Papua New Guinea

Trip Report 31.8 to 18.9.2008

Participants:
Garth Cooksey, William & Nancy Johnson, John Williamson & Penelope Hacker
Guide: Brian Coates

A complete bird list of the trip can be sent on request

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This was another successful tour despite losing valuable birding time this year due to delayed and cancelled flights, unexpected changes by Air Niugini to flight schedules, and some wet weather. We listed over 300 species and succeeded in seeing many special birds, some seldom observed, including an excellent total of 23 species of birds of paradise, Flame and Archbold's Bowerbirds, Shovel-billed Kingfisher, paradise-kingfishers, Thick-billed Ground-pigeon, Southern Crowned Pigeon, Bronze Ground-dove, Nicobar Pigeon, Finsch's Imperial-pigeon, New Britain Buzzard and Bismarck Kingfisher.

Port Moresby area (Varirata National Park)

Our first day in the field was 1 September, due to the unscheduled late arrival of the Air Niugini Brisbane-Port Moresby flight on 31 August. Beginning in early daylight, we spent most of this day birding in hill forest in Varirata National Park, where we walked several trails. A delightful Yellow-billed Kingfisher greeted us at the entrance gate with trilled calls and great views. This was soon followed by a strikingly-coloured Hooded Pitohui - the first-known poisonous bird, a Stout-billed Cuckoo-shrike, Pink-spotted Fruit-doves, and noisy Red-cheeked Parrots. A short time later, farther into the park, a cacophony of loud calls announced the presence of several splendid fully-plumed male Raggiana Birds of Paradise at their lek. Here we watched enthralled as two males displayed in synchrony.

Other special birds seen during the day included a stunning Brown-headed Paradise-kingfisher, colourful Western Black-capped Lories, a gorgeous male Papuan King-parrot, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Boyer's Cuckoo-shrikes, Sharpe's Cicadabird, Rusty Mouse-warbler, Chestnut-bellied Fantail, White-faced Robin, Helmeted Friarbirds, Tawny-breasted Honeyeaters, Puff-backed Honeyeater, Papuan Flowerpecker, Grey-bellied Longbill, Black-fronted White-eyes, Yellow-faced Mynas, Brown Orioles, a female-plumaged Magnificent Riflebird, and noisy Bare-eyed Crows. Several Streak-headed Honeyeaters were also seen. This interesting but rather drab bird is a visual and vocal mimic of the larger, much commoner Brown Oriole that is in turn a visual and vocal mimic of the larger Helmeted Friarbird.

As is always the case with rainforest birding a number of birds were heard but not seen, such as White-crowned Koel and Crested Pitohui. Hook-billed Kingfisher, usually a crepuscular species, was calling during the day but remained frustratingly well hidden amid foliage. Also stubbornly remaining unseen nearby despite persistent attempts to lure them into view were Chestnut-backed Jewel-babbler, Painted Quail-thrush and Northern Ground-robin. At the end of the day we birded along the entrance road through eucalyptus savanna. Among the birds seen in this habitat were a Collared Sparrowhawk on its nest, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Leaden Flycatchers, Lemon-bellied Flycatchers, White-bellied Whistler and White-throated Honeyeaters.

Kiunga area

The following morning we departed Port Moresby for Kiunga, via Daru, expecting to arrive at our destination around mid-day. On arrival at Daru, however, our aircraft became unserviceable due to a fault with its landing gear and it seemed we would be stranded there until the following day. Whilst waiting for news of new flight arrangements we derived a little comfort from observing birds on the Daru airfield. These included Gull-billed Terns, Australian Pratincoles and six species of migrant shorebirds. Eventually, to our great relief, in the late afternoon a specially diverted plane arrived to take us on to Kiunga.

The next morning, 3 September, we set off early for Boystown Road in a 4WD vehicle, together with legendary Kiunga birding guide Samuel Kepuknai. Heavy rain during the previous days had made some sections of the road difficult to traverse and eventually, just short of our birding site, we became bogged in deep mud! Undaunted and eager not to lose more birding time, we completed our journey on foot. Happily, from our vantage point atop the 'grassy knoll', we got to see two stunning males of our target bird, the Flame Bowerbird, perched and in flight. Other birding highlights of the morning here included a handsome Grey-headed Goshawk, Beautiful Fruit-dove, a male Long-billed Cuckoo calling from its treetop perch in response to Sam's whistles, Papuan Spine-tailed Swifts that zoomed past us at close range, Pinon & Zoe Imperial-pigeons, Papuan Mountain-pigeons, Yellow-streaked Lories, tiny Yellow-capped Pygmy-parrots in flight, Orange-breasted & Double-eyed Fig-parrots, a pair of Red-cheeked Parrots at their nest-hole, Eclectus Parrot, Moustached Tree-swifts, Blyth's Hornbill, Meyer's Friarbird, Plain Honeyeater, Black Sunbird, and Glossy-mantled & Trumpet Manucodes.

After a lunch break in Kiunga we spent the afternoon birding the area known as K17 (because it's 17 km along the road from Kiunga). The highlight at this location was the wonderful spectacle of a group of male Greater Birds of Paradise displaying at their lek, along with a male Raggiana Bird of Paradise and several hybrid male Greater x Raggiana Birds of Paradise. Other special birds here, not seen previously on the trip, included the miniature Dwarf Fruit-dove, Purple-tailed Imperial-pigeon, Palm Cockatoo and Yellow-bellied Longbill.

Our destination the next day was Ekame Lodge, where we stayed for one night. To reach Ekame entails travelling by boat up the mighty Fly River and its tributary the Elevala River, where the lodge is located. Our intended pre-dawn departure from the Guest House for the river was delayed by the late arrival of our transfer vehicle. So by the time we reached the Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise site we were too late to see the adult male on his display perch. An immature male in female plumage performed in his absence! The next morning we did, however, have views of a splendid adult male displaying to a female near Ekame Lodge. Spotting birds in comfort from the boat while travelling to and from the lodge is always a pleasurable experience. Among the many birds seen perched in riverside trees or flying over, were Collared & Pinon Imperial-pigeons, Palm Cockatoos, Eclectus Parrots, Channel-billed Cuckoos, Moustached Tree-swifts, Blyth's Hornbills, numerous Dollarbirds (soon to depart for Australia), Bare-eyed Crows and Glossy-mantled Manucodes. This was how Sam found the magnificent Southern Crowned Pigeon for us, a great highlight of the trip for everyone as it's a very sought after, 'must see' bird.

The water level in the Elevala was again very high this year, due to heavy rains in the mountains. And again this made it easy to get in and out of the boat, instead of clambering up muddy riverbanks, but it also made it very difficult to walk into the flooded forest and find birds. We did eventually see the Common Paradise-kingfisher and also, after a hike through an area of elevated forest (which was unexpectedly infested with leeches!), a cracking male King Bird of Paradise in his display tree.

Ekame Lodge consists of two buildings in a clearing in rainforest, by the river, made out of local timbers and bamboo. The accommodation here is basic (including pit toilets), however, nature is all around and it's great to fall asleep with the sounds of the jungle.
Other birds seen around the lodge and along the rivers included the shy, often heard but seldom seen Yellow-legged Brush-turkey, the seldom observed Thick-billed Ground-pigeon (flushed from its nest and egg), Pesquet's (Vulturine) Parrots, Orange-breasted & Double-eyed Fig-parrots, Lesser Black Coucal, Uniform Swiftlets, Papuan Spine-tailed Swifts, Rufous-bellied Kookaburras, Golden Cuckoo-shrikes, Spot-winged & Frilled Monarchs, White-bellied Pitohuis, Yellow-eyed Starlings and Golden Mynas. Among the furtive species heard but not seen, despite our efforts, were Little Paradise-kingfisher, Blue-breasted & Hooded Pittas and Blue Jewel-babbler.
We returned to Kiunga in the late afternoon.

Tabubil (Ok Tedi) region

We departed Kiunga on 6 September and drove to Tabubil, seeing Dusky Lories and an impressive congregation of at least 20 Blyth's Hornbills on the way. Nearing Tabubil, we found the local form of Little Ringed Plover; this is a potential split from the Eurasian form because of several differences (its yellow eye-ring goes red when breeding, it has a complete black breast-band in all plumages, it has a different call, it doesn't migrate).

We had lunch at our hotel in Tabubil, rested a while and then went birding, but the rain didn't stop until late afternoon. Tabubil is well known to be a wet spot, and the hotel is aptly named 'Cloudlands'! Our birding highlights were Long-tailed Buzzard, Orange-breasted Fig-parrots, Sharpe's Cicadabird, Golden Cuckoo-shrike, Mountain Yellow-eared Honeyeater, Mountain Peltops and a female-plumaged Carola's Parotia bird of paradise.

A pre-dawn departure the next day, followed by a bumpy drive, found us birding along the road in continuous rain. Despite the dismal conditions we were eventually rewarded, thanks to Sam, with brilliant views of our target bird, the remarkable and seldom seen Shovel-billed Kingfisher. In an attempt to escape the rain, we then drove to another location across the valley. This was indeed rain-free and here we had nice views of a White-rumped Robin that responded well to tape playback.

In the afternoon we visited the Ok Menga (ok is the local word for river) where we had great views of a pair of Salvadori's Teal, an uncommon endemic duck that everybody was hoping for. Here we also saw River Flycatchers and Black Butcherbird, while John was fortunate to see the Torrent-lark as well.

Kumul Lodge area

The following day, 8 September, our morning flight from Tabubil to Mount Hagen was yet again delayed by several hours! By the time we arrived at Mount Hagen airport and drove up through Tomba Pass to Kumul Lodge it was late afternoon - just in time for everyone to see and photograph from the balcony a splendid adult male Brown Sicklebill visiting the feeder along with other upper montane endemics, including delightful Brehm's Tiger-parrots, Belford's & Common Smoky Honeyeaters, and Mountain Firetails. A fitting introduction to this very special and popular birding destination!

As we were staying at Kumul Lodge for 3 nights we visited several areas, including the mid-montane Lai and Wapenamanda Valleys. Other birds seen in the magnificent grounds of the Lodge and along nearby trails were Chestnut Forest-rail, Bronze Ground-dove, gorgeous Papuan Lorikeets, Island Thrushes, the fascinating Blue-capped Ifrita, Orange-crowned Fairy-wrens, Large Scrub-wrens, Dimorphic, Black & Friendly Fantails, Black-cheeked & White-winged Robins, Regent & Rufous-naped Whistlers, Grey-streaked Honeyeaters, Crested & Fan-tailed Berrypeckers, Archbold's Bowerbird, Lesser Melampitta, an absolutely stunning male Crested Bird of Paradise, Loria's BoPs, and female-plumaged Ribbon-tailed Astrapias. Mountain Owlet-nightjar was heard at night but unfortunately it did not respond to tape playback.

During our trips down to mid-montane areas we observed Lesser Birds of Paradise (including fine views of 2 displaying adult males at a lek in the Lai Valley), Yellow-billed Lorikeets, Mountain Swiftlets, Long-tailed Shrikes, Pied Chats, Brown-breasted Gerygone, Papuan Grassbird, River Flycatchers, Black-headed Whistler, Ornate & Mountain Red-headed Honeyeaters, Slaty-chinned Longbill, New Guinea White-eyes, Hooded Mannikins and Blue-faced Parrot-finches.

Ambua Lodge and Tari area

Our run of bad luck with flights in PNG hit rock bottom when our MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) charter flight from Mount Hagen to Tari on 11 September was cancelled with very little notice. In order to reach our next destination, Ambua Lodge, we spent most of the day driving on the Highlands Highway. Along the way we added Yellow-breasted Bowerbird and Buff-banded Rail to our list. Once again we arrived at our destination in the late afternoon.

Ambua - what a great place! Here in the highlands surrounded by montane rainforest the temperature is perfect, the beautifully designed accommodation is first rate, and the birding is exciting. In the lodge gardens a fruiting tree was attracting several species of bird of paradise: female-plumaged Stephanie's Astrapias, male and female Lawes' Parotias, female Superb Bird of Paradise, female Blue Bird of Paradise and, best of all, a seldom observed male Buff-tailed Sicklebill. Here also we observed New Guinea Wood-swallows, Yellow-browed Melidectes Honeyeaters, Common Smoky Honeyeaters, Mountain Peltops, Blue-grey Robins and Blue-faced Parrot-finches.
The roads around Ambua have improved and we travelled to different locations each day. Some top spots we visited several times and again birds of paradise were the most spectacular birds around. Although we had rain each afternoon we still did very well watching the fantastic birds of this area.

Over the following days, between the lodge and Tari Gap, with the help of legendary local birding guide Joseph Tano, we saw adult males of Brown & Black Sicklebills, King of Saxony Bird of Paradise, Stephanie's & Ribbon-tailed Astrapias, Loria's Bird of Paradise and Short-tailed Paradigalla. Seeing pictures of the male sicklebills and astrapias with their very long tails makes some people wonder how they can fly. Clearly they are doing it rather well and it was great to watch them flying through the forest canopy and across the trails. It was also fascinating to observe the male Black Sicklebill in partial display, raising his elongated lateral pectoral plumes upwards like two arms. Other birds observed included Chestnut Forest-rail, Great Cuckoo-doves, Papuan Lorikeets, Black-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes, Blue-capped Ifrita, Mountain Mouse-warbler, Papuan Grassbirds, Black-breasted Boatbill, Canary Flycatcher, Black-cheeked Robin, Regent & Hill Golden Whistlers, Black Sittellas, Belford's, Grey-streaked, Black-throated & Red-collared Honeyeaters, Fan-tailed Berrypeckers and Crested Berrypeckers. Lesser Ground-robins were calling as usual but unfortunately this year they remained out of sight. And a Papuan Boobook that called near the lodge at night also did not respond to tape playback.

Below the lodge, on the Tari road, we visited village lands to observe males of both Blue and Superb Birds of Paradise. These days a payment is made to the landowners for doing this, so there is some incentive to keep the birds alive. We had great views of these splendid birds, plus Papuan King-parrot, Island Leaf-warbler and Marbled Honeyeater.

Port Moresby area

On the morning of 14 September we transferred by road to Tari and then flew to Port Moresby.

In the afternoon we drove to the Pacific Adventist University, which is a few kilometres out of Port Moresby. The area is fully fenced and the birdlife here is fully protected. As a result it has become a sanctuary. Around the ponds, gardens and eucalyptus savanna we found a number of Australian birds, such as Australasian Grebe, Little Black & Little Pied Cormorants, Darter, Great, Intermediate, Little & Cattle Egrets, Pied Heron, Rufous Night-heron, Wandering Whistling-ducks, Pacific Black Ducks, Whistling & Brahminy Kites, Purple Swamphens, Comb-crested Jacanas, Masked Lapwings, Peaceful & Bar-shouldered Doves, Torresian Imperial-Pigeon, Rainbow Lorikeet, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Rufous-banded Honeyeater, White-breasted Wood-swallow and Torresian Crow, but the highlights were the Spotted Whistling-ducks, Grey-headed Mannikins and the Fawn-breasted Bowerbird attending its bower. Ever present in the area are Pacific Swallows, as are Singing Starling, Yellow-faced Myna, Brown Oriole, Green Figbird and Black-backed Butcherbird, and we also spotted a roosting pair of Papuan Frogmouths.

New Britain Island

On previous tours, after arriving at Port Moresby from Tari we had continued on to New Britain the same day, and this had been our intention for this tour. However, belated changes by Air Niugini to its flight schedules meant that there was no longer an afternoon flight to Hoskins, leaving us with no choice than to fly to New Britain the following morning, 15 September. Our birding time on New Britain was therefore reduced to 1.5 days, from the planned two full days.

On arrival at Hoskins airport we transferred by road to Walindi Plantation Resort, arriving there late in the morning. Walindi is a delightful spot located amid gardens and coconut groves next to the seashore. Primarily a dive centre, it is beautifully designed and maintained. An added attraction here is its friendly, extended-family atmosphere. Around the resort we found Eastern Reef Egret, Osprey, Brahminy Kites, some migrant shorebirds, Collared Kingfishers, Northern Fantails, Shining Flycatcher, New Britain Friarbirds, Ashy Honeyeaters, Metallic Starlings and the Bismarck islands form of Torresian Crow (insularis, perhaps a separate species).

In the afternoon we took a boat trip on Kimbe Bay and visited Restorff Island. Here we saw 3 Nicobar Pigeons in flight, many Island Imperial-pigeons and at least 2 handsome Beach Kingfishers, all of which are small-island specialists, plus White-bellied Sea-eagle, though Melanesian Scrubfowl was heard only. Surprisingly little was seen in the way of seabirds, the only sightings being of Brown Booby, Lesser Frigatebirds and Greater Crested Tern. A pod of Bottlenose Dolphins and some flying fish added entertainment to our boat ride.

The next morning we made an early start to drive through a vast area of oil palm plantations to reach foothill forest beyond the Kulu River. During the cool early morning we walked along the road observing an abundance of birdlife, including colourful and noisy Eastern Black-capped Lories, Eclectus Parrots, Blue-eyed Cockatoos and Red-flanked Lorikeets. Also Pacific Baza, Buff-faced Pygmy-parrot, Red-knobbed Imperial-pigeons, the local yellow-tinted form of Torresian Imperial-pigeon, Red-knobbed Fruit-doves, the very distinctive Pied Coucal, Moustached Tree-swift, Blyth's Hornbills, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, a calling male of the local form of Common Cicadabird (most likely a separate species), Varied Trillers, Spangled Drongos, Black Sunbird, and the distinctive Northern Melanesian forms of both the Yellow-faced Myna (surely a separate species, 'Melanesian Myna') and the Variable Goshawk. Highlights of this morning included great views of the often heard but seldom observed Finsch's Imperial-pigeon, a New Britain Buzzard perched and in flight, a pair of beautiful White-mantled Kingfishers, and a Bismarck Kingfisher perched beside a stream.

In the afternoon, after another lengthy drive through oil palm plantations, we visited the Garu Wildlife Management Area - a protected area of primary and secondary rainforest. Here we spent time in the forest interior where several pairs of the handsome Black-headed Paradise-kingfisher were heard, with one bird eventually giving clear views. Melanesian Scrubfowls were also heard here and it was interesting to examine some of their nest burrows, including some with recent excavations. Additional birds observed during the afternoon were Stephan's Doves, one of the very few species that has adapted to the oil palms, and views of a flock of delightful Buff-bellied Mannikins, seen by the road through grass paddocks while driving to and from our accommodation.

Varirata National Park

Early the following morning we transferred to Hoskins airport for our flight back to Port Moresby. On the airfield were more flocks of Buff-bellied Mannikins and some migrant shorebirds. More or less on schedule we flew back to Port Moresby.

In the afternoon we again visited Varirata National Park where we had excellent views of a roosting Marbled Frogmouth and a delightful Barred Owlet-nightjar sitting at the entrance of its roosting hollow. Also new to our trip list were Shining Bronze-cuckoo, Yellow-eyed & Black Cuckoo-shrikes, Elegant Honeyeater (a recent split from Graceful) and Papuan Black Honeyeater. Other highlights were a beautiful Brown-headed Paradise-kingfisher, a fine Long-tailed Buzzard and close views of White-faced Robin.

Early the next day we departed PNG, on schedule, for our respective international destinations.

SUMMARY

Birding in PNG is quite different from Australia, as birds and mammals are hunted for food. This has been happening for ages, and the native fauna has adapted to it by not trusting humans in almost all areas (one exception is the Bismarck islands, including New Britain, where hunting is less frequent). Normally one goes for the specialties of each region and encounters other birds en route, but there was a surprising lack of visible small birds in most areas. That meant it was hard work for all of us to get to the birds and to see them. Of course rainforest is like that, you always hear more than you see. In PNG the rainforest is much more diverse and the canopy is much higher than in Australia.

One can also always expect showers, which does slow down the birding. Walking trails were muddy and slippery in some areas. However, mosquitoes, leeches and scrub-itch mites were either non-existent or low in numbers in all areas, which was greatly appreciated - except for one new trail near Ekame Lodge where we encountered an abundance of leeches.
Overall the tour was a success, without anyone falling sick, without serious injuries or accidents, or other mishaps. The local people we met were always helpful and friendly, and the birds were definitely worth every bit of effort.