Searching for the Kulawai Bird in Fiji // New Film

A few weeks back, I spent six days with the Kulawai Team on Taveuni, Fiji's fourth-largest island. The group, comprising NatureFiji-MareqetiViti staff and volunteers, was led by Vilikesa Masimbalavu in a search for the Kulawai. A bird that has not been seen since 1993 and which is endemic to Fiji. If it is not found here during the next few years, it will have to be declared extinct.

Dense cloudforest on Taveuni Island.

The camp set up in an abandoned house in the forest for further shelter from the relentless rain.

An Australian Magpie, an invasive species in Fiji. It is relatively common on Taveuni but personally, I have never seen it on any other island in Iji.

Lots of rain makes it hard

When I arrived on Taveuni, the team had already spent a few days there and had set up camp at an abandoned hut in the cloud forest on Taveuni's eastern side. I arrived with a substantial amount of gear (as usual). Still, the conditions in this region made working extremely challenging: almost constant rain and extremely muddy pathways (if they could be called that in the first place!) made my job - documenting the search - quite difficult.

Taveuni's eastern side must be the rainiest place in the whole of Fiji: the south-easterly trade winds blow clouds right towards the mountain range where the clouds empty themselves. There is a reason all the touristy places in Taveuni are located on the western side (and every time we drove over there, the rain almost magically turned into sunshine), and it is clearly due to the local weather patterns.

Remains of an old settlement in the middle of the forest. Its hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that there used to be people living in tehse nearly always wet and dense mountain forests.

Where are The KulawaiS?

When it wasn't pouring, we made our way through the thick cloud forest towards a ridge where teams of two positioned themselves for a few hours to document any birds and calls they could identify. Unfortunately, during much of the three-hour trek towards the ridge, it was raining and I had to keep my equipment in my waterproof bag. Jake, part of the NatureFiji permanent staff, called me back to show me the Taveuni Silktail! It's a beautiful bird to see, but I was a little disappointed that I couldn't photograph it and add it to my "Birds of Fiji" collection.  

I had never seen this pretty little bird before and enjoyed observing it just two to three meters from where we were. It wasn't shy at all, but after a few moments, it flew into the thick forest and out of sight. We also heard and spotted barking pigeons, golden doves, orange-breasted myzomelas, Fiji White-eyes, blue-crested broadbills, streaked fantails and collared lories. After three nights in the bush, we moved on to the Lavena village, where the team wanted to conduct outreach activities as well as trek along the Lavena Coastal walk towards the beautiful waterfalls. This outreach work will ensure that young children are aware of their natural heritage and create a sense of ownership to care for it. This work on the ground is really important, and it is great to see NatureFiji taking care of it.      

Vilikesa scans the canopy.

The Roed-thorated Lorikeet (Kulawai)

Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans

The search team takes a short break during a birding survey.

One of the main tasks of NatureFiji-Mareqeti Viti is to bring awareness to the villages and work with the local communities to sight and conserve this elusive species.

A stuffed model of the Kulawai bird is used to show the children how it looks like.

An Northern Wattled-Honeyeater in its nest near the Lavena Coastal Walk.

The waterfalls at the end of the Lavena Coastal Walk.

Great team!

From Lavena village, the team made its way to the Somosomo hydro dam on the western (and sunnier) side of Taveuni. Unfortunately, I would be leaving the team to get back to Suva. Upon arrival, the sunshine and the sounds of the birds all around us made me think I should have come in the second half of the trip instead of the first. But hey, it is what it is. We used the last remaining hours of my time with the team to interview Vilikesa for the film before I was taken back to the airport to fly back to Viti Levu. Vinaka team - it has been a pleasure!