Queen Victoria Birding: Crimson-crowned Fruit Dove and Wandering Tattler at Vailima, Samoa.

 Queen Victoria docked in Apia, Samoa on the morning of the 20th Feb. Shortly after, myself, Jo and John (a birder I had met onboard) soon jumped into a taxi and headed south into the hills bound for the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum. The former home of the famous author. The museum was going to be interesting in its own right, but the fact that it was situated within a tropical forest and surrounded by gardens boded well for a few birds. Glad to report I was happy with both the museum and the birding. 

Villa Vailima, former home of Robert Louis Stevenson

A rather well known book

Before visiting the house John and I did a loop or two around the edge of the garden picking up Pacific Imperial Pigeon. Pacific Golden Plover, Buff-banded Rail, White-rumped Swiftlet and a superb looking Crimson-crowned Fruit Dove.

Crimson-crowned Fruit Dove, Vailima, 20 Feb 2024

Buff-banded Rail, Vailima, 20 Feb 2024

Pacific Golden Plover, Vailima, 20 Feb 2024

After leaving the museum, we walked the short distance down to the nearby Vailima Botanical Gardens. We firstly looked over a small stream where John picked up a Wandering Tattler, a life bird for me. in the gardens themselves we added Polynesian and Samoan Starlings, along with Flat-billed Kingfisher. Later in a park in Apia itself I added Samoan Myzomela, and Samoan Flying Fox to the trip list. 

Polynesian Starling, Vailima, 20 Feb 2024

Samoan Flying Fox, Apia, 20 Feb 2024

Samoan Starling, Vailima, 20 Feb 2024

Steve C

Metalampra italica micro moth New For Fareham Garden

Last Monday (10th) I had my latest species of moth that was New For Garden – metalampra italica. It’s quite a smart micro, and was only first recorded in Hampshire in Aug 11 but has since become widespread through the county [Hants Moths website].

Metalampra italica, Fareham garden – 10 Jun 24

Good mothing,

Tony T   BSc (Hons) GeoSci (Open)

Queen Victoria Birding: Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and Leach's Storm Petrel onboard

 Each morning, I used to rise early and loop the promenade deck a few times, looking for birds that might have crash landed during the night. On the 16th of February I managed to capture a Leach's Storm Petrel that was hidden behind a bench and also a Wedge-tailed Shearwater, which was more out in the open. The 19th February saw me picking up two Wedge-tailed Shearwaters from the same deck. Glad to report that all the birds were safely returned to the sea after a quick once over inspection. The snaps were taken on my phone, so not the best quality, but it gives you an idea.

Wedge-tailed Shearwater 1, 19 Feb 2024

Wedge-tailed Shearwater 2, 19 Feb 2024

No 2 again

And Again

Close up on Wedgie 1

Tail of Leach's Storm Petrel, 16 Feb 2024

Leach's Storm Petrel 16 Feb 2024

Steve C

Queen Victoria Birding: Laughing Gull in the central Pacific

 It is fair to say that after the ship sailed south from Hawaii, en route to Samoa that sea birds became rather less common than I expected and certainly would have wanted. I knew from previous passages through tropical waters that it is not uncommon to go a day or two without seeing any action. Although on this leg we did pass relatively close to a few island chains, this proved to be the case. A single Laughing Gull on the 16th of February at Lat/Long of 5.497, -164.116 was an outstanding and unusually strange record. 100s of Kms from the nearest land mass of the Kiribati Islands.

Laughing Gull, location as stated above,16 Feb 2024

Same bird different view.

We did encounter more expected fayre in the form of Red-tailed Tropicbird, Masked and Red-footed Boobies and a number of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. Sooty Tern, Leach's Storm Petrel and Bulwer's Petrel all making the list of this phase of the trip.

Bulwer's Petrel, 19 Feb 2024

Masked Booby, 15 Feb 2024

Pomarine Skuas, 19 Feb 2024

Poss Short-tailed Shearwater, 19 Feb 2024

Sooty Tern, 14 Feb 2024

Wedge-tailed Shearwater, 15 Feb 2024

Wedgie again, as above

We also came across a nice sized pod of Long-snouted Spinner Dolphins on the 16th Feb. They did not come overly close, but as ever, always worth a few snaps. Three images below from the sighting.

Steve C