We were initially a little disappointed at the bird life here on the island, although it’s gotten better lately. It’s just that after seeing all the amazing birds of Australia last year we had high hopes for all manner of colorful feathered creatures on what is, after all, a tropical island. We had visions of big-beaked toucans and huge red parrots, maybe even a pterodactyl or two. Not quite. The birds we’ve seen have been more subtle in their appearance. Since the cyclone, however, it’s gotten more interesting – either because of a change of season or because the cyclone blew all the birds from Taveuni over this way.
We enjoy watching and listening to them from the decks around the house, especially in the mornings when they are most active. Deborah was most amused when I once blurted out, “My God, there’s that orange bird!” She suggested I had officially entered the realm of nerddom – or at least old-codgerdom – when the mere sight of a small feathered animal could elicit such an enthusiastic response. I try to take pictures of the more interesting birds as best I can with my point-and-shoot camera, but they’re seldom close enough to avoid blurriness. Below are some examples.
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Kingfisher_
Possibly some type of flycatcher, but I'm not sure
Fiji White-Eye
Golden Whistler
Goshawk. We often see these munching on insects, but apparently they take small chickens as well.
Myna Bird. Noisy, and commonly found in or near town.
Orange Dove (male). A rare sighting.
Possibly a female Orange Dove, which, unlike the males, are green, not orange at all.
Barking Pidgeon. Their call sounds not so much like a bark, but a really loud sneeze. You'd swear the AFLAC duck was out there somewhere.
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