How to make an island with bird poo.

It is the sticking glue and one of the reasons for the continued existence of this little coral cay. The guano is rich in nitrogen so was originally mined as a fertiliser but it also mixes with the coral to form a beachrock which is as tough as concrete. 

 Here is a good example of the Beach rock- which appear like plates of concrete on the shore.

So the birds on this little coral cay are as important as the fish - never a dull moment in or out of the water. We walked around the island enjoying the corals and shells but also watching the crested terns which gathered by the waters edge, the white and sooty oyster catchers, the common noddy and the larger black noddy and then the elegant frigate birds which seem to love soaring, almost standing in the vast sky in the face of strong head winds. We didn't see any tropic birds this time, but have seen them elsewhere. And the mutton birds call like cats in the night just to make sure we remember they are there.

The sooty Oyster Catcher 

So this blog is dedicated to the birds and some of the pictures are mine but the far superior ones are courtesy of my good friend Zelinda De Cruz who is taking lessons in capturing birds in flight and isn't she great at it ! The island is full of Common and Black Noddies and their chicks and they are one of the reasons why bird poo still abounds.

These little rails were so cheeky they would come and hoover all the crumbs you dropped on the floor eating lunch. 

A reef Heron 

 A rare bird which is flightless with some bird poo over her left shoulder.

 An egret

 The rather pretty noddies with their silver heads and elegant colours 

A Silver gull and ternstone

Crested terns in flight formation.

The big question for anyone who has been to Elliot - have you been shat on?

YES, I can happily say twice, once on my back and once in my hair. They say it is GOOD LUCK.