Most birders fly between the different islands of the Comoros, but the seas between the islands can be very interesting to explore from the boats going from island to island. However arranging one can be a real hassle. We thought we had arranged a boat from Moroni, Grande Comoro, to go to Fomboni, Moheli, but when we arrived the next day it wasn't departing... After some hours we found out there was a small boat going every day several times from Hoani, Grande Comoro, to Chindini, Moheli. When we arrived at Hoani by taxi-brousse we soon got tickets and an hour later we were in the front (bad idea, your ass will be sour for days) fo the boat. On these small boats it is important to waterproof all your luggage or to put at least a plastic bag around your backpack. The boat ride took approximately 1.5 hours, but this is dependent on the tides.
During the crossing we noted some interesting seabirds including Bridled Tern, Brown Noddy, Bulwer's Petrel (Don't be tempted to identify these petrels as Jouanin's, just because the Bulwer's is not mentioned in Sinclair and Langrand. The flight action of the the Bulweria's in the Comoro's is very fast and "batlike" suggesting Bulwer's and these birds are also rather small.) and Greater Frigatebird. We also noted several Flying Fishes, some of them extremely brightly colored, but surprisingly no Dolphins.
On Moheli we tried to get a boat to Anjouan, but the departure date got postponed again and again, which in the end made it impossible for us to visit this island. On our return trip to Grande Comoro we took the same small boat from Chindini to Hoani. During the trip we noted just one Bulwer's Petrel, some Brown Noddies and two Sooty Terns. This crossing proved to be something of an adventure, for the motor of our boat stopped working in the middle of the sea, luckily it started working again after half an hour of drifting. However due to this delay the tides were not ideal and we had to walk the last couple of hundred meters on dead coral.
Unfortunately it was not possible to take any pictures on the two crossings we took, but I think the bigger boats plying these routes should have less spray. The seas here are really interesting and should be explored more, just like every bit of the Comoros. I can highly recommend this country, for it is an amazing, but seldom visited area, even by birders standards. It provides High quality birding sites and a respectable list of endemics. We saw 57 birds species and 1 mammal species during our two week visit of which 21 species are endemic, but future DNA research is most likely to prove many endemic subspecies to be genuine endemic species. Besides most of them are endangered and rare and none of them are actually protected. This may change when more people show interest in the biodiversity of the Comoros. So all I can say is book your ticket now! (Air Madagascar or Precision Air)
A conservationist's birding blog promoting ecotourism abroad to reinforce local conservation and restoration efforts
Hi, I'm very interested in visiting the Comores again. I spent about a year there in the late 80's. Does the taxi-brousse system still function? Did you visit the north where the Maloudja bungalows and the old Galawa hotel are, if so, what is the situation there?
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