2026 Assistant Wardens of Roebuck Bay
Welcome to our Assistant Wardens blog, where we introduce the wonderful volunteers helping bring Broome Bird Observatory to life. Through a collection of questions, stories and photos, each Assistant Warden shares a little about themselves, their interests, their experiences at BBO and what inspires their connection to birds, conservation and life in Broome.
First up is Monique.
What’s your birder name (like a DJ name but for birders)?
My birder name would be FeralFinch.
FeralFinch
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FeralFinch 〰️
Do you consider yourself a birder or a twitcher?
I align more with being a birder. I am keeping track of what I see but am more wanting to experience the birds in their habitat on their terms. I only really just started using eBird recently. I will go back and see the same bird repeatedly because I love a species so much (looking at you, South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos).
Photo taken by Monique, Assistant Warden
Where did you move from and how have you enjoyed the transition?
I moved from the Great Ocean Road, Anglesea in Victoria where I was a Forest and Wildlife Officer. I have enjoyed living on and exploring this beautiful country, it’s been interesting learning to live remotely but I have enjoyed problem solving my way through it.
If you could be any bird, what would you be and why?
White-bellied Sea Eagle – I would love soaring around, being top of the food chain and exploring different habitats along the coast, and deeper bush. I also LOVE fish and seafood, so it would be a perfect life.
What bird call you would like to get to know better?
I feel like I need to improve on all my bird calls, but definitely being able to differentiate between the honeyeater species would be a great start for me.
Photos taken by Monique, Assistant Warden
What has been your favourite thing about BBO so far?
I am constantly pinching myself that I get to live in this surreal environment, having Roebuck Bay so close, learning about the habitat, birds and cultural history of this place has been incredible. I feel like every day, I notice something new or different or a change in the environment. Sitting in the shadehouse and watching the bird baths is also an amazing pastime.
Which amazing BBO hat did you select to wear and why?
I am yet to select mine but am waiting for the 2026 merch drop to happen…stay tuned.
Photo taken by Monique, Assistant Warden
Next up we have Assistant Warden - Jake
What’s your birder name (like a DJ name but for birders)?
I think my birder name would be Wren10 – it has a few layers to it. It is very similar to a friend of mine’s nickname, and I would like to bring a lot of her energy to birding. I also love wrens (especially Red-backed Fairywrens) and 10 was my grandpa’s footy number.
Wren10
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Wren10 〰️
Do you consider yourself a birder or a twitcher?
I am definitely more of a birder than a twitcher but I would absolutely dabble in twitching for certain birds, specifically finches, wrens, and woodswallows. I’m yet to see a Gouldian Finch and will be twitching for them soon.
If you could be any bird, what would you be and why?
Brahminy Kite – I love estuarine, coastal mangrove, and coastal wetland systems in the north so being able to call them home and soar around would be fun. I also wouldn’t want to deal with the stress of being prey, I think I’d be much happier at the top of the food chain.
Where did you move from and how have you enjoyed the transition?
I moved here from Victoria where I was living along the Great Ocean Road and managing flow regimes for a river and Ramsar wetlands near Geelong for work. I’ve really enjoyed the hot and consistent weather (especially the beautiful end to the wet season) while being immersed in nature. Driving into Broome to play touch rugby and meeting new people has helped a lot with being in a new place.
What bird call you would like to get to know better?
Broad-billed Flycatcher – it would be nice to hone in on spotting them when I’m out and about. Even though they are so cute and have beautiful colours, I find them rather elusive.
What has been your favourite thing about BBO so far?
I’ve really enjoyed gardening around BBO and making trails and campsites look nice. It’s nice to be outside and sometimes hear a Purple-backed Fairywren or Rufous Whistler nearby.
I also love chatting to guests during tours and around camp and hearing about their travels and what’s brought them to Roebuck Bay. We get a lot of lovely, interesting people passing through.
Which amazing BBO hat did you select to wear and why?
I picked the Red-necked Avocet hat. The first time I saw avocets was at a wetland near Geelong called Sparrovale, and I thought ‘oh my goodness those are Avocets – they are amazing’. I find their bill so fascinating and any time I’ve seen them I’ve had the impression of a very gentle, peaceful nature. It was a very easy decision for me.
Next up Meet Will!
What’s your birder name (like a DJ name but for birders)?
My birder name would be Little Vasic – my older brother spent a lot of time at BBO as an AW and Warden and now it’s my turn.
Little Vasic
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Little Vasic 〰️
Do you consider yourself a birder or a twitcher?
I would say both. Birding calms me as a whole and twitching lights my soul.
Where did you move from and how have you enjoyed the transition?
I moved from Fremantle but grew up in Victoria. I’ve enjoyed the transition because it’s a place I’ve been before and I’ve missed the landscape while living further south. Living with and loving a new group of people has been really fun – I’ve learned a great new card game with the other AWs.
If you could be any bird, what would you be and why?
Very hard to pick, shorebirds feel obvious but they have a tough life flying across hemispheres every year. I think I would really love to be a Red-tailed Black Cockatoo – any subspecies. They have very few natural predators and they live in beautiful parts of Australia.
What bird call you would like to get to know better?
I would love to know the difference in all the Gerygones around BBO such as the Mangrove, Dusky and the White Throated. They’re always very hard birds to get a good view of so I’d love to learn their song first.
What has been your favourite thing about BBO so far?
I think for me it’d have to be witnessing the crazy amount of shorebirds in the bay before migration or one night I was on Migration watch and there were storms all around the bay with big cumulonimbus clouds and yet so many shorebirds left that night which I found amazing watching them push through the weather to get where they need to be..
Which amazing BBO hat did you select to wear and why?
I chose red knot as it has always been such an awesome bird to me and how cute they look when they’re all chunky and the size of a football.
Last but not least meet Hanna!
What’s your birder name (like a DJ name but for birders)?
Hanna Nomada. Because rhyme is the spice of life.
Hanna Nomada
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Hanna Nomada 〰️
Do you consider yourself a birder or a twitcher?
More of a birder, I think. I like knowing the hows and the whys of where to find the birds. It’s fun getting to puzzle things out and learn more about the plants and environment as you’re doing it.
Where did you move from and how have you enjoyed the transition?
I moved up from Melbourne, where I was working at the RSPCA. After being here for a few months, I still feel like things are constantly changing. We’re always adapting as the tides or seasons change and everywhere you look there something new happening. It was overwhelming at first but ridiculously cool and well worth it.
Photo taken by Hanna, Assistant Warden
If you could be any bird, what would you be and why?
Australian Painted-snipe. I know we’re probably supposed to pick one that matches our personality, but I just think that if I were a Painted-snipe, I’d get a laugh out of popping up in a random wetland for a few days, watching people lose their minds, and then disappearing again.
What bird call you would like to get to know better?
All the fairywren species, I love their social dynamics so being able to observe them closer and differentiate between not just species but also what they’re chatting about would be awesome.
What has been your favourite thing about BBO so far?
Getting to live in such a spectacular place. If I need some sunshine, a quiet moment or just to stretch my legs, I can walk 200m to the bay and it’s always different and always stunning. Also sitting in front of the mangroves during the wet season and watching storms roll in, was frankly just awesome. So basically, the bay.
Which amazing BBO hat did you select to wear and why?
I picked the Terek Sandpiper hat. They’re just so hilarious when they sprint around looking for food. Always made me smile.
The Assistant Wardens of Broome Bird Observatory are all amazing individuals that keep BBO running smoothly.
Come and visit us and meet the team of 2026!