G'day all
Just back from 10 days on Efate in Vanuatu. Great holiday (food, sunshine,
kava, lovely people, snorkelling etc.) but if birds were your first priority I
wouldn't recommend it. I saw 24 species (yes 24!). Nine of these were new and
one was a Vanuatu endemic. I'm writing a trip report and should have it on my
web site in a few days.
We only visited Efate but had planned (and booked) a visit to Tanna for the
volcano etc. Travel agent stuff ups meant we couldn't get there.
Birds are numerous but can be hard to see in the lush vegetation. The almost
complete absence of seabirds was a surprise - only a few Crested Terns and Reef
Egrets. Waders, apart from a few Pacific Golden Plovers were also absent -
maybe we were a bit early. There don't seem to be easy ways to get into the
mountainous interior of the island where some of the expected bird species would
have been so I only saw those adapted to coastal areas which are heavily
modified for plantations, grazing and village gardens.
Birding highlights:
Blue-faced Parrotfinch - several small flocks on the Port Vila golf course near
Mele (up to 20 birds in one flock)
Red-bellied Fruit Doves - common but hard to see
Pacific Imperial Pigeon - one only
Streaked Fantail
Melanesian Flycatcher (like a Leaden Flycatcher)
Yellow-fronted White-eye (endemic)
Silver-eared Honeyeater (very similar in call and behaviour to the related Brown
Honeyeater)
Glossy and Uniform Swiftlets (everywhere - the Glossys in particular were
stunning litle chaps)
Pacific Swallow (only a few seen near the Vila market)
Cheers
Steve
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Steve Clark
Hamilton, Victoria, 3300
http://members.datafast.net.au/clarkja/sw_birds.htm
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