Hi All,
Well I am now back from Tonga where I had the privilege of visiting Maninita -
one the most remote islands in the Vavau group to do a count of seabirds there.
It was an extraordinary place to visit and is so far south in Vavau, not many
locals ever make it down there.
Maninita was a task to reach. In fact, if any Birding-Aus people were off to
Tonga and wanted details of how to get there, please email me to save yourself
the large amount of legwork I undertook to reach the island. The struggle was
worth it though. Maninita has far more seabirds than any other island in the
Vavau group.
Here is a list of what we saw out there.
BirdsWhite Tern (200+)
Black Noddy (400+)
Red-tailed Tropicbird (1) - not nesting
Eastern Reef Egret (grey morph) (2)
Brown Booby (8)
Red-footed Booby (4)
Ruddy Turnstone (1)
Wandering Tattler (1)
Curlew sp. (possibly Bristle-thighed) (1)
Polynesian Triller (2)
Mammals
Humpback Whale and Calf (2)
Fish
Emperor Angel (1)
Harlequin Tuskfish (1)
Centropyge Angels (1)
Convict Tangs (20+)
Yellow Pufferfish (1)
Highlights
White Terns performing courtship display flights in the breeze and buzzing our
heads as they left the island
Snorkelling in Swallows Cave
Watching two mother humpback whales direct their calves past the boat
Lowlights
Remaining rat traps left on Maninita 7 years after eradication program had
concluded
Turtle skeleton and large spider shells in two fireplaces (leftover from
traditional Tongan barbecue?)
Rubbish scattered around shoreline (no large deposits)
Dead Black Noddies in trees - cause of death unknown
Weather
Overcast with isolated showers. Air temperature 20 degrees. Sea temperature
23 degrees. Water visibility - Maninita 10m, Swallows Cave 30m+
If anyone would like pics of the trip, please email me and I would be happy to
oblige.
Cheers,
Inger
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