Birding Grande Terre, New Caledonia, October 2009

We'd never seriously considered visiting New Caledonia as it sounded expensive and we hadn't heard much talk about it. We decided to go for a week as we had some use-them-or-lose-them airpoints. Noumea is only a few hours by air from Sydney, Brisbane, or Auckland. We flew from Auckland return as this was part of a larger trip. We spent the week in southern Grande Terre, which wasn't nearly enough time. We can't wait to return for a longer trip that includes more time on Grande Terre and a visit to the Loyalty Islands. Some highlights:
  • We had a quick snorkel at Poé and it looks very promising - there were plenty of fish and even a sea krait. We were not expecting the snorkeling to be this good from shore.
  • The forests around Farino are beautiful and full of native birds. Unlike most of the Pacific, many native bird species are visible, abundant, and distinguishable.
  • The new Parc des Grandes Fougères - just a few kilometers from Farino - is a great find. We heard 15+ Kagu calling before dawn.
  • Parc de la Rivière Bleue lives up to its reputation for beauty and for Kagu. We managed to see two individual Kagu and a pair with a chick.
parc_des_grandes_fougeres_plant

Planning and Background

We found planning the trip ahead of time harder than expected. In part, this is because the bulk of information is in French. Beyond that, there just aren't that many people living or visiting here. In the end, we did fine once we were on the ground and found a wealth of information and kind, helpful people in New Caledonia. Below are some general tips:
  • There are three main tourist information boards for New Caledonia, one for each province: The south, the north, and the loyalties. They each have lots of information printed in French in English available at the main tourist information booth in Noumea. Some of the information is behind the counter so you may need to ask (or point at a map) and indicate what you’re interested in.
  • Some attractions are closed on Monday - notably including Rivière Bleue and the excellent Centre Culturel Tjibaou.
  • French is the official language here, beyond the 28+ local Melanesian languages spoken. We ran into people that spoke English a little or fluently, but having some French (well, one of us having some French) certainly helped. Google Translate was a big help during the planning phase.
  • There are only about 250,000 people in the country, most concentrated in Noumea. As a result, there are limited choices for chain-like accommodation. Cash machines and fuel stations seemed to work pretty much like anywhere else. We didn't encounter any particular hassles or threats at any time.
  • Nickel mining has been going on here for over a hundred years and remains hugely important economically. The road infrastructure in New Caledonia is completely out of scale with the small population.
  • New Caledonia is a French possession and consequently a right-hand drive country. High-speed tailgating is another custom imported from Europe.
  • Grande Terre is an ancient piece of Gondwanaland that's been isolated for 55-85 millions years. Consequently, you have a large continental island with what comes close to an oceanic island's natural history. The plants are diverse and with an extremely high level of endemism. WWF provides overviews of the dry forests and the rain forests.
  • The mountains running down the spine of the island rise to around 1,500 meters - high enough to create a lot of microclimates. You can drive from one side to a other at places in half an hour and go from very wet to very dry. Grande Terre is quite large for a Pacific island - it's half again as large as Hawai'i, the largest island in the eastern Pacific. Grande Terre has a land area of something like 16,372 square kilometers (6,321 sq mi). That's bigger than Connecticut, seven times bigger than the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), about the size of Swaziland, and a little over half the size of Belgium. It's a big island and quite long. It would take a few days to drive around at a manageable pace.
nickel_loading_gear

Birding

The birding on Grande Terre is fantastic! We didn't go to all of the usual spots (we missed Mount Khogi), didn't use playback, and weren't trying to make a long 'list'. What we’re after are good looks at forest birds while having a good time. This is easily had. The bulk of the local forest birds are largely endemic, easily distinguished, and very visible. As always, forest birding involves a good deal of luck. I've put down a few site descriptions with highlights and an annotated bird list at the end.
kagu

La Foa

La Foa is about an hour north from the airport and has a well-known sculpture garden, a supermarket, a bakery and visitor’s center. Just walking around the sculpture garden we saw Purple Swamphen, Glossy Swiftlet, Sacred Kingfisher, Emerald Dove, New Caledonian Friarbird, New Caledonian Myzomela, Grey Fantail, Red-throated Parrotfinch, Common Waxbill, and Chestnut-breasted Munia.
la_foa_sculpture

Refuge de Farino

La Petite Cascade Track - Tourist Brochure PR - FOA2
Farino is in the mountains behind La Foa and this track is often mentioned in birding trip reports. From La Foa follow signs to Refuge de Farino and park at the large parking area. From here, the road is signposted as closed to all but local resident traffic. Part way up to the waterfalls the road is no longer suitable for cards and is gated. It’s easy enough to walk from the main parking lot and walk the whole way to the falls. Part way up there is a sign describing several of the local birds.
farino_bird_sign
We had good or very good views of several many birds including the Metallic Pigeon, Horned Parakeet, New Caledonian Friarbird, New Caledonian Myzomela, Melanesian Cuckoo-shrike, New Caledonian Crow, Gray Fantail, and Rufous Whistler. Several trip reports mention Grassbird at this site but we made no effort to lure them out of hiding.
farino_waterfall

Accommodation

There are several cabins at the Refuge de Farino that you can reserve ahead. (687) 44 37 61- refuge.farino@lagoon.nc. We couldn’t find much information about these rooms on-line but couldn’t have been more pleased when we arrived. As it turns out, there are a handful of lovely wood cabins and the owner speaks English natively. The cabin we rented had a view, shower/toilet, deck with a view, beds, and a kitchen that included a range, refrigerator, microwave, utensils and so on. All of this at a reasonable price. You’re located right at the start of the road and track that lead to “la petitie cascade” which means you’re ideally situated for morning birding. We had great views of Cloven-Feathered Dove just down from our cabin. While sitting out on the deck or nearby we had leisurely looks at New Caledonian Myzomela, Barred Honeyeater (nesting), Melanesian Cuckoo-shrike, Long-tailed Triller, Melanesian Flycatcher, Gray Fantail, Rufous Whistler, Green-backed White-eye, Fan-tailed Gerygone (gathering nesting material), Striated Starling, and Red-throated Parrotfinch.
farino_cabin

Parc des Grandes Fougères

http://www.province-sud.nc/actualites/environnement/370-le-parc-des-grandes-fougeres
In many respects, this park was the find of the trip. Despite reading numerous excellent trip reports before our trip, I didn’t know anything about this park. This struck us as a bit odd as the park is large and only about eight kilometers from Refuge de Farino. As it turns out, the Parc des Grandes Fougères (Park of the Giant Ferns) only opened in mid-November 2008, less than a year before our visit. This new park is well worth considerable time to explore. We set out in the morning with high hopes and were not disappointed. On the drive in, we saw a stunning New Caledonian Imperial-Pigeon. The park is well equipped with toilets, picnic tables, and an extensive and well-signposted trail network. We saw and heard a good range of birds, including New Caledonian Goshawk, Metallic Pigeon, Horned Parakeet (heard), Glossy Swiftlet, New Caledonian Friarbird, Barred Honeyeater, Melanesian Cuckoo-shrike, New Caledonian Crow, Grey Fantail, Streaked Fantail, Green-backed White-eye, Silvereye, and Fan-tailed Gerygone.
parc_des_grandes_fougeres_view
Even without the wonderful birds, this park is a real pleasure to visit because of the beautiful forests made accessible by the excellent tracks. On the first morning we visited, we found a group of about twenty people with binoculars out with a camera crew. (These were the only people with binoculars we saw during our time in New Caledonia.) Several of the group spoke fluent English and so we were lucky enough to learn that they were from SCO (La Sociéte Calédonienne d’Ornitholgie) - a local NGO that’s doing some amazing work protecting the local birds. They gave us lots of great suggestions - the most remarkable being that you can hear the Kagu calling before dawn from the entrance of the park. Apparently Kagu call in the hour before dawn, perhaps again in the later afternoon, and possibly during the breeding season. The park opens at 7am and dawn is well before that. Rather than enter the park early the next day, we drove along the entrance road, parked, and waited. Sure enough, we started to hear more and more Kagu calls. Their sound is quite distinctive - almost like a very odd barking dog (whoop-WHOOP!) but quite loud. There must have been fifteen calling from various locations at the peak. Unforgettable!
parc_des_grandes_fougeres_dawn_2
On the morning we met the crew from SCO, Vivien Chartendrault and some other members of the team were training Kanak peoples from around the island to collect bird census data. This sounds like a great project as it should gather a lot of information and potentially open more areas on Grande Terre to nature-oriented tourism.
nc_bird_guide
We noticed that the group was using a photographic field guide with detailed range maps that we had not seen before. (The standard field guide has decent plates but somewhat unhelpful range maps.) This book is called Oiseaux de la Chaîne Centrale Province Nord de Nouvelle-Calédonie and is available from the SCO’s offices and possibly some bookshops. The SCO was in the process of moving when we visited their offices so check their website for current details. http://www.sco.asso.nc/trans/contact.php
When we visited their old offices, we had the good fortune to meet Sophie, the director who speaks fluent English. She is the Kagu recovery program director and has many outstanding ideas for gathering data, saving plants and animals, and increasing the economic value of the Kagu and other birds to local people. It was very encouraging to meet someone so energetic, smart, and pragmatic in such an important position.
barred_honeyeater
Barred Honeyeater

La Rivière Bleue Provincial Park


Practicalities


We wanted to visit the park during the week but, given our schedule, we ended up visiting on Sunday. Even so, the park was by no means crowded - couples and families from Noumea were there for a bit of sightseeing, tramping, or to riding bikes along the road through the forest. It’s really a wonderful park and absolutely worth visiting, even for non-birders.
It seems that the exact rules change regarding park entry and getting around in the park change over the years so it pays to check ahead. Here’s what we learned during our visit:
  • The park is open from 7am until 5pm every day except Monday, last admission is at 2pm.
  • There is no need to get a permit in Noumea, a chore that trip reports from the past may mention.
  • An official looking page for the park can be found at http://www.province-sud.nc/environnement/parcs-et-reserves-naturels/terrestres/parc-de-la-riviere-bleue. If you can’t read French well (like me), run the URL through Google Translate.
  • You reach the park by driving from Noumea towards Yate until you see the clearly signposted turn-off for the park.
  • The park’s attended entrance is some distance from the main road. You stop here to pay for your entrance fee (400 XPF per person) and any other services. Cash only.
  • You’re given a pamphlet with your admission that includes a map with distances within the park - this is more detailed than the similar pamphlets that are available in Noumea. You may also download the map from http://www.province-sud.nc/images/stories/pdf/environnement/carte_parc_riviere_bleue_2007.pdf (2.6 MB).
  • There are toilets and picnic areas and many locations in the park but no food, water, or anything else on offer.
  • To get into the forest, you drive several kilometers past the entrance gate and park at Pont Perignon.
  • You can walk into the park, hire a bicycle, or take the shuttle. Shuttle and bike hire are paid for at the entrance gate but the pick-up point is Pont Perignon. We didn’t quite follow the details on the bicycle rental and, in any case, we figured we were better off birding on foot. We took the shuttle into the park, got off, walked for several hours along the excellent, unsealed main road while taking various side trails, and then caught another shuttle back. On the weekends, you’re meant to reserve your return shuttle seat when you arrive in the morning because of crowding but, on the day, we had no problem getting on any passing shuttle.
  • There’s a bit of a climb from Pont Perignon and a few more kilometers before you enter the forest proper. From then on, the road is really pretty flat and the forest provides good cover from the sun and rain.
  • You can stay overnight at the park. Camping permits are issued on a strictly first-come, first-served basis at the entrance gate. There are a number of covered picnic tables that you can reserve this way. The area we saw had toilets and wood grills with ready-cut wood on hand. You’ll need to bring your own food, water (as far as we could see), sleeping gear and so on. This, however, would be the way to be in the park early enough to hear the Kagu and the Crow Honeyeater.
parc_de_la_riviere_bleue
The startling contrast of red and green at the Rivière Bleue itself is visible for much of the drive in and from Pont Perignon.

The Forest and Birds


The forest in this park is quite striking. Unlike Parc des Grandes Fougères with its thick undergrowth, the forest in Rivière Bleue has a high canopy and little undergrowth. This is presumably why the Kagu is so much easier to see here. Apart from the very friendly one (we called him Françoise) that obligingly checks out the shuttle when it stops, you can run across Kagu in the forest. They’re easily overlooked but may draw attention to themselves by hissing angrily at you. If you stay still, you can watch them feeding from a fairly close distance.
kagu_in_bush
Kagu in the bush
Off of the main road there are numerous trails with clearly signposted entrances. The trails themselves are not always as distance you’re on them, and they may be a bit steeper than the signage suggests. It’s was fun to get off onto the side trails although we saw as much from the main road. During our day in the park we had particularly memorable sightings of Kagu, New Caledonian Friarbird, New Caledonian Imperial Pigeon. Throughout the day there were birds calling and flying about (Gerygone, White-eye and the like keep the forest active.)
new_caledonian_friarbird
New Caledonian Friarbird
nepenthe
Nepenthe

Resources


Field Guides


The standard field guide for the region is the Helm Birds of the Solomons, Vanuatu & New Caledonia by Doughty, Day, and Plant. This guide is perfectly adequate, although the range maps are a bit lacking in detail. Amazon US and UK list it as does Andrew Isles (AU).
The SCO produces a compact French guide to the terrestrial birds, mostly with photographs. Oiseaux de la Chaîne Centrale Province Nord de Nouvelle-Calédonie. This project was funded by the northern provence, so the range maps only cover the top half of Grande Terre. With that said, the maps are very detailed and give a much better sense of what is rare and what is more widespread and common. Each species listing includes the bird’s taxonomic name as well as the name in English, French, and several Kanak languages. This small book is well worth having as a complement to Birds of the Solomons, etc., particularly if you’re keen on local bird books.
Trip Reports
I found the following trip reports greatly helpful while planning our trip:

Sound Recordings


Legend has it that there is an old tape recording of New Caledonia’s birds, but we don’t know where to find it. There are good, modern digital recordings but these aren’t commercially available yet. Birding by ear in New Caledonia is very practical as there aren’t that many species. Birders from Australia have a head start because several species are shared and others are closely related to Australian birds.

Annotated Bird List


The names in the list below are taken from the French/English checklist on the SCO website at http://www.sco.asso.nc/oiseau/tableau.php.

White-faced Heron / Héron à face blanche (Egretta novaehollandiae)
Seen in small numbers in a number of locations.

Eastern Reef-Egret / Aigrette des récifs (Egretta sacra albolineata)
Seen near the coast at Poé.

Osprey / Buse de mer (Pandion haliaetus cristatus)
Seen along the coast in a few locations. There is a breeding colony on the coast road towards Bourail.

Whistling Kite / Aigle siffleur (Haliastur sphenurus)
Common and widespread.

Swamp Harrier / Busard australien (Circus approximans)
Common and widespread.

White-bellied Goshawk / Emouchet bleu (Accipiter haplochrous)
Seen at Parc des Grandes Fougères and on the coast near Goro.

Australian Kestrel / Crécerelle d'Australie (Falco cenchroides)
Seen circling near the airport.

Buff-banded Rail / Râle à bandes (Gallirallus philippensis tourneliere)
Seen in a few locations, including near La Foa.

Spotless Crake / Marouette fuligineuse (Porzana tabuensis tabuensis)
Seen along the road towards Poé.

Purple Swanphen / Poule sultane (Porphyrio porphyrio samoensis)
Common in suitable habitat.

Kagu / Cagou (Rhynochetos jubatus)
Heard at Parc des Grandes Fougères and seen at Parc Provincal de la Rivière Bleue.

Silver Gull / Mouette australienne (Larus novaehollandiae forsteri)
Common near coast.

Common White-Tern / Sterne blanche (Gygis alba candida)
Seen near coast at Poé.

Metallic Pigeon / Pigeon à gorge blanche (Columba vitiensis hypoenochroa)
Abundant around Farino and Parc des Grandes Fougères.

Emerald Dove / Tourterelle verte (Chalcophaps indica chrysochlora)
Seen flying past at La Foa.

Zebra Dove / Géopélie zébrée (Geopelia striata)
Seen in Noumea only.

Red-bellied Fruit-Dove / Pigeon vert des îles (Ptilinopus greyii)
Not seen - this beautiful bird is said to be more common in the Loyalty Islands.

Cloven-feathered Dove / Pigeon soyeux (Drepanoptila holosericea)
Seen at Farino in early morning - a remarkably attractive bird.

New Caledonian Imperial-Pigeon / Notou (Ducula goliath)
Seen at Farino and Parc Provincal de la Rivière Bleue. They are under thread from hunting.

Rainbow Lorikeet / Loriquet à tête bleue (Trichoglossus haematodus deplanchei)
Heard flying overhead at Farino frequently, seen roosting in Noumea.

Red-fronted Parakeet / Perruche à front rouge (Cyanoramphus saisseti)
Not seen - we're told these birds are scarce and unobtrusive.

Horned Parakeet / Nymphique d'Ouvéa (Eunymphicus cornutus uvaeensis)
Far more often heard than see at both Farino and Parc des Grandes Fougères. The call reminded us of babblers (in Australia) with a phrase like a King Parrot.

Glossy Swiftlet / Hirondelle des grottes (Collocalia esculenta albidior)
Common and widespread.

Sacred Kingfisher / Alcyon sacré des Loyautés (Todiramphus sanctus macmillani)
Common and widespread.

New Caledonian Myzomela / Sucrier écarlate (Myzomela caledonica)
Common and widespread.

Dark-brown Honeyeater / Méliphage à oreillons gris (Lichmera incana incana)
Common and widespread in lower elevation and disturbed habitats.

New Caledonian Friarbird / Oiseau moine (Philemon diemenensis)
Common in suitable habitat. This bird reminded us of Noisy Friarbirds from home - they're about the same size and some of the calls are similar. Likewise, these birds scramble about in the blossoms in busy little groups.

Crow Honeyeater / Méliphage noir (Gymnomyza aubryana)
Not seen - Sophie, the Kagu recovery director, said she had seen them well only three times during her four year PhD project in Rivière Bleue. They're said to call loudly early and late. People regularly report seeing Crow Honeyeater in trip reports so we'll just have to go back and try again!

Barred Honeyeater / Grive perlée (Phylidonyris undulata)
Frequently seen in secondary forest around Farino and Parc des Grandes Fougères.

Fan-tailed Gerygone / Fauvette de Lifou (Gerygone flavolateralis lifuensis)
More often heard than seen - they appear common in native bush.

Yellow-bellied Robin / Rossignol à ventre jaune (Eopsaltria flaviventris)
Not as common as expected - but present in native bush.

New Caledonian Whistler / Sourd (Pachycephala caledonica)
This bird is an absolute stunner, plates don't do it justice. The call is Whistler-like, but not as complex as the Rufous Whistler's. We had glimpses at Parc des Grandes Fougères and Rivière Bleue.

Rufous Whistler / Siffleur à ventre roux (Pachycephala rufiventris xanthetraea)
Common in native bush.

New Caledonian Crow / Corbeau calédonien (Corvus moneduloides)
Common - if fleeting - in native bush.

White-breasted Woodswallow / Hirondelle busière (Artamus leucorhynchus melanoleucus)
Common in suitable habitat.

Melanesian Cuckooshrike / Echenilleur des Loyauté (Coracina caledonica lifuensis)
Seemingly abundant around Farino and Parc des Grandes Fougères.

Long-tailed Triller / Echenilleur pie des Loyautés (Lalage leucopyga simillima)
Seen around Farino.

Grey Fantail / Petit lève-queue (Rhipidura fuliginosa bulgeri)
Common and widespread.

Streaked Fantail / Rhipidure tacheté (Rhipidura spilodera verreauxi)
Seen only at Parc des Grandes Fougères. They seemed to prefer deeper forest than the Grey and were, unbelievably, more active than Grey Fantails.

Melanesian Flycatcher / Gobe-mouches à large bec (Myiagra caledonica caledonica)
Seen in small numbers in native bush.

Striated Starling / Merle noir (Aplonis striata striata)
Seen in small numbers around Farino.

Common Myna / Merle des Moluques (Acridotheres tristis)
Widespread and abundant in disturbed environments.

Pacific Swallow / Hirondelle du Pacifique (Hirundo tahitica subfusca)
Common and widespread.

Red-vented Bulbul / Bulbul à ventre rouge (Pycnonotus cafer)
Seen only in Noumea.

Silvereye / Zostérops noirâtre (Zosterops lateralis)
Seen only at Parc des Grandes Fougères.

Green-backed White-eye / Zostérops à dos vert (Zosterops xanthochrous)
Common and abundant in native forest. Very easily distinguished from the Silvereye in the field.

New Caledonian Grassbird / Fauvette calédonienne (Megalurulus mariei)
Not seen - They're said to be more abundant in northern Grande Terre.

House Sparrow / Moineau domestique (Passer domesticus)
Common in urban settings.

Common Waxbill / Bengali à bec rouge (Estrilda astrild)
Seen in small parties in suitable habitat.

Red-throated Parrotfinch / Pape de Nouméa (Erythrura psittacea)
Seen in small parties at La Foa and Farino.

Chestnut-breasted Munia / Bengali à bec bleu (Lonchura castaneothorax)
Seen in a small party at La Foa.