18 Apr 18 - Atlantic Odyssey - Day Twenty: More St Helenan Seabirds

The first day at St Helena was one of the busiest days of the Atlantic Odyssey & it left me with the best part of 2000 photos to process (the greatest number of photos I have ever taken in a single day). So, it is no wonder that it has taken me so long to sort all the photos & why it has taken six Blog Posts for the day. The previous Posts covered our arrival at St Helena, my first Whale Shark which greeted our arrival, Jamestown which included so many photos that it had to be split over two parts, Jamestown part 1 & Jamestown part 2. Finally, there was the afternoon boat trip out to look for the St Helenan population of Band-rumped Storm-petrels. This final Post covers the other Birds seen on the boat trip.

Red-billed Tropicbird: This is the mesonauta subspecies which occurs in the subtropical & tropical Pacific, as well as, the Caribbean & East Atlantic

Red-billed Tropicbird: I couldn't resist another photo

Masked Booby: There were a few Masked Boobies flying around during the day. This is the nominate dactylatra subspecies which occurs in the Caribbean & SW Atlantic

Common Noddy: This is also known as Brown Noddy. There were good numbers of Common Noddies flying around & on Egg Island. This is the nominate stolidus subspecies which occurs in the Caribbean & South Atlantic islands, as well as, around the Gulf of Guinea to Cameroon

White-capped Noddy: This is also known as Black Noddy. They were also common around St Helena. This is the atlanticus subspecies which occurs in St Helena & on adjacent South Atlantic islands and the Gulf of Guinea. In good light, they are blacker with a more extensive white & more contrasting crown & are noticeably longer billed

The Noddy nest ledges looked stunning

I wonder how old this rope is

White Tern: Proving that some individuals can nest sensibly like other Terns, rather than trying to balance an egg on a notch in a branch as some were in the trees in Jamestown

White Tern: This is the nominate alba subspecies which occurs on St Helena & Ascension Island, as well as, Fernando de Noronha & Trindade Island

 

Four-winged Flying Fish: As we were returning to Jamestown, we disturbed a few Flying Fish including this Four-winged Flying Fish

The boat trip back to the Plancius gave us the chances to see some of this historical defences a bit closer than during our arrival into Jamestown Bay on the Plancius.

I presume this is one of the Napoleonic era defences

A closer view of the Napoleonic defence we saw from the Plancius as we arrived

The rocky cliffs were full of interesting patterns caused by the various volcanic eruptions

More volcanic patterns

High Knoll Fort: The fort towers over Jamestown on the highest ground & was built to protect the ladder batteries against a rear attack

Two Elswick Mark VII Six Inch Guns on Ladder Hill: I hadn't noticed these guns when I walked up Ladder Hill & the legs were a bit too stiff to want to walk up the following day to have a closer look

One of the Elwick Six Inch Guns: They were ordered to help guard the island in 1902 when there were Boer prisoners held on St Helena. By the time the guns had arrived, the Boer War was over & the prisoners had been sent back to South Africa. They were used once in World War II when a submarine surfaced close to St Helena

7 Nov 14 - More Henderson Island Endemics

Having seen the first of the four landbird endemics on Henderson Island, the Henderson Island Reed Warbler, than there were still three more endemics to see.

Henderson Island Reed Warbler: Another individual that appeared whilst photographing the White Terns

Several times during the day, We heard the short, high calls of the Stephen's Lorikeets, as they flew over the Coconut fringed edge of the island. But seeing them was a different matter. I did get some brief views & this was followed by a good flight view from the beach, of an individual further along the beach. But it flew into the trees before I could grab the camera. Despite hearing them several more times, I failed to get any more views. A real shame as it looked a great looking Lorikeet.

Stephen's Lorikeet: With no photos, I'm going to have to fall back on a photo I took of a painting in the Pitcairn museum

Another species We heard several times calling as it flew around was Bristle-thighed Curlew. Finally, I managed to get some flight shots as one flew over calling. Later we had one perched up on the edge of the island's plateau. The whole of the island is basically a coral reef which has been pushed up about 20-30 metres above sea level with a narrow coastal strip which includes a couple of beaches. I guess it wasn't too happy to have to share its beach with a bunch of Birders. This is another of the amazing Curlew species. This one breeds in West Alaska & winters in Hawaii, Micronesia & Polynesia. How the species first worked out the islands were there, is even more fascinating than how the current generation find the islands as they migrate South. 

Bristle-thighed Curlew: They winter in small numbers on a number of small islands in the Pacific

Bristle-thighed Curlew: Have a listen to Dan Lane's recording of Bristle-thighed Curlew's excellent calls on Xeno-Canto as the call is great

Bristle-thighed Curlew: Sitting on the edge of the raised coral plateau

Throughout our visit, there were a number of Seabird species flying along the beach edge or heading into nesting sites on the island.

Murphy's Petrel: This is a regional breeding endemic species which breeds on the French Polynesian Tuamotu & Austral Islands and the British Pitcairn Island group (Henderson, Oeno & Ducie Islands)

Murphy's Petrel: Giving an nice underwing view

Murphy's Petrel: Showing the pale face patch of this species 

Murphy's Petrel: We found this individual as it was moving to the beach to take off

Murphy's Petrel: A close up of the same individual

Murphy's Petrel: Another view of the typical tubenose bill

Murphy's Petrel: Later in the afternoon, I bumped into this pair of Murphy's Petrels

Red-tailed Tropicbird: This is the melanorhynchos subspecies which occurs in the West, Central & South Pacific which is replaced by the roseotinctus subspecies in the South West Pacific. Two other subspecies occur in the Indian Ocean

Great Frigatebird: Female. No surprise they were here

Great Frigatebird: Juvenile

Lesser Frigatebird: Adult male showing its diagnostic white underwing patches. This is the nominate ariel subspecies which was less commonly seen on the trip, although perhaps a few were overlooked amongst the much commoner Great Frigatebirds

White-capped Noddy

Grey Noddy: This used to be treated as Blue-grey Noddy, but Clements splits this former species into 2 Pacific species. The Grey Noddies around Pitcairn & Henderson Islands are part of the skottsbergii subspecies which also occurs on Easter Island & Sala y Gomez Island. Two subspecies are found around Lord Howe, Norfolk, Kermadec Islands & Tonga and the Chilean Desaventurados Islands, respectively 

Finally, after a lot of searching, Chris & some of the others in the group located a Henderson Island Fruit-dove. Fortunately, it stayed put which allowed Chris to find myself & the rest of the group. Another of the single Island endemics seen.

Henderson Island Fruit-dove: Time for a preen for the wet looking individual

Henderson Island Fruit-dove: It finally fell asleep to the motordrive lullaby

Being a very remote island, then there are few species of Insects there. I only saw one species of Butterfly on Pitcairn & Henderson Island: the Blue Moon Butterfly. This has a large world range from Madagascar to South & South East Asia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands as far as French Polynesia & the Pitcairn group.

Blue Moon Butterfly: Male. It's a shame the hind wings are very worn as when fresh the males have a large blue moon in the middle of the hind wing. The females are brown with off small white spots & squares along the trailing edge of the wings

We left the island after a fantastic day ashore, despite the intermittent rain, but slightly disappointed that we hadn't seen the Henderson Island Crake. With the anticipated arrival of another expedition ship for the following day & a poor weather forecast, we knew we wouldn't be considering going ashore the following day. So the plan was for a day of chumming at sea. We had time in the schedule for another attempt to land on Henderson Island, but the forecast wasn't encouraging.

3 Nov 14 - Off To See Noddy (& Some Boobies)

Just got back from one of my best & most enjoyable trips to date which my Sister described as, the trip to see Noddy & some Boobies. Somehow I can't see Wildwings changing the official title of their tour, In The Wake Of The Bounty, to this alternative title. I met up with Chris Collins, who was leading the tour at Heathrow, a day earlier than most of the others were flying out. We had to overnight in a Los Angeles airport hotel, before catching an afternoon flight the following day to Tahiti. While this only got us into Tahiti the evening before the early morning flight the bulk of the group were arriving, it did mean I had 2 good nights sleep to get over the 10 hours time change. The official hotel complex was incredibly expensive, so I settled for the first night at the more moderately priced, Pension Armelle nearby. Whilst not in the same league as the Manava Suite Resort, it backed onto the beach & had far more Birds on view. Considerately, the Pension Armelle under-provided on the inclusive breakfast (which consisted of 1 small piece of French bread & marmalade, but plenty of coffee & orange juice), thus allowing me to focus on some photography from their beach balcony.

Pension Armelle: The beach balcony - ideal for beach photography, but don't get excited about the breakfast

Pension Armelle beach: The beach from the balcony (with another overpriced hotel in the distance)

Pension Armelle beach: The beach looking left (with a few dark clouds in the distance)

Pension Armelle beach: Like most tropical islands there is an offshore reef

Pension Armelle beach: The breakers on the offshore reef. While it looks fun for surfing, there will be sharp coral underneath to quickly stop that idea

Pension Armelle Beach: Is this Brian Gregory, practicing for the landings we had lined up later in the trip?

Whilst it looks great, what the photos don't convey is the high humidity, even about eight in the morning: the humidity even increased away from the coast. There was a good selection of Birds (for Tahiti) on the beach, until a few people started appearing after nine.

Eastern Reef Heron: Dark phase. This is also know as Pacific Reef Heron. This is the albolineata subspecies. The nominate subspecies was photographed in the Andamans. This photo isn't cropped, except to get to my usual 6:5 blog format

Eastern Reef Heron: Light phase. Both phases are found on Tahiti

Wandering Tattler: There were three of these delightful & common Polynesian Waders on the beach

Wandering Tattler: This species winters from Australia, throughout the Pacific & the Pacific coast of Central America

Wandering Tattler: Looks like some wing moult on the secondaries

Common Noddy: This is also known as Brown Noddy. The browner inner wing (compared to darker sooty black colouration) & less distinct white forehead separates this from White-capped Noddy. This is the pileatus subspecies which occurs from the Seychelles & Madagascar to Australia & the tropical Pacific including Pollynesia & Hawaii. Four other subspecies occur around the Red Sea, Galapagos, Pacific Coast of Central America & Caribbean to Cameroons

White-capped Noddy: Also known as Black Noddy. This was a fairly commonly seen Noddy on the trip, but not as common as the Common Noddies

White-capped Noddy: This is the minutus subspecies which occurs from Australia, New Guinea across to French Polynesia

Crested Tern: This is the cristatus subspecies which occurs from Malaysia, to the Philippines & the Ryukus Islands as well as Eastern Australia to French Polynesia

Zebra Dove: One of several common Introduced species in the populated parts of the Tahiti

Common Myna: Another Intro

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin: Yet another Intro, but at least it's a species, I've not seen any since my trips to Australia in the late 80s & early 90s. I wasn't expecting to see this species right next to the tide line

Indo-Pacific Gecko: I heard a few around the Pension, but this was the only one seen & the only photo I managed to get before it disappeared

Around late morning, it was time to head off to meet the others & check in at the luxury Manava Suite Resort (my room for this evening was included in the price of the tour so happy to move hotels).