Just wondered if anyone planning a fairly-close overseas birding holiday in the near-future? Recently Marie and I made a couple of trips to Fiji and though the political situation is rather unusual the country is a very cheap destination for Australians and people are very welcoming. One of the islands Taveuni, has a couple of ‘must-see’ species, the amazing Silktail and spectacular Orange Fruit-dove, and the locals around the Bouma area are very keen to keep their forest-heritage but are being forced to turn over areas to cultivate staples such as Taro and Cassava just to survive. I know this is a common problem in the South Pacific but we were encouraged by the enthusiasm that the villagers showed for their wildlife and willingness to guide birders.
This morning I received a phone-call from the Vidawa village headman asking if it was possible for him to come to Queensland and pick fruit and vegetables to support his family, and as you will no doubt be aware had to tell him that the prospects for such work would be very slim due to the extreme weather that we are currently having. The villagers have a website http://www.boumafiji.com/vidawa-rainforest-hike.cfm and have even erected a guest-house for vistors to stay in. A trip to Taveuni can be combined with visits to the main islands Viti and Vanua Levu and even Kadavu which has some other ‘endemics’. If anyone is interested in a very exciting birding holiday they should certainly consider Fiji as a destination, have a look at our trip-report from a couple of years ago http://www.aviceda.org/wp/?p=39 or drop me a line directly.
Tom.
