Island offers bird hope

Vatu-i-Ra Island in Ra could very well be the last bastion of hope in bringing up the numbers of the threatened petrel, locally known as the kacau ni Gau.

Vatu-i-Ra Island was declared an important bird area by bird conservation organisation Birdlife International and is home to nine bird species.

Fiji petrel - The Guardian

It is also where the latest attempts to boost petrel numbers are taking place.

The island traditionally belongs to the villagers of Nasau in Ra. Nasau villager Akuila Qionibaravi explains they are hoping the kacau will come to nest there.

"Birdlife International installed a solar powered machine to imitate the call of the kacau from six in the night to six in the morning, as this is when the kacau is out flying," he said.

black noddy photo from Wikipedia

Mr Qionibaravi said there were in-built underground nesting sites by the machine to encourage the kacau to nest on the island.

He said the island had been cleared of rats and other pests that were posing a threat to birdlife thus ensuring safe breeding environment for birds.

Continued:  http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=212249

More information on the black noddy (Anous minutus):
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/blacknoddy.htm


More information on the Fiji petrel (Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi):
http://www.fijisun.com.fj/2009/09/14/kacau-ni-gau-flying-high/

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3881