23/3/08
Up 7.00, Euan and Jenny arrived at 8.00, the taxi at 8.30, plane to Sydney at 10.00. Walked 20min into Mascot to get lunch. 13.10 flight to Lord Howe Island, plenty of snacks on the flight and a bit of shut eye. It was 24 degrees when we arrived, got picked up at the airport, there were a few birds at Lord Howe airport including a Swamp Harrier, which was a bit early for it apparently. Changed into shorts and walked down the hill and hired bikes for $45 each for the week, then to shops for provisions for breaky and lunch, nearly $50. Went down to look at the provisions ship, saw Ruddy Turnstone, walked down to the museum for dinner nearly $40. Other birds for today were Nankeen Kestrel, Buff-banded Rail, Pacific Golden Plover at the airport, Sooty Tern, White Tern, Emerald Dove tame around the hotel, Sacred Kingfisher, Magpie Lark, Welcome Swallow, Blackbird and Silver-eye.
Pied Currawong
24/3
Up 8.00 breaky with Euan and Jenny then walked the Transit Hill trail to the platform at the top then down to Blinky Beach, past the airport where the waders roost and feed in the high tide and back for lunch, then went to Ned’s beach for a snorkel in the arvo. Really good, saw a 4-5ft shark and a small turtle, heaps of interesting fish including butterfly fish a large wrasse and parrot fish, the coral itself was not spectacular. Added Black Duck, Mallard hybrid, Providence Petrel, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Black-winged Petrel, Masked Booby, White-faced Heron, Purple Swamphen, Bar-tailed Godwit, Double Banded Plover, Masked Lapwing, Common Noddy, Golden Whistler, Pied Currawong. Rode down to Settlement Bay, took a photo of the sunset towards Mt Gower. Dinner was at Palm Sugar, very nice food, I had marinated lamb and lemon cake, with Bev’s included was $65. Back 21.00, read for a while.
Common Noddy
25/3
Up 7.30, breaky then went to Lord Howe airport to look for the Lord Howe Woodhen and scored a Red-necked Stint as well, then to Settlement Bay for another snorkel, not so good today but did see another species of turtle and different fish, but not as much coral or fish as at Ned’s. Back up the hill for lunch, didn’t manage to ride up this time, then back down the hill to the jetty and on the boat at 14.30. Cost $100. Saw a Butterfly Cod at the jetty. The boat went down the west side of the island to Ball’s Pyramid, stopping just short of it to burley. Then around the pyramid and up the east side of the island stopping here and there including Roach Island in the Admiralty group, then back to the jetty, this time seeing a Bull Ray at the jetty, went to the Bowling Club for dinner, shared a prawn entree and salad and had fish and chips $54. Added Kermadec Petrel, Flesh-footed Shearwater, White-bellied Storm Petrel, Red-tailed Tropicbird, Black Noddy, Grey Ternlet and Common Starling.
Ball’s Pyramid
Lord Howe Woodhen
26/3
Up 7.30, breaky as usual, am running out of cash so went to check bank opening times, they are 10.00-15.00 most days, checked out the airport, then to boat to North Bay with Ian Hutton again $65 each. The Black Noddies have vacated the nesting trees, the old gulch platform was nice but no Grey Ternlets, saw some grapsus crabs. Went most of the way up Mt Eliza, took some photos, then went snorkelling, saw a Lion Fish a purple Moray Eel a small clam and more nice fish, saw more Green Turtles, back for a shower and went to Garden restaurant, had a pretty good satay $47 for both of us. Walked to Ned’s beach and found some Flesh-footed Shearwaters roosting on the ground, got photos of Ghost Crabs on the beach. Only new bird was a Song Thrush today.
young White Tern
young tropicbird
Flesh-footed Shearwater
Ghost Crabs
27/3
Up 6.30, quick breaky, made lunch and then rode down to the start of the Mt Gower tk, the others arrived and we set off at 7.30 along the flat. The first steep slope was okay, then in to a gully, and I realized I didn’t have anything to munch on and I hadn’t had enough breaky. The rest of the walk was up the steep sometimes very steep track and I got slower and slower as I ran out of energy, the plant ecosystem was interesting as it changed from palms ’til right at the top was an eerie cloud forest. I was too stuffed to really appreciate it. At the top we had lunch and I felt much better after a relax in the cool windless air with a view over the island. The Providence Petrels were called in and crashed down at our feet; I really didn’t like that, although it was good to see them close up. Also had an inquisitive Pied Currawong. The descent was quite easy since I had come up so slowly my muscles hadn’t worked too hard. The ride back wasn’t as bad as I expected either, though I had to push it all the way up the hill. I ate half a bar of chocolate and drank 1½ litres of water. Bev, Euan and Jenny had done an easier walk. On the way back I thought I’d seen a Little Curlew at the airport, so we rode down to have a look but couldn’t find one, only Whimbrel which was the only new bird for the day. Shower and had salami and salad in our rooms, chatted til nearly 21.00.
Sooty Tern meets Common Noddy
28/3
Up 8.00, went out to Muttonbird Point to gaze at the boobies, not much else around, nice view across a calm sea, didn’t enjoy the walk though, the body doesn’t want to do anything, especially walk uphill. We tried to get on a boat out to the Admiralty group but it was cancelled. Euan and Jenny went off by themselves, we bought some post cards and some food for tonight including wahoo fillets $25, and relaxed in the arvo. Euan and Jenny didn’t get back til 18.30 so dinner was late but the fish was nice. My muscles have tightened up and by 21.00 I was out of energy.
29/3
Up 7.30, breaky then teed up the boat trip for the arvo, Bev and I went to Ned’s beach and I went snorkelling and saw a large fingered starfish and some other new fish like a grouper, trigger fish and eastern footballer and a small green turtle, back to unit at 11.30, lunch then found that the boat trip had been delayed until 16.30, so I relaxed on the grass whilst the others went for a snorkel in the lagoon, Jenny finally got to see a turtle. Ian Hutton and three others came on the boat trip out to the Admiralty group which although too quick was good; we got Grey-tailed Tattler on the rocks and 50 or so Little Shearwaters, one White-bellied Storm Petrel for Bev, since she hadn’t come on the Ball’s Pyramid trip, thankfully she didn’t get sick, so when we went to the Pandanus restaurant we ate well, I had a lasagne and some of Bev’s chips. We had a big downpour as we finished dinner, and had to get a lift home. Euan and Jenny paid for the boat trip $40 each, I paid for dinner $190 total, it was nice to have friends to share the experience of this very special island with.
30/3
Home.
If you would like to contribute the the well being of this world, our world, your world, an easy and effective way to do it is to join a quality environmental group. There are many spread across the world all plugging away trying to make the world a better place for wildlife. We belong to Birdlife Australia, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). You can donate your time and or money to these and many others knowing that the world will be a slightly better place because of your effort.