Tongan Whistler, Vava'u (1 Viewer)

G'day, I just joined, and I wondered if anyone has any experience / tips on places to see the Tongan Whistler, on the island of Vava’u?

I have unexpectedly been asked to conduct a flying visit to Tonga next week, including Vava’u, but I will only be on the island for 1-2 days at most & will be working, so it needs to be a fairly accessible spot.

Thanks.

I can only make general suggestions. If wanting to remain on Vava'u, get a map showing remaining vegetation stands and ask some locals.

Here is someone to contact: http://www.vavau.to/activities10.html
...scroll down to the Birdwatch Tonga link and send them a letter.

If it's not too late...
It's not so difficult to see this species. You don't have to necessarily go to a small protected area on the main island (Mt. Talau). That's what I did and there I heard several species and caught a glimpse of 2 just during a brief visit.
Even more convenient for you is to search for a bird within the main town of Neiafu itself. My best advice is learn its very distinct call and then search along patches/groups of trees around town or just walk from the town towards Mt. Talau and listen for them and you should find one soon. What I discovered was that it doesn't really need many tress just a group of few is enough for a bird to be there. another advantage of the town is that people passing by on roads have already tamed birds. Hopefully you will be as lucky as I was )

Hope it helps!
Petr

ps. let me know how successful you were, I'm curious

For the record, I successfully located the bird on Wednesday 30 May, at Mt Talau on Tonga’s second island, Vava’u, mainly thanks to this:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Pachycephala-jacquinoti

... because not only did it let me identify spots to find it, but allowed me to cheat and call it up using a download of its own call on my smartphone. (I know, I know, so shoot me. I had 1 hour left on a tropical island – what would you have done?)

I found it 100m into the trees above the Mt Talau radio tower, after a very obliging taxi driver drove up a track no self-respecting goat would claim, and thanks to my internet cheat I found it within 2 minutes of leaving my somewhat bewildered fellow travellers (2 Fijians and a Tongan, who just accepted it as Western eccentricity,) below the human-induced tree line.

The Tongan whistler has in the past been lumped with the golden whistler, & there is a similar species in Fiji, but unlike the Australian & Fijian golden whistlers, the Tongan whistler has no white bib & just has a full black hangman’s hood. For the record, it was a cracker – a little golden jewel who regarded me and my recorded message with what I can best describe as a disdainful eye.

(This Tongan stamp was the only image I could find of the Tongan whistler on line: http://www.bird-stamps.org/images/stamps/tonga/1427.jpg)

And then I got to fly back to Nuku’alofa on a 1945 Douglas DC3. A top day was had by me, at least.

You did not happen to get a photo?