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Arfak montane specialtiesOn this Papuan birding break we basically follow in the footsteps of the great Italian naturalists D’Albertis and Beccari, who once collected in the Hatam-country only a few kilometers away from our base in the Arfak Mountains: the tiny settlement of Siyoubrig, situated at a chilly 1,600 m elevation on the mid-slopes of Mount Indon, towering 2,425 m above the Prafi Valley. Nearly a century and a half has elapsed, but birding these magnificent woods, swathed in clouds during parts of most days, remains an irresistible adventure off the beaten track. A privileged opportunity to be taken in tow by the Hatam, across their ancestral lands, and marvel at endemic birdlife that few outsiders have ventured to see before. Day-by-day itineraryDay 1 [Saturday] Noon arrival at Manokwari’s Rendani Airport on domestic flight from the Indonesian gateway of your choice. After lunch in town, we set out on the two hours’ drive by 4WD-vehicle to Siyoubrig. Here we shall start our exploration of the Arfak Mountains in the late afternoon with a gentle introduction to the commoner or more conspicuous species of the garden clearings and secondary forests: Fan-tailed Cuckoo, White-eared Bronze-Cuckoo, Whiskered and Yellow-billed Lorikeet, Slender-billed and Black-billed Cuckoo-Dove, White-bibbed Fruit-Dove, Red-collared Myzomela, Rufous-sided and Western Smoky Honeyeater, Brown-breasted Gerygone, Sclater’s Whistler, Superb Bird of Paradise, Black and Friendly Fantail, Capped White-eye, and Olive-crowned Flowerpecker. An optional nocturnal foray after dinner may produce Sooty Owl, Jungle Hawk-Owl, Large and Mountain Owlet-Nightjar, Papuan Frogmouth, and Large-tailed Nightjar. Day 2 [Sunday] Depending on the previous night’s results, the weather and our morale, we may start out early with a short spotlighting session. We will have our hearty breakfast while enjoying the developing dawn chorus, and gather at the edge of a garden clearing around first light when many species actively forage into the open. Here and in adjacent tracts of secondary forest we should see Long-billed, Marbled, Rufous-sided and Western Smoky Honeyeater, Vogelkop Melidectes, Perplexing, Vogelkop, Grey-green and Pale-billed Scrubwren, Blue-grey and Green-backed Robin, Mountain Peltops, Black-shouldered Cicadabird, Black Monarch, Black-breasted Boatbill and Island Leaf-Warbler. We will then proceed to an area where several display courts of the Magnificent Bird of Paradise are located, in the hope to witness the full array of amazing display postures of this beautiful species at close range from a hide. The rest of the morning, we will search for species likely to elude us for a while or for which better views may be desirable: Vogelkop Melidectes, Green-backed Robin, Spotted Catbird, Superb Bird of Paradise, Western Parotia and Long-tailed Paradigalla. After lunch we’ll have the rest of the day to seek out these most-wanted birds at known haunts or otherwise, and pay attention to other hot stuff as Bronze Ground-Dove, White-striped Forest-Rail, Garnet Robin, Mottled Whistler, Great Wood-swallow, Torrent-lark, Lemon-breasted and Spotted Berrypecker, and partly nomadic Blue-faced and Papuan Parrotfinch. After dinner we may try our luck again at spotlighting some of the above mentioned nocturnal species present here. Day 3 [Monday] As always, a nocturnal foray prior to our pre-dawn breakfast remains a possibility. Today, we will bird around the garden clearing near camp at first light and then slowly ascend to a camp at the edge of a garden clearing in primary forest at 1,815 m elevation. As we gradually shift to higher ground and enter primary forest we shall start hearing Shining Imperial-Pigeon, Papuan Treecreeper, Vogelkop Bowerbird, Mountain Mouse-warbler, Mountain Gerygone, Canary Flyrobin, Spotted Jewel-Babbler, Rufous-naped Whistler, Black Pitohui, and Dimorphic Fantail. After lunch at our new camp we will monitor nearby display courts of the Western Parotia from comfortable hides. The wacko ballet performance of the court-tending male of this species simply has to be witnessed to be believed, and invariably ranks as a highlight of a birding trip to the Arfaks. Having truly absorbed this, we will spend the last hours of light birding around the garden clearing near camp, where we may be rewarded with sightings of White-eared Bronze-Cuckoo, Pygmy Lorikeet, Red-breasted Pygmy-Parrot, Blue-collared Parrot, Long-tailed Buzzard, Vogelkop Melidectes, Mountain Peltops, and Long-tailed Paradigalla. After dinner we may attempt a short nocturnal exploration of the vicinity in search of Sooty Owl, Jungle Hawk-Owl, and Large and Mountain Owlet-Nightjar, while there’s always a good chance of roding New Guinea Woodcock here. Day 4 [Tuesday] Following an optional nocturnal foray and our usual pre-dawn breakfast we will bird the first hour of light around the garden clearing near camp where we hope to attract Long-tailed Paradigalla, if need be. We will then spend some time again at the Parotia display courts, which besides the not-to-be-missed display performances of the parotias themselves, also provide a reasonable chance of seeing otherwise highly retiring species as Wattled Brush-turkey and Bronze Ground-Dove casually walking across the courts in search of parotia faeces containing undigested fruit items. The rest of the morning we will bird in the primary forest in the vicinity where we may be rewarded with sightings of Vogelkop Bowerbird and Spotted Jewel-Babbler. After lunch we will require most of the afternoon to climb further to a camp in primary forest at 2,130 m elevation, which we will use as our base over the next two days. Along the way we may spot Rufous-throated Bronze-Cuckoo, Papuan Lorikeet, Red-breasted Pygmy-Parrot, Brehm’s and Modest Tiger-Parrot, the rare Pesquet’s Parrot, Papuan Mountain Pigeon, Varied Sittella, Regent Whistler, Black Pitohui, Black Sicklebill, Black-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, and Fan-tailed Berrypecker. In case of dry weather, we should still be able to watch the evening display of the adult male Black Sicklebill near camp. Dusk will see us standing in a tree-fall gap in anticipation of roding New Guinea Woodcock. Sooty Owl, Jungle Hawk-Owl, and Large and Mountain Owlet-Nightjar all are possible on an optional nocturnal excursion after dinner. Day 5 [Wednesday] Following an optional spotlighting session, we’ll enjoy our breakfast while listening to the developing dawn chorus including Vogelkop Scrubwren, Smoky and Ashy Robin, and especially Regent Whistler, a powerful and varied songster. In season, Wattled Brush-turkey, which reaches the upper limit of its altitudinal distribution here, may deliver its striking display call from an incubation mound near camp. We will bird all morning along a loop descending to 1,920 m elevation, primarily in search of the potentially highly elusive Arfak Astrapia and Black-billed Sicklebill, while also seeking good views of skulkers as Lesser Ground-robin, Smoky and Ashy Robins, Spotted Jewel-Babbler and Lesser Melampitta. In sunny weather, New Guinea Eagle may be heard calling persistently here and tracked down with moderate effort. Moreover, we will pass numerous bowers of the Vogelkop Bowerbird. After lunch at camp we could try other known haunts of the Arfak Astrapia higher up the mountain in the afternoon. Other goodies we may see here include Chestnut Forest-Rail, Black-mantled Goshawk, Orange-crowned Fairywren, Olive Straightbill, Cinnamon-browed Melidectes, Black-throated Robin, Varied Sittella, Mottled Whistler, Black Pitohui, and Tit Berrypecker. Dusk will see us back at camp for another New Guinea Woodcock watch in a tree-fall gap followed by dinner and optional nocturnal walk. Day 6 [Thursday] After a hearty pre-dawn breakfast we will commence our assault on the 2,425 m high summit of Mount Indon, trying Mountain Swiftlet, Cinnamon-browed Melidectes, Black-throated Honeyeater and adult male Arfak Astrapia as we stroll through utterly stunning cloud forests, swathed in mosses and epiphytes. Other goodies we may catch up with here are Brehm’s Tiger-Parrot, Olive Straightbill, Mountain Mouse-warbler, Black-throated Robin, Spotted Jewel-Babbler and Tit Berrypecker. We’ll have snacks and lunch underway and return to camp by mid-afternoon only, but in time for another observation of the evening display of the Black Sicklebill and New Guinea Woodcock watch at dusk, if the weather allows. Dinner and optional spotlighting session as per usual. Day 7 [Friday] Following an optional nocturnal foray and pre-dawn breakfast, we will bird all morning along the loop descending to 1,920 m where we’ll stand another chance of seeing New Guinea Eagle, Black-billed Sicklebill and Arfak Astrapia. After lunch at camp we will bird towards a new camp at 1,900 m, located near two forest clearings in primary ridgetop forest. Dusk will see us gathered at the edge of one of the clearings in anticipation of Archbold’s Nightjar hawking low over the heathy vegetation. After dinner we shall continue the search for this enigmatic species, which was discovered in the Arfak Mountains only as recently as 1995, more than 600 km away from its nearest known locality in the Snow Mountains. Day 8 [Saturday] If need be, we shall try Archbold’s Nightjar prior to our pre-dawn breakfast. We will bird around the clearings early morning where we could be rewarded with observations of Brehm’s and Modest Tiger-Parrot, Blue-collared Parrot, Mountain Swiftlet, Black-throated Honeyeater, Cinnamon-browed and Vogelkop Melidectes, and Great Wood-swallow. We’ll then shift to the forest again where we’ll look primarily for the beautiful New Guinea Logrunner at known home-ranges. During this search we may also encounter Garnet, Black-throated, Smoky and Ashy Robin, Spotted Jewel-Babbler, Mottled Whistler, and Black Pitohui among others. There is also a territory and known nest site of the New Guinea Eagle in the immediate vicinity, which we could try. We may continue the search for these elusive species after lunch or we could bird all afternoon in the clearings and adjacent forests. We’ll have another evening and night to catch up with Archbold’s Nightjar if necessary, with dinner in between. Day 9 [Sunday] After an optional nocturnal foray and pre-dawn breakfast, we will bird the clearings first light and slowly bird down through pristine forests to the Mokwam road at 1,600 m elevation. Here 4WD-vehicles await us to transport us back to Manokwari. We’ll have lunch in town and subsequently transfer to Rendani Airport for the afternoon flight to the Indonesian gateway of your choice. If you stay on for either one of the tour extensions below, you will have the afternoon to simply relax, or you could take a birding excursion to off-shore Mansinam Island.
Related linksRead on about the birdlife of the Arfak Mountains. Read on about our Amazing Arfak birding expedition to the Arfak Mountains. Browse our terms and conditions. Browse our check-list of the birds of Papua. |
Arfak montane specialties |
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![Recent views consider the Masked Bowerbird Sericulus [aureus] aureus ranging from the Tamrau and Arfak Mountains east to the Wandammen, Weyland, and northern Oranje Mountains, and disjunct into the Torricelli and Prince Alexander Mountains in Papua New Guinea, to be specifically distinct from the Flame Bowerbird Sericulus [aureus] ardens of the lowlands and foothills of the southern watershed of New Guinea.](images/pgnavpix15.jpg)