New Caledonia - BirdLife International Request for Information

Have any birders been to New Caledonia and seen migrants which may be new to the island? The birds of New Caledonia are poorly known and even more poorly written up. I'm writing a definitive list of the birds and their status together with resident Caldoche birders and the recent expedition who rediscovered the New Caledonia Owlet-Nightjar (one seen in November 1998; soon to be published). There are some common waders (such as Lesser Sand Plover) which have not been recorded, three crakes of unknown status, many Australian migrants must surely be occasional vagrants and the list of potential seabirds is long and exciting. We are also interested in records of resident birds, especially the rarer endemics, away from well-known sites. We would be very grateful for any records that might improve our knowledge of NC birds. Any records used will be fully referenced and acknowledged to their observer.

Guy Dutson
BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.
guy.dutson@birdlife.org.uk