An early (7.30-8.30) one hour trip with Mike Simpson around
Nepean and Phillip Islands - no scrambling up that cliff with a rope thank you,
produced the following list.
Kermadec Petrel 2 or 3
Black Noddy 1000's
R-t Tropicbird - many
Brown Noddy - a few
Feral Pigeon - a few
Grey Ternlet - 100's
Ruddy Turnstone - 2
White Tern - a few
Masked Booby - dozens
Wedge-tailed Shearwater - flying around everywhere
Black-winged Petrel - 6
White-faced Heron 1
Sooty Tern - a few around
Wandering Tattler 1
Red Tailed Tropicbird - common
A few other notes - bit of a whinge really.
Make sure you have a hire car as part of your package - we drove around the
island day and night for a week.
If you hire Mike Simpson for a boat trip be very specific just where he
will meet you. He asked us to meet him at the Kingston jetty on which we
waited for over an hour and missed him - he later said he'd been on the lawns
back from the jetty with his boat but he certainly didn't come to the jetty
looking for us. He'd expected us to come looking for him - away from the
jetty! He hadn't told us this. After further negotiations he took us out
next day.
Norfolk Jet seem to be the main commercial carrier to the island and when
we went they had commissioned Air Nauru aircraft for the service. Some baggage
was off loaded at Sydney before takeoff , my own included, eventually turning up
two days later. One of my friends was not so fortunate and his luggage (
including his scope) is still missing, nearly a month later and the airline has
no idea where it is.
Getting through customs and security on the outward flight was tedious and
demeaning.
Aaaand, there are big horrible spiders everywhere on Norfolk - I don't
think I'd have gone had I known beforehand . This also applies to Lord Howe
where we went next. If they bother you like they do me, stay home.
I hope the above helps with planning.
Tony.
