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| Solomons Sea-Eagle |
We were on an early morning drive through the forested hills west of Parangiju Mountain Lodge on Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands. The birds came thick and fast. We'd not left the lodge grounds in our 4X4 vehicle when a flock of Song Parrots perched up. Around the corner were a pair of quaint Buff-headed Coucal – one of the Solomon Islands endemics that can be difficult to see well - squabbling in a tangle of roadside vegetation.
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| Buff-headed Coucal |
A trio of handsome Ultramarine Kingfishers sparkled in the morning sunshine. Solomons Cicadabird and Barred Cuckoo-shrike shared the fruits of a hulking fig tree.
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| Ultramarine Kingfisher |
Small flocks of the tiny Finsch's Pygmy-Parrot shot across the road.
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| Finsch's Pygmy-Parrot |
In an area of swamp forest, a pair of Woodford's Rails screeched loudly from the undergrowth with one appearing briefly, while a Guadalcanal Dwarf-Kingfisher called nearby. Chestnut-bellied Monarch was common, joined by smaller numbers of Solomons Monarch and Steel-blue Flycatcher.
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| Chestnut-bellied Monarch |
A female Peregrine Falcon – a scarce visitor to the Solomons – was a surprise.
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| Peregrine Falcon |
Our return to the lodge was interrupted by a fine Solomons Sea-Eagle perched atop a dead tree surveying the landscape. Back at Parangiju, a pair of eagles soared overhead. An Oriental Hobby also put on a show.
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| Solomons Sea-Eagle |
At 300m above sea level, the lodge offers respite from the humidity of the nearby coastal lowlands, and superb views from private verandahs across to Malaita Island in the distance. Solomon Islands endemics abound around the bungalows.
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| Lodge bungalow |
Solomons Cockatoo, Brown-winged Starling and Cardinal Lory can be watched feeding at eye-level from bungalow verandahs.
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| Brown-winged Starling |
Midget Flowerpecker favours the shrubs below the pleasant outdoor dining room and bar. Blyth's (Papuan) Hornbill often flies lazily past - as many as 20 in a flock. The raucous calls of Long-tailed Myna punctuate the air.
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| Midget Flowerpecker |
The walking trails and open areas in the vicinity of the lodge offered good views of Central Melanesian Cicadabird and North Melanesian Cuckoo-shrike; this confusing group of birds has recently undergone substantial taxonomic revision. A Guadalcanal endemic, Black-headed Myzomela, fed in garden shrubs.
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| Central Melanesian Cicadabird |
On the trails, the sonorous calls of Oriole Whistler mixed with the deep booming of the scarce Chestnut-bellied Imperial-Pigeon and much more numerous Red-knobbed Imperial-Pigeon. The softer calls of Yellow-bibbed Fruit-Dove, Superb Fruit-Dove and Claret-breasted Fruit-Dove were in the mix.
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| Superb Fruit-Dove |
Sunset provided further entertainment. We were alerted to the calls of a pair of Guadalcanal Owls on the edge of the lodge grounds. The birds were not particularly shy but hid well inside the vegetation, with one in flight offering brief views. The pair were vocal again the next night but despite one being very close, it would not show. A second pair was likely heard as well. More co-operative were a goodly number of Dwarf Flying-Fox (Pterops woodfordi) heading in one direction in the forest pre-dawn, joined by 1 or 2 Solomons Flying-Fox.
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| Red-knobbed Imperial-Pigeon |
New Zealand ornithologist Colin Miskelly and I were guests of Tourism Solomons, assisted ably on this trip by TS operatives Brenden Mautoa and James Talotuita. Tourism Solomons is working hard and admirably to boost the appeal of Solomon Islands as an ecotourism destination. The country has plenty to offer – including one of the world's highest rates of bird endemism with 120 endemic species, and many more splits awaiting taxonomic revision.
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| Logging roadside hills behind Honiara |
Tourism is an important income source for the country - a counterweight to the powerful Chinese logging companies which have razed extensive areas of lowland rainforest. Mt Austin was once the premier birding destination in the Honiara region; today it is reduced to tiny fragments of forest, with exotic vines smothering young trees attempting to rise from the ashes, as logged areas are usually burned.
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| Exotic vines smother rainforest regrowth after logging |
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| New logging roads on Guadalcanal |
Parangiju has taken over as the region's top birding hotspot, but here also the loggers are busy. We saw areas being logged and burned along the road west of the lodge. The buzz of chainsaws was frequent. The same thing sadly is happening on other islands in the country.
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| Waterfall west of Parangiju |
Still, the lodge and its surrounds retain substantial aesthetic appeal. The view of the river below the lodge, with a backdrop of still largely forested hills, is something to behold. Waterfalls in the rainforest are dotted along the road. Easy walking tracks from the lodge pass through stands of superb tall rainforest.
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| River below Parangiju |
After a lengthy visit to Santa Isabel Island (posts to follow) we returned to Honiara for an overnight stay.
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| Blyth's (Papuan) Hornbill |
A couple of early morning hours in the city's Botanic Gardens before the flight home offered an appropriate send-off with nice views of perched Blyth's (Papuan) Hornbill and Yellow-bibbed Lory.
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| Yellow-bibbed Lory |
