BBO courses for birders and nature lovers
Sharpen your birding skills and experience the fantastic birdlife of the Broome Region with our exciting courses.
The Observatory conducts two sessions of courses throughout the year. These run according to the seasonal movements of the birds and the suitability of prevailing weather and conditions. Our friendly and expert Wardens will guide you to the best birding sites in the region, where you will experience the magnificence of our unique birdlife and the beauty and fascination of the migratory shorebirds of Roebuck Bay.
Many people shy away from Shorebirds due to perceived difficulties with identification. Our courses will quickly give you the skills to identify shorebirds and shorebirds, opening up a whole new world of birding for you to explore.
All courses include:
transfers to and from Broome
accommodation at the Observatory
all meals;
use of our scopes and binoculars, if required
all tours
the many thousands of amazing birds of the Broome Region
Wave Goodbye to the Waders
Course participants enjoying "migration watch". Image: © 2005 Ricki Coughlan. Press image to enlarge.
Roebuck Bay is among the top five migratory shorebird destinations in the world, making it an ideal area for discovering their lives and witnessing their movements.
This course focuses on the departure of the shorebirds of Roebuck Bay as they prepare for their annual migration to northern Asia and Siberia. During this time you'll not only witness the extraordinary numbers of departing flocks, but the beautiful and diverse breeding plumage of the shorebirds against the spectacular backdrop of the bay.
Discourses on shorebird identification, feeding ecology, anatomy, physiology and migration are presented during this course. Subject to post wet season accessibility, we also tour the bush and plains to the east of the Observatory where we'll find an abundance of bush birds and shorebirds which favour fresh water habitats.
Dates for this course in 2009
March TBA
April TBA
Birds of the Broome Region
The best place for finding Yellow Chats is right near the Observatory. Image: © 2004 Adrian Boyle. Press image to enlarge.
What makes Broome one of the most exciting birding regions in Australia? Come with us and discover the incredible array and enormous numbers of birds which reside on the shores of Roebuck Bay, as well as the lakes, bush and plains to the east of Broome. We don't leave out the mangroves either, where you will find an amazing variety of birds such as whistlers, fantails, kingfishers, flycatchers, gerygones and beautiful Red-headed Honeyeaters in abundance.
The course also includes discourses on bird anatomy, physiology and ecology which will further equip you with skills to improve your birding and appreciation of birds wherever you travel.
Dates for this course in 2008
September 12 - 17 inclusive
October 11 - 16 inclusive