Trip Report Fiji 1999

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to visit Fiji, I'd say that you have missed one of the truly fabulous places on the planet. Aside from birding, there is ample opportunity to see many of the wonders of the sea and make connections with some of the friendliest people we have met in our travels. People still greet each other, and foreigners, with a friendly "Bula". We were fortunate to get to spend 5 nights with a Fijian-Indian family and form bonds that hopefully will last our lifetime. Often times as we were walking down roads to look for birds, farmers would stop and talk to us and offer a papaya. Theirs is a culture that seems to want to make time to be more human with each other. Probably not a bad idea for other cultures to emulate.

Fiji is the kind of place where birding can be much more leisurely than in other locales. There are not that many birds that can be seen (somewhere around 120 according to Pratt, et al). Most of the birds are fairly easy to see, with the more difficult species creating enough of a challenge to make it interesting. It was because of this that we found we had time to enjoy other activities as well. Therefore, it made for a much more rounded trip than other journeys where birding was our only focus.

Read full list here: Fiji 1999

The Fiji Petrel Expedition 2008

The Fiji Petrel Expedition 2008

Most birders will know the story behind the enigmatic and near-mythical Fiji Petrel. Unrecorded from the type specimen taken in 1855 until 1984 when Dick Watling had the extraordinary experience, when spotlighting, of a bird crash-landing into his head! Breeding is suspected on the small island of Gau but detailed searching there has not found any birds. Some 10 though, mainly juveniles, have since crashed onto roofs and grounded in a local village there. One of these last year, 2007, having died, is now preserved as a study skin (the 1855 skin is at the BMNH and this second in Fiji). The biology of the species is completely unknown.

Left and right - the Fiji Petrel of 1984

Left, right and below -

Fiji Petrel, the bird of 2007

The voyage had three main goals:

1. To learn the at-sea identification of the Fiji Petrel, observe behaviour if possible, and hopefully get an understanding of the likely numbers in the area.

2. To try to obtain photos of Fiji Petrel at sea, for use in both scientific and conservation/education publications to protect native Fijian birds.

3. To survey other species of petrels in this area, on which limited information is currently available.

The proposed expedition dates, at sea, were 17th-26th July

The seabird team aboard consisted of Hadoram Shirihai (Israel), Dick Watling (Fiji), Tony Pym (England),

Patric Blomquist (Sweden), Jörg Kretzschmar (Germany), Geoff Jones (Australia) and Dick Newell (England)

FijiPetrelExpedition

Awesome John McKeen Pics

Sunrise at Matava on Kadavu (Fiji) from our thatched Fijian bure (hut)

Collared Kingfisher

Pacific (or Eastern) Reef Egret - dark morph

Orange-breasted Myzomela (Honeyeater)

Silvereye

See more of John's great pictures here

BirdLife International Fiji Programme

Tan Suryadi Irvan (www.naturepixels.org) The Black Naped Tern is shown tending her egg on the island of Vatuira. Zoom In

The Secretariat also manages a country programme in Fiji pending the development of an eligible conservation NGO there. The Fiji Programme was founded in 2003, and currently employs 5 staff (February 2009).

Key Activities

From 2003 to 1997, the BirdLife International Fiji Programme implemented a project funded by the UK Government’s Darwin Initiative to conduct field research across the country to identify sites important for Fiji’s biodiversity. This led to the identification of 14 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and the publication of an IBA directory – the first for the Pacific region. Attention has now turned to working with local communities to safeguard these areas with further funding from the Darwin Initiative and also for the Australian Government’s Regional Natural Heritage Programme.

In January 2007, the Fiji Programme commenced two 2-year projects, both funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, to identify islands important for seabirds and to restore islands important for seabirds through the eradication of invasive alien species, mainly rats. A forerunner of the latter project saw the island of Vatu-i-Ra being declared rat-free in early 2008 following successful eradication efforts there in mid-2006. This was another first for Fiji.

In November 2003, a field team led by Birdlife’s Fiji Programme team rediscovered the endemic Long-legged Thicketbird Trichocichla rufa which had not been sighted in 108 years. Searches continue for the elusive Red-throated Lorikeet Charmosyna amabilis which has not been seen for the past 13 years.

The Fiji Programme operates under a Memorandum of understanding with the Government of Fiji and works closely with the Departments of Environment and Forestry, the National Trust of Fiji and the University of the South Pacific (USP). Two Fijian Masters’ students are at USP under BirdLife sponsorship completing work on endemic ornithology.

In June 2007, with support from the Fiji Programme, NatureFiji/MareqetiViti was established as Fiji’s first indigenous conservation NGO and is now closely collaborating with BirdLife in its work.

Contact

For enquiries about the BirdLife Fiji Programme, contact Miliana Ravuso at milly@birdlifepacific.org.fj or birds@birdlifepacific.org.fj. Postal address: GPO Box 18332, Suva, Fiji

BirdLife International Fiji Programme

Infohub - Review Matava Resort

Matava Resort provided my husband and I and our two teenage daughters with the experience of a life time! We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful serenity of the property, the rare opportunity to truly experience a foreign culture, the native cuisine and the relationships we built with our Fijian friends. One should be so lucky as to have the opportunity to visit Matava. We will DEFINITELY be back!! Oh, did I mention the beautiful beaches, world-class diving, snorkeling, kayaking, whale watching, kava . . . .

Infohub - Review Matava Resort

Traveller Reviews - Peaceful and Relaxing - TripAdvisor

Matava is a tiny eco resort with room for only about 22 guests.

All guests eat together and we made some great friends this way. The staff are unique and funny. The location is so lovely, by the sea and very remote so it feels like a real adventure to actually be there.

Great snorkling and I wasn`t bored at all just soaking it all up. Fill up on the real fijian experience!

Kadavu Island: Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort - Traveller Reviews - Peaceful and Relaxing - TripAdvisor

Kadavu Island: Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort - Traveller Reviews - A lovely fijian hideaway - TripAdvisor

I began my stay at Matava only planning to stay a week or so before venturing onward to explore the rest of Fiji. However, in the end I stayed just over 3 weeks and now I wouldn't have planned my holiday any differently. I chose Matava because I wanted to dive the Astrolabe reef, and I was looking for a remote and fairly rustic resort (to weed out the people that expect chocolates on their pillows) with some interesting people to drink some beers and chat with during dinner. Also, as a solo traveler, costs at most resorts were out of my budget, so accommodation was also an issue.

Given that it was the wet season, the diving did not disappoint. Colorful hard corals, some soft corals, nudi branches, and great shark and manta dives. The dive staff are wonderful and do a great job of keeping things organized and efficient while maintaining a fun atmosphere - and catering to the particular needs and desires of the divers that come through and whatever nature had delivered for the day. Due to the sheer size of the reef there is a lot of diversity in the dives that are offered – and the “exploratory” dives were some of my favorites.

I was fairly impressed with the grounds of the resort given the remoteness of the island and the inherent challenges that comes with the humidity. They have just added (sometime in 2008) a lovely main bure with a nice bar and a deck where most meals are eaten. There is no beach actually attached to the resort - so you do have to motivate to paddle to the nearby island (15 minutes or so). Meals are served on a (mostly) fixed schedule - although they will keep your food for you if you for some reason miss it. As a fish-eating vegetarian - they did an excellent job feeding me. Most of the food was handmade and the most memorable dishes featured fresh fruit, produce from the organic garden, and whatever fish was caught that day (bit of luck required here) with some chilies thrown in for good measure. And I discovered that even fresh tuna gets tiring after three weeks! Although the toasted coconut chips served during happy hour never got old.
My stay was really made so enjoyable by the staff. When I came down with a bad cold on my second day (perfect for a diving vacation!) I was immediately force fed fresh pineapple and given a selection of sudafed from their personal stash to ease my suffering. Most of the guests that came through were friendly and fairly adventurous – and made for some enjoyable evenings. Due to the lack of electricity at night (bring a headlamp!), and the long days in the sea and sun, most people went to bed fairly early. The nights were normally hot and humid. There were usually lizards rustling the thatching, mosquitoes lurking around the netting with spiders waiting in anticipation, and occasionally a crab or some other creature would make its way into my bure. But that’s the fun of sleeping in the tropics! Luckily I could also hear the water and there was usually a breeze to help with the heat.

Overall, I had a fantastic stay at Matava. I loved the remoteness, the basic and natural feel of the place, the amazing staff, and the friends I made during my stay. So I recommend it for the adventurous people of the world that want a relaxing holiday with some good diving and fishing without the crowds or the frills and the expectations of fancy resorts.

Kadavu Island: Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort - Traveller Reviews - A lovely fijian hideaway - TripAdvisor