Orange Chap
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Mon 6 Jul 2015 22:57
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Orange Dove of Fiji and
Others
 Our driver stopped for petrol and he
pointed to a tree in the gardens of a hotel. Fruit
bats.
   Off I bimbled to said hotel and asked
at reception if I may be allowed a closer look. I couldn’t walk to the tree that
had been pointed out to me as it would have meant walking by chalets and guests.
Fijians are lovely people and these two ladies very much didn’t want to
disappoint me, so they had a porter show me to another tree behind the swimming
pool and I helped myself to the Batman lookalikes. I
thanked them profusely on the way out. Vinaka. A good start to the fauna of
Taveuni.
 This chap showed me the
way back to our driver.
 The rain began to fall
as we left the sealed road, we were treated to a small
rainbow.
 For an hour we bumped
along an unmade road.
   By the time we reached
the conservation park it was raining heavily. The man who would give us an
excellent commentary was off for the day, his wife welcomed us with nary a word
of English. She pointed to the price, pointed to some very ancient umbrellas and
off we went. The whole place looked like a ‘one careful owner’ including the
goat. Not long after we got going our hostess stopped
and whistled at a tree. There high in the branches was an orange chap. The
mosquitos were ruthless despite us all having sprayed ourselves and bird watching under a brolly is no fun at all. Everywhere
we looked there was mess.
 Dog
kennel............
   We followed on, now
soaked through. More mess, a jaunty ex-toilet and a ‘spare wheel’.
We were beginning to lose the will. Just then more whistling at a tree and a
many-coloured dove was pointed out. Enough was now enough. Muddy feet, wet
clothes and leaky brollies. Maj made a dash for the car as soon as it came into
view. I followed moments later and the boys just after me. All in the car our
guide ran over with a tray of juice, very odd, there we were having to drink as
not to offend. What a hideous place. Even if the weather had been dry and sunny,
the rubbish and mess would have not looked any cuter.
 Orange fruit dove –
was he worth the mossie bites ???. Ok, yes he was, but only
just.
 The
many-coloured fruit dove. As originally named as the
orange dove above.
 Our driver spotted this
chap sitting up in a tree just as we had gone over a bridge. Quick as a flash he
pulled over and out I jumped. The Kula is the national bird of Fiji.
 On the way to the waterfalls in the
now pouring rain I spotted this Fijian Goshawk and
asked our driver to stop, which he did. What a handsome chap.
ALL IN ALL JUST AS WELL WE
SAW MR ORANGE
STUNNING AND UNUSUAL
BIRDS |