NORFOLK ISLAND

From 2-8 November 2025, I visited Norfolk Island. It is a very pretty place.

I was first here in July 2004, when I saw four lifers: Norfolk Parakeet, Norfolk Gerygone, Slender-billed White-eye and California Quail. At the time, the Norfolk Robin was classified as a subspecies of Scarlet Robin. Then it was given species status and for a while it was called the Pacific Robin, and now it is the Norfolk Robin. In 2004, I did not bother looking for the local owl, because I did not think it was tickable. It was also extremely difficult to see, but that's never stopped me from looking. The 2020 Action Plan estimated the total population of owls to be 25 individuals. My return visit this year had a dual purpose. First, to see the owl (which, I am assured, is tickable) and second (rather ambitiously) to see the Long-tailed Koel. The koel is a New Zealand bird, which passes through Norfolk Island on its annual migration north from New Zealand to Pacific Islands each March, then again on its return journey south back to New Zealand each November. As I left Melbourne, I thought that my chances of seeing the owl, notwithstanding the tiny population, were very good. Conversely, I thought I had virtually no chance of seeing the koel. And how right I was. On both counts. Here's proof that I saw the owl.

The population of owls on Norfolk has been low for many years. In 1986, it was critical. Just one female remained. Ornithologists determined that the most closely related species was New Zealand's Morepork, so they introduced some male owls from New Zealand. The resulting offspring have bred today's owl population, so calling them Norfolk Moreporks is a bit of a stretch really. While the population was estimated at 25 in 2020, no one was quite sure, and a survey is currently underway to determine the population more precisely. We saw many posters advertising the survey. On our first night on Norfolk, we visited the Botanic Garden at dusk and waited for the boobook call. As soon as we heard it, we played the tape, the bird answered and flew to us. We had two birds in Norfolk Pines above our heads and others calling in the distance. Let's hope there are more than 25 individuals. My other target was the Long-tailed Koel, formerly known as the Long-tailed Cuckoo. We spent many hours listening and waiting for this bird to call. Indeed, I heard it once. But I did not travel thousands of kilometres to hear it! It was very frustrating to know that the bird was present somewhere on the island and I could not see it. Who knows how many of them there are, and how long they spend on Norfolk on their trip home. I could not have done more. It is just a matter of luck and my luck was out. I simply had to go home happy with my Morepork.

We did a two hour boat trip, which was fun. We visited all the tourist spots, looked very hard for koels, enjoyed all the endemics and examined all the waders carefully to ensure that there were no rare Bristle-thighed Curlews amongst them. There weren't. Although the Bristle-thighed Curlew is listed on the Norfolk birdlist which you can pick up at the National Parks Office, I am told that this was one unconfirmed anonymous sighting. The Australian Bird Guide states that this bird is not yet recorded from our region, but that it is a potential vagrant to Norfolk and Coral Sea Islands. That's enough to make me look at every whimbrel very carefully.

Norfolk is very pretty. My impression was that, compared with my 2004 visit, there were far fewer cows on the roads, fewer chooks and feral geese, and also fewer Norfolk Robins and Masked Boobies. The smaller number of boobies could be explained because they were nesting last time I visited. The smaller number of robins cannot be explained away so easily. I fear their numbers have declined. The 2020 Action Plan estimates the population at 750 and declining. There were many more California Quail, Norfolk Parakeets and Golden Whistlers. It was a pleasant week. I was delighted to see the Morepork, but frustrated I could not claim a Long-tailed Koel. I will have to return!