A cracking couple of weeks was had. We had a bunch of highlights the first week in Ngurrara country, especially the 23 reptile species from quite a minimal effort. Pale Knob-tail Gecko, Desert Banded Snake, four different Ctenotus skinks and three legless lizard species were among the most interesting for the guys. The second week we were down in the IPA with the Paruku Rangers around Lake Gregory, near where the Canning Stock Route starts (or finishes, depending which way you go).
Here, we focussed our efforts on the dry season habitat of the striking Yellow Chat, a poorly known species strongly associated with wetlands. The Kija Rangers came down to lend a hand. Together, we learned a lot, tuning in to this special bird. They were very patchy within the samphire belt. Some sites had none or just a few, others had a dozen or more. We began to work out what it was they liked. We also saw hundreds of Flock Bronzewings, Oriental Plovers, and Brolgas, with tens of thousands of other waterbirds. Following up on our Bilby burrows from June last year and seeing them still active were the sprinkles on the icing on the cake!
For more information about the Kimberley Indigenous Ranger Biodiversity Surveys and Training, see http://www.murraywildlife.com.au/major-projects/kimberley-rangers/