9 Nov 14 - Return To Henderson Island

It was a quick breakfast this morning when news broke that Matt reckoned he could get us back ashore on Henderson Island, & better still, onto the main North beach. We had managed to land on the West beach a couple of days earlier, but We had been unable to find the Henderson Island Crake. After changing from another wet to the waist landing, We quickly unsuccessfully tried to find a Henderson Island Crake in the Coconut fringed edge behind the beach.

This shy Henderson Island Fruit-dove did put in a brief appearance

With no joy on the flat ground, it was time to switch to Plan B: this was to try the island plateau. There is a narrow, steep, rough track which leads up onto the plateau. Fortunately, everybody managed to get up the track without any problems. It wasn't until late in the afternoon on the first Henderson Island landing that We had discovered the other end of the track. That didn't look as straight-forward getting up & I'm not convinced all of the group would have made it up that track, so it was good that the main beach track was better.

The track crosses the island to the West beach through dense vegetation

We found a point on the track where it got slightly wider & stood around Chris as He played the tape of the Henderson Island Crake. After a few minutes, Chris spotted a movement. Fortunately, it was on my side of the track & I quickly saw this stunning small black flightless Crake, with bright orange-red legs & eye ring, as it stood a few metres into the vegetation looking for the intruder into its territory. I had a clear view of it through a gap & would have loved to raise the camera up for a photo. But there were still several of group behind who hadn't seen it & therefore, I stayed still as I didn't want to risk flushing it. A real shame as after that, while it remained on view for several minutes, I never had another chance of an unobscured photo. One of the Birds of the trip.

Henderson Island Crake: I will have to fall back on my photo of a painting in the Pitcairn museum

Henderson Island Reed Warbler: This put in an appearance to see how we were getting on with the more views of the Henderson Island Crake

Chris had radioed back to the Braveheart to say We had seen our last Henderson Island endemic. Unfortunately, the response from Matt was as the wind had been getting up from its initally fairly still conditions, then Matt was keen for us to head back to the beach, so we could be taken off before the sea state deteriorated further. This allowed about 30 minutes while Matt was bringing the Braveheart back in & relaunching the jet boat. I decided to carry on looking for the Henderson Island Crake, while some of the others headed back to the edge of the cliff in the hope of better views of Stephen's Lorikeet. We saw no more Crakes, but I did see this Lizard. I had seen similar looking Lizards on Pitcairn as well as on the first landing on Henderson Island, but failed to get any photos earlier in the trip.

White-bellied Skink Emoia cyanura: This occurs from Clipperton Island (Eastern Pacific) to Hawaii, the Caroline Islands of Micronesia and South to French Polynesia & the Pitcairn group

Far too quickly, We had to return to the beach so We could be collected. Clearly, having seen all the key endemic Birds, then it was better to get off the island safely, but I think We would all have loved to spend more time on this special island.

Chris about to descend down the track back to the beach

Red-footed Booby: This Red-footed Booby flew over showing its distinctive red feet as we were waiting on the beach

The one downside of Henderson Island, is there was a plan to clear the island of the introduced Polynesian Rats. They are a major predator of both the endemic Landbirds & breeding Seabirds on the island. In 2011, the whole of island was baited with rat poison. Despite apparently initial success during the post baiting monitoring period, sadly, it didn't eliminated the Polynesian Rats on the island. But this was successful on the other Pitcairn islands of Ducie & Oeno that were also included in the Rat clearance program. Birdlife International are currently fund raising for a return visit in May 2015. So a plea from me. If you have enjoyed the Birds photos & Seabirds from recent Posts from Henderson Island & you would like to do something to help these incredible islands, then please join me & donate some money to Birdlife's Just Giving page.

https://www.justgiving.com/gift-for-nature/

There is also more information about the project on this Just Giving page. Thank you.

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.