On a recent visit to Christmas Island, Kiribati I was lucky enough to spend a short time with the local wildlife official on a rat-free island in the lagoon reserved for seabirds. Christmas Island is an important breeding area for several tropical seabird species including the Sooty Tern. It was not the breeding season for the terns but Red tailed Tropic birds, the Brown Noddy and the rare Phoenix Petrol were breeding and I saw several nests. The birds were unafraid of us and it was wonderful to be surrounded by Noddies and Fairy Terns and Tropic birds!

Brown Noddies on the beach

Brown Noddies

Frigate Birds

Sooty Terns

Masked Boobies

Red Foted Booby

Red Tailed Tropic Bird

Phoenix Petrols

Phoenix Petrol on the nest

Blue Noddies

Fairy Tern