Indian Ocean Trip: Cocos/Keeling Islands Part Two

On Sunday we went canoeing over to South Island for first-timers to see the Saunders’s Terns. It is one of the only places to see them in Australia and they are there. I have seen them on the three times that I have been to Cocos. The trip over and back is as much of a thrill as the birds. The water is incredibly beautiful. It is also very shallow and the little outboards on the catamaran canoes hit bottom quite often as you motor across water mostly less than a metre deep.

On our way back we stopped at the little island where the Christmas Island Blue-tailed Skinks (extinct on Christmas Island) are thriving. I wrote about them and the wonderful snorkelling around the small island last year’s blog entry Click this link

Remembering what happened on which days gets confusing. But it doesn’t really matter. In all my writing I have worked to avoid the “and then we went here and saw this” telling of these tales. I know that we went to Home Island on Monday and that was my first visit to the clinic there and I began the antibiotics that I would end up taking for the next 13 days. I will skip the details of my infection. It did not ruin my trip to the islands, but it certainly affected my enjoyment and increased my anxiety, but I got through it.

There were a few bird rarities that had been seen fairly consistently before our arrival and of those Common Kingfisher was the one that I most wanted. The bird had been very cooperative before we arrived. It had often perched on a rock just off the beach, seeming to be posing for photos. It did not do that for us. And we looked and looked along that beach with the ‘rock’ repeatedly. It was a gorgeous area, but the Kingfisher wasn’t around.

Scanning the area at the Kingfisher spot, but it was not there (beautiful water though)

On Tuesday after having snacks and taking a group photo at the extremely cool Big Barge art gallery, we split up to bird around on West Island and see what we could find. 

Judy Shore and me at the Big Barge

I was with Tania slowly driving through what is called the quarantine area when Richard called on the radio, (there is no mobile service on Cocos) and said, “Come now. I have the Kingfisher and the Pintail at the tank. Now”. I had seen that Northern Pintail several times previously, but boy I wanted to see that Common Kingfisher.

We were only about 400 metres from Richard’s location but the three or four minutes that it took to get there seemed to take ages as FOMO burned white-hot in my brain. We got there and very gratefully, I experienced stunning scope views of that truly beautiful Kingfisher. After loving it through the scope for a few moments, I took some rather underwhelming recording shots from across the paddock. The little bird was perched on the rim of the large concrete tank. But make no mistake, I was thrilled to get any sort of photo and as I said my views through the scope were wonderful (at this writing, I am still saving that Lifer Pie, but make no mistake, I will be having it in the coming days).

A couple of my recording shots

On Wednesday night, we had our ‘traditional’, Malayan dinner on Home Island. The usual restaurant was in the midst of renovations, so we had it outside the café where we had eaten lunch the other day. As in years past, the food was truly delicious.

The next day we had a last night on the island dinner at a restaurant on West Island and it was also delicious. In MABT (More Australian Birding Tales), I mentioned the homemade ice cream at the café on Cocos. This restaurant is run by the same guy who has the café. I was telling our delightful server about that and she gave me a little tub of the homemade ice cream that they were serving that night. It was lychee and coconut flavoured and it was absolutely wonderful. I ate it gratefully and ordered it again for my desert.

There was another bird that I badly wanted, but it was not to be. Although we certainly put forth a good effort. There had been a Watercock glimpsed at the ‘farm’ and we check there for it a lot, including some very early morning searches. We gave it a go on our last morning arriving in the dark and sitting quietly in the vehicles for the next couple of hours before finally giving up the stakeout and walking through the area one last time. Hope for that particular bird had faded.& “The pursuit of what is illusive, but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope” is a portion of a John Buchan quote that is tattooed on my arm. He wrote it about fishing, but it is also perfect for birding. Yes, I had finally worn out my Watercock hope.

I had to make a couple more visits to the clinic on West Island including the morning of the day we flew to Christmas Island. That flight did not leave until just past 4pm so there was a lot of waiting involved. But leave we did. I will include a few more photos here.

Sunset from our accommodation

Our 'house' at the motel. My room was on the right 

Soon we would be on Christmas Island and that will be Part Three. 

Sending love as I do ❤️

Indian Ocean Trip Part One: Cocos/Keeling Islands

So, here I am back at my desk in the study in Lara. I left here on 30 November and I arrived back the afternoon of 16 December. I had two weeks in two of my favourite places. I want to write, so I will write. This will eventually be on my blog site. 

Cocos, West Island coming in for a landing

I will post some photos. My words are coming slowly anymore. I feel more than I have been expressing. I suppose that is normally the way for most people, but that is not me. No, not if it was ever so. I need to express what is going on with me through my words because it can help me to at least try and understand it. Then I share it.

 

On 30 November I flew from Melbourne to Perth, spent the night in my usual accommodation by the airport. They have a free shuttle, but it does not work well anymore and I no longer recommend that motel. More about that later. The motel room itself was very nice, but quite dear for what it was.

The next morning amongst some dear friends and some new to be dear friends, I boarded the flight to Cocos. Robert and Judy Shore were on this trip. That was very special for me. If you have read my books, you know Robert. Also my dear friend Tania was there. She is a wonderful calming presence, dear friend and brilliant birder. Others will be mentioned as the tales continue.

Judy Shore, Robert, Geoff Christy and me

We arrived in the early arvo and were once again met by my good friend Richard Baxter. When it comes to birds (and other things as well) Richard IS those islands. No one else even comes close to his knowledge and connections there. We hopped into our hire cars and went to drop of our luggage at the accommodation. I was staying in the ‘big house’ of the motel and that made me happy.

Then we dashed off to the ‘supermarket’ which was out of most things since the supply ship was very late (I never did learn why). Richard had emailed about this and most of us had brought some food in our bags. I had a lot of little cans of tuna and a few other things. We took what things we did purchase there back to our house and went birding.

I got my first Lifer within an hour of arriving on Cocos. It was a continuing Yellow Bittern that was often seen from ‘Richard’s’ bird hide. So, in shaded comfort I beheld the Yellow Bittern. Over our two weeks out there, it was extremely dry on both islands and that can have quite an impact on the birdlife. I only managed to get three Life birds on the whole trip and all three were on West Island Cocos. 

Yellow Bittern. Not a great shot but happily a Lifer

Lifer selfie in the hide with Richard on the left and Glenn on the right

The next day we saw my second Lifer, a little Asian Brown Flycatcher. The bird had been located by birding legend, Glenn Pacey. I had not seen him since Covid interrupted all our lives and it was so very good to reconnect with my dear friend. 

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Even though the birding was slow, the trip was great. The not so great part was that I visited the Home Island health clinic, the West Island health clinic and finally at the Christmas Island hospital. I had an infection at my pilonidal cyst area. I had surgery for that very thing in June 2022. It is well known that they can re-occur and that’s what happened. I was put on a massive antibiotic for the next two weeks and as I write this, it seems to be fine. 

Selfie at the Home Island clinic

I want to say a heartfelt thank you to my new dear friend, Jan Lile (she is a nurse and keen birder) for her daily care applying a dressing. 

Then next day we would be canoeing over to South Island for first timers to see the Saunders’s Terns. I will save that for the next instalment. Yes, I will write more soon.

Sending love as I do ❤️

Armchair Tick: Medium Egret

I got a Lifer! It is what birders call an ‘armchair tick’. It brings my Aussie total to 769 birds (720 on mainland AUS). So a week or so ago I had a Lifer Day. I ate pistachios whilst writing at my desk. I had my Lifer Pie treat later and it was quite a treat for me.

Alan Stringer's very good recording shot of Medium Egret. He took it as we were both looking at this individual.

At this writing, I am over 5 weeks into dropping some of the weight I picked up when I was on steroids for a while for my ear/hearing issues (still unresolved). Anyway, I had ballooned up and I am back to the strict, “smaller portions, wiser choices, and more active" that works for me. At this point, I have lost just over 6.5 kilos (about 15 pounds). I have at least 10 more kilos to lose. 

Back to the Lifer armchair tick, on 26 September the IOC (International Ornithological Congress) split the Intermediate Egret into 3 separate species. The African egret is now called, Yellow-billed Egret, the Australian bird is Plumed Egret and the Asian bird (often seen on Cocos and Christmas Islands) remains Intermediate Egret as it is the nominate race (although as taxonomists are prone to do, it seems they are giving it the blah name of ‘Medium’ Egret. Sounds like a soft drink at Maccas, or a clothing size. Regardless, tick! 

I went searching through what I justifiably refer to as the 'nightmare of Apple Photos' for a possible shot. I have heaps of Intermediate (now called, Plumed) Egret photos from years past on the mainland, so it was not a bird I bothered with photographing in the islands. However, this past December, I was in the bird hide with my friend Alan Stringer on West Island, Cocos and we saw an Intermediate Egret and he did get a decent photo. I eventually found a distant shot that I had and as poor a photo as it is, one can tell that it is the egret. I don't think there are any records of Eastern Great Egret on Cocos so with that neck it has to be the Medium. Here it is...

My accidental recording shot. As I said, you can tell that it is the Medium Egret.

Proper Lifer Pie, a small but much appreciated treat

I will also include a few random pics of Cocos just because I love it there and I am to return. 

Green Jungle Fowl out by where my Medium Egret shot was taken. They common but they truly are beautiful birds. 

This is Home Island in the Cocos/Keeling Islands. I love it out there.

Sending love as I do ❤️

A Seeker, A Sharer, A 'Collector'

As I have often touched on before, one the best parts of birding is where it leads you. I have been to so very many places and I have seen so much of Australia in pursuit of seeing birds. I love birds, but I am much more of a ‘twitcher’ than a birdwatcher. I am more interested in seeing new birds for my list than merely going out and looking at birds in general. 

    

Me and a Whale Shark Christmas Island on a birding trip. Yes I was led there by birds (photo by WIlliam Betts)

I am a seeker, a hunter/gatherer, a collector if you will. I like looking for stuff and hopefully finding it. I collected ukuleles in the late 1990’s and amassed a collection of over 200. I was a serious saltwater sportfisherman and was awarded thirty-some citations of achievement and awards, including a World Record. I have a beautiful shell collection currently stored at my son’s house. But I do intend to bring it home eventually. I reckon you get my point. I like finding stuff and to find stuff, you need to go out and look for it. 

  

I sold 98% of my collection before moving to Australia

A few of my shells and their display case.

This past January I travelled up to Far North Queensland (FNQ) to Cape York and the Kutini-Payamu National Park birding. I was with dear friends including my often travelling companion James Cornelious. I first met him through birding. You truly do meet the best people birding. I had gone up to FNQ specifically to look for the Papuan Pitta that is only found in Australia during the wet season. In the year that became a book, Lynn and I spent a week in Kutini-Payamu in October of 2015. Not the wet season, so we did not see the Pitta. Last January in the midst of the wet, for the first time in over six years, I returned to the Iron Range. I saw the Pitta, which was the reason for going up there, but of course we also saw other things. 

I wrote four blogs about that most excellent week (have a look they are right here for free). It really was wonderful and a part of what made it so wonderful were the snakes. I am not really a herper, but I do love seeing snakes. While it is impossible for me to choose a favourite bird, I do have a favourite snake. It’s the Green Tree Python. 

They are most often seen in the wet season and we saw a few of those emerald beauty-noodles. Baby ones are yellow and are considered more difficult to find. But my first Green Tree Python was a young, yellow one that Jasmine Zelený of Faunagrahic tours had found and shared with us. 

   

    

My Lifer Green Tree Python. It is a baby (thank you Jazz)

The rarest snake sighting of that trip was a Northern Death Adder that was shown to James and me by Doug Herrington of Birdwatching Tropical Australia. 

    

We also saw one of the world’s most venomous snakes, the Coastal Taipan. I took a couple of photos as I stood well back from it on the road. 

   

And there were a few Scrub Pythons around, the largest snake in Australia. They can reach lengths up to eight metres (26 feet)! They are very cool. 

So this post’s photos has been mosty snakes that I saw in Kutini-Payamu NP in January 2023. I do love it up there!

Sending love always ❤️