Trip
Information
Tour Dates: September
10-15, 2007 (6 days)
Leaders: Héctor
Gómez de Silva
Price: $2295
USD, $2695 CDN, Single supplement $325 USD, $385 CDN
Highlights:
• Close-up views of the unique and fascinating Kagu!
• Enjoyable birding for other endemics on this beautiful island
Featured Birds:
• Kagu
• New Caledonian Grassbird
• New Caledonian Friarbird
• Imperial Pigeon
• Cloven-feathered Dove
• Horned Parakeet
• Crow Honeyeater
• New Caledonian Parakeet
• Red-throated Parrotfinch
• New Caledonian Crow
Summary:
• Warm climate
• Comfortable accommodation
• 4 to 6 participants with one leader, 7 to 12 with two |
New
Caledonia is globally famous for a wonderfully bizarre and very unique
species, the Kagu, the only member in the family Rhynochetidae. Most
likely closely related to rails and cranes, this special bird occurs
only on New Caledonia, an island with coastal plains and interior mountains,
lying 1500 km east of Australia slightly smaller than New Jersey. We
have a very good chance of seeing Kagus, especially in the National Park.
Moreover, there are lots of other fascinating species on this remarkable
island - the astonishing tool-using New Caledonian Crow, the endemic
New Caledonian Friarbird as well as many other species only found here,
including the spectacular Cloven-feathered Dove and New Caledonian Imperial-Pigeon.
During our visit, we take in the marvelous Blue River Parc, Meridien
Beach, the area around
Mont Koghi, and Farino. A superb tour to a special island.
See detailed
itinerary below.
Click
here for a list of birds seen on our 2004 New Caledonia tour.
Click
here to download a registration form.
This
tour can be combined with our Papua
New Guinea Tour. |
Itinerary
Day
1 - arrive Nouméa
Upon arrival at the Noumea International Airport we will be transferred
to our comfortable hotel in Noumea, New Caledonia’s capital. We will
meet over dinner to discuss the upcoming tour. Night at Nouméa.
Day 2 - Rivière
Bleu
We depart in the morning for Rivière Bleue National Park, home to
most of New Caledonia's endemic and specialty bird species. We will spend
most of the day here. This national park holds the world’s largest
and most accessible population of the unique Kagu –a flightless ground
bird belonging to a family endemic to New Caledonia (Rhynochetidae). It
resembles a light blue, hunch-backed Cattle Egret with a mane of long nape
feathers. Night at Nouméa.
Day 3 - Rivière Bleue
A second day at Rivière Bleue should enable us to target any species
we may have missed yesterday. The main birds we must make sure we see here,
because we will not have a chance to find them elsewhere, are the Kagu
and the now very rare Crow Honeyeater. On the way back to Nouméa
we will have a chance to stop at a small lake in a city park where we may
see some waterbirds, perhaps including the handsome Buff-banded Rail. Night
at Nouméa.
Day 4 - Mont Koghi
A short drive from Nouméa is Mont Koghi, where a network of trails
radiating into the rainforest will allow us to see some more of New Caledonia's
specialty birds. New Caledonia (White-bellied) Goshawk is a possibility,
as it is occasionally seen soaring over the magnificent mountain scenery
here. Night at La Foa.
Day 5 - Farino
Today we travel to the excellent birding spot at Farino, a proposed new
national park. This is the best spot to see the elusive New Caledonian
Grassbird, the endemic that most people missed until recently. New Caledonia
Goshawk is also possible here, and there is a good chance to see Cloven-feathered
Dove and other endemics which are easier to see here than elsewhere on
the island. Night at La Foa.
Day 6 - Departure
After a rewarding tour with the unique opportunity to see the enigmatic
Kagu, we enjoy a final breakfast before we head to the airport for our
flights to Australia and beyond. Those people combining this tour with
our Papua New Guinea tour or Australia tour have more adventures ahead!
What
to expect
Our focus
will be on finding the Kagu. This should prove fairly easy and we should
have opportunities to see them a close range.
We will also be
searching for other birds endemic to New Caledonia. On most days we have
a picnic lunch in the field. The weather should be warm and sunny.
Rain is possible but unlikely. We stay in good hotels
at
both locations. In the evenings, we eat at our hotel or a nearby restaurant,
where we spend a relaxing evening and review the days bird list and discuss
the itinerary for the next day.
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