Shearwater on Norfolk Island

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Shearwater Villas on Norfolk Island takes its name from the Shearwater bird that migrates to Norfolk Island. Birdwatching from Shearwater Villas is a joy, with wheeling White Terns, known locally as Fairy Terns, and Tropic Birds soaring above.

The Wedge-tailed Shearwater arrive in their hundreds between the 18th and 21st October, returning to the same burrow where they hatched, and staying until April or May. Where they go is not known with any certainty – it’s certainly a long way away and possibly as far as Japan. While at sea, they are active throughout the day, but once ashore, where they come to breed, they normally venture out during the twilight hours or at night.

If you look out to sea, a few hundred metres towards Phillip Island just before sunset, you’ll sometimes see them floating on the water in huge ‘rafts’, waiting for the onset of semi-darkness before venturing ashore. Known as Ghost Birds by the islanders, they make a mournful eerie moaning cry at night.

Much like the bird, when you stay at Shearwater Villas on Norfolk Island, you’ll be treated to beautiful ocean views and tranquillity like nowhere else on earth.