Norfolk Island 2023

The end of March saw me heading to Norfolk Island for a week of rest and relaxation with a friend and her family after the more strenuous and challenging previous weeks in Thailand and Singapore. Arriving on Island and heading out for a reconnaissance in our supplied vehicle was almost a shock after Asia. 

View of the coast from Captain Cook Lookout

Every bend opened up new vistas of rugged sea coasts and the ubiquitous Norfolk Island pine trees. Each new view had me exclaiming OMG, OMG on a regular basis. The smile on my face and joy at the experience was palpable. The opportunity for some landscape photography was not lost on me as it was my first love before birding stole my heart.

One of the many vistas as we explored Norfolk Islands many coves

The wildlife and birds had me itching to explore and bird more formally - but that is not why I was here. (I will definitely have to come back one day). I did however manage to sneak a few birding moments in and the pictures of a few species follow interspersed with the landscapes. 

Ruddy Turnstone - my closest encounter with this bird to date

California Quail - Said to have been introduced by American whalers in the 1860's

White Tern - adult

Of note were the free roaming cattle that were quiet and inquisitive. I was told that locals can register up to 10 cows under their name (with a small registration fee). They are given a coloured registration tag to attach to their ear and then set free to roam the Island to their heart's content. They all looked so healthy and if possible, happy with near full grown calves still at foot. This alone, gave me the sense of a place that had allowed their farming practices to remain pure, and slow grown. In essence, ethical and not force fed for a ravenous market. 

To maximise the flavour and do honour to the cattle, the island has a custom dry aging cooler that allows them to rest the Norfolk Island beef before butchering for the local market. 

Cows have precedence in traffic and, to keep them and drivers safe, there are reduced speed zones of 30-40km/h scattered across Norfolk. While cattle may have full access to roam, some strategically placed cattle grids are located around the main areas of town. What I can't believe is that I did not get any photos (oh well, I really will have to return now).

One of the old long boats (Lighter) that were used to bring supplies to shore

These rock outcrops show how dangerous the coast was for landing

Norfolk has a relatively short yet interesting history. The first European settlement was established on Norfolk Island in 1788 and used as a British penal colony. After the closure of the second convict settlement in 1856, descendants of the Bounty Mutineers were relocated from Pitcairn Island (An island in the South Pacific), when they petitioned for more land after they outgrew Pitcairn's ability to support them. Pitcairn Islanders are of mostly British and Tahitian descent,. The story is told that on arrival on Norfolk, the Pitcairners' drew keys from a hat to determine which of the existing houses they would live in. These stone houses (built by prisoners during the penal colony era), have now been reclaimed by the Australian Government in order to preserve them as part of the National Park at Kingston. 

The stone houses at Kingston and part of the prisoner barracks (far right)

Every local I spoke to felt fortunate to be living there. They were generous with their time and willingness to share their link to the families that have made Norfolk unique. The most common language used on Norfolk Island is English. Other than English, Norf'k-Pitcairn is spoken.  It is a blend of 18th century English and Tahitian which was introduced to Norfolk Island by the Pitcairn settlers. During a history tour it was explained by one of Fletcher Christian’s descendants that there is a determined effort to keep the culture, dance, and language alive. On return to Australia and work, I was inspired to read the Mutiny on the Bounty to learn more.

A lighter sits in repose in Kingston, Norfolk Island

Traditionally on Norfolk, wooden hand-built "lighters" were the only means of unloading cargo. A ship, anchored beyond the double reefs could wait for days for the sea to calm sufficiently for the lighters to be put into the water. The lighters which had a working life of around twenty years were then retired to various viewpoints on the island. These boats are now replaced with modern vessels.

View of a Frigatebird rookery from Cook's Lookout

More offshore rookeries

White Tern - Juvenile

Norfolk Island Gerygone

Slender-billed White-eye

The tourism page for Norfolk island does not overstate the experience in any way. What you see is really what you get. 

Grey Fantail

Black Noddy's

Royal Spoonbill

Masked Booby

Golden Whistler

Masked Booby

Transitions

 

Following on from my time in South East Asia,  a week on Norfolk Island was next on the agenda for 2023. Overseas trips back to back are certainly not standard for me and I feel the need to explore the biggest contrasts between each country. Apart from the cuisine, were the change in light from the warm tones of Asian light to the crisp, clear, and vivid light of Norfolk Island where there is no light pollution caused by the burning season, or the exhausts of traffic, cooking fires, and millions of people living in high density. 

Thailand

Don't get me wrong though, the differences between each country aids in separating each leg of the journey. (follow links to my blogs for Thailand and Singapore). To compartmentalise it, making each special, individual, and memorable. The majority of our four weeks in Thailand was spent within rural settings, rice fields, wetlands, salt pans, national parks and state forests. With crepuscular sunrises, the sun glowing red as it rises and burns through the early morning miasma, wandering its way over the sky as we journeyed and birded. Then, seemingly to hang suspended as it settles onto the horizon during the golden hour before dusk. 

Singapore

As a photographer I find this time of day peaceful, relaxing, after a sometimes frenetic pace of life when travelling. I sit and contemplate the day as it comes to a close, revisiting in my minds eye the highlights, in order to cement them into the memory banks. 

On the way home from Thailand, we spent a week  birding in Singapore  (an island nation of high rises, motorways, and a highly developed market economy which is based historically on extended entrepôt trade).  As a nation they pride themselves on a clean space, limited gas emissions with restricted vehicle numbers on island, and more trees are planted each year than possibly occurs in any other similarly sized nation in the world. With a population of over 5 million people, it has the second highest population density of any country in the world. As a result of  dedicated urban planning,  there are numerous green and recreational spaces that encompass 10% of the island country's land mass.  Singapore has earned its reputation as the garden state.

Railway Nature Reserve, Singapore

One of the most noticeable differences between the countries is the detritus of human habitation in Thailand. The lack of rubbish management. Plastics and waste materials are often discarded in ditches behind homes only to be washed downstream during periods of high rainfall. Over four weeks, we traversed the length of the country and it was noted that the southern tourists areas were perhaps the cleanest. This contrasted deeply with the cleanliness of Singapore and the pristine Norfolk Island.

Overlooking Kingston heritage precinct, Norfolk

On arrival on Norfolk Island, what took my breath away were my immediate impressions - the colour saturation, the rich blue of the sky, the deep verdant land, the sparkling crystal clear waters of the Pacific Ocean. The clarity of the fresh salt air, stiff sea breezes and pelagic birds on the wing, cows roaming free range. It took several days before my senses calmed and the impact settled. 

Black Gully Road

On returning to Cairns, I notice that the sun is rising later and the mornings are cooler already. Arriving at Black Gully Road this morning, conditions were a little overcast with a light breeze coming in off the lake the wind chill made the 21 degrees feel a little brisker. The enthusiastic welcome from the Cairns Birders makes the going away for work all the more bearable. It was a lovely morning of exploration and conversation once again. I noticed that the lake level is particularly high at present with the sedges and grasses enjoying wet feet. The Agile Wallabies are also showing the signs of an increased water content in their diet. Nala especially enjoyed the swimming and then rolling in the soft droppings in order to disguise herself.

Brown Gerygone

We headed into the bush reserve to what initially seemed very quiet, one of the first birds identified was a Scarlet Honeyeater (a lifer for Janet) and we had some really spectacular views of them throughout the morning as they feasted on the Callistemon flowers. Next up was the Brown Gerygones that showed well in the scrub allowing the photographers amongst us some special views. Then, as the group started to spread out the stragglers were presented with a couple of Fairy Gerygones and Large-billed Scrubwrens. There are many trees and shrubs flowering at present along the roadside and this made for a great opportunity to spot several honeyeater species, along with Rufous Shrike-thrush feeding young, Spectacled Monarch and Silvereyes. 

Fairy Gerygone

Leaden Flycatcher

The highlight of the morning came courtesy of Trish and Midge who were wandering quietly a little further ahead of the rabble. They flushed a Large-tailed Nightjar as they walked along the laneway towards the environmental centre. Whilst telling their story a few more of us were able to spot it too as it flushed again to the delight of Kerri and Trevor (it was a lifer for them). 

Scarlet Honeyeater

Black Gully Road and the area of Tinaroo dam near the sailing club is in fact quite a small area but it produces a nice list of birds (54 species today). Whilst I have only been here a handful of times, I have never been disappointed. I truly think this spot is under appreciated as a birding location. This weeks outing ended in a very civilised manner with a group of satisfied birders congregating for birdcall and a particularly scrumptious morning tea and cakes. 

Napranum and Weipa 2023

I am currently working in Napranum for 6 weeks. It is the wet season and so far we have recorded 861mm (34 inches) of rain since January 1st. The biggest benefit here is that it has cooled off a little.  Napranum is a community on the west coast of Cape York, Queensland. Situated six kilometres south of Weipa and 800 kilometres north west of Cairns. Normally I would drive to a contract, but during the wet, the roads become impassable and so I have flown to work this time. 

Napranum and the nearby mining town of Weipa are surrounded by a large bauxite mine and the Mission and Embley Rivers. Flying in at the start of the month I could see just how much ground water was lying around. I can only imagine what it is like now from the air.

The whole landscape is teeming with life and I awake in the mornings to the cacophony of dawn birdsong. It starts at 5.30am with the Blue-winged Kookaburras, before the Blue-faced Honeyeaters, Australasian Figbirds, and occasional Papuan Frogmouth begin. Amongst them I hear the Green (Yellow) Orioles and Black-backed Butcherbirds. Then as the tempo increases, the  Rainbow Lorikeets, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Bar-shouldered Doves, and Great Bowerbirds add to the symphony.

Sunset Gonbung

Red-browed Finch

Bar-shouldered Dove

Beach Morning Glory

My weekends are pretty quiet, however I have had the great opportunity to get out and explore on my days off thanks to the generosity of friends. I have been to Red Beach, Uningan Nature Reserve, Mission River bridge, Napranum, Gonbung, Lorim Point, and Evan's landing. 

Scar tree on the left

Red Beach

Red beach is named for the bauxite that makes up the majority of the geology. There are scar trees that have been installed at Red beach as they were cut down during mining. They are a reminder of the traditional hunting and gathering methods - in particular the "scars" from honey collection.

Taking any opportunity to do some birding, I find myself distracted by the number of butterflies and dragonflies around. Last Saturday we counted eleven species of butterfly that were attracted to a single plant and I managed to photograph a few. 

Cane Toadlet

Caper Gull

Tawny Coster

Swamp Tiger

Eichhorn's Crow

Grass Yellow

Lesser Wanderer

Graceful Honeyeater

Brown-backed Honeyeater

The biggest disappointment up here is the amount of rubbish that is dumped in the bush - every side road seems to lead to a dumping point despite the local tip being free to access. If you look past it though it is beautiful here. The red colour of the bauxite, the shell middens, the yellow sand beaches, the swamp paperbarks, the sedges, the remnant rainforest and the billabongs all stunning and a pleasure to be amongst all the while remaining aware that I am in croc country.

Graphic Flutterer

Blue Argus

Red-headed Honeyeater

Yellow Honeyeater