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Taste of Sorong lowlands forest birdsThis half or full day's Papua bird walk takes us to our most accessible 'local patch', a large tract of primary forest that supports a well diversified and colorful lowland forest avifauna including Northern Cassowary, Western Crowned-Pigeon, and three species of bird of paradise: Crinkle-collared Manucode, and King and Lesser Bird of Paradise. Trip descriptionWe will set out pre-dawn on the 45 minutes’ drive by chartered 4WD-vehicle to our drop-off point in Sorong lowlands, from where we will bird all morning through selectively logged and primary rainforest. Wacko Blyth’s Hornbills, colorful Rainbow Lorikeets, majestic Palm and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, and noisy Red-cheeked and Eclectus Parrots fly overhead as we slowly make our way toward a staked-out display tree of the Lesser Bird of Paradise. We will take ample time to observe the several electric males that normally gather here, exploding amidst all shades of green, as they interact with soliciting females. Having fully absorbed what may well rank among Earth’s greatest natural spectacles, we will visit one of several known display trees of the King Bird of Paradise, and it should not take long before we get to grips with this little gem, in fact the smallest of all paradisaeids, which 19th century naturalist A. R. Wallace so amiably described as 'a wanton waste of extreme beauty’. The rest of the morning, we’ll look out for a fine selection of other goodies that occur here such as Red-billed Talegalla, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Hook-billed and Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Common Paradise-Kingfisher, White-crowned and Dwarf Koel, Dusky and Black-capped Lory, Red-flanked Lorikeet, Yellow-capped Pygmy-Parrot, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Pesquet’s Parrot, Moluccan King-Parrot, Western Crowned-Pigeon, Hooded and Red-bellied Pitta, White-eared Catbird, Green-backed Gerygone, Black-sided Robin, Crinkle-collared Manucode, Boyer’s, New Guinea and Golden Cuckoo-shrike, Golden Monarch, and Golden and Yellow-faced Myna. If you stick with us for the entire day, we’ll enjoy a warm lunch on site and an ultimately richly rewarding afternoon together to track down some of the more elusive species mentioned above. Toward late afternoon we could spend some time again at the respective display trees of King and Lesser Bird of Paradise, while dusk will see us gathered at an open vantage point to witness evening flights of hornbills and especially parrots, which usually include the restricted-range Black Lory. Finally, an optional nocturnal foray could produce Jungle Hawk-Owl, Papuan and Marbled Frogmouth, and Large-tailed Nightjar. Related linksRead on about our birding extension to Sorong lowlands. Read on about our Best of Papua birding expedition visiting Sorong lowlands. Browse our terms and conditions. Browse our check-list of the birds of Papua. |
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