Birding walk (0.5 or 1 day)
A variety of low-lying secondary forests near the town of Sorong still supports a well-diversified and colorful
lowland forest avifauna, including the West Papua endemic Red-billed Brushturkey and Black Lory and the restricted-range
Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, plus seven species of widespread lowland bird-of-paradise: Glossy-mantled and Trumpet Manucode,
Magnificent Riflebird, and Magnificent, King, Twelve-wired and Lesser Bird-of-paradise.
Possible year-round, but most certainly best from June to November.
Please enquire for details on our upcoming departures.
Relaxed birding in flat or only slightly undulating terrain.
We shall collect you at your Sorong hotel and set out on the one hour's drive by chartered vehicle to arrive
pre-dawn in an area of secondary flattish lowland forest so to first try our luck on the nocturnal birdlife present here: both
Papuan Hawk-Owl and Boobook, Papuan and Large-tailed Nightjar, and Marbled and Papuan Frogmouth. From the crack of dawn onward
then, we hope to witness the display of the adult male Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise on its display pole, after which we shall
then bird the wider vicinity in search of a fine selection of other species that occur here: Red-billed Brushturkey, Pacific Baza,
Long-tailed Honey Buzzard, Variable and Grey-headed Goshawk, Red-necked Crake, Pale-vented Bush-hen, Stephan's Emerald Dove,
Pink-spotted, Coroneted, Beautiful, Claret-breasted and Orange-bellied Fruit Dove, Pinon's and Zoe's Imperial Pigeon, Greater Black
Coucal, Pacific Koel, Long-billed and Brush Cuckoo, Moustached Treeswift, Papuan Spine-tailed Swift, Hook-billed Kingfisher, Common
and Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher, Blyth's
Hornbill, Palm and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus and Red-cheeked Parrot, Red-flanked Lorikeet, Black-capped Lory, Coconut
Lorikeet, Papuan and Hooded Pitta, Emperor Fairywren, Long-billed and Streak-headed Honeyeater, New Guinea Friarbird,
Tawny-breasted, Mimic and Yellow-gaped Honeyeater, Rusty Mouse-warbler, Yellow-bellied and Fairy Gerygone, Papuan Babbler,
Yellow-bellied Longbill, Lowland Peltops, Black and Hooded Butcherbird, Boyer's and Golden Cuckooshrike, Grey-headed and Black
Cicadabird, Black-browed Triller, Grey Whistler, Rusty Pitohui, Arafura Shrikethrush, Brown Oriole, Spangled Drongo, Northern
Fantail, Sooty and White-bellied Thicket Fantail, Spot-winged, Golden and Frilled Monarch, Shining Flycatcher, Grey Crow,
Glossy-mantled and Trumpet Manucode, Black-sided Robin, Metallic Starling, Yellow-faced Myna, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, and Black
and Olive-backed Sunbird. Heading back toward Sorong, a stop in an area of mangroves and open swamp forest en route may produce
Spotted and Wandering Whistling Duck, Osprey, Barred and Buff-banded Rail, Australasian Swamphen, Orange-fronted Fruit Dove,
Collared Imperial Pigeon, Lesser Black Coucal, Little Bronze Cuckoo, Blue-black and Little Kingfisher, Oriental Hobby,
Orange-breasted Fig Parrot, Brown-backed, Scrub and Varied Honeyeater, Large-billed Gerygone, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Willie
Wagtail, and Black Thicket Fantail.
Best bird of the day, and a lifer for me was undoubtedly King Bird-of-paradise of which we all had unexcelled
views on a fabulous forest trail. — Victor Mason, Founder, Bali Bird Walks, Indonesia
If you stick with us for the entire day, we shall enjoy lunch in town and then drive out for 30 minutes into the
surrounding foothills. Here we shall bird all afternoon through selectively logged rainforest in search of some of the more elusive
species already mentioned above. Additional goodies here include New Guinea, Pygmy and Gurney's Eagle, Collared Sparrowhawk,
Sultan's and Great Cuckoo-Dove, Wompoo, Superb and Dwarf Fruit Dove, Purple-tailed Imperial Pigeon, Dwarf Koel, White-crowned
Cuckoo, Pesquet's Parrot, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Moluccan King Parrot, Dusky and Black Lory, Large and Double-eyed Fig Parrot,
Orange-fronted Hanging Parrot, White-eared Catbird, Wallace's Fairywren, Green-backed and Plain Honeyeater, Ruby-throated Myzomela,
Spotted and Puff-backed Honeyeater, Pale-billed Scrubwren, Green-backed Gerygone, Black Berrypecker, Spectacled and Pygmy Longbill,
Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Southern Variable Pitohui, Magnificent Riflebird, Magnificent, King and Lesser Bird-of-paradise, Olive
Flyrobin, Golden Myna, and Streak-headed Munia. The final hour of light or so shall see us gathered at an open vantage point to
witness evening flights of pigeons, hornbills and parrots, the latter usually including the West Papua endemic Black Lory. Finally,
an optional nocturnal foray here could produce both Papuan Hawk-Owl and Boobook, Rufous Owl, Papuan and Large-tailed Nightjar, and
Marbled and Papuan Frogmouth.
❯Read on about our Easy
West Papua birding expedition visiting the Sorong lowlands.