5 - 12 APRIL 2025

Broome & Beyond - 7 Night Shorebird & Mangrove tour!

* 5 Nights Accommodation at the Broome Bird Observatory in single air-conditioned rooms

* 2 Nights Accommodation at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm in single Bayview Safari Tents

* All meals included from dinner on the first night until breakfast on the last day

* Learn how to photograph Mangrove, Bush and Shore birds

* Witness shorebirds leave on their epic migration journey

* Expert Photographic and Ecological Tuition

* Morning and afternoon field outings focussing on different birds & techniques

* BBO - Classroom sessions from Flock Wildlife on Photographic techniques, Composition and Post Processing

* BBO - Classroom session on shorebird, tern and raptors identification from BBO

* Snubfin Dolphin spotting cruise on Roebuck Bay with Broome Whale Watching

* Small Guest to Guide Ratio for maximum attention and learning

* Maximum 6 guests (min 4)

* ALL SKILL LEVELS catered for

* Guides: Henry Cook & David Stowe + BBO wardens

$8990 per person

including SINGLE SUPPLEMENT!  

Just got back from the Broome and Beyond photo trip with Flock Wildlife and had a great time. Dave and Henry make a great team and I learnt so much from them about birds and their behaviors, photography techniques and post production. I'm looking forward to my next trip with them. Highly recommended for anyone interested in bird photography

— Karen V

Broome Bird Observatory has unequalled access to the tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds which visit the region. Even during the dry season there are at least 25,000 shorebirds present around Roebuck Bay, with a peak of over 100,000 over our summer. 

Our aim in running this tour in April means we will get to witness the birds at their biggest and brightest! They need to gain alot of weight in order to make the long journey back to the northern hemisphere to breed, and many will start developing their stunning breeding colours.
During April large flocks will be seen departing the bay on the start of that migration. You'll learn the amazing story of the lives of these birds and witness the vast roosting flocks on beautiful beaches during high tide - one of nature's greatest sights!

We also plan our dates around the tides to allow the best opportunities for getting out into the mudflats for low angle shorebird photography. We will teach you how to approach these timid birds safely without scaring them, and also the best techniques to get down and dirty for the best images!

Bring some old clothes as we crawl out into the and wait for the tide to push feeding birds towards us. You’ll be as happy as a pig in mud!

Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm is a stunning area with the most accessible mangrove birding we have seen.
Mangrove Golden Whistler, Mangrove Fantail, Red-headed Honeyeater and more are found right outside your accommodation. There is potential for some great shots of Barking Owl, Broad-billed Flycatcher and more.
There are also a couple of species that we hope to see here that we don’t see around Broome - the Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Mangrove Robin, Shining Flycatcher and perhaps even Kimberley Fly-Robin!

CAMERA SKILL
We pride ourselves on helping you get more from whatever camera you have, and increasing your skills regardless of your experience.
You definitely don't need to be an expert photographer with a super telephoto lens to enjoy this tour. Obviously for birds, the longer the focal length the better, however whatever camera you have there is no doubt that you will still learn a lot and have great fun doing it!

FITNESS
In some respects this is our most physical tour, however you don’t need to be young or super fit to enjoy it and get a lot out of it.
Most days involve early starts however we try our best to give everyone a couple of hours off at least in the heat of the day.
Our mornings out in the mud flats at Crab Creek start with a walk out through the mangroves along a narrow muddy track. Walking poles can make a big difference here if you are unsure of your footing. When we get out to the edge of the mud the technique for photography involves
Laying down in the sand/mud and pushing your camera on a body board in front of you. This definitely requires a moderate degree of fitness, and the best photographic results will come from some extra exertion to get out further onto the mudflats. However there are always less vigorous options for anyone not confident, and we will show you all the best tips to make it easier. We recommend camera covers and definitely old clothes for this exercise too!

Camera Techniques & Fieldcraft
The reason we have such small groups with 2 guides is to make sure we are constantly at your service to be able to give you advice on every aspect of camera settings & techniques, how to get close to birds, and of course how to capture better images

Mud-crawling
One of the most fun and rewarding aspects of this tour is teaching you how to get down and dirty with the shorebirds!
We use the tide to our advantage and let it push the birds closer to us, or go out on a slow moving neap tide. We supply the body boards - you just need to supply the energy, old clothes, and a waterproof cover for your camera! The low angle we can achieve creates a beautiful depth to your images and its also the least disruptive technique to get close to the birds. Laying down in the mud and letting the birds come towards you is a special feeling indeed.

Shorebird Roost
Not only will be aiming for shorebirds feeding on the mudflats, we will be visiting high tide roosts hoping for those big flock shots as thousands of birds wheel across the bay. April is also migration time so we’ll be keeping an eye out for single species flocks departing each afternoon.

Snubfin Dolphin Cruise
We spend one afternoon with Broome Whale Watching, heading out into Roebuck Bay where we hope to see the wonderful Snubfin Dolphin and maybe even Dugongs and Manta Rays. We will also see if we can find any roosting shorebirds as well as Brown Boobies and Frigatebirds fishing off shore.

Set-ups
Previously, we spent some time helping the BBO staff create a more photography friendly set up at their famous shade house bird baths!
A great spot for Double-barred Finch, White-gaped, Rufous-throated and Brown Honeyeaters, Great Bowerbird and more.
We’ll also show you how to create simple bird bath set-ups in front of our safari tents at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm.

Post Production
We always try to fit in a session on post production while we’re at the BBO (as well as a shorebird ID talk).
Also included is a post tour image review session where we get together online and Dave will do a live edit on an image from each guest to further show you what you can achieve.

Mangrove & Bush Birding
At both BBO and Cygnet Bay we will be targeting both bush birds and also those tricky mangrove specialties like White-breasted Whistler, Mangrove Robin and Mangrove Fantail.

We’ll also be on the lookout for geckos, snakes and anything else that moves!

Not only will you come home with a hard drive full of great images, you will also be directly supporting the work of the Broome Bird Observatory. Don’t forget to buy a t-shirt or two from the new discovery centre too!

NOT INCLUDED:

* Flights to and from Broome
* Drinks and additional snacks/personal items

NOTES:

* The tour will begin after lunch on the first day, and conclude before lunch on the last day.
* It will most likely be quite hot and humid so be prepared with hat, sunscreen, appropriate clothing etc
* As with any tour, unfortunately we cannot control the weather or indeed the wildlife. We'll do everything in our power to find the best subjects to photograph but things like how intense or early/late the wet season is can bring big changes from year to year.
* Whilst we want to get great images of as many of the special species from this amazing region as we can; this isn't a tour to try to quickly tick off as many species as possible and move on.
*We always strongly recommend that you organise your own travel and equipment insurance at the time of booking.

keen to come or find out more?