31 Mar 2023

Snorkelling the rainbow reefs & Birdwatching at Makira and Frigate Islands

Overnight Heritage Adventurer arrived off the eastern end of Makira in the main Solomon Islands. Members of the expedition team ventured ashore well before dawn to check the status of a forestry track where we hoped to go birding. Unfortunately, the track was overgrown so we landed at a nearby village at Star Harbour where we were welcomed by the local community. This was where Queen Elizabeth II first stepped ashore in the Solomon Islands during her visit on the Royal Yacht Brittania in 1974.

The forest and farm-bush around the village was prime opportunity for our birdwatching extraordinaires, with highlights including Makira Honeyeater, Sooty Myzomela and the tiny Mottled Flowerpecker. More gaudy species seen included the Yellow-bibbed Lory, Papuan Eclectus Parrot and Yellow-bibbed Fruit Dove.

And while our birding friends were looking up, the rest of us were diving down on our first snorkel outing from the sheltered beach on Frigate Island, marvelling at the diversity of fish, corals and other marine life in the shallow reef. We also had the chance to see some of the local handicrafts made by the local community before returning to the ship for lunch and sailing for Guadalcanal through calm seas alive with flying fish.

Image (c): Heritage Expeditions