On the Bulloo Overflow

We reached the Bulloo Overflow between Tobooburra and Wanaring and were amazed to see a sheet of water stretching out of sight to the north into Queensland and south into NSW. On the shallow muddy edges a myriad of tiny insects and desert crustaceans wriggled through the water, frantically living out their lives in the few months of plenty while the water lasts.

The first thing we noticed was a pair of brolgas dancing with each other - leaping into the air with wings extended and then landing with still-extended wings. Like everything else out there, they had romance on their minds. Makes you realise that our inland wetlands are the engines that drive our bird populations.

The brolgas didn't think much of us and quickly made off to more secluded spots where they could continue their flirtations undisturbed.

Soaring overhead you could see gull billed and whiskered terns swooping down to catch little fish - and even the odd seagull - a bit out of place 1000 miles from the nearest packet of fish and chips

This is a gull-billed tern looking for breakfast....

Ahh - he's found it - and also gained an instant best friend shadowing him from above and keen to help him eat his catch.

Gull-bills are not above chasing the smaller whiskered terns to steal their fish

Black-winged stilts have much better manners - daintily picking up tiny critters with their forcepsy beaks.

It's sooo good that at least some our our wild rivers can still flood - despite the huge irrigation systems being built. It will be a very sad day when all the water ends up in some cotton farm dam where it is completely useless for wildlife. The extraordinary flush of life we are seeing at the moment only happens whendry ground is flooded. Permanent water might be a reasonable drought refuge, but very few birds will breed there.

We hit the road next day for a series of great desert vistas....

And lots more budgies

Got to Cobar next day. It has to be the goat capital of the world. They are everywhere.; wandering along the side of the road; browsing the bushes in farmers' paddocks; standing on their back legs to reach the tastiest morsels - or like this little kid, just acting the goat by the side of the road. Unlike thick-as-two-short-planks sheep, goats seemed to have great road sense and never did that stupid thing of running in front of you at the last moment.


Off to Gundabooka National Park tomorrow.