motivation evaporates – literally. It is very hard to get out and about when temperatures are above 40ºC (104ºF). The UV index is so high that if you’ve been outside for longer than 5 minutes you need to see a dermatologist to have skin cancers removed.
Frida trying to trying to escape the summer heat in what’s left of the Avon River
So summer days are spent dreaming up ways to keep cool. You can go for the psychological approach like my Beloved Significant Other (BSO) – she is reading Scandi noir books set in chilly sub Arctic nordic climes hoping that she can convince her body that it is cold. I’ve tried watching a few films along those lines but my body is not easily fooled. Next is the physical approach. The BSO has also taken to spending as much time as possible at the swimming pool. I don’t go as when I get into the pool the water gets out. More seriously the pool isn’t heated in any way and the cold water has me shrieking like a teenage girl at a Beatles concert. So I’ve given up on that idea. I’ve taken to hanging around the freezer cabinet in the local super market along with the rest of the town. The competition for the best spots can be brutal. The little old ladies are the worst – they’ve got sharp pointy elbows that they use to great effect to secure prime position and maximum coolness. The best place to go is the bottle shop’s (liquor store or off-licence for non Aussies) coolroom. Absolutely blissful. Unfortunately I was banned after I tried to smuggle in a chair and a TV. The best strategy is to get up early and try and do everything before it gets too hot. Then you retreat back to the sanctity of home and crank up the air con. This is why I’ve been printing photos lately.
Nidoolyorong or Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops). York, Western Australia.
Yellow billed Spoonbill, Platalea flavipes. York, Western Australia.
A Willie Wagtail wondering if the Rainbow Bee Eater is going to share its dragon fly.
The impact of all this hot weather on the local wildlife has been considerable. The numbers of birds around is quite low. Lack of food and water. Even along the river, which now no longer resembles a river but a series of small fetid murky pools, there seems to be less activity. It has been a bumper year for dragon flies. I guess they must like it a little on the warm side. Once a week I’ve been going out to a large freshwater lake about 50Km from here to work on a new project. There’s been a bit more activity there but not much. Early in the mornings there is no vehicular access so you have to walk in through the bush and a couple of times I’ve come across a mob of kangaroos sparked out in the shade under the trees. They’re so hot and lethargic they can’t summon up the energy to move and they just lazily watch as I walk past. The only real activity at the lake has come in the form of a randy male musk duck desperately swimming up and down looking for a victim – err I mean prospective breeding partner. That duck can certainly move fast. Funnily enough I’ve not yet spotted a female musk duck – I guess they must be too hot and bothered and are avoiding him by hiding in the reed beds.
A male musk duck – not the randy one mentioned above.
Thankfully it is the end of February. That means we’ve only got to survive March and the the weather will start to cool in April. Can’t wait!!
Nidoolyorong. Black-fronted Dotterel, Elseyornis melanops. Mongers Crossing, Western Australia.
We’ve lived in York since 2004 and this is the first time I’ve seen these birds. They are classified as being nomadic when it comes to habitat which obviously means they move around as conditions dictate. Both require aquatic invertebrates to feed off which means that the river is in a healthy state. As I’ve said before in previous posts the Avon largely dries up over summer leaving a series of deep pools and In the past at this time of year they tend to be stagnant, have algal blooms and stink. This year they have largely been free of algae, don’t smell and the larger ones are full of small fish, dragonfly and damsel fly nymphs which are all indicators of a healthy river. The arrival of the Black-fronted Dotterels and Black-winged Stilts confirms this.
Dit. Black-winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus, Mongers Crossing, York, Western Australia.
Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops), Avon River, Northam, Western Australia. Panasonic Lumix G85 with Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f4-6.3 lens. Exposure: 1/500 sec, f6.3 at ISO 250.
What do you do when you’ve got 2 hours to kill while in the Wheatbelt metropolis of Northam? Go looking for Black-fronted Dotterels that’s what! These busy little birds can be found on the muddy shoreline looking for insects and small molluscs.
Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops), Avon River, Northam, Western Australia. Panasonic Lumix G85 with Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f4-6.3 lens. Exposure: 1/500 sec, f6.3 at ISO 250.
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