Bird Watching
For those willing to take the time, bird watching in the vicinity of the Derby Townsite can be very rewarding. Over 200 species have been observed.
Good birding spots around the townsite are:
- The mangroves and mudflats of the jetty and boat ramp.
- The wetlands created by the sewerage outlet south of the town. In 2001 water from the wetland was diverted to the golf course. This has resulted in a reduction of the size of the wetland and it has dried out on occasions. However, the sewage ponds and adjacent area still remain a good place to view many species.
- The cemetery road along the marsh. and, for bush birds, the Joonjoo Botanical Trail.
Below is a list of birds sighted in these areas over a period of 14 years. Many on the list are migratory species and can only be seen from September to April.
Birding in the West Kimberley
Notable species that occur in the West Kimberley include the Black grasswren (Bachsten Creek are on the Munja Track), the Purple-crowned fairy wren (Mornington Station) , White-quilled rock pigeon and Grey shrike thrush (King Leopold Range) and the Red goshawk among others. The rangers at Bell Gorge/Silent Grove and at Windjana Gorge have bird lists for those areas.
| Brown Quail | Rose-crowned Fruit Pigeon |
| Magpie Goose | Common Bronzewing |
| Plumed Whistle Duck | Flock Bronzewing |
| Wandering Whistling Duck | Crested Pigeon |
| Black Swan | Peaceful Dove |
| Australian Shelduck | Diamond Dove |
| Pacific Black Duck | Bar-shouldered Dove |
| Grey Teal | Red-tailed Black Cockatoo |
| Garganey | Galah |
| Pink-eared Duck | Little Corella |
| Hardhead | Cockatiel |
| Australasian Grebe | Rainbow Lorikeet |
| Australian Pelican | Varied Lorikeet |
| White-faced Heron | Red-winged Parrot |
| Little Egret | Budgerigar Oriental Cuckoo |
| Eastern Reef Egret | Pallid Cuckoo |
| White-necked Heron | Brush Cuckoo |
| Great-billed heron | Black-eared Cuckoo |
| Great Egret | Horsefield Bronze Cuckoo |
| Intermediate Egret | Little Bronze Cuckoo |
| Cattle Egret | Common Koel |
| Striated Heron | Channel-billed Cuckoo |
| Nankeen-night Heron | Pheasant Coucal |
| Glossy Ibis | Southern Boobook |
| Australian White Ibis | Barn Owl |
| Straw-necked Ibis | Tawny Frogmouth |
| Royal Spoonbill | Fork-tailed swift |
| Yellow-billed Spoonbill | Blue winged Kookaburra |
| Black-necked Stork | Red-backed Kingfisher |
| Black-shouldered Kite | Sacred Kingfisher |
| Black-Breasted Buzzard | Collared Kingfisher |
| Square-tailed Kite | Rainbow Bee-eater |
| Black Kite | Dollarbird |
| Whistling Kite | Variegated Fairy Wren |
| Brahminy Kite | Red-backed Fairy Wren |
| White-bellied Sea Eagle | Red-browed Pardalote |
| Swamp Harrier | Striated Pardalote |
| Brown Goshawk | Weebill |
| Grey Goshawk | Dusky Gerygone |
| Collared Sparrowhawk | Mangrove Gerygone |
| Wedgetailed Eagle | White-throated Gerygone |
| Little Eagle | Silver-crowned Friar Bird |
| Brown Falcon | Little Friar Bird |
| Australian Hobby | Yellow-throated Miner |
| Grey Falcon | Singing Honeyeater |
| Black Falcon | White-gaped honeyeater |
| Peregrine Falcon | Yellow-tinted Honeyeater |
| Nankeen Kestrel | Black-chinned Honeyeater |
| Brolga | Brown Honeyeater |
| Buff-banded Rail | Bar-breasted Honeyeater |
| Baillon’s Crake | Rufous-throated Honeyeater |
| Spotless Crake | Banded Honeyeater |
| Australian Spotted Crake | Red-headed Honeyeater |
| White-Browed Crake | Crimson Chat |
| Chestnut Rail | Yellow Chat |
| Purple Swamphen | Jacky Winter |
| Black-tailed Native-hen | Lemon-bellied Flycatcher |
| Eurasian Coot | Mangrove Robin |
| Australian Bustard | Grey-crowned Babbler |
| Swinhoe’s Snipe | Varied Sittella |
| Black-tailed Godwit | Mangrove Golden Whistler |
| Bar-Tailed Godwit | Rufous Whistler |
| Little Curlew | White-breasted Whistler |
| Whimbrel | Grey Shrike-thrush |
| Eastern Curlew | Broad-billed Flycatcher |
| Marsh Sandpiper | Leaden Flycatcher |
| Common Greenshank | Shining Flycatcher |
| Wood Sandpiper | Restless Flycatcher |
| Terek Sandpiper | Magpie-lark |
| Common Sandpiper | Mangrove Fantail |
| Grey-tailed Tatler | Northern Fantail |
| Red Knot | Willie Wagtail |
| Red-necked Stint | Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike |
| Long-toed Stint | White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | White-winged Triller |
| Sharp-tailed Sandpiper | Olive-backed Oriole |
| Broad-billed Sandpiper | White-breasted Woodswallow |
| Curlew Sandpiper | Black-faced Woodswallow |
| Ruff | Masked Woodswallow |
| Black-winged Stilt | Little Woodswallow |
| Red-necked Avocet | Pied Butcherbird |
| Pacific Golden Plover | Australian Magpie |
| Grey Plover | Torresian Crow |
| Little-ringed Plover | Great Bowerbird |
| Red-capped Plover | Singing Bushlark |
| Lesser Sand Plover | Richard’s Pipit |
| Greater Sand Plover | Yellow wagtail |
| Oriental Plover | Black-backed wagtail |
| Black-fronted Dotterel | Zebra Finch |
| Red-kneed Dotterel | Double-barred Finch |
| Masked Lapwing | Long-tailed Finch |
| Oriental Pratincole | Star Finch |
| Australian Pratincole | Mistletoebird |
| Silver Gull | Barn Swallow |
| Gull-billed tern | Welcome Swallow |
| Caspian Tern | Tree Martin |
| Whiskered Tern | Fairy Martin |
| White-winged Tern | Clamorous Reed-warbler |
| Rufous Songlark | Little Grassbird |
| Brown Songlark | Golden-headed Cisticola |
| Yellow White eye |
For more information and maps on common bird watching areas please call in and see the friendly staff at the Derby Visitor Centre .