OK, so I didn't see the Henderson Island rail...but some super cool news for Henderson Island -
http://www.livescience.com/animals/threatened-bird-species-conservation-rat-eradication-101028.html
It was strange to be there last year and see kiore (Pacific rats) fighting with the large land (hermit) crabs over broken coconuts! The island is such a special place with such a high level of endemism it will be great to see the removal of these introduced rats. Nearby Ducie Island was probably the most incredible seabird island I have visited, thanks largely to the removal of rats in the 1990s.
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| Kiore and a large land crab fighting over a broken coconut |
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| The beautiful endemic Stephen's lorikeet |
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| Looking out over the beach from the raised part of the island |
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| The Henderson race of the Pitcairn reed warbler |
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| The stunning endemic Henderson fruit dove |
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| An endemic seabird, the Henderson petrel at sea near Henderson Island |
So, good luck to the RSPB with the eradication, they do have advice from the World leading kiwis on this one, so lets hope they can get the rats and minimise the impact on other species.
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