2025
Join us at Bird-Photo-Tours Asia and explore these rarely-visited but endemic-rich islands that lie to the east of New Guinea. Our Solomon Islands bird photography expedition visits seven of the country’s nine provinces thereby providing a comprehensive coverage of the islands for the adventurous bird photographer who longs to capture on film this country’s rich birdlife. The Solomon Islands combines coastal landscapes with tourist-free, easy-going island life alongside an abundance of exotic endemic birds. The nation is an archipelago of volcanic islands, still largely cloaked in luxuriant rainforest, sweeping down to golden sand beaches and fringing coral reefs. The environment remains remarkably pristine with most Solomon Islanders pursuing a traditional life of fishing on the reefs and agriculture in the forests and its population remains overwhelmingly friendly towards visitors. The Solomons form a chain of islands stretching out beyond New Guinea into the deeper Pacific and the island archipelago is close enough to retain a reasonably high bird diversity yet isolated and fragmented enough to enable a high degree of bird endemism. These endemics will form the focus for this bird photography workshop where for a four-week period we will focus on capturing portraits of Kingfishers, White-eyes, Fantails, Myzomelas, Boobooks, Starlings, Fruit Doves, Imperial Pigeons, Megapodes as well as the most easterly Pitta on our planet, the Black-faced Pitta.
Kingfishers: Guadalcanal Dwarf Kingfisher / New Georgia Dwarf Kingfisher / Malaita Dwarf Kingfisher / North Solomons Dwarf Kingfisher / Ultramarine Kingfisher / Beach Kingfisher / Little Kingfisher
White-eyes: Bare-eyed White-eye / Malaita White-eye / Gizo White-eye / Solomons White-eye / Makira White-eye / Dark-eyed White-eye / Yellow-throated White-eye
Fantails: Solomons Rufous Fantail / Rennell fantail / White-winged Fantail / Makira Fantail
Monarchs / Flycatchers: Solomons Monarch / Chestnut-bellied Monarch / Malaita Monarch / White-capped Monarch / White-collared Monarch / Steel-blue Flycatcher / Melanesian Flycatcher / Makira Flycatcher
Myzomelas: Black-headed Myzomela / Red-vested Myzomela / Crimson-rumped Myzomela / Sooty Myzomela / Red-capped Myzomela
Boobooks: Guadalcanal Boobook / Malaita Boobook / Makira Boobook / West Solomons Boobook
Starlings: White-eyed Starling / Brown-winged Starling / Rennell Starling / Makira Starling
Fruit Doves / Imperial Pigeons: Silver-capped Fruit Dove / White-headed Fruit Dove / Pacific Imperial Pigeon / Island Imperial Pigeon
Others: Melanesian Megapode / Black-faced Pitta / Sanford's Sea Eagle / Solomons Frogmouth
Guiding Fees / Ground Transportation / Accommodation / Meals / Entrance Fees / Tipping for Drivers, Boatsmen, Hotel and Restaurant Staff.
International Flights / VISA Fees / Travel Insurance / Tips for Local Guide / Alcohol / Laundry / Items of a Personal Nature
Days 1-2 Guadalcanal Province, Guadalcanal Island [1N, 0D, 1S]. Arrive Honiara International Airport, Transfer to Hotel.
Days 2-6 Rennell and Bellona Province, Rennell Island, Tigoa Township [4N, 2D, 5S]. Domestic flight 60-minutes to Rennell Island. Photographic Targets: Rennell Shrikebill / Bare-eyed White-eye / Rennell Whistler / Rennell Fantail / Rennell Gerygone / Rennell White-eye / Rennell Starling / Island Thrush / Silver-capped Fruit Dove / Pacific Kingfisher / Pacific Imperial Pigeon / Melanesian Flycatcher.
Days 6-7 Guadalcanal Province, Guadalcanal Island [1N, 0D, 1S]. Domestic flight 70-minutes to Guadalcanal Island.
Days 7-10 Malaita Province, Malaita Island [3N, 2D, 5S]. Domestic Flight 30-minutes / Ferry 60-minutes to Malaita Island. Photographic Targets: Red-vested Myzomela / Malaita Dwarf Kingfisher / Malaita Monarch / Malaita Cicadabird / Malaita White-eye / Malaita Boobook.
Day 10-11 Guadalcanal Province, Guadalcanal Island [1N, 0D, 1S]. Domestic Flight 30-minutes or Ferry 2-hours to Guadalcanal Island.
Days 11-14 Western Province, Ghizo Island [3N, 2D, 5S]. Domestic flight 70-minutes to Gizo Island. Photographic Targets: Gizo White-eye / Melanesian Megapode / Dark-eyed White-eye / Solomons Nightjar / White-capped Monarch / Crimson-rumped Myzomela / White-winged Fantail / Beach Kingfisher / Little Kingfisher / Island Imperial Pigeon / Moustached Treeswift / New Georgia Dwarf Kingfisher / Solomons White-eye / Duchess Lorikeet / North Melanesian Cuckooshrike
Days 14-15 Guadalcanal Province, Guadalcanal Island [1N, 0D, 1S]. Domestic flight 70-minutes to Guadalcanal Island.
Days 15-18 Central Province, Savo Island [3N, 2D, 5S]. Ferry 60-minutes to Savo Island. Photographic Targets: Melanesian Megapode
Day 18-21 Makira-Ulawa Province, Makira Province [3N, 2D, 5S]. Ferry 60-mins Guadalcanal then Flight 60-mins to Makira Island. Photographic Targets: White-headed Fruit Dove / Makira Dwarf Kingfisher / Makira Boobook / Sooty Myzomela / Makira Honeyeater / Makira Cicadabird / Makira Starling / Makira Fantail / Makira Flycatcher / Makira Thrush / Makira Leaf Warbler / White-collared Monarch / Shade Bush Warbler / Mottled Flowerpecker / Makira White-eye.
Day 21-22 Guadalcanal Province, Guadalcanal Island [1N, 0D, 1S]. Domestic flight 60-minutes to Guadalcanal Island.
Day 22-25 Isabel Province, Santa Isabel Island [3N, 2D, 5S]. Domestic Flight 50-minutes to Santa Isabel Island. Photographic Targets: Black-faced Pitta / Solomons Frogmouth / West Solomons Boobook / Fearful Owl / North Solomons Dwarf Kingfisher / Red-capped Myzomela / Yellow-throated White-eye.
Day 25-28 Guadalcanal Province, Guadalcanal Island [3N, 2D, 5S]. Domestic flight 115-minutes to Guadalcanal Island. Photographic Targets: Guadalcanal Boobook / Guadalcanal Dwarf Kingfisher / Black-headed Myzomela / White-eyed Starling / Sanford’s Sea Eagle / Pied Goshawk / Solomons Cockatoo / Yellow-bibbed Lory / Cardinal Lory / MacKinlay’s Cuckoo-Dove / Ultramarine Kingfisher / Woodford’s Rail / Solomons Brush Cuckoo / Buff-headed Coucal / White-billed Crow / Solomons Cicadabird / Solomons Monarch / Chestnut-bellied Monarch / Steel-blue Flycatcher / Oriole Whistler / Solomons Rufous Fantail / Midget Flowerpecker / Brown-winged Starling.
Day 28 Guadalcanal Province, Guadalcanal Island, Honiara Township [0N, 0D, 0S]. International Flight Honiara – International Destination.
[Key: N: Night / D: Full Day / S: Session / Half-Day]
Nick, a UK National, has been living in Asia for over 15-years and in this time has conducted over 125 bird photography trips across the whole of the Asian continent ranging from Kazakhstan in the west, through India and China to Japan in the east, and from the Kamchatka coastline in the north to as far south as Indonesia. In China alone Nick has photographed to portrait-quality standard over 1,200 of China's bird species taking him to all of China's provinces as well as most of those nations bordering China. These bird photography trips have ranged in length from a few days to many months, including a three-month bird photography expedition to China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region, becoming quite possibly the most travelled foreigner in this region over the past decade. Nick has also conducted a four-month bird photography trek across the Himalayas, ranging from the Indian States of Ladakh and Kashmir in the west, into the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, then onto the Indian States of West Bengal and Sikkim, ending in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the eastern Himalayas. Nick has had his images published across numerous media channels including the BBC and Chinese state-owned media outlets, various bird magazines and journals including the Oriental Bird Club's BirdingASIA. He has his own website on the Birds of China at www.BirdingInChina.com and his book 'Portraits of the Birds of China' is due for publication in 2026. Furthermore, Nick has presented films on photographing birds both in Asia and Europe, has his bird images published across many social media platforms within and outside Asia, and has led a number of bird photography lectures and walks, particularly targeted at children. Consequently, Nick has accumulated significant experience of photographing birds within the Asian continent and this expertise has formed the backdrop to setting up Bird-Photo-Tours Asia, trips designed by bird photographers for bird photographers.
(i) The guesthouses are all in close proximity to the bird photography locations but some of the guesthouses are basic in terms of standards (ii) Walking is at a light pace (iii) There is some requirement to hike (iv) None of the locations are at altitude (v) One of the locations requires camping. Summary: as one of the locations requires camping and as there is some requirement to hike and as some of the guesthouses are basic, it is for these three reasons that this trip has been graded as 'Medium'.
