Birding

Little Woodswallows in the Kimberley

September 30, 2018 by Clare M 2 Comments

Little Woodswallows-Artamus minor are the smallest of the Woodswallows  at only 12-14cm and prefer areas where there are cliff faces and rugged terrain. They can be found close to Broome around the Willie Creek area and at the nearby ephemeral lakes, though, despite the lack of cliffs. One of the easiest places to find Little Woodswallows in the Kimberley which is accessible by bitumen is Geikie Gorge close to the town of Fitzroy Crossing. Ideally you should walk the trails quite early in the day and you will soon encounter the Little Woodswallows cuddled up together communally on the branches high up in the trees. It does not even need to be cool for the Little Woodswallows to cuddle together! Later in the day it is harder to photograph them as they feed along the cliff edges among the Fairy Martins.

Little Woodswallows cuddling

There are the occasional Little Woodswallows that sit alone fluffed up showing off their chocolate brown feathers against the blue sky.

Lone Little Woodswallow

Other Woodswallows in the Kimberley that are more easily observed around the town of Broome are White-breasted Woodswallows and Black-faced Woodswallows. Masked Woodswallows are a lot more nomadic and can appear at any time around Broome, so they are always worth keeping an eye out for. Little Woodswallows and White-breasted Woodswallows are the two species that you are most likely to observe cuddled up together on branches or power lines.

Written by Clare M
Clare and her husband, Grant, have lived permanently in Broome, Western Australia since 1999 after living in various outback locations around Western Australia and Darwin. She has lived in the Middle East and the United States and traveled extensively in Europe. She monitors Pied Oystercatchers breeding along a 23km stretch of Broome's coastline by bicycle and on foot. She chooses not to participate in social media, but rather wander off into the bush for peace and tranquility. Thankfully she can write posts in advance and get away from technology!