Fijian Birds and Flowers Break the Green-Blue Backdrop

            
November 17, 2012 

Fijian Birds; Fruit Bats or Flying Foxes; Monkey Bat; Banded Iguana; and Flowers. 

Fijian Birds 

It is still dark when the first Fijian bird calls come. And I stir and turn to pull back sleep-- postponing day light’s reality. 

But the sharp and short whistle-like calls, the punctuated calls, the shrill calls, and the melodic calls are persistent. And the skies turn from rose to blue. And the coconut palm leaves tremble at the window as choristers find their footing for song. 

I sit on the deck with the very last American-bought Starbucks dark French Roast coffee made with the ritual of grinding-beans-by-hand topped by a sprinkle of cinnamon--and watch and listen for feathered friends. 

I’m drenched in blues and greens that are backdrop to Vuda Point. Slowly I wake up, savouring the rich cinnamon coffee when a cock-sure minor bird alights on the railing to break Vuda Point’s mesmerizing view. It has a smart slender yellow beak with a fine hooked end, yellow bottom eye-liner, and yellow legs. 

The minor bird cocks its head from side to side—almost to crack the neck—black head feathers melt into a body of feathered chocolate browns. Hidden away are white feathered circles in its wings and tail. These white markings grab attention as it sets itself in motion and alights again on the railing. 

Something dangles from its mouth—a lizard or a worm: it swoops up into the coconut tree to stash its catch and swoops down again for that punctuated whistle as if signaling breakfast is ready. 

I used to try to write the musical notes of the eagle calls in Alaska, and the Fish Eagle calls on the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia. Those were sea birds that soared with most impressive wing span high into the skies and cut magnificent long arcs as they drove back down toward the water--like arrows to their mark. 

But here in Fiji I do not see so many sea birds—an odd Frigate bird or the spindly long-legged aristocratic-looking Blue Heron walking stilt-like on the reefs. 

The birds here dot the land in exotic miniature form. They accentuate space with vibrant colour. The tiny little Fiji Parrot Finch usually stops me in my tracks. They are a live ‘term of endearment’ for me. I usually smile when I stand dead still to watch them. A cap of red feathers start just a rear a shiny round black eye, bright green feathers with a tinge of blue and grey in their wings cover their body, and a red tail is an accessory end point to complement its cap. Its fat little stubby beak is a gray sheen. Gray feathers form a triangle from the widest point of the beak to the narrow point of eye. 

With rounded chest, I imagine them as Bob Marley’s bird on the doorstep in the song “Don’t Worry---‘bout a thing, coz every little thing’s gonna be alright.” Etc. etc. 



Fiji Parrot Finch. I imagine this as the bird on the doorstep in Bob Marley’s song: “Don’t worry ‘bout a thing, coz every little thing’s gonna be alright.” 

Besides the Frigates, Blue Heron, Indian Minors and Fiji Parrot Finch, the rest of those I see are unnamed—for want of reference book-- only to be listened to and enjoyed. 

Fiji has about 100 bird species--feather colours of which are red and blue and green and orange often in common--tropical delights. One in particular is of intrigue: a Barking Pigeon which I have heard in the rain forest near Savusavu! Hearing their bark is very rare. 

Others are: Kadavu Shining Parrot, Red Musk and Sulphur Parrot; Fiji Warbler; King Fisher; Peregrine Falcon; Silktail; Collared Lory; Flame Dove; Parrot; and the crème de crème of all, the Mystery bird. 

Without camera in hand, I have therefore downloaded photographs of just a few from the above-named birds. These are not my photographs. 

Drink in the vibrant sensory enjoyment. Wish I had a colour spread of all 100 species! 



Silktail:understated in what could be a Tuxedo, its shirt of which has slipped down to its tail feathers. 



Collared Lory alights on the branch of the Ginger plant. 



Flame Dove—poised, regal. 


Parrot: Hello, what’s your name? Pretty boy! Want to shake my hand?



Mystery bird: This stunning Fijian bird’s plumage was the accepted currency for an entire maritime trading network. Wow! 

Fruit Bats or Flying Foxes 

I have seen fruit bats and flying fox in the hundreds on the outer islands of Vavau, Tonga, but have not had opportunity to see any in Fiji. I did hear a story though of Fijian villagers catching some, putting them into a stew pot, and offering them to tourists for a fruity dinner. 

The following pictures and information on the subject comes from the free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. 


 

Fruit Bat or Flying Fox 

These ‘megabats’ eat fruit and lick the nectar from flowers. Their teeth are sharp and fruit is often crushed and only the juices consumed. Large fruit bats have to land to eat the fruit, but smaller species can hover--flapping their wings--in front of a flower or fruit, like a humming bird. 

Frugivorous bats help in the distribution of plants by carrying fruit with them and spitting seeds out in elsewhere. 

Nectarivores pollinate visited plants. They insert their long tongues deep into the flower for the nectar, and pollinate by carrying pollen to the next blossom visited. The Baobab and Sausage trees have benefited from this means of pollination. 

Bats have been known to infect other species (specifically horses) with a Hendra virus. Humans, too, can become infected after being exposed to horse body fluids and excretions. 

Monkey Bat 

This is Fiji’s only endemic mammal. It was discovered in 1976 in old-growth cloud forest on Mt. Koroturaga (Des Voeux Peak)--second highest peak on
 the island of Taveuni. It is listed as critically endangered due to habitat loss. 

This ‘megabat’ is not always large: the smallest species is 2.4 in long. The largest reach 16 in in length with a wingspan of 5.6 ft. It weighs up to 3.5 lbs. 

Most fruit bats have large eyes allowing them to orient visually in the twilight of dusk and inside caves and forests. 

Their sense of smell is excellent. In contrast to the ‘microbats’, the fruit bats do not use echolocation, with the exception of the Egyptian fruit bat which uses high-pitched clicks to navigate in caves. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabat 

Fijian Banded Iguana 

Free online encyclopedia, Wikipedia is the source of the following subject information. Photographs are not mine, but found online. 

 
A striking male Fijian Banded Iguana. Females are more uniformly green with faint banding or spotting. This species is endangered due to habitat destruction. 

The banded iguana is one of few iguanas found outside of the New World and one of the most isolated members of the family Iguanidae. They are endemic to Fiji’s southeastern islands, found in Tonga (probably introduced by humans), and there is a feral population in Vanuatu.

It is an arboreal species and diurnal—spending days foraging, basking and watching over their territories by day and retreating to the treetops at night. They are considered a national treasure by the government of Fiji, and have been featured on postage stamps and currency. 

The male is striking with light blue to white bands on a bright green background. Females are more uniformly green with faint banding or spotting. Both sexes have yellow underbellies and yellow-rimmed nostrils. Like other iguanas, they’re able to change their skin colour to blend in with their surroundings. When threatened, the iguanas turn black. 

Their long, spindly toes end in claws, and these help them to climb the trees that they live in. They have a very short crest that is only 0.2 inches high and grow to 23 inches long (half of this is tail). 

They are omnivorous--eat leaves, flowers, fruit and insects--and prefer coastal and lowland/swampy forests. Occasionally they are spotted in rainforests. They rarely come down from the trees except to lay eggs. 

When they court, their colour intensifies and they bob their heads at each other-– the male bobbing rapidly. The male approaches the female and tongue-flicks her neck, back, and forelegs—at times even biting her. 

Females lay one clutch of 3-to-7 eggs annually. They dig a diagonal nest about 10 inches to lay their eggs. They bury them, tamp the nest down with the head, and guard it for a short time. After 160-200 days hatchlings emerge, usually in the wet season. 

The banded iguana is endangered with populations declining due to habitat destruction, and the introduction of mongoose, and house cats to the islands. 

The island of Yadua is off limits to sail boats, as some irresponsible yachtsperson was caught taking female eggs. Pretty thoughtless!!! 

 
Fiji Banded Iguana in captivity. 

Flowers

These photographs are not mine. I downloaded them from a web site on Fiji flowers, and are a bit grainy. 

Enjoy some of my favourites--Hibiscus, Franginani, Heliconia, Ornamental Pink Banana Flower, Purple Clematis, Trumpeting Beauty, White Tendril, Wild Passion, Bird of Paradise, and Ginger. 


Hibiscus and Frangipani in a bird bath (my photograph).



Frangipani.



Heliconia Heliconia (my photograph).


Ornamental Pink Banana Flower.

 
Purple Clematis (common in US).

















Trumpeting Beauty.



White Tendril.


Wild Passion.


Bird of Paradise and Ginger (my photograph).


There are so many more exotic flowers. Some time down the road I will share my photographs of trees and flowers. Until then, enjoy ‘smelling’ these online flowers—nature’s tropical art forms.