Does anybody know of shorebird sites on Guadalcanal?

[andrewcrossland]

Hi folks,

a few of us are heading off to Guadalcanal and Makira in the Solomans in the new year to join Scott Bucther who is based over there these days on a few birding missions. Aside from the endemics we're keen to count shorebirds for the Asian Waterbird Census. Scott has recently found some interesting wetland sites around Henderson airport as well as the airfield grasslands themselves - sp such as PG plover, Common Sandpiper, Tattlers, Bar-tailed Godwit, etc.

Just wondering if anyone has been to Guadalcanal and can suggest any sites where shorebirds were seen? The Solomans has relatively few wetlands and shorebirds have been little studied so any gen is much appreciated.

cheers

[andrewcrossland]

Just back from the Solomans. We didn't find many shorebirds on Guadalcanal, although we were happy to find Common Sandpipers, PG Plovers and Siberian Tattler when surveying braided rivers on the island. Also, intriguingly, Reef Herons.

We had some great waders on the smaller Nggella Island (also known as Florida) though - Good numbers of Mongolian Sandplover, Siberian Tattler, Asiatic Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, Turnstone and Pacific Golden Plover, with smaller numbers of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Alaskan Tattler, Red-necked Stint, Beach Thick-knee, and singletons of Terek Sandpiper, Eastern Curlew, Greater Sandplover, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank and Grey Plover.

Terns included Great Crested Tern, Common Tern, Little Tern and a probable Arctic Tern.

More stories of the trip to come......