Fiji
- November 2005
Bird/Species
Trip List
Guides: Doug Pratt, Peg Abbott, and one day with local biologist Vili
Masibalavu of Birdlife International
***
FIJI endemic
Red-footed
Booby – offshore from Kadavu. At first we saw multiple
birds at the horizon edge from shore, but a day later both dark and
light phase birds seen from our snorkeling boat at quite close range.
Lesser
Frigatebird – fairly common offshore from Kadavu. Jean
and Nancy also saw one flying high above Maravu on Taveuni.
White-faced
Heron – our first looks were excellent ones, with several
birds, and one perched on the fence posts lining the Suva airport.
A particularly nice sighting, great for photography was near to our
hotel north of Nadi.
Pacific
(Eastern) Reef Heron – common and seen on every island,
both coastal and on inland lakes and streams.
Gray
Heron – Doug and Peg spotted this large heron from
the plane as we landed in Suva on our return to Nadi. It turns out
Vili Masibalavu from Birdlife International had also seen a Gray Heron
in the last few weeks, as the White-faced increased so may this species
in future years, something to watch.
Pacific
Black Duck – a pair were seen and photographed on a
small pond at Raintree Lodge our first day, then on our final day
in Nadi en route to the Orchid Garden we had several flyovers.
Swamp
(Pacific) Harrier – our first bird was seen on Viti
Levu en route from the Suva airport to our hotel. We then saw them
nearly daily, at least in flight on the ridgelines. We had looks at
several perched birds as well, but their real elegance comes out in
flight!
***Fiji
Goshawk – this bird commands attention as at this time
of year it’s almost constantly vocal. Peg spotted an adult on
a nest first off at Thurston Gardens, where we had stunning looks.
The nest was so deep we had a difficult time seeing a chick, but behavior
suggested first feeding, then brooding very small nestlings. At Maravu,
two pair commanded the back garden, and were often squabbling. We
saw some great flight shows, and heard a lot of females demanding
food and keeping those mates busy. Seen on every island, a resident
pair above Matana on Kadavu as well.
Banded
(Buff-banded) Rail – seen crossing the road, from the
van, en route to Bouma Heritage Park as we crossed through agricultural
lands on Taveuni. Sadly rain prevented us from searching out another
for all to see, so only a few group members saw this bird.
Purple
Swamphen – a similar scenario to that above for the
rail, several of Doug’s van got a sighting of this one on our
first outing on Taveuni.
Pacific
Golden Plover – quite a few of these were seen on mudflats
near our Suva hotel, and along the pathway that paralleled the harbor
for miles. We also had birds on the beach on Kadavu and near Nadi,
but not as numerous. By far the most common shorebird.
Bar-tailed
Godwit – seen from the waterfront pathway of Suva Harbor,
feeding with Golden Plovers.
Siberian
(Gray-tailed) Tattler – Doug spotted this bird near
our hotel, where a rocky outcrop created a bay effect of the mudflat.
Wandering
Tattler – Peg got a close look at this one down at
the Maravu Beach, where it was quite tame on a small rock outcrop.
Great-crested
Tern – first seen en route back from Des Voeux peak,
perched on a marine buoy and flying. This bird was quite common off
Kadavu and put on some great feeding displays.
Black-naped
Tern – the smaller of our two tern species but equally
common, we had sightings off Taveuni and Kadavu.
Noddy,
sp. – most likely Black Noddy due to proximity to shore
and behavior, but at enough of a distance we left it as Noddy, sp.
Seen off the southern coast of Taveuni as we boarded the boats to
see the falls at Lavena.
Feral
Pigeon (Rock Dove) – Suva and Nadi, one nesting at
the gas station our last rainy day.
White-throated
(Metallic) Pigeon – what a beauty! We first saw this
bird in flight and then perched in the scope on our walk up Savura
Watershed in Suva. We saw it again in flight on Taveuni, then had
our best looks, close enough to photograph, on our day with Birdlife
International coming back from Monasavu Dam.
Many-colored
Fruit Dove – we checked a number of fruiting banyan
trees on Taveuni, and a few got a glimpse of these birds at Maravu,
but all were rewarded at Matana on Kadavu, where several pairs of
these perfectly gorgeous birds fed like gluttons in the same tree
– present there for all the days of our stay!
***Orange
Dove – for many this is the bird of the trip –
it is ‘Cock-of –the-Rock’ day glow orange. What
a sight, high in the trees. We all got good, but neck-breaking views
on our trek up the hill at Vidawa Forest on Taveuni, then a surprisingly
easy, though more distant look on our march along the “10-minute
trail” to a waterfall. We heard their soft clicking calls typically
before seeing them, and had scope views of the green colored female
at Des Voeux Peak.
***Golden
Dove – scope views of the female and a great fly-over
view of the male, showing the color at Savura Creek Watershed, then
really great looks at a pair as the rains cleared our final highland
day on Viti Levu.
***
Velvet (Whistling) Dove – this bird is a highly vocal
skulker, and it skulks high in the canopy! It takes real diligence
to see them, and only a few got glimpses of the pair we followed,
in flight as they squeezed out of the dense forest on Kadavu. Frustrating
to have 5 or 6 singing around you and not be able to see even one!
***Barking
(Peale’s Imperial) Pigeon – one of most visible
and regular birds – wish they could all sit so prominently!
Spotted
Dove – seen very well at the airport, and again at
the Orchid Garden, both in Nadi.
***Collared
Lory – a flock of these brilliant small parrots, feeding
in red flowers – wow! Seen on all islands, and fairly common.
Seen very well from the porch of Matana Lodge, Kadavu.
***Crimson
Shining Parrot – this bird was seen, in the scope,
and as stunning fly-overs on the beach, from the trail above the lodge,
and from our walk from the truck on Kadavu. Gail got a particularly
close one on one look she’ll long remember!
*Red
Shining Parrot – seen on Taveuni on the Vidawa Forest
walk and at Des Voeux Peak. Des Voeux birds were feeding, and gave
us scope views.
***Masked
Shining Parrot – this yellow-breasted huge parrot made
its first flyover at the Savura Creek watershed, at the pond with
water lilies near the end of the road. We had better views, close
up, from Raintree Lodge, and then some flyover birds our final day
also on Viti Levu.
Fan-tailed
Cuckoo – a heard only bird, and only heard one location
– the lush forests near Monasavu Dam.
White-rumped
Swiftlet – one of our most common birds, seen on all
islands, even when raining!
White-throated
Needletail – a rarity on Fiji, spotted by Gail and
seen well by all, very rapid, bat-like flight. At Savura Creek Watershed.
Collared
Kingfisher – this was one of our most common birds,
seen several times in the scope and a cooperative bird for photography.
It is quite vocal and almost always in pairs or family groups. Seen
on all islands. Note – the taxonomy of this bird remains in
question, some consider it Sacred Kingfisher, but in any event, we
saw one species of kingfisher in Fiji throughout.
Pacific
Swallow – our first bird seen on a ledge of the airport
as we got off the plane. Seen almost daily and on all islands.
Australian
Magpie – a pair en route back from Bouma Heritage Park,
just before the exciting flooded creek crossing!
Polynesian
Triller – this bird was one of our first sightings
at the airport. Its vocalizations were complex and pretty constant
in the forest and in gardens on all islands. A real treat was the
scope view on Des Voeux of a bird on its nest.
Island
Thrush – the only place we had time to see and study
this secretive bird was atop Des Voeux as we walked the road. Their
calls were the main part of the dawn symphony we experience in this
lush, but frustrating-to-bird forest. We also heard them singing our
last day in the Viti Levu highlands.
***Fiji
Bush Warbler – this amiable bird was first seen with
Doug, along the road while we waited for Peg to get permission for
our group to enter Savura Creek Watershed.] We then had it daily,
though often only heard, it was a regular companion. On Kadavu, we
got looks at the really ochre-colored cap that marks this race –
quite striking.
Of
note here, it should be said we did NOT see the ***Long-legged Warbler,
but having endured the epic 4 hour drive (described as 2 ½)
up a bone-jarring road in the pouring rain, we can say we made the
effort, and stood by the creek 2 pair live on! There are currently
only about 10 pair of this recently rediscovered species known on
Fiji….
Streaked
Fantail – What a perky little bird, and common, seen
everywhere but Kadavu, where it is replaced by an endemic species.
Its vocalizations on Taveuni were quite different from those we heard
on Viti Levu, showing why this is a species Doug is investigating
as a possible split.
***Kadavu
Fantail – we heard this bird several times before seeing
it, though Doug found it quite common in his recording sojourns up
the hill. On our last morning, we walked to a patch of native forest
above Matana and had super looks, at a pair on the nest! It turns
out to be the first nest of this species to be reported, so we were
really doing some pioneering!
Red-vented
Bulbul – our first bird coming out of the airport,
and a common companion, to the degree it was nice to be on Kadavu
where they remain absent. Their begging and food stealing at our lunch
at Raintree Lodge was pretty impressive!
***Slaty
Flycatcher (Monarch) – this was one of the easier of
the songbirds to see, and we had good looks on all islands.
*
Fiji (Lesser) Shrikebill – this bird was seen and heard
remarkably well, including scope views at one point! Its plaintive
whistling call is easy to imitate, and it seems to come in to investigate
an imitation of its alarm call. It’s a plain bird in plumage,
but makes up for that in voice and behavior; we were quite taken with
this bird. Seen on all islands.
Black-throated
(Black-faced) Shrikebill – this was Doug’s nemesis
bird, not seen on his previous years in Fiji. It is also a species
of concern on Fiji, whose numbers seem to be in sharp decline. Thus
we were very happy, when on our final rainy morning a few of us were
able to see the female very well, Peg was able to see the male, and
we all heard it’s calls, nearly identical to that of the Fiji
Shrikebill, ringing through the forest.
Vanikoro
Flycatcher (Broadbill) – This delightful bird was a
favorite for many, we had looks at both males and females at close
range, repeatedly and on all islands.
***Blue-crested
Flycatcher – this lovely bird was heard more than it
was seen, but we did have super looks at it on Taveuni.
***Silktail
– our first look at this bird was one that flew into binocular
view frame as we were looking at our first Orange Dove, one of those
memorable birding moments when you can’t believe your eyes!
We were able to see and to hear it in more detail our day on Des Voeux,
where several birds were seen, though more fleeting glimpses were
the rule unless one worked at it. During views ofanother really cooperative
bird, we had a flock of Collared Lory come in at close range –
and that is a real distraction!
Scarlet
Robin – some of our group saw this little charmer very
well the first day at Savura Creek Watershed with Doug, then others
had cracking looks at close range while climbing Des Voeux peak with
Gail. Peg and a few others had to wait until the last soggy day in
the highlands of Viti Levu where YES, we finally saw, both male and
female. The color is quite stunning of course…
Golden
Whistler – this bird is a shocking yellow – what
a beauty. We first had good looks on Viti Levu while at Colo-y-Suva
park. We saw it on the Vidawa Forest hike and then had stunning looks
at the white-throated variety on Kadavu at close range. It is not
only a beauty to the eye, but it has the sweetest songs in the Fiji
forest.
***Fiji
(Layard’s) White-eye – seen frequently, almost
always in flocks. Four perched together on Des Voeux Peak for close
inspection was a treat.
Silvereye
– perhaps a bit less frequent than Fiji White-eye, but super
close looks the first day in Thurston Gardens, and nearly every day
following.
***Orange-breasted
Honeyeater (Myzomela) – we had great looks at this
at Thurston Gardens, then in the hibiscus at Maravu on Taveuni, but
most memorable was the singing male spotted by Suzanne high atop a
palm on the trail down from the native forest patch on Kadavu.
Wattled
Honeyeater – seen on islands, best seen in gardens
on the way into the ’10-minute trail’ to Lavena Falls
on Taveuni. This is the honeyeater that provided quite an impressive
chorus at dawn and dusk around First Landing Resortour final days.
***Kadavu
Honeyeater – seen extraordinarily well and often from
the porch at Matana Lodge. Its dawn call (uttered all night…)
call kept a few of the group from sleeping! It was a monotonous, liquid
“good-cheeer” that slurred up, then down.
***Giant
Forest Honeyeater – what vocal chords! This is the
bird Doug described as the car alarm or whoopee siren bird. We first
heard its distinctive yodel at Savura Creek, then again very well
as the rains cleared at the electric station near Monasavu Dam our
final day. We saw it well on Des Voeux Peak on Taveuni, but here its
voice is very different (another one of Doug’s potential splits)
***Fiji
Woodswallow – this odd-shaped, personable bird posed
for photos at the airport, and then was seen on telephone wires on
Tavenuni and over by Nadi as well.
Polynesian
Starling – we had glimpses of this bird on Des Voeux
Peak, then better glimpses on Kadavu – even a scope view for
a good part of the group. Also seen on the highlands day at the end
of our journey.
Common
Myna – seen at the airport and in urban settings throughout
(not present on Kandavu)
Jungle
Myna – one of our most common birds, though not present
on Kadavu, seen otherwise daily.
Red
Avadavat – fleeting glimpses but lots of calling in
a flock near the agricultural fields and sugar train we encountered
on Nadi.
***Fiji
Parrotfinch – this colorful bird was a real hit, carrying
nesting material, our first birding venture at the airport. Seen in
several garden settings, and then flocks near the sugar train our
final day.
60
species in total, plus Noddy, sp. Nineteen of these species are ENDEMIC
to FIJI, and two additional species are close-in regional endemics.
Amphibians
Fiji Tree Frog – saw dozens of these little
cryptic frogs on the volleyball court at Raintree Lodge
Reptiles
Brown-tailed Copper-striped Skink – seen in
the creekbottom while hiking on Kadavu.
This is a tentative i.d., but the best match we could find with quick
review.
Banded Iguana – we saw the female each day
at Matana Lodge, with its striped tail and vibrant green color –
wow!
Mammals
Indian Mongoose – seen mainly on Viti Levu
around Nadi and Suva.
Tongan Fruit Bat – seen often flying, and a
roost tree on Taveuni near Garden Island Resort.
Butterflies
We did not have a field guide for these, so list only the known
species. These were identified using plates in Paddy Ryan’s
Fiji’s Natural Heritage.
Blue Moon Butterfly – incredibly common! (Hypolimnas
bolina).
Sulphur Yellow Butterfly (Eurema hecabe suphurata)
Crow Butterfly (Euploea boisduvalii herrichi)
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
A Monarch relative (Danaus hamata)
Java Butterfly (Anaphaeis java micronesia)
Skipper, sp.
Close
This Window
