Australasian Swamphens breeding close to Broome – 10,000 Birds

This 12 months, with the distinctive rain and flooding throughout a lot of the land there was an awesome alternative for a lot of hen species to maneuver to the world and breed. It’s not simply the Magpie Geese and Pied Herons that arrived and selected to breed, but additionally the Australasian Swamphens. Over latest weeks and months we’ve gone from observing just a few Australasian Swamphens nipping backwards and forwards throughout the Nice Northern Freeway to the south of Broome to watching just a few hundred of them.

Juvenile Australasian Swamphen just a few weeks in the past

It didn’t take lengthy and in all places you appeared there have been Australasian Swamphens feeding beside the freeway. They’ve poor camouflage as you possibly can see! The youthful birds should not have the very pink invoice of the adults, however they’re virtually equally blue.

Australasian Swamphens feeding beside the freeway

The Australasian Swamphens seem to make use of their toes rather a lot once they feed. Because the land dries out they are going to transfer away from the world. There are another reedbeds near Broome and Derby that they might transfer to, however they could effectively transfer additional afield. It’s more than likely that these Australasian Swamphens will journey to the north.