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Extension : Northern lowlands forest birdsThis extension carries us to pristine alluvial lowland forests just west of the precipitous Cyclops Mountains, home to a rich and colorful lowland forest avifauna that includes Northern Cassowary, two megapodes, dazzling forest kingfishers as Shovel-billed Kookaburra and Blue-black Kingfisher, a profusion of parrots including Brown Lory, Buff-faced Pygmy-Parrot, Salvadori’s Fig-Parrot, Pesquet’s Parrot and Papuan King-Parrot, the world’s largest pigeon, New Guinea Flightless Rail, and a whopping six species of bird of paradise: Glossy-mantled and Jobi Manucode, Pale-billed Sicklebill, King, Twelve-wired and Lesser Bird of Paradise. New Guinea lowland forest birding at its best! Day-by-day itineraryDay 1 Having touched ground at Jayapura’s Sentani Airport on the first morning’s flight from Wamena, we shall have an earlier than usual lunch in town and drive out for two hours to our drop-off point west of the Cyclops Mountains. From here we shall require most of the afternoon to slowly bird toward our secluded Muaib jungle camp at 25 m elevation in pristine alluvial primary forest. Along the walk, wacko Blyth’s Hornbills, majestic Palm and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, and noisy Brown, Dusky and Black-capped Lories and Rainbow Lorikeets may fly overhead as we familiarize ourselves with some of the common or more conspicuous interior forest birds here: Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Common Paradise-Kingfisher, Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, Slender-billed and Great Cuckoo-Dove, Stephan’s Dove, Wompoo, Pink-spotted, Superb, Beautiful and Orange-bellied Fruit-Dove, Purple-tailed, Pinon and Banded Imperial-Pigeon, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, New Guinea Friarbird, Fairy and Yellow-bellied Gerygone, Rufous Babbler, Little Shrike-thrush, Variable and Rusty Pitohui, Grey Crow, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Black Butcherbird, Brown Oriole, Black-browed Triller, Northern Fantail, Spangled Drongo, Spot-winged, Golden and Rufous-collared Monarch, and Yellow-faced Myna. After dinner at camp, a nocturnal foray in the vicinity could produce both Jungle and Papuan Hawk-Owl as well as Barred Owlet-Nightjar, Marbled Frogmouth, and the little-known Papuan Nightjar. Overnight at camp. Day 2 Wake up to a true day's birding in paradise as we shall be spending most of this morning at known display sites of consecutively the Twelve-wired, Lesser and King Bird of Paradise, soliciting sightings of the more mobile Pale-billed Sicklebill in between. Moreover, while sitting quietly in the forest, admiring the full array of display postures of these most magnificent of feathered life forms, we also stand an excellent chance of seeing other hot stuff like Northern Cassowary, Brown-collared Talegalla, New Guinea Megapode, Cinnamon Ground-Dove, Thick-billed Ground-Pigeon, or Victoria Crowned-Pigeon casually walking by. After lunch at camp, we shall bird all afternoon in the vicinity in search of more goodies like Variable Dwarf, Blue-black and Hook-billed Kingfisher, Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Greater Black Coucal, Buff-faced Pygmy-Parrot, Double-eyed and Salvadori’s Fig-Parrot, New Guinea Bronzewing, Coroneted Fruit-Dove, Collared Imperial-Pigeon, Long-tailed Buzzard, Grey-headed Goshawk, Hooded and Red-bellied Pitta, White-eared Catbird, Tawny Straightbill, Yellow-gaped, Plain and Streak-headed Honeyeater, Meyer’s Friarbird, Rusty Mouse-warbler, Large-billed Gerygone, Black-sided Robin, Blue Jewel-Babbler, Brown-headed Crow, Jobi Manucode, Lowland Peltops, Boyer’s, New Guinea and Golden Cuckoo-shrike, Sooty and White-bellied Thicket-Fantail, Rufous-backed Fantail, Rufous and Hooded Monarch, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Golden Myna, Black Berrypecker, and Green-crowned, Plumed and Pygmy Longbill. Moreover, as we roam more widely in these dark forests, it should not take long before we feast our eyes on a party of Victoria Crowned-Pigeons, or surprise a pair of Brown-collared Talegalla feeding on the forest floor. By late afternoon we could return to the Lesser Bird of Paradise display tree for another observation session, or we could bird along one of the broader rivers which could produce Papuan Swiftlet among abundant Glossy and Uniform Swiftlets, as well as Papuan Spinetail and Moustached Treeswift together with at times spectacular evening flights of the various parrot species. Overnight at camp. Day 3 Today we could have a welcome resit at the bird of paradise display sites or simply bird in search of some of the more elusive species mentioned above. Other sought-after birds that have been recorded here include the rare Shovel-billed Kookaburra, Pesquet’s Parrot and New Guinea Eagle. We could also monitor known nest mounds of the Brown-collared Talegalla from the comfort of a hide if this at times infuriatingly wary species eluded us thus far, spend time near fruit-dropping trees to seek prolonged views of Northern Cassowary, work stretches of small forest streams for the rare Forest Bittern, or just sit quietly at the edge of sago-swamp in the dire hope of getting to grips with the secretive New Guinea Flightless Rail. Overnight at camp. Day 4 We have a final morning to look for some of the most elusive species listed above, and after lunch at camp we shall slowly bird back to our pick-up point where vehicles stand by to transport us to Sentani. Dinner and overnight in Sentani. Related linksRead on about the birdlife of the northern lowlands of New Guinea. Read on about our Best of Papua birding expedition visiting the northern lowlands of New Guinea. Read on about our Easy Papua birding expedition visiting the northern lowlands of New Guinea. Browse our terms and conditions. Browse our check-list of the birds of Papua. |
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