Papua New Guinea Birding in Paradise I nd th 2 July to 20 July 2017 (19 days) Trip Report Super Bird-of-Paradise by Bjorn Anderson Tour Leaders: Adam Walleyn & Gareth Robbins Trip report compiled by Adam Walleyn Rockjumper Birding Tours | Papua New Guinea www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise I 2017 2 Tour Summary Our all Swedish group convened in Port Moresby and headed out for an afternoon excursion to the grounds of the Pacific Adventist University. This is a great place to start out a New Guinea tour, with its abundant and easily observable birdlife. Birding the grounds, we quickly scored most of the specialities: Grey-headed Mannikin, Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, Black-backed Butcherbird and Fawn- breasted Bowerbird. As always, the ponds harboured a nice collection of waterbirds: Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants, Australian White and Straw-necked Ibises, Nankeen Night Heron, Pied Heron, Great, Little, Eastern Cattle and Intermediate Egrets, Dusky Moorhen, Australasian Swamphen, Masked Lapwing, Comb-crested Jacana, Pacific Black Duck, and both Wandering and Plumed Whistling Ducks. Fruiting and flowering trees in the vicinity produced stunning Orange-fronted and Orange-bellied Fruit Doves, Bar-shouldered and Peaceful Doves, Torresian Imperial Pigeon, plus several Australian Figbirds and Orange-fronted Fruit Dove by Bjorn Anderson Rufous-banded Honeyeaters. The collection of raptors present included Black, Whistling and Brahminy Kites and Brown Goshawk. A careful scan of some nearby raintrees was rewarded with three roosting Papuan Frogmouths – massive and perfectly camouflaged! On the outskirts of the grounds, several Pheasant Coucals were noted, along with Sacred, Forest and Common Kingfishers, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Golden-headed Cisticola and a rather unexpected Black Bittern. For our first full day of birding, we ventured up to Varirata National Park early in the morning. We headed up immediately to the Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise lek, with their loud calls resonating through the forest. It did not take long for a few males to arrive on the scene and do some displaying – a fine way to start off our day! Before returning to the vehicle, we scoped up a distant male Growling Riflebird giving quite a nice view. We then moved to a more open area and soon had a Dwarf Koel sitting out in the open. A patient wait at this clearing added a nice collection of new birds – Amboyna and Great Cuckoo Doves, great views of Zoe’s Imperial Pigeon, Moustached Treeswifts, Red-cheeked Parrot, Stout-billed, Barred and Boyer’s Cuckooshrikes, Mimic, Plain, Tawny-breasted and Streak-headed Honeyeaters, Black Butcherbird, poisonous Hooded Pitohui, and Red- capped Flowerpecker. A Grey-headed Goshawk also made a quick appearance here. Distant calls of Crested Pitohuis were coming closer and closer and, eventually, we were lured into Papuan Frogmouth by Bengt Grandin Rockjumper Birding Tours | Papua New Guinea www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise I 2017 3 the forest by them and had a pair calling extremely close to us. This is one of the most elusive birds in the country to see, and so we were extremely fortunate to get pretty good views of this pair, and hear their amazing calls throbbing at such close range. We also scoped up a pair of stunning Brown-headed Paradise Kingfishers here. A small flock came through, containing Black Berrypecker, Dwarf Longbill, Chestnut-bellied Fantail, Black-winged Monarch and Yellow-bellied Gerygone. A Purple-tailed Imperial Pigeon showed very well here as well. We eventually pulled ourselves away from this exciting spot, and went for a walk through the forest for the remainder of the morning. It was very quiet, although most people got to see a Black-billed Brush-turkey walking on the trail ahead of us. Taking a lunch break, we continued to add new birds. Grey Crows flew through and no less than 7 Long-tailed Honey Buzzards kettled up together on a thermal – a most unusual sight. We tried a different trail after lunch and soon had a curious Barred Owlet Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher by Bengt Grandin Nightjar staring at us from out of its roosting hole. We were then fortunate to have a good encounter with a male Painted Quail-thrush that crossed the trail several times, and most people also got good views of it creeping along on the forest floor. Also here we had a nice encounter with a pair of Papuan Dwarf Kingfishers showing quite well, and further down was an Azure Kingfisher. A busy bird flock further down the trail added more species; including an unobtrusive Olive Flyrobin and a Drongo Fantail perched quietly for quite a while – two infrequently seen birds. Other new birds present in the flock included Green-backed and Fairy Gerygones, Spot-winged and Frilled Monarchs and Rusty Pitohui. A couple of Wompoo Fruit Doves and a single Superb Fruit Dove were found here as well. A most unusual sighting along this trail was a Grey Dorcopsis – a small forest wallaby that is common here but normally very shy; this one was sitting and staring at us from just a few metres away! Leaving the rainforest behind, we spent a couple of hours birding through the eucalyptus forest flanking the border of the park. We soon found our main quarry – the localised White-bellied Whistler. Also here were Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Shining Bronze Cuckoo and Common Cicadabird, along with Hooded Butcherbird, White- bellied Cuckooshrike, Grey Shrikethrush, White-throated Honeyeater, Lemon-bellied Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher by Bengt Grandin Flyrobin and a Leaden Flycatcher. Three Brown Quails, flushed up in this area, were a bit of a bonus. Above us, we spotted a soaring Pygmy Eagle and the parrots were starting to get active for their afternoon flights – Black-capped Lory, Eclectus Parrot and Dusky Lory being amongst the species seen. Having done very well today, we Rockjumper Birding Tours | Papua New Guinea www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise I 2017 4 squeezed in one more spot where a good find was a single Grand Mannikin scoped up in the company of several Grey-headed Mannikins. We returned to Varirata for a second full day of birding. Our first bird of the morning was a responsive Yellow-billed Kingfisher that eventually showed off quite nicely. Another early morning watch at the clearing added Plain Honeyeater and Black-fronted White-eye to our lists. Heading off on the trails, morning bird activity was very good, with busy flocks regularly moving through the canopy and keeping us on our toes. Some of the better finds in these flocks included repeat views of Growling Riflebird, Rusty Pitohui, Drongo Fantail and Olive Flyrobin. Black Cicadabird, Grey Whistler, Little Shrike-thrush, Black-faced Monarch and Crinkle-collared Manucode were additions from yesterday. Another Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher was scoped up, and then a pair of Chestnut-backed Jewel Babblers gave us a really nice performance as they walked about on the forest floor giving their loud ringing calls. We then had a good look at a Black-billed Brush-turkey calmly walking around on the forest floor. After lunch, we tried a different trail. We soon found a pair of White-bellied Whistler by Bengt Grandin White-faced Robins showing quite nicely. We continued to bump into busy flocks, although most were high in the canopy. Within one of the flocks, we finally located a Goldenface – although it was rather elusive as it called incessantly. Nearby was a pair of Wallace’s Fairywren showing quite nicely – a species that is rarely seen here. Yellow-breasted Boatbill was another addition in the flocks here. A Yellow-billed Kingfisher right down at eye level was a nice treat as well. Up high in the canopy, a Pygmy Longbill was repeatedly visiting a white flower – the smallest bird in the country and a very tricky one to get on! We tried one last trail in the late afternoon and here we had another Goldenface, again it was calling incessantly but staying largely hidden, although most people eventually caught up with a reasonable view of it. We also heard a couple of White-crowned Koel calling loudly, but still well out of sight. Today was a travel day bound for Tari in the highlands. Unfortunately, the plane was not able to land in Tari this morning so a quick reshuffle of our plans saw us flying to Mt Hagen. Australian Pratincoles on the runway were unexpected, and the keen raptor watchers picked up two Papuan Harriers here. From Hagen, we were able to arrive in the late afternoon at the famous Kumul Lodge, with just enough daylight to get acquainted with the bird feeding table. Visitors this afternoon included our first Drongo Fantail by Stefan Ribbon-tailed Astrapias, hordes of aggressive Belford’s Johansson Melidectes and Common Smoky Honeyeaters, Island Thrushes, Rockjumper Birding Tours | Papua New Guinea www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise I 2017 5 Red-collared Myzomela, Grey-streaked Honeyeater, Brehm’s Tiger Parrot, Rufous-naped Whistler walking on the ground, a stunning Crested Berrypecker, Friendly Fantail and White-winged Robin. Before dark, we made an attempt to see the skulking Lesser Melampitta and succeeded pretty well, with most people getting a view of the bird hopping along the forest floor. As dusk descended, we headed out into the forests in light rain for a seemingly futile search for the New Guinea Woodcock. Much to our surprise, a gruff call from a Woodcock preceded the bird landing on a snag for a reasonable view – wow! We then went out owling and heard a Papuan Boobook, followed by a Mountain Owlet-Nightjar.