# Lord Howe Island -- Natural History pt2



## moloch05 (Oct 28, 2009)

*MOUNTAIN WALKS*
*Goat House Walk, Mt. Lidgbird*
This walk provided a good introduction to the montane plants and also was good for demonstrating what the longer Mt. Gower trek would be like. The trail commenced in the lowlands and then followed a ridge to the first line of cliffs of Mt. Lidgbird. The Goat House is an overhang that forms a natural shelter.






The trail passed through tall rainforest. Scalybarks (_Syzigium fullagarii_) were numerous trees and often had buttressed roots.





The endemic Pandanus (_Pandanus forsteri_) was numerous near the start of the track.





Further along, Curly Palm (_Howea belmoreana_) became abundant.





After climbing for an hour and a half, we reached the Goat House. The view over the northern portion of the island was great.









I found a small trail that continued around to the southeastern slope of Mt. Lidgbird. This area was beautiful. It was cooler and probably received greater rainfall. As a result, the plant life changed dramatically.





Here are a few of the plants from Mt. Lidgbird.
Mountain Rose (_Metrosideros nervulosa_) had just commenced flowering. 
Dracophyllum fitzgeraldii (Epacridaceae) -- the tallest of all the Australian heath plants.








Tea Tree (_Melaleuca howeana_) -- an endemic that is one of the "Aussie" contingent
Mountain Daisy (_Olearia balli_) 








Lidgbird orchid (_Dendrobium sp_.) -- I saw many of these small orchids on the rocky cliffs of Mt. Lidgbird.
unknown to me 
_Pimelia congesta_ 
_Westringia viminalis_
















Golden Orb Weavers were common spiders. Some of these were large.








*Summit Trek, Mt. Gower*
The high point of my visit was climbing Mt. Gower. The walk is not all that long but it proceeds from sea level to 875m. The upper section of the walk is particularly steep so the climb is an all-day event. My climb began at 7am and completed at 5:30pm. Walkers can only climb with a guide and weather permitting, there are one of two excursions each week. 

The trail commenced about 1.5 km from the cliffs.





It passed through dense Kentia Palm forest with Banyan Trees at the base of Mt. Lidgbird.





After reaching the cliffs, there was a steep climb and then a walk along a ledge that is 90m above the rocky shore. This section was safe with ropes and our group size never changed.





After an hour or so of a slog up the hill, we reached the saddle between Mt. Lidgbird and Mt. Gower. We stopped at a creek that is home to two species of endemic crustaceans. I found many of the 2cm long shrimp (_Parataya howensis_) but could not find any of the tiny black crabs (_Hymenosoma lacustris_):












The trail became steep above the saddle. Ropes were in place across the most difficult sections so again, it was quite safe. Only one person could use a rope at a time so this gave me plenty of opportunities to take photos (and catch my breath!).






Finally, we reached the summit where we stopped for lunch. The view over the lagoon was gorgeous.





From the Gower summit, we could look back and down at Mt. Lidgbird.






The top of Mt. Gower is a plateau that is covered with mist forest. The forest was dense and most plants were covered with mosses, lichens, ferns and orchids:
















Mt. Gower's mist forests are the result of clouds that often envelope the summit:








The Mt. Gower plateau is the main nesting locality for the Providence Petrel (a.k.a., Solander's Petrel). We saw many active nesting burrows but no adult birds. They are autumn/winter nesters that arrive back on the island in March each year. At that time, the adults are extremely inquisitive and fearless. Our guide said that if you shout or make loud noises, the birds will plummet through the canopy and land on the ground around you to see what is making the racket. On my visit, there were young birds in the burrows but the adults were out feeding over the sea. They don't return with their catch until nightfall.





The beautiful Gower Pumpkin Tree (_Negria rhabdothamnoides_) only grows on the upper slopes of the mountains. It is an arborescent member of the African violet family (e.g., Gesneriaceae).












unknown, 
urticaceae








_Lordhowea insularis_ -- I really the "original" latin name of this composite. 
Island Apple (_Dysoxylon pachyphyllum_) had cauliforous fruits.
Wedding Lilies (_Dietes robinsoniana_) had flowers that lasted only a day. It also has a bizarre distribution. The genus is only found on Lord Howe Island and in southern Africa.
Mountain Rose (_Metrosideros nervulosa_) have showy flowers. This genus is widespread across the islands of the South Pacific. Some of you may know a relative from Hawaii ("Ohia") that is popular with the Hawaiian Honeycreepers. 



















Kava plants (_Macropiper hooglandii_) were common in the understorey of the Gower plateau. These plants apparently do not have the same effect as the species that is so loved in Fiji.





Mt. Gower is known for its diverse and endemic ferns. Here are photos of a few of the species that I saw while climbing to the summit:




































There are four species of endemic palms on Lord Howe Island. For those interested in palms, there is a good article with island photos at this site: 

http://www.lordhowe-tours.com.au/docs/Lepidorrachis2.pdf

Kentia Palm (_Howea forsteriana_) -- these palms were abundant in the lowland areas. They are grown commercially for use as an indoor ornamental.
Curly Palm (_Howea belmoreana_) -- most common on the lower slopes a little above the Kentia Palms.
Big Mountain Palm (_Howea canterburyana_) -- only grows on the mountains above 400m.
Little Mountain Palm (_Lepidorrhachis mooreana_) -- restricted to mountaintops.















Rock Orchids were abundant on the slopes of Mt. Gower. 
Bush Orchids (_Dendrobium macropus_) 1, 2, 3. These orchids were flowering in the lower and mid-elevations.
_Dendrobium moorei_ 4, were common on trees at higher elevations.










]






Pied Currawong were bold and inquisitive birds. These are an endemic race with a larger bill than those on the mainland. Their call was much the same as what I hear in Wollongong but their song was different. These would sing with a rich, organ-like tone that resembled the song of Black Butcherbirds up in the tropics of northern Queensland. Most of the Currawongs were banded as part of an ongoing population study.



















Golden Whistlers are also represented by an endemic race. These birds were common in all forest types from the lowlands to the top of Mt. Gower.












We are so lucky to still have Woodhens. These big, flightless rails declined to 22 individuals in the 1970s. After that, the Lord Howe Island Board set about trapping feral cats and these pests are now eradicated. As a result, the Woodhen population has flourished and there are now more that 200 of these distinctive birds. I was quite surprised by their "songs". They sounded much like the screeching of a falcon. While calling, they would hold their checkered wings partially opened and drooped. They were not at all wary and I usually could approach to within a few meters of the birds. It was quite amusing to watch them run. Their toes seem to be too big so they awkwardly "goose-step" when scampering away.



















I only saw these flies with strange orange eyes at the summit of Mt. Gower. Here, they were enjoying the delights of fresh Woodhen excrement.





I found these beetles to be very interesting. They appear to be flightless and all that I observed lived high up on the slopes of Mt. Gower. Most were feeding on the flowers of a kava. I am not certain of the family. Any ideas? I have seen both flower beetles and blister beetles that look something like these. The local name was the very nondescript "Summer Bugs". The ridges on the abdomen of the female are so odd.





Banded Land Rails were common birds. Unlike the Woodhen, these were wary and quick to flee to cover.






*NORTHERN LORD HOWE*
*Malabar Lookout*





These are some of the little Admiralty Islets that are visible from Malabar Lookout. They all had massive colonies of seabirds.











Grass Skinks (_Lampropholis delicata_) are an introduced species that has flourished on the main island despite the rats. It was interesting that these little skinks appear to have no trouble with the rats. Maybe this is because the are small and diurnal whereas the Lord Howe Island Skink is larger and nocturnal.





Lord Howe Island has the largest nesting colony of Red-tailed Tropicbirds in the world. October is the month when these birds nest and they were everywhere along the cliffs. I loved to sit at Malabar Lookout and watch these birds fly gracefully back and forth along the cliff face. Sometimes, they would display. The first photo below shows the display posture where they lower their long red tail streamers. On occasion, several birds would interact. They would catch thermals, spiral upward and then drop again while holding their tail streamers downward like this. It was an interesting sight to see multiple birds looping around and around while calling harshly. I also saw synchronized flying by a few pairs.




















Sooty Terns were the most abundant seabird on the island. They nested in a variety of habitats that included grassy pastures, rocky hilltops, beaches and offshore islets. These birds would swoop at me when I was near their nests but I never was actually hit by their bills.




















Here are a few of the plants that grew near the Malabar Lookout.
Christmas Bush (_Alyxia ruscifolia_) -- pretty shrubs with orange fruits.
Hopwood (_Dodonea viscosa_) 
_Exocarpus homalocladus_
Jasmine (Jasminum sp.) -- these had the lovely fragrance of the cultivated varieties.




















Orchids were numerous along the cliffs between Malabar and Kim's Lookouts. Some of these were flowering. I think that all of these were Bush Orchids (_Dendrobium macropus_):
















I saw a few Lepidopterans on the ridgetop. These included:

Australian Admiral
Common Grass Blue
Painted Lady
and an elegant Moth





















Our week long trip went fast and all too soon, it was time to leave.





My wife, Angie, and I.


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## jordo (Oct 28, 2009)

Great post! You're very lucky to get out to such a unique area and see lots of the endemics. The habitat and plant diversity there looks great.


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## Sock Puppet (Oct 28, 2009)

Great stuff, the vista from the summits looked sensational. 

I can see what you mean regarding the larger Currawong beak, it's quite noticably deeper. 

The bird life there looks great, such diversity in such a small area.


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## Serpentes (Oct 28, 2009)

Wow, fantastic! Beautiful weather on Gower. Makes me feel like I'm back there, so much so that I get vertigo looking at the Gower pics!


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## moloch05 (Oct 29, 2009)

Thanks, all.

It is a good year for trips, Jordo.

Tonsky, Lord Howe would have been even better before the rats arrived. I think that something like 10 land birds are gone due to rats or hunting by humans.

Serpentes, The view from the summit of Mt. Gower is so good on a clear day. It really is a stunningly beautiful island.


Regards,
David


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## DanTheMan (Oct 31, 2009)

Those Woodhens are very similar to our Weka in New Zealand, which are also flightless. Great photos as always!


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## James..94 (Oct 31, 2009)

Great photos


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## moloch05 (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks, Dan and James. I agree with you, Dan, that the Woodhens are similar to Weka. I wonder if they are from the same ancestral stock?


Here are a final few photos from Lord Howe. My wife and I cannot wait to return again someday to experience this place of wondrous beauty.

Mt. Gower and the lagoon:











Coral reef at Ned's Beach:






Sooty Tern hovering a little below Malabar Lookout. The cliffs at Malabar were 200m high and almost vertical. The small white birds far below are Red-tailed Tropicbirds. 






The water The was so clear that I could see Green Turtles as they swam along the reef. One afternoon, I saw a large Tiger Shark slowly cruise by not far from shore.






This is a shot of the graceful, synchronized flight by a pair of Red-tailed Tropicbirds. It was amazing to watch them swoop and turn in unison.






I watched a male White Tern dance and sing to his partner. He landed next to what I assume was the female and slowly bobbed his head while softly cooing. He took tiny steps and would turn sideways to the female. His tail would brush her and then he would slowly move back until his body was parallel with hers. When another bird (I assume another male) approached, both birds reacted angrily.




















White Tern on its "nest", just a flattened spot at the base of a branch in this Norfolk Island Pine:






"Goose-stepping" Woodhen. They were so funny to watch ... not exactly the grace and speed of other rails.






Flesh-footed Shearwater "singing". They would lower their head so that their bill was just above the ground and then begin with their "pick me, pick me!" calls. ... looks like she is considering his proposal.






Regards,
David


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