Hi all.
I have just returned from a one week trip to the island. The land birds were quite easy to get with the Lord Howe Woodhens being seen on most days. There were also some Pacific Golden Plover in breeding plumage as well as Bar-tailed Godwits, Double-banded Plovers, Whimbrels and Ruddy Turnstones on the airport. Black-winged Petrels returned to Ned’s Beach in the evenings. Sooty Terns were at Blinky’s Beach with a number of young in the dunes, some dead.
The highlight birding wise was a pelagic trip aboard the Noctiluca, Jack Schick’s boat. As a bonus we also had Ian Hutton on board. The weather had been rough all week and no boats were going outside the reef, so I was delighted to be able to go out on the afternoon of Friday 6 April. Because conditions were still a bit rough with strong southerlies we headed north in the lee of the island.
The main target species was the White-bellied Storm Petrel which we spotted within half an hour from shore. With the aid of a shark as berley quite a slick formed and we were soon seeing many of them around the boat giving very close views. Other highlights were a Little Shearwater, Great-winged Petrel (possibly Grey-faced) and numerous Grey Ternlets on the cliffs. Birds seen: Wandering Tattler, on the rocks Red-tailed Tropicbird, Common Noddy Black Noddy White Tern Grey Ternlet Providence Petrel Great-winged type Petrel Fleshy-footed Shearwater Wedge-tailed Shearwater Little Shearwater White-bellied Storm Petrel Masked Booby
I recommend contacting Jack Schick if you want to get out to sea for pelagic species, otherwise it is a great place for a holiday.
Happy birding.
