16 Oct 2014

Nissan Island Welcome

The SW breeze off Nissan Island seemed a good omen for finding seabirds but sadly our early morning search for the Beck’s Petrel went unrewarded. Our first appointment for the day was a visit to Balili Village which (figuratively speaking) rolled out the red carpet for us. We received a rapturous welcome as our Zodiacs reached the shore and after a traditional blessing with coconut water (see below) we were led to the village. Here we were treated to both the butterfly and eagle dances, unique to Nissan Island. The eagle dance in particular kept our birders around much longer than usual before they headed off on a walk with Adam and Moshe in search of the Atoll Starling and Louisade White-eye. To their great delight, both birds were quickly found.The rest of us all ended up with our own personal guides who introduced us to village life.

All too soon it was time to return to the Spirit of Enderby for lunch. In the afternoon the more confident snorkellers headed to the outer shores of the island to discover the underwater world along the reef drop-off.  There they were treated to giant fan corals on the edge of the deep blue sea. Others returned to the village where a demonstration of Sago cooking was in full swing, after which a refreshing swim was in order. We are now steaming towards Arawa on Bougainville Island, for our final landing in Papua New Guinea.