03 Apr 2023

Wilderness, Wildlife and Authentic Pipe Music at Kolombangara

Another day and another island in the Solomons - today Heritage Adventurer was Kolombangara, an almost perfectly circular shield volcano 30 kilometres across in the New Georgia island group.

The birders had another very early start to the day, commuting ashore in the dark to ride up to Imbu Rano Eco Lodge in a fleet of flatbed trucks. The rustic Lodge overlooks the volcano's forested upper slopes for some stunning views.

The rest of us travelled to the same destination at a more leisurely hour. Here we were free to explore the mountain trails, bird around the lush forest along the approach road, or watch for birds flying over the forest from the Lodge's deck.

Distant views of Pale Mountain Pigeons were overshadowed by stunning views of an extremely obliging MacKinlay's Cuckoo-Dove - the first of many seen that wasn't flying past! The forest also offered a diversity of Cuckoo-shrikes and Monarchs, but for many the highlight was several Finsch's Pygmy Parrots creeping along the branches. We also learned about ant plants and enjoyed the many butterflies, dragonflies and lizards in the area.

A stop on the way back to the coast allowed us to hear a Roviana Rail, but it remained stubbornly out of sight. Back at the wharf we were serenaded by a local band, which used an array of pipes and old flip-flops to create the most amazing sounds. A small pod of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins accompanied us on our ride back to the ship.

After lunch back on board our trusty expedition vessel  we headed north along the coast of Kolombangara where, towards dusk, we sighted several rare Heinroth's Shearwaters.

Image (c) Heritage Expeditions