Thanks Allan for your very concise trip report and travel recommendations.
I confess that I was NOT one of the four brave souls who ventured out to
Ball's Pyramid on the 2nd pelagic!
My photos from Lord Howe Island are on my website -
http://galabirding.smugmug.com/Bird-Places/Lord-Howe-Island/
Judy
-----Original Message-----
From: Birding-Aus On Behalf Of
Allan Benson
Sent: Monday, 30 March 2015 9:50 AM
To:
Subject: Trip Report Lord Howe Island
Alan Morris, Mike Kuhl, Michael Scobie, Rob Benson, Judy Leitch and I plus
assorted family and friends flew to Lord Howe from 21st to 26th Match 2015.
We chose to stay at Beachcomber because it is reasonably priced (although
still ridiculously expensive) and because they have their own boat to enable
us to get out to sea to see the pelagic birds.
Beachcomber turned out to be a very pleasant accommodation with rooms of
excellent standard in a lovely setting with Lord Howe Island Woodhen, Buff
Banded Rail, Emerald Dove, Blackbird and Golden Whistler in good numbers in
the gardens. Buff Banded Rail and the Woodhen numbers have exploded since I
was there in 1995, presumably with the demise of cats on the island.
The birds we had come to see were at sea. Lord Howe is notorious for the
boats not getting out. However, we had our boatman, Gary Payten on tap and
we made it clear that he was willing to go out; we were willing to go with
him. Our first trip took us about 5 km north east of the Admiralty Island
into about 1000 feet of water. We got lots and lots of birds including
fabulous views of our target bird - White-bellied Storm Petrel. They were
prolific. In total we saw 30+ with the 9 the most seen around the boat at
anyone time. In addition we saw a Single Kermadec but only very poor views,
Common Noddy (100's), Grey Ternlet(20+ at sea), Masked Booby (10+),
Providence Petrel (20+), Wedge-tailed Shearwater (20+), Black-winged Petrel
(10+), Flesh-footed Shearwater(20+). Despite the sea condition being
relatively benign (maybe 1.5 metre swell with 10-15 km wind), the boat was
uncomfortable. We got wet and a couple of hard landings left some bumps and
bruises. We returned via the Admiralty Island where we saw 100's of Grey
Ternlets a couple of Black Noddy, a Wandering Tattler, some Sooty Terns and
lots of Red-tailed Tropicbird. The islands and the Malabar headland are
absolutely stunning from the water and worth the price of the trip alone.
Two of our numbers were not willing to subject themselves to the trip to
Ball's Pyramid the next day, so it was only 4 brave souls who took the
journey. Sea conditions were best described as lumpy with the sea and the
wind coming from opposite directions so the trip was somewhat arduous or as
Rob pointed out; not for the faint hearted. The common bird on the trip was
Providence Petrel and we saw 100's if not thousands. Mixed in with these
were some Wedge-tailed and Flesh-footed Shearwater, Masked Booby and Grey
Ternlet. Once at the spectacular Ball's Pyramid we saw 1000's of Grey
Ternlet and our target bird - Kermadec Petrel. In total we saw 5; 3 light
phase and 2 dark phase. 10 White-bellied Storm Petrel were seen in the deep
water but we never stopped the boat.
Two other events were memorable. Firstly, we went down the south end of the
island in the late afternoon with Clive Wilson to see the Providence Petrels
returning to the island. We saw 1000's of Providence Petrels, many at close
quarters, providing us with an unforgettable experience.
Secondly, we went to the headland above Blinky's Beach on dusk to look for
Little Shearwater. There are two breeding pairs there but there are also
50-60 Black-winged Petrels burrows as well. We failed to see the Little
Shearwater but the sight of Black-winged Petrel right above your head and
landing at your feet was amazing.
In total, 42 species were seen on the trip. The most notable non-seabird was
a Black-tailed Godwit which is an unusual bird here. A single Song thrush
was seen once by one observer indicating this bird is becoming scarcer.. We
found good numbers of waders around the airstrip including Pacific Golden
Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwit, Double-banded Plover, Red-necked Stint, Ruddy
Turnstone
There are proposals to helicopter bait for rats on Lord Howe. While this has
been successful on numbers of uninhabited islands, this would be the first
time it would be done on an inhabited island. There is considerable
controversy about this among the locals.
Tips for Lord Howe
1/ Late February -March is the best time to bird there. The summer breeders
are still there and the winter breeders-Providence Petrel and Little
Shearwaters are coming back
2/ If you want to go to sea allow at least 5 day on the island to allow for
reasonable sea conditions.
3/ There are two choices for a boat- Jack Schick or Gary Payten. Gary will
take 7 passengers and Jack 8. I would strongly suggest the 5 max for Gary's
boat. This is not an issue as they charge by the person.
4/ The problem with getting to sea are the boats. Gary's boat is relatively
small with 2 x115 horsepower outboards which means it goes really fast. The
advantage is you get there quickly; the disadvantage is that is a rough and
wet ride.
5/ I would recommend Beachcomber. It is a good standard of accommodation at
the lower end of the price range (but still expensive) and by staying there
you get first preference for Gary's boat. There only drawback is it located
on the ridge so it's a bit of a hill from Lagoon Road where most of the
shops are located.
6/ It is challenging to get around Lord Howe if you can't or don't ride a
bike. Bikes are available for hire at a reasonable cost.
7/ Pack anything that is really important in your hand luggage. Our luggage
was off loaded and we didn't get it for 3 days. This is not an usual
occurrence. Qantas gave us a toiletry pack and $200 which doesn't go very
far on Lord Howe but It is amazing how little you really need.
8/ If you wan to target Little Shearwater, you will need to engage Ian
Hutton. He knows where the burrows are and without an exact location you
have no chance.
9/ Everything is expensive- Flights accommodation and food.
Allan Benson
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