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PAPUA NEW GUINEA HIGHLIGHTS JULY 9–22, 2017 by Dion Hobcroft

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PAPUA NEW GUINEA HIGHLIGHTS JULY 9–22, 2017 by Dion Hobcroft PAPUA NEW GUINEA HIGHLIGHTS JULY 9 –22, 2017 King of Saxony Bird-of-Paradise (Dion Hobcroft) LEADER: DION HOBCROFT LIST COMPILED BY: DION HOBCROFT VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM PAPUA NEW GUINEA HIGHLIGHTS JULY 9–22, 2017 By Dion Hobcroft A male Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise in all his finery at Varirata National Park. (Dion Hobcroft) Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Papua New Guinea Highlights, 2017 We were back in the fascinating country of Papua New Guinea to indulge in the fantastic birding this remote country offers. There is no place quite like it and, while at times a bit challenging to find the birds, the rewards are immense. Including West New Britain, we recorded 334 species of birds. Here is an account of our adventures in the land of birds-of-paradise. With “all of the termites holding hands,” we checked in, took off, cleared immigration on two borders (Australia and PNG), and transferred to the hotel and checked in, so that we had a few spare hours in the afternoon to visit the grounds of the Pacific Adventist University close to the city of Port Moresby. We started by examining the avenue bower of the Fawn-breasted Bowerbird, a remarkable construction of sticks with a central avenue oriented exactly east- west. The owner of the bower churred at us and gave some decent scope views. As we explored through the grounds, we tallied a respectable 49 species with highlights including Rajah Shelduck, Plumed Whistling-Duck, Australian Gray Teal (quite rare in PNG), Straw-necked Ibis, superb views of Orange-fronted Fruit- Dove, Papuan Frogmouth, and Red-cheeked Parrot. In a flock of the endemic Gray-headed Munia we found a couple of the much scarcer Chestnut-breasted Munia. Another luminary was a glowing male Painted Turtle. A male Painted Turtle found basking at PAU. (Dion Hobcroft) Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Papua New Guinea Highlights, 2017 The next morning we were into the hill forests of Varirata National Park. A howling gale did not help our cause, and as branches and trees fell around us, it looked like “a hard day in the office.” After an initial rush at a fruiting fig tree that turned up the poisonous Hooded Pitohui, a Pink-spotted Fruit-Dove, and both Boyer’s and Yellow-eyed cuckoo-shrikes, the birds all but evaporated. The jet stream roared through the display area of the Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise, and not a single bird was present. For nearly two hours we hardly saw a thing, and then the day gathered momentum. The ice-breaker was actually a mammal, a Southern Gray Cuscus, an arboreal marsupial we spotted with its head sticking up out of a Eucalyptus tree hollow. Then a Barred Owlet-nightjar (looking rather like a marsupial) projected its be-whiskered head from another tree hollow. A Beautiful Fruit-Dove attracted to a fruiting fig tree at Varirata National Park. (Dion Hobcroft) Then the mixed flocks arrived like the cavalry, and we began to get some good birds. These included Chestnut-bellied Fantail, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Spot- winged and Frilled monarchs, a female Growling Riflebird, Black Berrypecker, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Papua New Guinea Highlights, 2017 Stout-billed Cuckoo-shrike, Yellow-bellied and Fairy gerygones, Pale-billed Scrubwren, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, and Gray Whistler. We had a bonus when trying to tempt a Painted Quail-thrush across a trail —both Sooty Thicket- Fantail and a Yellow-footed Brush-Turkey waltzed across. The best birds though, were a very responsive pair of Chestnut-backed Jewel-Babblers, and everyone managed a good view of these excessively shy birding demons. Then there was a stunning male Superb Fruit-Dove. Time for lunch! The curious Hooded Pitohui, an Old World oriole with poisonous feathers! (Dion Hobcroft) Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Papua New Guinea Highlights, 2017 After lunch the wind died off, and we enjoyed a Beautiful Fruit-Dove calling away. Another sojourn into the forest gave a superb scope view of the luminous Brown- headed Paradise-Kingfisher, and then we scoped a Blue-winged Kookaburra. Finally a chorus of Raggiana Birds-of-Paradise males erupted, and we spent a fabulous hour as the males periodically and rather unpredictably erupted into an ecstatic frenzy, providing excellent views and photographic opportunities. We spent a final session exploring the Eucalyptus woodland on the forest edge, and it provided another rush of new birds including more good ones like the rare White- bellied Whistler, good looks at Papuan Black and Dusky myzomelas, White- throated Honeyeater, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Forest Kingfisher, Rainbow Bee- eater, and both Black and Common cicadabirds. It ended up being a very good day. The Purple-tailed Imperial-Pigeon is a forest interior species that is often difficult to encounter. This one was found in Kiunga. (Dion Hobcroft) Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Papua New Guinea Highlights, 2017 We arrived in Kiunga to be met with several elegant Australian Pratincoles gracing the runway. In the afternoon we ventured into the forest interior of this giant lowland equatorial jungle to a backdrop of leaden skies and showers. As is typical, birds were hard to come by, but we did get some jewels. None more so than a male King Bird-of-Paradise that we scoped in his vine tangle display area as he churred intermittently. He pirouetted about and allowed us to examine the details of his intricate plumage. At one stage we had three scopes set on him. Then a Purple-tailed Imperial-Pigeon rocked up and was equally obliging. Finally, we moved to the display site for the Greater Bird-of-Paradise. They were coy to begin with, and we scoped a couple hidden on cryptic perches. Finally they relented and came out dancing in the exposed tree top; it was quite the performance. A male Rufous-bellied Kookaburra gave great views at Kiunga. (Dion Hobcroft) Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 7 Papua New Guinea Highlights, 2017 One participant inflicted a nasty laceration by banging their head on a metal door of the Land Cruiser. It made for a visit to the Kiunga Hospital, where a medic shaved the site, doused it in betadine, dressed it, and prescribed antibiotics: all for three dollars US. It was an interesting experience, and our fellow traveler won trooper of the tour award. Unfortunately, accidents do happen from time to time on tours, so please be careful! A male Blyth’s Hornbill sails over the rainforest; the wings make a sonic whooshing. (Bob Traverso) Our full group, however, assembled for the boat trip up the Fly, Elevara, and Ketu Rivers. It was largely overcast and cool, although we had to put up with a few showers in the afternoon. We started at the display area for a male Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise. The male though, was highly skittish and turned up for only a couple of seconds before taking off. Several participants blinked and missed it! Another birding group arrived so I decided to vacate the site. The birds came thick Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 8 Papua New Guinea Highlights, 2017 and fast for most of the day. Good sightings included Gray-headed Goshawk, Large Fig-Parrot, Ornate Fruit-Dove, Azure Kingfisher, Puff-backed Meliphaga, Lowland Peltops, and the somewhat mysterious Yellow-eyed Starling. Perennial favorites like Blyth’s Hornbill, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, and Black-capped Lory performed well. At lunch we scoped the beautiful Golden Cuckoo-shrike sharing a tree with Golden Mynas. Orange-breasted Fig- Parrot and male Red-cheeked Parrots added more color. We found the elusive Mountain Kingfisher in Ambua Lodge, but it was a patient battle to get the view. (Dion Hobcroft) Then we spent an hour or more working the forest interior of the flooded forest and had a good run with several skulkers like White-bellied Thicket-Fantail, White- bellied Pitohui, and the mega Common Paradise Kingfisher. There were tons of pigeons —new ones including Pinon, Zoe, and Collared Imperial-Pigeons plus Dwarf and Orange-bellied fruit-doves. There were more raptors including several Pacific Bazas, Whistling and Brahminy kites, and at least two White-bellied Sea- Eagles. Plenty of Australian breeding birds winter in the forests here and were Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 9 Papua New Guinea Highlights, 2017 represented by abundant Dollarbirds with good numbers of Sacred Kingfisher and a few Pacific Koels and Channel-billed Cuckoos. Extracurricular activities included a camp of Great Flying-foxes and a timid Mangrove Monitor. After a huge day it was dinner, bird list, beer, and bed! We returned to the Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise site the next morning to find it flooded. Luckily, we could get the display post in the scopes through some foliage where it was not underwater. This worked well, and the male made several visits and did several display moves, shimmying up and down the post, although no female was present. Well-pleased with this, we turned our attention to a party of Emperor Fairy-wrens that performed well. A tame Rufous-bellied Kookaburra kept the photographers happy. We had some fun trying to locate a Hook-billed Kingfisher calling from the usual impossible location in a rattan vine tangle, this time in knee-deep water. Long-tailed Buzzard and Variable Goshawk were seen well. A quick check of the airstrip produced a tame pair of Buff-banded Rails and a surprise White-shouldered Fairy-wren, here of the distinctive lorentzii subspecies that has a buffy female plumage. After a pleasant siesta we explored out to the Boystown Road, some 14 km out of town, and spent a relaxing session scoping birds as they perched up in trees on the jungle edge.
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