Western Pacific Odyssey 2013 Part 6 - Kolombangara and onwards

Moustached Treeswift

Hemiprocne mystacea

Kolombangara is one of the New Georgia group of islands in the northwest Solomons. Nearby Gizo is popular with divers, who fly there from Honiara. Like the other islands in the group there is a high level of endemism among the birds.

We went ashore at the pleasant school campus of Kukudu.  A Moustached Treeswift posed on a beachfront snag, while Pacific Golden Plovers foraged in the surf below. 

Moustached Treeswift

Hemiprocne mystacea

Pacific Golden-Plover

Pluvialis fulva

Landing site, Kolombangara

Among the gardens and vegetable patches behind the main school buildings Chris played his recording of Roviana Rail which only attracted the attention of a large cat. This gave us a clue as to how this endemic and endangered rail has become so hard to find.

A small party of Pacific Black Ducks gave a brief flypast.

Pacific Black Duck

Anas superciliosa

A few relict primary forest trees towered over Kukudu, and in one of these a juvenile Solomon Islands Sea-eagle gave us a clear view.

Solomon Islands Sea-eagle

Haliaeetus sanfordi

We split into two groups and set off in different directions.  Our group lacked Chris and his bird recordings, but in a large grove of trees near the beach we encountered Melanesian Megapode for the first time and saw a co-operative juvenile Buff-headed Coucal.

Buff-headed Coucal

Centropus milo

The smaller forest birds were not particularly easy to find but the endemic White-capped Monarch was an exception. 

White-capped Monarch

Monarcha richardsii

Roviana Rail was encountered in someone's garden.  With the homeowner's permission we entered and everyone got a view, although the rail was too shy for me to get a picture.  Later, the other group saw the same individual bird in the same area.   

This captive Yellow-bibbed Lory  was a distraction while we waited for the rail.

Yellow-Bibbed Lory (captive)

Lorius chlorocercus

The shade of a huge tree near the landing point was a glorious spot to wait for departure. There some of the local wood-carvers put their goods on display, and visitors and locals alike sat around and chatted. 

In the late afternoon we had a "Zodiac Cruise" around a nearby inlet, with some birds and scenery photographed from the Zodiacs.

Pacific Swallow 

Hirundo tahitica subfusca

Claret-breasted Dove

Ptilinopus viridian lewisii

Cardinal Lory

Chalcopsitta cardinalis

Cardinal Lory

Chalcopsitta cardinalis

Up the creek....

Towards the cone of Kolombangara

As darkness fell, the ship headed towards the south coast of Bougainville Island, and when dawn broke on 10th April we were in the waters of Papua New Guinea. 

Of course, human boundaries meant nothing to the birds and there were few to see anyway.  A surprise was Leach's Petrel, which popped up from the water close to the boat.

Leach's Storm-petrel

Oceanodroma leucorhoa

Leach's Storm-petrel

Oceanodroma leucorhoa

With "slow" birding conditions on the last two full days of the voyage we were able to resume our alternative sport of flying-fish spotting....

Flying fish A

Yellow-wing Flyingfish Cypselurus poeciliopterus (top left),  Flying fish A (top right)

Spotfin Flyingfish Cheilopogon furcatus, (bottom left),  Flying fish B (bottom right)

Flying fish C

Flying fish C

Flying fish D, C, E, F

Flying fish E

Flying fish E

Spotfin Flyingfish

Cheilopogon furcatus

Flying Fish G

Flying Fish G

Flying Fish G

"What are they called...?" -  Maybe we will find out ..... eventually

At the other end of the size scale, frigatebirds appeared now and then.

Great Frigatebird

Fregata minor

Lesser Frigatebird

Fregata ariel

Lesser Frigatebird

Fregata ariel

Even if they were often quite distant, Spinner Dolphins demanded our attention with their pirouetting out of the still waters.

Spinner Dolphin

Stenella longirostris

Spinner Dolphin

Stenella longirostris

One of the "targets" of the WPO is Beck's Petrel.  Dutch Ornithologist Rollo Beck shot the original two specimens in the late 1920s.  For many years this species was only known from the specimens, but it has been seen on the WPO every year since 2007.  So, the WPO has put Beck's Petrel back on the birding radar.  

Anyhow, Beck's Petrel performed for us.  Tahiti Petrel looks almost identical, but cruises about like a 1950s airliner, whereas Becks is 10-20% smaller and behaves more like a "normal"  petrel.

Beck's Petrel

Pseudobulweria becki

In late afternoon we were still in the area off the eastern tip of New Ireland.  It was the prime area for Beck's Petrels and Heinroth's Shearwater, but no amount of wishful thinking by the birders could draw more of them in.

The appearance of a large, mixed pod of dolphins made the final afternoon a joy.  Some photos below..

Melon-headed Whales

Peponocephala electra

Melon-headed Whales

Peponocephala electra

Fraser's  Dolphin

Lagenodelphis hosei

Fraser's  Dolphin

Lagenodelphis hosei

Fraser's  Dolphin

Lagenodelphis hosei

Fraser's  Dolphin

Lagenodelphis hosei

206 species of bird were seen on the trip.  This may not seem a lot for 19 days effort; but two thirds of then were "lifers" for Jemi and me.

Western Pacific Odyssey 2013 Part 5 - Makira and Guadalcanal

Another day, another tropical island in the Solomons.  Ain't life tough sometimes ?  This time, Makira - formerly San Cristobal.  

Beach Kingfisher

Todiramphus saurophagus saurophagus

A few outrigger canoes dotted the bay.

As with the other endemic bird-laden islands, we had had a briefing the previous evening from the tireless Chris Collins, when he told us what we'd be looking out for.  And we all had a "cheat sheet" which listed the endemics so that everyone could keep track of what they'd seen and what they still "needed".  

As far as the birding was concerned, we had everything we needed and we'd been told everything we needed to know.  Now all we had to do was concentrate and find the birds.

Barred Cuckooshrike

Coracina lineata gracilis

Mottled Flowerpecker

Dicaeum tristrami

Chestnut-bellied Moarch

Monarcha richardsii

Sooty Myzomela

Myzomela tristrami

Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeon

Ducula r. rubricera

Long-tailed Triller

Lalage leucopyga affinis

Eclectus Parrot

Eclectus roratus

It's easy to lapse into a "Tropical Island Paradise" way of thinking. But the road we birded along had been built by loggers and the timber abandoned at the waters' edge served as a reminder of the environmental threats these islands still face.

Makira Island, Solomons

As we left Makira, a pair of Beach Kingfishers showed themselves…. so thank to Mike Bell for his skillful driving of the Zodiac in shallow waters...

After the morning's birding we were given an "Island welcome" at Anuta village. It seems that the "Spirit of Enderby" is the only foreign ship that ever calls at Anuta, and the villagers are still happy to give overseas visitors a traditional welcome.

We were garlanded by a line-up of the village girls and seated and given a coconut each.

There followed a short speech (in English) by the village head .  It was all very pleasant.  Jemi's polaroid instant-print camera was a big hit. So much so, that the camera kept overheating when she was trying to produce some photos for the kids.  

Then, we alien invaders sailed away with the next stop being the island of Guadalcanal with Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands.

************

The catering staff rose to the challenge of providing a 03:30 breakfast, and all the birders were ashore before 05:00hrs.

And, if I haven't mentioned it elsewhere, the food was consistently excellent. 

Inland of Honiara, we arrived at the 410 metre summit of Mt Austen just as dawn broke. 

Mt Austen proved to be a pretty good site with Blyth's Hornbills giving an early morning flypast in ones and twos.

Blyth's Hornbill

Blyth's Hornbill

Steel-blue Flycatcher

Solomons Cockatoo

Any kingfisher being a highlight, this fearless Ultramarine Kingfisher - which stayed put for over half-an-hour - was much appreciated.

Ultamarine Kingfisher

Solomons Sea Eagle

Another "Solomons Sea Eagle" !!

Port of Honiara

So much packed into one morning, and we were away in early afternoon.  

Here a view of western Guadalcanal. As evening drew closer, we could watch the clouds slowly change colour.... 

Next stop; - the volcanic cone-shaped island of Kolombangara !