Tonga Trip report October 2024

[RussCannings]

Hi all,

As there are so few land-based trip reports out there for our awesome Pacific Islands, I thought I would share some observations from a short family holiday to Tonga over the past week (Including the islands of Tongatapu & 'Eua). This was not a birding trip by any means, but I usually had bins while at the beach and exploring around, and on one evening I got the scope out to check out some mudflats east of Nuku'Alofa (Tongan capital, on Tongatapu).

Scroll down to get straight to the birds if you don't want the pre-amble.

General impression and observations on Tonga as a country:

Like Samoa etc, Western tourists must come prepared for a certain level of 'Island Time', meaning that things like 'ferry schedules' can often be more of an ideal possibility than anything to rely upon. Chooks, pigs, and dogs share the roads with old Japanese cars and vans, and sadly rubbish is as common as fallen leaves on beaches, the footpaths, and the average family garden. Even in all this poverty, there seemed to be more economic activity on Tongatapu and 'Eua than the average rural area of Samoa (particularly on Savai'i), and the average family lives in a western-style house (even if often quite shabby) whereas I saw a lot more traditional fale-living in Samoa, and far more people sitting around and watching the day go by while Tongans of all ages appeared to be busying themselves with various entrepreneurial pursuits. This is not to pass judgement in any ways. Merely my personal observations and I had actually expected more 'poverty' in Tonga compared to Samoa. I don't necessarily see our Western fixation on 'economic growth' and consumerism as a universally good thing, and one of the dark side in Tonga is clearly in the left-over waste and poor diets given the limited options at the average supermarket.

Perhaps taking after NZ's bad habits, Tongans have embraced the personal automobile, and island bus (something I remember fondly about Samoa/Fiji/Rarotonga) is a thing of the past on Tongatapu, with daily traffic jams around Nuku-Alofa being the daily reality.

The people are super friendly and younger generations in particularly speak English well, so communication is usually easy. While there are thieves around apparently, I never felt unsafe, even when walking through poor neighborhoods at night, and people were always looking to help out, or to ask curiously what I was doing if I had binoculars. Probably the main thing to watch out for are the dogs. We didn't have any issues on our trip, though we met an Irish backpacker who was bitten by a stray dog and had to go to the hospital. Most advise to avoid walking through dog-areas at night. Most dogs seem friendly or rather meek during daylight hours. It was interesting to note the complete absence of dogs in certain villages (perhaps a conscious decision by village leadership and/or outside veterinary volunteers).

The main island of Tongatapu, particularly along the western coasts, was devastated by a tsunami in the wake of the 2022 volcanic eruption. Virtually all 'resort' accommodations from the west coast were destroyed and have not returned. The beaches are still beautiful, and arguably even more pleasant to visit as you generally have the place to yourself. The coral reefs were impacted as you would imagine however snorkeling can still be productive for the expected fish species and we saw a sea snake too. There is not a lot of contiguous native bush left on Tongatapu but you can still easily see the regional endemics that occur in the country--namely Polynesian Starling, Eastern Wattled Honeyeater, Polynesian Triller, and Pacific Kingfisher in most habitats. While this is the most populated island, there are also large expanses of rural agricultural land (e.g. coconut, taro, etc).

The island of 'Eua is much less populated and covered by a lot more native forest and--unlike Tongatapu (which is almost completely flat)--boasts some forested hills ('mountains' might be pushing it) and impressive sea cliffs. The east coast is rugged and uninhabited and this island is apparently the oldest in Tonga at around 40 million years. You'd think the combo of native bush (including the tropical Pacific variety of 'Kauri') and ancient existence would lend itself to some endemic birds, but there is not a single one! Lonely Planet will point to the endemic 'Red Shining-Parrot' however these birds were introduced by Polynesians in pre-European times. Even so, it is quite evidence when you step off the ferry from the main island that 'Eua is a 'birdier' place, and the complete absence of mynas and bulbuls (as far as I could tell) is refreshing.

Getting around/Accom:

Compared to other Pacific Islands, there seems to be far less options for accommodation on Tongatapu and 'Eua, particularly for those after the resort lifestyle. A range still exists, but make sure you book well in advance if you're after the 3-5 star experience as there is only one resort (and it's small) on 'Eua and only a small number on Tongatapu (particularly after the volcano). We were happy to book smaller cottages through air bnb and found these complete sufficient and a great way to get to know locals.

Cars/4x4s can be rented on both islands for very reasonable prices (We rented small sedans on Tongatapu for under $50NZ/day, and an SUV on 'Eua for around $100/day. You can pay more or a bit less depending on the quality you are after. There is generally no insurance so you pay a bond of around $100 an drive carefully. We found navigating around to be fine on Tongatapu and mostly fine on 'Eua (the forest tracks are mostly unmarked so best to download some google maps on your phone and/or get detailed directions). You can also hire local drivers/guides though we didn't do this. Taxis are pretty reasonable around Tongatapu.

To get to 'Eua most people take the 2-3 hour ferry. Just note that the schedule is variable through the year, and often by the week. There are several companies though we found MV Malau as the most reliable as it is the least likely to cancel, particular because the vessel is large enough to handle larger swell. You can also fly but these flights get cancelled even more than the ferries due to wind and mechanical issues.

*By all means, get in touch if you want more specific tips on planning a trip

Notable none-birding wildlife:

June-October is humpback whale season, and holy moly were they around! We saw several from the ferry including a family breaching right beside the boat. Once on 'Eua we saw 20+ daily from land, with breaching/flipper-slapping being common. We also saw a few whales from Tongatapu but they're definitely more common on 'Eua. You can charter 'swim-with-the-whales' charters both from Tongatapu and 'Eua.

Tongan flying foxes are common on Tongatapu and we saw heaps. I would assume they're on 'Eua as well but I never saw one. Maybe too windy? We had strong easterlies every day.

2 species of gecko and blue-tailed skink were common.

OKAY--the birds!
As mentioned, no Tongan endemics on these islands (Tongan Whistler is only on Vava'u and the megapode is even further away). Most of the native passerines are local ssp. though. My biggest dip was the shining parrot on 'Eua. I had expected them to be easy but I didn't see/hear a single one! Hopefully just unlucky but their numbers may indeed be declining.

*Note that this was not a dedicated birding trip, and I didn't eBird everything I saw. Lots of exciting possibilities out there for the more dedicated (especially pelagic-wise).

ebird trip report link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/281618

Annotated species list

Pacific Black Duck (Grey Duck): Seen daily on Tongatapu in lagoons, fields or as flyovers, but very scarce on 'Eua

Feral Pigeon: Abundant on Tongatapu; locally common around human settlement on 'Eua

Crimson-crowed Fruit-Dove: Common on both islands; audible at nearly every place I went. Easily seen on 'Eua.

Pacific Imperial-Pigeon: Fairly common on both islands, especially 'Eua

White-rumped Swiftlet: Common everywhere

Banded Rail: Present but usually heard-only around Tongatapu, but abundant all over 'Eua--constantly one calling nearby in most habitats.

Pukeko: Only saw 1, flushed from a banana tree in a remote part of 'Eua. Only the 2nd eBird record for the island.

Pacific Golden-Plover: Common all over Tongatapu on beaches, mudflats, and any sizeable patch of grass. On 'Eua much less numerous but usually a few present on undisturbed beach/rocky shores. Also saw one several times in the grassy area at the southern cape of the island.

GREY-TAILED TATTLER: Only rarity of the trip. I snuck away for 45min of proper birding on our last evening on Tongatapu and this bird was in a muddy lagoon behind a shanty town east of Popua. In basic plumage.

Wandering Tattler: Common at all coastal situations on both islands. While less numerous than golden plovers overall, arguably more consistently present at any given beach/wave platform/lagoon.

Ruddy Turnstone: Counted at least 25 on the mudflats east of Popua Point (east of Nuku'Alofa). Probably present on the mudflats along Vuna Rd (west Nuk) but I was never there on a low tide. None seen on 'Eua.

White Tern: Most commonly seen seabird. Usually 1 or 2 in sight any time I binned the sea, and often a few soaring over nearby forest/palms. Sometimes in loose flocks of over 20.

Brown/Black Noddy: Would love some more insight on the relative abundance of these two species. I confirmed both at a few sites, with some good views on the ferry as you'd expect. I also noted regular evening flocks of 100-300+ off 'Eua but most birds were too far away to ID. I assume Black would be the most numerous but that's a guess based on the limited literature I have found for the region.

Grey Ternlet: Saw 1 bird perched on a cliff ledge at the south end of 'Eua. I believe they are suspected to nest here but I'm not sure if that's confirmed.

Great Crested Tern: Uncommon in tidal flats and lagoons of Tongatapu. In 1s or 2s (I also saw 1 from the ferry slightly offshore from Nuk). None present on 'Eua.

White-tailed Tropicbird: Always a delight to see these birds. I don't think I saw any on Tongatapu but they were locally common along the east and south coast of 'Eua and sometimes a few could be seen along the wesst coast (e.g wharf area). Some per flying into a sea-cave/ledge on east coast.

RED-TAILED TROPICBIRD: Possibly a notable sighting. I saw an adult soaring with WT Tropicbirds the first time we checked out the south cape of 'Eua.

Black-winged Petrel: 7 seen from the ferry in the middle of the crossing.

Sooty Shearwater: 2 seen in similar section of ferry crossing as above petrels.

Lesser Frigatebird: A couple seen on both islands (Mostly Tongatapu though)

Great Frigatebird: Appeared to be the most abundant species, with one group of over 20 seen on first day on Tongatapu in strong easterlies.

Red-footed Booby: Saw a few on the first ferry crossing but none on the 2nd. Also saw a couple from land on 'Eua but far less common than Browns.

Brown Booby: Fairly common to see 1 or 2 cruising out beyond reef. Saw several landing on cliff edges along the south and east coast of 'Eua.

Reef Heron: Widespread in all coastal areas but not nearly as common as on Rarotonga/Samoa/Fiji (to me anyway). All dark-morph plus 1 "mottled" morph seen in western Tongatapu. This morph is apparently a Tongan specialty.

White-faced Heron: More common generally than Reef Heron. Also not picky about its coastal habitat.

Pacific Kingfisher: Fairly common on both islands

Eastern Wattled-Honeyeater: Abundant on both islands in virtually all habitats

Polynesian Triller: Common on Tongatapu; abundant on 'Eua

Pacific Swallow: Fairly common on Tongatapu; highly local on 'Eua (Seen at ferry wharf and in main central village only)

Red-vented Bulbul: Abundant on Tongatapu; completely *absent* on 'Eua

Polynesian Starling: Fairly common on Tongatapu; abundant on 'Eua

European Startling: Fairly common on both islands

Common Myna: Like the bulbul, abundant on Tongatapu and absent from 'Eua.

Jungle Myna: Uncommon but widespread on Tongatapu; none seen on 'Eua

Junglefowl: Chickens are of course abundant around all settlements in Tonga. On 'Eua though, there are also widespread pure-looking phenotypes in native bush (primary & secondary), as well as rank grasslands far from human settlement. Speculated to be truly feral in areas on this island by past ornithologists so I include this note.

Cheers for now!

Russ Cannings

[David Riddell]

Hi Russ, was very interested to read this as our family went to Tongatapu and 'Eua in May 1992. Sounds like very little has changed since then but a couple of things stand out. First, back then a car on Tongatapu was completely unnecessary as you just had to wave and any passing ute (the most common vehicle type) would invariably stop and let you hop on the back - just tap on the roof when you want to get off. Was this the "island bus"?
We flew to 'Eua so no opportunity for seabirds or whales (probably a bit early anyway) and yes, the flight back was delayed by the weather so we had to spend an extra Sunday there. Nothing to do but go to Church which was an interesting experience with fantastic unaccompanied singing. Back then there was really no visitor accommodation on 'Eua (maybe a guesthouse run by an alcoholic which was really rough...) but we stayed with contacts at the island's agricultural college, who also drove us around a bit - there were no rental options back then.
We saw a similar range of birds, though again it wasn't really a birding trip. The main difference was that we had no trouble finding the red shining parrots (aka koki or less commonly kaka, with the emphasis on the second syllable) on 'Eua, and even saw a vagrant on Tongatapu, in a bush remnant on the grounds of one of the high schools. Sad if they're becoming scarce, they're really spectacular birds, almost like macaws.
Like you we saw lots of banded rails (known locally as veka) but only one or two pukeko - on 'Eua. They were in a small wetland and much more shy than the local version. The only other bird we found was a barn owl, flying over the fields of the agricultural college just before sunset.
Myself I'm just back from a week on Mo'orea, but managed to catch covid on the way home so am now isolating in the guest room (Annette is still clear so far...) and am writing this on my phone. The main focus of the trip was snorkeling so not much to report in the way of birds. We stayed at Linareva, a small resort on the less developed south-western side of the island. Mostly bulbuls, mynas and manikins among the land birds (didn't get into the inland forest at all), crested terns were the most conspicuous seabirds. There was also a pair of white terns mating in a tree on the edge of the lagoon, a few white-tailed tropicbirds flying over the hills inland, plus a few noddies, reef herons, red-footed and brown boobies (mostly seen from the ferry, from where we also saw distant humpback whales broaching) and mostly distant frigatebirds, though a good view of a greater frigatebird flying overhead in central Papeete. Marine life was much more diverse, though this probably isn't the right place to go into that...

[RussCannings]

Thanks for the response David--would love to get to Tahiti some day!

Hitching rides around Tongatapu would definitely be doable. Saw locals doing it successfully and I was often offered rides while out in areas where tourists are seldom seen. We were with two small children though and were happy to pay a bit for reliability (e.g. nap schedule!) and shade from the sun on our pasty white skin hehe. As for the "island bus"--this was based on my experience in Samoa and Raro where brightly coloured buses regularly circumnavigate the islands as a cheap way to get around and mix with locals. Tongatapu is a more complicated shape but from speaking to locals they confirm that there used to be buses, but they're all gone now (save for school buses). Seems like the family vehicle is the norm now (and still lots of people piling into the back of utes!). 'Eua would also be fine for rides between the main villages but we found the more rural roads to be pretty quiet so this would be less reliable.

I'm hoping that I simply had poor luck on the parrot (it was very windy every day and I never got out early in the morning when they are apparently most vocal and conspicuous). It's possible I heard some at several points (while driving) but never spotted anything whenever I stopped. Kingfishers and even the honeyeaters can make surprisingly raucous parrot-like noises. They were apparently resident on Tongatapu as well (and perhaps a few birds survive) but their population has declined significantly due to agricultural/urban expansion.

I dipped on the Barn Owl (which is regularly seen on both islands) but the high winds probably contributed.

I suspect the Pukekos get persecuted by farmers a bit as they're considered pests for crops like banana so might explain their shy behaviour.

Russ

[Paul Shortis]

Hi Russ. Many thanks for your detailed travel blog. I must confess to being a bit lazy when it comes to reporting successful trips, you have prodded me into better communication next time. I have stumbled across your e-bird footprints in Fiji and Samoa, thanks for the effort! Tonga has long been on our "maybe Bucket list" and your blog has tipped me over the edge, Tonga is definitely on the cards for next year!!! Meanwhile, Lake Wairarapa is beckoning...!

[naturespotter]

Excellent report!
About the Grey-tailed Tattler, I have an unidentified observation of two tattlers from Popua (one of my favourite birding areas on the island).
Brown Noddies are much more common from the Tongatapu Coast than Black Noddies.
Congrats on the Red-tailed Tropicbird, I've never seen one in Tonga before, and great find for the Grey Ternlet.
Great-crested Terns are generally common on Tongatapu, and so is the Black-naped Tern. Black-naped Terns are more common in the less windy areas around Nuku'alofa, and the White Terns were generally seen by me in the more exposed coasts, and sometimes inland.
White-tailed Tropicbirds can be seen from the Hufangalupe Coast on Tongatapu as well.
I actually didn't know the mottled morph of the Reef Heron was unique to Tonga!
The parrot is best seen on Fafa Island, which is not open right now due to the tsunami, but I did see one flying on 'Eua, and I heard it several times there too. There was one flying around the area in front of my house for a few weeks in Tongatapu back in 2021. It was probably an escaped pet.
I'm now living in NZ, but I would love to visit Tonga again.

[RussCannings]

Thanks for that added info naturespotter!

Would love to have more time to explore the Popua area more as I can see there are a lot of nooks and crannies of mudflats and lagoons to explore. I wasn't sure on access and had limited time. Lots of Wandering Tattlers around there of course but the GT stood out as a particularly pale individual and it also called which was helpful (didn't get a good view of the nasal groove though )

Thanks for the note on the noddies. Browns were definitely more common in Samoa but I didn't want to be too presumptuous here--plus I'm super rusty IDing them at distance--- and I noted that Blacks seemed to be much more numerous on eBird (but those could easily be inaccurate).

Apparently Grey Ternlets have been sighted on the southern 'Eua cliffs before, though I don't think breeding has ever been confirmed. It was pure luck as we were at the land arch and were just about to walk away when a bird flow over my head (coming from the inland/forest direction) and dropped into the arch/cliff area and landed on a ledge for great views.

On Black-napes I had expected a few and was definitely surprised not to see any. Checked all the White Terns as best I could but didn't pick any. Probably needed more time around the lagoons. Next time!

That's good to know about the parrots on Fafa--I would imagine it's an easy water taxi ride when the weather is better and restrictions lift. Another thing for next time.

p.s. Paul--Please get in touch if you have any other questions. I only have 1 week of experience of course but happy to help any way I can.

[naturespotter]

I lived there for more than ten years, just moved to NZ.