CLASSIC PAPUA NEW GUINEA (II) TOUR REPORT 2023

2 - 19 / 23 July 2023

by János Oláh

This amazing island is famous for the Birds-of-paradise! All birdwatchers who remotely interested in birding abroad will dream about visiting this very special island with Bird-of-paradise aka Bop’s. Especially who has seen Sir David Attenborough’s various films about these avian aristocrats. We have been running birding tours to this remote corner of the World for a long time and our classic tour has a lot to offer. Indeed in 2023 yet again we had an action-packed tour with many great birds and various island experiences. New Guinea is the second-largest island in the world and to this day remains one of the wildest, most sparsely settled regions on earth. Over 700 species of birds are found here, the world’s richest island avifauna and nearly half of these are found nowhere else! Apart from Bop’s there is so much else to attract the birdwatcher like strange mound-builders, a gorgeous array of doves, pigeons, parrots and kingfishers (all of which reach their greatest diversity on Earth here), sinister-looking frogmouths, skulking jewel-babblers, exquisite fairy-wrens, brightly coloured flycatchers, confusing honeyeaters and fascinating bowerbirds to mention just some of the highlights. The island of New Guinea also holds seven endemic bird families, including the monotypic Wattled Ploughbill (family Eulacestomatidae), the monotypic Blue-capped Ifrit (family Ifritidae), the longbills and berrypeckers (family Melanocharitidae), the painted berrypeckers (family Paramythiidae), Mottled Berryhunter (formerly Mottled Whistler, family Rhagologidae), the satinbirds (family Cnemophilidae) and the melampittas (family Melampittidae), making it an absolutely key destination for anyone wanting to see all the world’s bird families.

This was our second tour to Papua New Guinea this year and albeit slightly different, they were both highly successful. Flights are notoriously unreliable in PNG but thankfully we only got a little taste of this in 2023, nothing which would seriously hamper our birding. Anybody who comes to this far corner of the world to look for birds should be prepared for some logistic hiccups. But this should not stop anybody as what we see and experienced in this truly amazing island is what really matters! Yet again in 2023 we saw all the endemic families, a total of 21 species of Birds-of-Paradise, stunning Sclater’s Crowned Pigeons, five species of owlet-nightjars, the fantastic Papuan Eagle, mind-blowing male Flame Bowerbird at its bower, two species of tiger parrots in amongst 27 other species of parrots, all three possible Jewel-babblers, a male Painted Quail-thrush, shy Brown-headed Paradise and Hook-billed Kingfishers, skulking Papuan and Hooded Pittas, the rare Doria’s Hawk, Streaked Berrypecker and Olive Straightbill and lots of exciting honeyeaters. Our short extension to New Britain yielded the rare Pink-legged Rail and Golden Masked Owl, the shy Bismarck Pitta, the smart-looking New Britain Boobook, scarce Pied Cuckoo-Dove and Black Imperial Pigeons, the fantastic Black Honey Buzzard and the stunning Black-capped Paradise and White-mantled Kingfishers. All in all, we have recorded 382 bird species on this tour as well as 9 species of mammals. A truly memorable tour with some great birds!

Out tour started in Port Moresby and after a morning arrival and we wasted no time to get out on the field. This was our first visit to the nearby Varirata National Park which is located just above the capital city at the edge of the Sogeri Plateau. Although by the time we got there it was not exactly early morning we explored the park and had a great introduction to the amazing birdlife of New Guinea. Right on arrival a Pygmy Eagle was greeting us, and Zoe’s Imperial Pigeons and Brown Orioles were active around the clearing. Along the forest trails we managed to find Yellow-billed Kingfishers, a stunning Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher and a skulking Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher. In the more open habitat, we had a selection of cuckooshrikes such as Stout-billed, Barred and Boyer’s as well as Mimic and Elegant Honeyeaters, the restricted range White-bellied Whistler and New Guinea Friarbirds. It was a great birding day, but we were all ready for bed!

Next day we flew to Kiunga and drove to the Tabubil area. This area has a huge Australian run copper mine, and it was amongst the first birding destinations where visitors could explore the foothills of the Star Mountains. It still has extensive forest fed by one of the highest rainfalls in the world. Getting suitable weather for birding here is a key factor of success. Having said that it is clearly less rainy as it was 20 years ago, the area is changing. It was late afternoon when we arrived at the foothills, and we spent our time to find the scarce, river-dwelling Salvadori’s Teal. Our first attempt was not successful, no teals were seen on the stretch or river we could scan. However, we had huge flocks of Papuan Mountain Pigeons, excellent looks of a small party of Dusky Lory and White-shouldered Fairywrens.
Early next morning we drove to Dublin Creek which was the same steep gravelly track as in the last 20 years, but we had a fantastic weather and a great selection of birds! Best of all a fruiting tree gave us a pair of Queen Carola’s Parotias as they were frantically feeding on the berries for 5 minutes with Magnificent Bird-of-paradise. We could watch them for some time with a scope and then they all vanished as quickly as they appeared. Other goodies included Long-tailed Honey Buzzard, Chestnut-breasted, Little Bronze and White-eared Bronze Cuckoos, Green-backed, Mimic, Scrub and Long-billed Honeyeaters, Mountain Peltops, Sclater’s Whistler, Southern Variable Pitohui, Grey-headed Cuckooshrike, Black-shouldered Cicadabird, Capped White-eye and for some the highly sought-after Obscure Berrypecker! As its name suggest it is a rather drab little bird but very localised and one of the star birds of the Tabubil area! Our afternoon session was also productive with our first Mountain Honeyeater, Black-headed Whistler, yet another Obscure Berrypecker and some fantastic male Magnificent Riflebirds. The best experience however was visiting a display area of the Magnificent Bird-of-paradise where we could admire the display of a stunning male. Wow! A truly remarkable experience, and one of the tour highlights for most of us! Papuan Scrub Robin was calling distantly and at dusk a Shovel-billed Kingfisher was singing very close but remained out of sight.

Early next morning we let for the Hindenburg’s Wall. An area we have visited last year on the newly built road towards Telefomin (most probably being the first birding company to do it). Since last year this new site, especially the pass area on the Telefomin road has become a standard place to visit in the Tabubil area as it is a fantastic highland forest with many possible goodies – if you are lucky with the weather! Due to strong territorial rights for tribes in PNG you are not really allowed (yet) to stop on the way up to the mountain, but as soon as you reach 2000 meters the birding begins. Our first bird was a pair of Lorentz’s Whistler which was a write-in for our PNG tour as we only ever seen it in West Papua. This was followed by female King of Saxony Bird-of-paradise and with a pair of Blue-capped Ifrits. Walking the road, we soon found more widespread species such as Plum-faced Lorikeet, Grey-streaked and Common Smoky Honeyeaters, Red-collared Myzomela, Fan-tailed Berrypecker and Black Fantail. The weather was still good and as we continued over the pass, we managed to find some perched Red-breasted Pygmy Parrots, a fantastic male Splendid Astrapia, huge Brown Sicklebills and a fruiting tree produced Spotted and Tit Berrypeckers and Brown-backed Whistlers. The Splendid Astrapia until last year was only possible on our West Papua tours, it is a current addition to the growing list of Bops you can see on this tour. Our limited time ended on the roof of the Hindenburg’s Wall and by late afternoon we were at lower elevation where we tracked down a Salvadori’s Teal as well as had a fly-by Doria’s Hawk and two Pesquet’s Parrots while waiting for dusk when we tried again for Shovel-billed Kookaburra. Sadly, no birds were seen despite much effort at dusk and the following dawn. Our last morning around Tabubil however was very birdy and we had great looks of Wallace’s Fairywrens, Spectacled and Pygmy Longbills, Piping Bellbird, Sooty Thicket and Rufous-backed Fantails, White-rumped Robin and Olive Flyrobin. In the afternoon we left the Tabubil area behind and travelled back to the sweaty lowlands. Our first afternoon gave us a female King Bird-of-paradise but there was no sign of any owlet-nightjars at dusk.

Next dawn, we set of on a boat journey into the real wilderness. We boarded our boat on the Fly River at Kiunga and made our way upstream and turned south on the Elevala River. It is birding from the very moment you start the boat ride. Along the Fly River we had a flock of Black-faced Cuckooshrikes and a Channel-billed Cuckoo. Later a selection of pigeons and doves were seen including smart-looking Collared and Pinon’s Imperial Pigeon and Metallic Pigeon as well as both Trumpet and Glossy-mantled Manucodes. Water level was high, much higher than to our previous group two weeks ago. It was the same high as we had it last year and this meant all the Flightless Rail hides were under water and no chance to look for this rare bird. Nevertheless, there was an active Flame Bowerbird hide on our way, so we made a stop in a remote village and walked to the hide. The male Flame Bowerbird was at the bower when we arrived, a fantastic bird indeed! Unfortunately, it left very early allowing only a few minutes for us to admire him. We decided to wait in the hope it will return – which did not happen – and it was a great decision as we had great looks of a Hooded Pitta and later a fantastic Blue Jewel-babbler. We were back in the boat and a more birds were seen along the river, perhaps a nice Long-billed Cuckoo being the best until the very moment we found a Sclater’s Crowned Pigeon. A prime target and a beautiful pigeon indeed which allowed prolonged superb looks. Fantastic! We arrived at the remote Kwatu Lodge (I would rather call it a basic camp) and after dropping of our bags we were back on the boat for a short ride and more birding along a forest trail. The hoped-for male King Bird-of-paradise only showed briefly but Black-sided Robins gave good looks. In the late afternoon we tracked down another specialty, a male Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise on its favourite snag. It is a such a unique bird with its long bill, the two swollen banana swim belts and those wired wires! After dinner we had our first night-excursion which started with Papuan Frogmouth and both Great Flying Fox and Moluccan Naked-backed Fruit Bat but Starry Owlet-nightjar remained heard-only even after much sweating.

Our next day begin early with a night foray into the forest where we managed to see Marbled Frogmouth and we also got some brief looks at Wallace’s Owlet-nightjars. After breakfast we were back in the boat and we soon found the highly localised White-bellied Pitohui, a handsome Common Paradise Kingfisher, a gorgeous male Emperor Fairywren and a skulking, White-bellied Thicket Fantail. Unfortunately, the rest of the morning was not going according to our plans as we had an unfortunate accident on a muddy trail and one of us had to leave us. Still, we managed to get fantastic looks of the ultra-shy and elusive Doria’s Hawk as we were heading back to camp. In the afternoon we made terrestrial birding along the so-called ridge trail where birding was slow but with persistence, we managed to see Rusty Mouse Warbler, Large-billed and Yellow-bellied Gerygone, Papuan Babblers, Black Berrypeckers, Yellow-bellied Longbill, Arafura Shrikethrush, Rufous-backed Fantail, Spot-winged Monarch. We tried hard for a calling Bare-eyed Rail but we had no luck. After dinner we embarked on yet another night mission, and this time we were determined to get the Starry Owlet-nightjar. It was hard work but eventually we managed to find one of these relatively large and poorly known owlet-nightjars! In the process we also stumbled across Black-billed Brushturkey and yet another Wallace’s Owlet-nightjar. Icing on the cake was a Papuan Hawk-Owl on the way back to lodge. A fantastic night outing, a true Fly River experience!
Our last morning started with rain, but it just stopped for us to be able to make a last pre-dawn session into the forest. It was still dripping and wet, but we soon had Marbled Frogmouth in spotlight and this time we cracked some proper looks of Wallace’s Owlet-nightjar too. A calling Hook-billed Kingfisher was a great bonus! After breakfast we walked a forest trail and after a few hours work we all had great looks of Papuan Pitta. It was time to leave Kwatu Lodge and we started our journey back to Kiunga. On the way back we made yet another stop at the Flame Bowerbird hide and got great looks again! Along the boat journey we saw Pacific Baza, Papuan Spine-tailed Swift, Blyth’s Hornbill, Yellow-streaked Lory, Double-eyed, Dusky-cheeked and Large Fig Parrots, Streak-headed Honeyeater, Lowland Peltops, Yellow-eyed Starlings and Golden Mynas. Unfortunately, halfway through it started raining and the rest of the journey back was in rain. On our last morning in the Kiunga area we drove to km17 and visited a Greater Bird-of-paradise lekking area. Our local guide showed us the old tree the birds used in the past for lekking and where Sir David Attenborough filmed them 20 years ago. We had to walk a bit further, but the experience was great as we could see displaying males of various age and a few females too. What a truly magnificent experience to finish our lowland visit to the Fly River area! In the afternoon our flight was a bit late, but we managed to leave Kiunga and flew to Mount Hagen. It was a stark contrast in temperature upon arrival, we definitely have arrived at the New Guinea highlands! Our team was waiting for us, and we made our way to the famous Kumul Lodge.

Our stay at this wonderful place was relaxed as we had three full days to explore the various sites. We spent most of our time around the lodge itself though we made several visits to the nearby Murmur Pass as well as visited the Lai River area one morning too. There were plenty to look for as most of the endemic bird families are in the highlands and we were eager to find those we have not seen yet in the Star Mountains. Right around the lodge we got some goodies like Archbold’s Bowerbird, Wattled Ploughbill, Blue-capped Ifrit, Crested Satinbird, Mountain Firetail, Brehm’s Tiger Parrot, Rufous-naped Bellbird and Eastern Crested Berrypecker. However, the pride of the place was the astonishing male Ribbon-tailed Astrapia with fully grown tail feathers which we enjoyed daily in the garden, and he often came to the feeders as well! An absolute stunner! Another endemic bop was the Blue Bird-of-paradise and we made sure we got great looks of a fantastic male. Yet another stunner! We had to be patient but eventually it really showed well on a fruiting tree and using some of his favourite perches too. We also had several night forays into the moss forest and had great looks of both Mountain and Feline Owlet-nightjars and Archbold’s Nightjar. Unfortunately, New Guinea Woodcock was only heard roding rather distantly and we could not get a glimpse. Especially at night we had some great mammals like Masked and Coppery Ringtail Possums, but we also had daytime encounters with Speckled Dasyure. The nearby Murmur Pass yielded the very special Mottled Berryhunter, more Wattled Ploughbills, Josephine’s and Stella’s Lorikeets, Lesser Melampitta, Forbes’s Forest Rail, Orange-crowned Fairywren, Black-throated Honeyeater and Black-breasted Boatbill. After seeing many female King of Saxony Bird-of-paradise we eventually connected here with a superb male displaying from a treetop. We were all very happy to watch it for several minutes! One morning we made a short visit to Lai River area where we managed to find male Lesser Bird-of-paradise, Yellow-breasted Bowerbird, Marbled Honeyeater, Mountain Myzomela and a hidden side valley produced Streaked Berrypecker and Sepik-Ramu Shrikethrush.

All too soon our days ended at this amazing place, and we found ourselves at Mount Hagen airport again for a short hop to Tari. Although we did look at the several Papuan Harriers and Brown Falcons flying around the airport before we boarded our charter flight. Thankfully the weather was great, and we arrived at Tari before lunch and were quickly on our way to the famous Ambua Lodge!

Tari Gap and Ambua Lodge! The iconic mountain birding place in PNG. Well, it certainly a great place but roadside habitat definitely deteriorated in the last 30 years, and it is not as easy birding now as it was in the 90’s. Perhaps this is why very few birding companies or individual birders visit this location nowadays and this also means there is much less information and less new forest trails to explore. Anyway, we there were plenty of birds to look for, so after lunch we started to explore the lodge garden where we found a fine male Spotted Berrypecker as well as a female Greater Lophorina and female Lawes‘s Parotia too. Great start and many promising fruiting trees to look at! In the next two days we explored various trails at various elevations in the Tari Gap, often playing hide and seek with the foggy weather. It is a remarkable area, and our highlights were truly amazing such as top views of Black-mantled Goshawk, male Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot, Papuan Logrunner, Spotted Jewel-babbler, both sexes of Spotted Berrypecker and Short-tailed Paradigalla as well as a male Greater Lophorina showing its fantastic feather shield. The supporting cast was also superb with many exciting goodies like White-bibbed Fruit and Great Cuckoo-Doves, a pair of Madarasz’s Tiger Parrots, colourful Papuan King Parrot, feeding Yellow-billed, Orange-billed and Goldie’s Lorikeets, singing Rufous-throated Bronze Cuckoo, skittish Papuan Treecreepers, colourful Eastern Crested Berrypecker, a pair of the rare and little known Olive Straightbill, noisy Hooded Cuckooshrikes, smart looking Regent and Sclater’s Whistlers, stunning male Wattled Ploughbill, more Blue-capped Ifrits, subtle Lesser Ground Robin and regal-looking blue-coloured Loria’s Satinbird just to name but a few. It was a great place with great birds, a fitting final for a birding in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Our flight out of Tari was early and had a few hours to spend at Mount Hagen so we decided to check out the fancy Rondon Ridge Lodge where most birding companies stay – and we likely to come here in future tours too. Although we got there in the middle of the day, the overcast weather was helping so we hit the forest trails around the lodge where we picked up some great birds such as MacGregor’s Bowerbird, Streaked Berrypecker and Slaty-headed Longbill. It was a perfect place to spend our extra hours. Eventually our flight back to Port Moresby was late as usual but uneventful.

We had a busy day coming up as this was our first full day in the famous Varirata National Park near Port Moresby. We have been there at the beginning of the tour which seemed like a long time ago. We left early and started the day with two calling Barking Owls before visiting the lekking area of the Raggiana Bop’s. It was magical, the best activity I have ever seen at this lek with about 15 birds present. We just stood there and soaked in the experience, something all participants will remember for a long time! It was voted the ‘Bird of the trip’. It was hard to drag ourselves away but there were some other special birds we were after. A huge surprise of the morning was a fantastic calling Papuan Eagle while having breakfast and after some scanning, we found it and had cracking looks of this mythical beast! There were great fruiting trees around the camp site with Pink-spotted, Dwarf, Beautiful and Orange-bellied Fruit Doves. Most of the morning we explored various trails and although birding was slow as usual in forest habitats but eventually managed to find the shy and skulking Papuan Scrub Robin, Chestnut-backed Jewel-babbler and a stunning male Painted Quail-thrush. The day-roosting Barred Owlet-nightjar was a welcome sight and completing our set of all five possible owlet-nightjars for the tour. While the male Growling Riflebird was a great addition to our bop list! Other goodies included Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher, Pale-billed Scrubwren, Hooded and Black Pitohuis, Variable Shrikethrush, Yellow-bellied and Green-backed Gerygones, Chestnut-bellied Fantail, Spot-winged, Black-faced and Frilled Monarchs, Papuan Black Myzomela as well as White-faced Robin. In the drier forest habitat Pheasant Coucal, Papuan Eclectus, Red-cheeked Parrot, Blue-winged Kookaburra, New Guinea Friarbirds, White-throated and Elegant Honeyeaters and Yellow-faced Mynas were found. On our way back to Port Moresby we stopped at the PAU grounds where we found Channel-billed Cuckoos, Orange-fronted and Orange-bellied Fruit Doves, Torresian Imperial Pigeons, Fawn-breasted Bowerbirds, Rufous-banded Honeyeaters and Singing Starling and a great selection of waterbirds like Comb-crested Jacana, Radjah Shelduck and Nankeen Night Heron. The 250 Rainbow Bee-eaters gathering for roost was also a great sight as an Australian Hobby flew by.

Next morning our New Britain Extension started but due to changes in flight times we had another morning around Port Moresby! First, we have visited some suburban area to look for the localised Silver-eared Honeyeater which we did eventually found alongside some Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters and Singing Starlings. Later we returned to the PAU grounds to track down Pied Heron, Black-backed Butcherbird and Grey-headed Mannikin before revisiting Varirata National Park for some more birding where our best additional find was a Pheasant Pigeon. We were back to the airport for our afternoon flight ready for New Britain. It is the largest island of the Bismarck Archipelago and has the richest avifauna of any island in the Southwest Pacific (excluding New Guinea itself of course). Many of the species are either endemic to New Britain alone or to the Bismarck Archipelago as a whole (and sometimes the Solomon Islands also). Well, we were ready to get there but the airline was not, so our flight was delayed until next morning.

Our flight next morning was early, so it was a shocking starting time, but we did arrive to New Britain early and made our way to the heavenly Walindi Resort for a late breakfast. Being a diving resort, it is right on the beach with a fantastic garden and a famously exquisite food. After arrival we planned our birding with the local bird guide as we had to adopt losing one of our three mornings. Our introductory birding on a hillside not far from the lodge yielded our first endemics like Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeon, the rather scarce Pied Cuckoo-Dove, Blue-eyed Cockatoo and Purple-bellied Lory, Ashy Myzomela, New Britain Friarbird, Bismarck Crow, Long-tailed Myna and even the shy Velvet Flycatcher. Ou first afternoon was spent along the Kulu River. Afternoons are slow and very hot but with persistence we found Melanesian Megapodes, skulking Violaceous Coucals, New Britain Dwarf and Black-capped Paradise Kingfishers, Finsch’s Imperial Pigeon and a day roosting New Britain Boobook! Nicobar Pigeons and White-rumped Swiftlets were seen zooming by while Blue-eyed Cockatoos gave us a show! The star bird of the afternoon however was a fantastic Ping-legged or New Britain Rail as it came to the edge of the river for a bath. A mythical bird with few records only! This year was very good for this species as our first group has seen it two weeks ago as well. But our day was not finished yet, as after dinner we embarked on a journey into the endless oil palm plantation where we were lucky to find a fantastic Golden Masked Owl!

The following two days we explored a few remaining forest patches such as Garu and Ela Forests and returned to the Kulu River once more as well as made a boat excursion to Kimbe Bay for more special birds. Pigeons and doves were well represented, and we managed to find more Nicobar Pigeons, a few MacKinlay’s Cuckoo-Doves, Knob-billed Fruit Dove, Stephan’s Emerald Dove as well as Island, Black and Yellowish Imperial Pigeons. We also tracked down the other special kingfishers of the island like Melanesian, Beach and White-mantled Kingfishers and with a lot of hard work we all managed to see Bismarck Pitta too. Other highlights of our stay included Black Honey Buzzard, Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot, Song Parrot, White-necked Coucal, Sclater’s and Black-bellied Myzomelas, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Black-tailed and Island Monarchs, Red-banded Flowerpecker and Buff-bellied Mannikin. We can conclude we had a wonderful time in New Britain based in a wonderful resort. It was a productive stay indeed and despite the reduced time we had all we could hope for! We wish good luck to our pioneering tour later this year to explore the highlands of this remarkable island! Our tour has ended with a flight back to Port Moresby the following morning where we all departed to different directions. All in all, this year we had a real action packed and eventful tour to this amazing country, but any birding holiday to Papua New Guinea is intense if you wish to see the secrets of this island! All of us had many special birds and adventures we will never forget!

BIRDS OF THE TOUR

1st: Raggiana Bird-of-paradise

2nd: Flame Bowerbird

3rd: Ribbon-tailed Astrapia & Wattled Ploughbill

5th: Sclater’s Crowned Pigeon & Papuan Eagle

BIRDS OF THE EXTENSION

1st: Pink-legged Rail

2nd: Black Honey Buzzard

3rd: Bismarck Pitta

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES RECORDED

BIRDS

Wandering Whistling Duck  Dendrocygna arcuata

Radjah Shelduck ◊ (White-headed S)  Radjah radjah  Three were seen on the PAU ponds near POM.

Salvadori’s Teal ◊  Salvadorina waigiuensis  Eventually great looks near Tabubil!

Pacific Black Duck  Anas superciliosa

Grey Teal  Anas gracilis

Black-billed Brushturkey ◊ (Yellow-legged B)  Talegalla fuscirostris  Two separate birds were seen in the Kiunga area.

Melanesian Megapode ◊  Megapodius eremita  Two were seen on New Britain.

King Quail  Synoicus chinensis

White-throated Nightjar  Eurostopodus mystacalis  One of these wintering birds were seen near Tabubil.

Archbold’s Nightjar ◊ (Mountain N)  Eurostopodus archboldi  We had good looks near Kumul Lodge.

Marbled Frogmouth ◊  Podargus ocellatus  Two sightings in the Fly River area.

Papuan Frogmouth ◊  Podargus papuensis  Fantastic looks in the Fly River area and at Ambua Lodge.

Feline Owlet-nightjar ◊  Aegotheles insignis  Hard work, but great looks of a nice brownish individual at Kumul.

Starry Owlet-nightjar ◊  Aegotheles tatei  One was eventually seen by some in the Fly River area.

Wallace’s Owlet-nightjar ◊  Aegotheles wallacii  Fantastic looks in the Fly River area.

Mountain Owlet-nightjar ◊  Aegotheles albertisi  Fantastic looks at Kumul Lodge.

Barred Owlet-nightjar ◊  Aegotheles bennettii  Great looks in Varirata NP and completing our set of five species of owlet-nightjars!!! Wow!

Moustached Treeswift  Hemiprocne mystacea

Glossy Swiftlet  Collocalia esculenta

Mountain Swiftlet ◊  Aerodramus hirundinaceus  Regularly seen.

White-rumped Swiftlet ◊  Aerodramus spodiopygius  Endemic. Just a few were identified on New Britain.

Uniform Swiftlet  Aerodramus vanikorensis

Papuan Spine-tailed Swift ◊ (P Spinetail, P Needletail)  Mearnsia novaeguineae  Many were seen in the Fly River area.

White-necked Coucal ◊  Centropus ateralbus  Endemic. Great looks on New Britain.

Ivory-billed Coucal ◊ (Greater Black C)  Centropus menbeki  One was seen near Kiunga.

Violaceous Coucal ◊  Centropus violaceus  Endemic. Great looks on New Britain.

Pheasant Coucal  Centropus phasianinus

Pacific Koel  Eudynamys orientalis

Channel-billed Cuckoo  Scythrops novaehollandiae

Long-billed Cuckoo ◊  Chrysococcyx megarhynchus  One was seen in the Fly River area.

Rufous-throated Bronze Cuckoo ◊  Chrysococcyx ruficollis  Seen well in the Tari Gap.

Shining Bronze Cuckoo  Chrysococcyx lucidus  One was seen on New Britain.

White-eared Bronze Cuckoo ◊  Chrysococcyx meyerii  Several good looks this year, smart looking bird!

Little Bronze Cuckoo  Chrysococcyx minutillus

White-crowned Cuckoo ◊ (W-c Koel)  Cacomantis leucolophus  It was seen at Varirata NP.

Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo ◊  Cacomantis castaneiventris  Excellent looks at Dablin Creek near Tabubil.

Fan-tailed Cuckoo  Cacomantis flabelliformis

Brush Cuckoo  Cacomantis variolosus

Rock Dove (introduced)  Columba livia  Seen at Port Moresby.

Metallic Pigeon (White-throated P)  Columba vitiensis  It was seen in the Fly River area and at Varirata NP.

Amboyna Cuckoo-Dove ◊  Macropygia amboinensis  Regularly seen.

Bar-tailed Cuckoo-Dove ◊ (Black-billed C-D)  Macropygia nigrirostris  Regularly seen.

MacKinlay’s Cuckoo-Dove ◊  Macropygia mackinlayi  Five were seen well in Kimbe Bay on New Britain.

Great Cuckoo-Dove ◊ (Long-tailed C-D)  Reinwardtoena reinwardti  Excellent looks in the Tari area.

Pied Cuckoo-Dove ◊  Reinwardtoena browni  Endemic. Two sightings of this scarce bird on New Britain.

Stephan’s Emerald Dove  Chalcophaps stephani

New Guinea Bronzewing ◊  Henicophaps albifrons  heard only

Peaceful Dove  Geopelia placida

Nicobar Pigeon ◊  Caloenas nicobarica  Many excellent looks on New Britain.

Pheasant Pigeon ◊  Otidiphaps nobilis  Two sightings in Varirata. This is the Grey-naped cervicalis race.

Sclater’s Crowned Pigeon ◊  Goura sclaterii  A total of nine were seen in the Fly River area! Stunning!

Wompoo Fruit Dove ◊ (Magnificent FD)  Ptilinopus magnificus  heard only

Pink-spotted Fruit Dove ◊  Ptilinopus perlatus  Best looks were in Varirata NP.

Orange-fronted Fruit Dove ◊  Ptilinopus aurantiifrons  About 15 were seen on a fruiting tree near POM.

Superb Fruit Dove  Ptilinopus superbus

Beautiful Fruit Dove ◊  Ptilinopus pulchellus  Just a few sightings, first at Varirata NP.

White-bibbed Fruit Dove ◊ (Mountain FD)  Ptilinopus rivoli  many sightings this year in the Tari area.

Orange-bellied Fruit Dove ◊  Ptilinopus iozonus  Common.

Knob-billed Fruit Dove ◊  Ptilinopus insolitus  Great bird, fantastic looks on New Britain!

Dwarf Fruit Dove ◊  Ptilinopus nainus  Special little bird and we got our best looks at Varirata NP.

Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeon ◊  Ducula rubricera  Endemic. Common on New Britain.

Purple-tailed Imperial Pigeon ◊  Ducula rufigaster  Many great looks, especially at Varirata NP.

Finsch’s Imperial Pigeon ◊  Ducula finschii  Endemic. We saw about six on New Britain.

Island Imperial Pigeon ◊  Ducula pistrinaria  Endemic. Common on New Britain.

Pinon’s Imperial Pigeon ◊  Ducula pinon  Just a few seen in the Fly River area.

Black Imperial Pigeon ◊  Ducula melanochroa  Endemic. Four were seen in the Garu Forest on New Britain.

Collared Imperial Pigeon ◊  Ducula mullerii  Beautiful pigeon and many seen in the Fly River area.

Zoe’s Imperial Pigeon ◊  Ducula zoeae  Common and smart-looking!

Torresian Imperial Pigeon ◊  Ducula spilorrhoa  Common near Port Moresby.

Yellowish Imperial Pigeon ◊  Ducula subflavescens  Endemic. Common on New Britain.

Papuan Mountain Pigeon ◊  Gymnophaps albertisii  We had some great looks at various places.

Forbes’s Forest Rail ◊  Rallicula forbesi  One was seen near Kumul Lodge.

Buff-banded Rail  Hypotaenidia philippensis  The lesouefi race was seen at New Britain.

Pink-legged Rail ◊  Hypotaenidia insignis  Endemic. Excellent looks of a bathing bird along the Kulu River on New Britain. A rarely encountered species which was showing well its barred wings too.

Dusky Moorhen  Gallinula tenebrosa

Australasian Swamphen  Porphyrio melanotus

Bare-eyed Rail ◊  Gymnocrex plumbeiventris  heard only

Masked Lapwing  Vanellus miles

Little Ringed Plover  Charadrius dubius  One was seen at Kiunga airport. Nominate.

Comb-crested Jacana  Irediparra gallinacea

Eurasian Whimbrel (Eurasian W)  Numenius phaeopus

New Guinea Woodcock ◊  Scolopax rosenbergii  heard only

Common Sandpiper  Actitis hypoleucos

Australian Pratincole  Stiltia isabella  Seen at various airports. Up to 37 counted on the Kiunga runway.

Greater Crested Tern (C T, Swift T)  Thalasseus bergii

Common Tern Sterna hirundo

Lesser Frigatebird  Fregata ariel

Australasian Darter  Anhinga novaehollandiae

Little Pied Cormorant  Microcarbo melanoleucos

Little Black Cormorant  Phalacrocorax sulcirostris

Great Cormorant  Phalacrocorax carbo

Australian White Ibis  Threskiornis molucca

Black Bittern  Ixobrychus flavicollis

Nankeen Night Heron (Rufous N H)  Nycticorax caledonicus

Striated Heron (Green-backed H)  Butorides striata

Eastern Cattle Egret  Bubulcus coromandus

Great Egret (Eastern G E)  Ardea [alba] modesta

Intermediate Egret ◊  Ardea intermedia  This form plumifera sometimes called Plumed Egret.

Pied Heron ◊  Egretta picata  Two were seen near POM.

Little Egret  Egretta garzetta

Pacific Reef Heron  Egretta sacra

Eastern Osprey  Pandion haliaaetus  The cristatus race was seen on New Britain.

Pacific Baza (Crested Hawk)  Aviceda subcristata

Long-tailed Honey Buzzard ◊ (L-t B)  Henicopernis longicauda  Regular sightings of this great raptor.

Black Honey Buzzard ◊  Henicopernis infuscatus  Endemic. Just one was seen on New Britain. Superb!

Papuan Eagle ◊ (N G Harpy E)  Harpyopsis novaeguineae  Mega! Great perched looks of a calling bird in Varirata NP.

Pygmy Eagle ◊  Hieraaetus weiskei  Great looks at Varirata NP.

Doria’s Goshawk ◊  Megatriorchis doriae  Absolutely amazing to have three encounters with this rare bird on a single tour. One was seen at Tabubil and probably the same bird was seen on two occasions in the Fly River area. Unbelievable.

Variable Goshawk  Accipiter hiogaster

Black-mantled Goshawk ◊  Accipiter melanochlamys  Stunning raptor which gave first class looks on two mornings at Ambua Lodge.

Grey-headed Goshawk ◊  Accipiter poliocephalus  Two were seen by Chris and Dani on the way back to Kiunga.

Collared Sparrowhawk  Accipiter cirrocephalus

Meyer’s Goshawk ◊  Accipiter meyerianus  Two sightings, one near Kumul and one in the tari Gap.

Papuan Harrier ◊  Circus spilothorax  Fantastic looks of minimum three birds at Mount Hagen airport.

Black Kite  Milvus migrans

Whistling Kite  Haliastur sphenurus

Brahminy Kite  Haliastur indus

White-bellied Sea Eagle  Haliaeetus leucogaster

Golden Masked Owl ◊ Tyto aurantia  Endemic. Top bird! One was seen in the endless oil palm plantations of New Britain.

Papuan Hawk-Owl ◊  Uroglaux dimorpha  Great looks in the Fly River area.

Barking Owl  Ninox connivens  Two were seen well in Varirata NP.

Papuan Boobook ◊ (Jungle Hawk Owl, Jungle B)  Ninox theomacha  One was seen in Varirata NP.

New Britain Boobook ◊  Ninox odiosa  Endemic. Great looks on New Britain.

Blyth’s Hornbill ◊ (Papuan H)  Rhyticeros plicatus  Our best sightings were in the Fly River area.

Oriental Dollarbird  Eurystomus orientalis

Hook-billed Kingfisher ◊  Melidora macrorrhina  One was seen in the Fly River area.

Common Paradise Kingfisher ◊  Tanysiptera galatea  One was seen in the Fly River area.

Black-capped Paradise Kingfisher ◊  Tanysiptera nigriceps  Endemic. Several looks on New Britain.

Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher ◊  Tanysiptera danae  Endemic. Beautiful bird which was seen well in Varirata NP.

Shovel-billed Kookaburra ◊ (S-b Kingfisher)  Clytoceyx rex  heard only

Blue-winged Kookaburra  Dacelo leachii

Rufous-bellied Kookaburra ◊  Dacelo gaudichaud  Several good looks. Very handsome bird!

Forest Kingfisher  Todiramphus macleayii  One was seen on New Britain where it is a rare migrant.

White-mantled Kingfisher ◊  Todiramphus albonotatus  Endemic. Excellent looks of this beautiful bird on New Britain.

Melanesian Kingfisher ◊  Todiramphus tristrami  Several seen on New Britain.

Beach Kingfisher ◊  Todiramphus saurophagus  A pair was seen on New Britain.

Sacred Kingfisher  Todiramphus sanctus

Yellow-billed Kingfisher ◊ (Lesser Y-b K)  Syma torotoro  Superb looks at Varirata NP.

Mountain Kingfisher ◊ (M Yellow-billed K)  Syma megarhyncha  Brief looks near Kumul.

Common Kingfisher  Alcedo atthis 

Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher ◊  Ceyx solitarius  Excellent looks at Varirata NP.

New Britain Dwarf Kingfisher ◊  Ceyx sacerdotis  Endemic. One was seen on New Britain.

Azure Kingfisher  Ceyx azureus

Rainbow Bee-eater  Merops ornatus

Australian Hobby  Falco longipennis  One was seen near POM.

Brown Falcon  Falco berigora

Palm Cockatoo ◊  Probosciger aterrimus  Charismatic bird, many great looks!

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo  Cacatua galerita

Blue-eyed Cockatoo ◊  Cacatua ophthalmica  Endemic. Common on New Britain.

Pesquet’s Parrot ◊ (N G Vulturine P)  Psittrichas fulgidus  Great flight views near Tabubil. Special parrot!

Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot ◊  Micropsitta pusio  We had good perched views on New Britain.

Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot ◊  Micropsitta bruijnii  Several sightings, best looks were at the Ambua Lodge.

Papuan King Parrot ◊  Alisterus chloropterus  Only seen in the garden of Ambua Lodge.

Papuan Eclectus ◊  Eclectus polycjloros  Common and noisy!

Red-cheeked Parrot ◊  Geoffroyus geoffroyi  Common.

Song Parrot ◊  Geoffroyus heteroclitus  Several good flight looks this year on New Britain.

Brehm’s Tiger Parrot ◊  Psittacella brehmii  Easy on the feeder at Kumul Lodge.

Madarasz’s Tiger Parrot ◊  Psittacella madaraszi  A pair was seen well in the garden of Ambua Lodge.

Plum-faced Lorikeet ◊ (Whiskered L)  Oreopsittacus arfaki  Our best looks were near Kumul.

Red-flanked Lorikeet ◊  Hypocharmosyna placentis  Several good looks.

Josephine’s Lorikeet ◊  Charmosyna josefinae  We had great scope looks near Murmur Pass.

Stella’s Lorikeet ◊  Charmosyna stellae  These long-tailed beauties were seen well a few times.

Yellow-billed Lorikeet ◊  Neopsittacus musschenbroekii   Several sightings in the highlands.

Orange-billed Lorikeet ◊  Neopsittacus pullicauda  Several sightings in the highlands.

Purple-bellied Lory ◊  Lorius hypoinochrous  Endemic. Common and noisy on New Britain.

Black-capped Lory ◊ (Western B-c L)  Lorius lory  Common and noisy on the mainland.

Dusky Lory ◊  Pseudeos fuscata  We had good looks near Tabubil this year.

Yellow-streaked Lory ◊ (Yellow-s L, Greater S L)  Chalcopsitta scintillate  It was seen in the Fly River area.

Goldie’s Lorikeet ◊  Glossoptilus goldiei  Superb looks of feeding birds in the Tari Gap.

Coconut Lorikeet ◊ (Rainbow L)  Trichoglossus haematodus  Common.

Large Fig Parrot ◊ (Yellow-naped F P)  Psittaculirostris desmarestii  Seen twice perched in the Fly River area. The cervicalis race we saw is endemic to PNG.

Orange-breasted Fig Parrot ◊ (Dusky-cheeked F P)  Cyclopsitta gulielmitertii  Commonly encountered.

Double-eyed Fig Parrot ◊ (Red-faced F P)  Cyclopsitta diophthalma  We had good looks in the Fly River area.

Orange-fronted Hanging Parrot ◊ (Papuan H P)  Loriculus aurantiifrons  Just a female was seen near Tabubil by some.

Papuan Pitta ◊ (Red-bellied P)  Erythropitta macklotii  We had cracking looks in the Fly River area.

Bismarck Pitta ◊  Erythropitta novaehibernicae  Endemic. After some hard work we managed to see one on New Britain.

Hooded Pitta ◊  Pitta sordida  Fantastic looks in the Fly River area.

Archbold’s Bowerbird ◊  Archboldia papuensis  A female was seen a few times at Kumul Lodge with the male only showing briefly for some.

MacGregor’s Bowerbird ◊  Amblyornis macgregoriae  A great bonus with many seen at Rondon Ridge.

Flame Bowerbird ◊  Sericulus ardens  Breath-taking looks in the Fly River area at a bower! Stunning!

Yellow-breasted Bowerbird ◊ (Lauterbach’s B)  Chlamydera lauterbachi  We saw two in the Lai River area.

Fawn-breasted Bowerbird ◊  Chlamydera cerviniventris  Common in and near Port Moresby.

Papuan Treecreeper ◊  Cormobates placens  A pair was finally tracked down in the Tari Gap.

Wallace’s Fairywren ◊ (W Wren)  Sipodotus wallacii  Great looks of this canopy-dweller near Tabubil.

Emperor Fairywren ◊  Malurus cyanocephalus  A male showed very well in riverside thicket in the Fly River area.

White-shouldered Fairywren ◊  Malurus alboscapulatus  Our best looks were in the Tabubil area.

Orange-crowned Fairywren ◊  Clytomyias insignis A party of three were seen at Murmur Pass.

Green-backed Honeyeater ◊  Glycichaera fallax  A few nice looks of the warbler like small honeyeater.

Rufous-backed Honeyeater ◊  Ptiloprora guisei  Endemic. Fairly common in the Tari Gap.

Grey-streaked Honeyeater ◊ (Black-backed H)  Ptiloprora perstriata  Seen at various highland sites.

Rufous-banded Honeyeater ◊  Conopophila albogularis  Common around Port Moresby.

Long-billed Honeyeater ◊  Melilestes megarhynchus  Regularly encountered forest honeyeater.

Olive Straightbill ◊  Timeliopsis fulvigula  We managed to find a pair of this rare aberrant honeyeater in the Tari Gap.

Common Smoky Honeyeater ◊  Melipotes fumigatus  Common. The color-changing wattle is amazing!

Plain Honeyeater ◊  Pycnopygius ixoides  We had the best looks at Varirata NP.

Marbled Honeyeater ◊  Pycnopygius cinereus  A few were seen in the Lai River area.

Streak-headed Honeyeater ◊  Pycnopygius stictocephalus  Just a few were seen in Varirata NP.

Ashy Myzomela ◊  Myzomela cineracea  Endemic. Common on New Britain.

Papuan Black Myzomela ◊  Myzomela nigrita  Eventually good looks in Varirata NP.

Mountain Myzomela ◊ (Elfin M, M Red-headed M)  Myzomela adolphinae  It was seen in the Lai River area and at Rondon Ridge.

Sclater’s Myzomela ◊  Myzomela sclateri  Endemic. Common on the offshore islets in Kimbe Bay on New Britain.

Black-bellied Myzomela ◊  Myzomela erythromelas  Endemic. Three were seen on New Britain.

Red-collared Myzomela ◊  Myzomela rosenbergii  Fantastic bird and common in the highlands.

New Guinea Friarbird ◊ (Helmeted F)  Philemon novaeguineae  Common.

New Britain Friarbird ◊  Philemon cockerelli  Endemic. Common.

Tawny-breasted Honeyeater ◊  Xanthotis flaviventer  Common.

Silver-eared Honeyeater ◊  Lichmera alboauricularis  We had good looks of this subtle beauty in POM.

White-throated Honeyeater ◊  Melithreptus albogularis  Fairly common in Varirata NP.

Mountain Honeyeater ◊ (M Meliphaga, Hill Forest H)  Microptilotis orientalis  Common in the Tabubil.

Scrub Honeyeater ◊ (S Meliphaga, S White-eared M)  Microptilotis albonotatus  Common in the Tabubil.

Mimic Honeyeater ◊ (M Meliphaga, Mimetic M)  Microptilotis analogus  Fairly common in Varirata NP.

Elegant Honeyeater ◊ (E Meliphaga)  Microptilotis cinereifrons  Endemic. Three were seen in Varirata NP.

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater ◊  Ptilotula flavescens  It was only seen in Port Moresby.

Black-throated Honeyeater ◊  Caligavis subfrenata  It was seen at Murmur Pass and in the Tari Gap.

Obscure Honeyeater ◊  Caligavis obscura  About five were seen near Kiunga.

Yellow-browed Melidectes ◊  Melidectes rufocrissalis  Several sightings in the highlands.

Belford’s Melidectes ◊  Melidectes belfordi  The common melidectes in the highlands.

Ornate Melidectes ◊ (Cinnamon-breasted M)  Melidectes torquatus  Stunning bird which we saw in the Lai River area.

Rusty Mouse-warbler ◊ (Lowland M-w)  Origma murina  Regularly heard and seen near Kiunga.

Mountain Mouse-warbler ◊  Origma robusta  It was seen at Kumul and Ambua.

Pale-billed Scrubwren ◊  Aethomyias spilodera  One was seen at Varirata NP.

Buff-faced Scrubwren ◊  Aethomyias perspicillatus  Regularly seen at Kumul and Ambua Lodge.

Papuan Scrubwren ◊  Aethomyias papuensis  It was seen at Kumul and Ambua.

Large Scrubwren ◊  Sericornis nouhuysi  Regular sightings at the highland sites.

Brown-breasted Gerygone ◊ (Treefern G)  Gerygone ruficollis  It was seen at Kumul and Ambua.

Large-billed Gerygone  Gerygone magnirostris 

Yellow-bellied Gerygone ◊  Gerygone chrysogaster  Best looks were in Varirata NP.

Green-backed Gerygone ◊  Gerygone chloronota  Best looks were in the Fly River area.

Grey Thornbill (Ashy Gerygone, Mountain G)  Acanthiza cinerea

Papuan Babbler ◊ (Rufous B, NG B)  Garritornis isidorei  Skulking bird but good looks in the Fly River area.

Papuan Logrunner ◊  Orthonyx novaeguineae  Excellent looks in the Tari Gap.

Loria’s Satinbird ◊  Cnemophilus loriae  Two were seen in the Tari Gap.

Crested Satinbird ◊ (C Bird-of-paradise)  Cnemophilus macgregorii  A female and an immature male was seen at Kumul Lodge.

Obscure Berrypecker ◊  Melanocharis arfakiana  Good looks near Tabubil.

Mid-mountain Berrypecker ◊ (Lemon-breasted B)  Melanocharis longicauda  Four sightings this year!

Black Berrypecker ◊  Melanocharis nigra  A pair was seen in the Kiunga area.

Fan-tailed Berrypecker ◊  Melanocharis versteri  First seen along the new Telefomin Road. Common.

Streaked Berrypecker ◊  Melanocharis striativentris  Two sightings of this rare bird! One near Kumul and one at Rondon Ridge.

Spotted Berrypecker ◊  Rhamphocharis piperata  Endemic. It was seen along the Telefomin Road and at Ambua Lodge. Great bird!

Spectacled Longbill ◊ (Dwarf L, D Honeyeater)  Oedistoma iliolophus  One was seen by some near Tabubil.

Pygmy Longbill ◊ (P Honeyeater)  Oedistoma pygmaeum  Good looks of feeding birds near Tabubil.

Yellow-bellied Longbill ◊ (Green-crowned L)  Toxorhamphus novaeguineae  We got good looks in the Fly River area.

Slaty-headed Longbill ◊ (S-chinned L, Grey-winged L)  Toxorhamphus poliopterus  Just one was seen briefly at Rondon Ridge.

Tit Berrypecker ◊  Oreocharis arfaki  Several excellent looks at various sites!

Eastern Crested Berrypecker ◊  Paramythia montium  It was seen around Kumul Lodge and in the Tari Gap.

Spotted Jewel-babbler ◊  Ptilorrhoa leucosticte  Great looks of this skulker at Ambua Lodge.

Blue Jewel-babbler ◊  Ptilorrhoa caerulescens  Fantastic sighting in the Fly River area.

Chestnut-backed Jewel-babbler ◊  Ptilorrhoa castanonota  A few were seen in Varirata NP. Shy!

Painted Quail-thrush ◊  Cinclosoma ajax  A superb male was seen at Varirata NP.

Yellow-breasted Boatbill ◊  Machaerirhynchus flaviventer  It was seen near Tabubil.

Black-breasted Boatbill ◊  Machaerirhynchus nigripectus  Several excellent looks in the highlands.

White-breasted Woodswallow  Artamus leucorynchus

Great Woodswallow ◊ (New Guinea W)  Artamus maximus  First seen at Tabubil, best looks in the Ambua Lodge garden.

Lowland Peltops ◊  Peltops blainvillii  It was seen very well in the Fly River area.

Mountain Peltops ◊  Peltops montanus  Several great looks.

Black Butcherbird  Melloria quoyi

Black-backed Butcherbird ◊  Cracticus mentalis  It was only seen in the PAU grounds near Port Moresby.

Hooded Butcherbird ◊  Cracticus cassicus  Regularly seen.

Mottled Berryhunter ◊  Rhagologus leucostigma  Several looks near Kumul Lodge: obscurus race.

Stout-billed Cuckooshrike ◊  Coracina caeruleogrisea  A large species seen very well in Varirata NP.

Hooded Cuckooshrike ◊  Coracina longicauda  We had two sightings in the Tari Gap.

Barred Cuckooshrike ◊ (Yellow-eyed C)  Coracina lineata  Seen a few times in Varirata NP.

Black-faced Cuckooshrike  Coracina novaehollandiae  Wintering flocks were seen in the Fly River area and at Varirata NP.

Boyer’s Cuckooshrike ◊  Coracina boyeri  It was regularly seen in the Tabubil and Kiunga area.

White-bellied Cuckooshrike  Coracina papuensis

Golden Cuckooshrike ◊  Campochaera sloetii  heard only

Black-bellied Cuckooshrike ◊ (B-b Cicadabird)  Edolisoma montanum  It was seen in the Tari Gap.

Grey-headed Cuckooshrike ◊ (G-h Cicadabird)  Edolisoma schisticeps  Regular sightings in the Tabubil area.

Black-shouldered Cicadabird ◊  Edolisoma incertum  One was seen along the Dablin Creek.

Common Cicadabird  Edolisoma tenuirostre  One was seen in the Fly River area.

Black Cicadabird ◊ (B Cuckooshrike, New Guinea C)  Edolisoma melas  Two sightings on the tour.

Varied Triller  Lalage leucomela

Wattled Ploughbill ◊  Eulacestoma nigropectus  Fantastic! Three different males were seen this year.

Rufous-naped Bellbird ◊ (R-n Whistler)  Aleadryas rufinucha  Common in the garden of Kumul Lodge.

Piping Bellbird ◊ (Crested Pitohui)  Ornorectes cristatus  It was seen near Tabubil and heard at Varirata NP.

Black Pitohui ◊  Melanorectes nigrescens  One was seen at Varirata NP.

Brown-backed Whistler ◊  Pachycephala modesta  Common in the Tari Gap.

Lorentz’s Whistler ◊  Pachycephala lorentzi  Three were seen along the Telefomin road.

Grey Whistler  Pachycephala simplex 

Sclater’s Whistler ◊  Pachycephala soror  Best looks of males were in the Tari Gap.

Mangrove Golden Whistler ◊  Pachycephala melanura  Eventually seen in Kimbe Bay on New Britain.

Regent Whistler ◊  Pachycephala schlegelii  Nice bird and fairly common at Kumul and in the Tari Gap.

Black-headed Whistler ◊  Pachycephala monacha  First seen near Tabubil and common in the Lai River area.

White-bellied Whistler ◊  Pachycephala leucogastra  Endemic. Great looks in Varirata NP.

White-bellied Pitohui ◊  Pseudorectes incertus  This highly localized bird was seen near Kwatu Lodge.

Rusty Pitohui ◊  Pseudorectes ferrugineus  Three were seen near Kiunga.

Arafura Shrikethrush (Rufous S)  Colluricincla megarhyncha  Three were seen in the Fly River area.

Variable Shrikethrush ◊  Colluricincla fortis  Endemic. Two were seen in Varirata NP.

Sepik-Ramu Shrikethrush ◊  Colluricincla tappenbecki  One was seen near the Lai River.

Long-tailed Shrike  Lanius schach

Australasian Figbird  Sphecotheres vieilloti

Hooded Pitohui ◊  Pitohui dichrous  Only seen in Varirata NP.

Brown Oriole ◊  Oriolus szalayi  Excellent looks in Varirata NP on our first afternoon!

Spangled Drongo  Dicrurus bracteatus  Common. We also had the endemic laemostictus race on New Britain.

Willie Wagtail  Rhipidura leucophrys

Northern Fantail ◊  Rhipidura rufiventris  Two were seen in the Tabubil area and also on New Britain.

Sooty Thicket Fantail ◊  Rhipidura threnothorax  Good looks near Tabubil. A skulker!

White-bellied Thicket Fantail ◊  Rhipidura leucothorax  One was seen in the Fly River area.

Black Fantail ◊  Rhipidura atra  First seen on the new Telefomin Road and later at Kumul and Ambua Lodges.

Chestnut-bellied Fantail ◊  Rhipidura hyperythra  Fantastic looks at Varirata NP.

Friendly Fantail ◊  Rhipidura albolimbata  Common.

Dimorphic Fantail ◊  Rhipidura brachyrhyncha  It was seen briefly at Kumul Lodge.

Rufous-backed Fantail ◊  Rhipidura rufidorsa  A pair was seen in the Fly River area.

Black Monarch ◊ (Fantailed M)  Symposiachrus axillaris  heard only

Spot-winged Monarch ◊  Symposiachrus guttula  It was seen near Tabubil, in the Fly River area and at Varirata NP.

Hooded Monarch ◊  Symposiachrus manadensis  heard only

Black-tailed Monarch ◊  Symposiachrus verticalis  Endemic. Great looks on New Birtain.

Island Monarch ◊  Monarcha cinerascens  A pir briefly in Kimbe Bay on New Britain.

Black-faced Monarch ◊  Monarcha melanopsis  One was seen at Varirata NP.

Golden Monarch ◊  Carterornis chrysomela  heard only

Frilled Monarch ◊  Arses telescopthalmus  Seen at several locations.

Torrent-lark ◊  Grallina bruijnii  A few sightings in the Tabubil area and near the Lai River.

Shining Flycatcher (Common SF)  Myiagra alecto

Velvet Flycatcher ◊  Myiagra eichhorni  Endemic. Two pairs were seen on New Britain.

Grey Crow ◊ (Bare-eyed C)  Corvus tristis  It was only seen in the Fly River area.

Torresian Crow  Corvus orru

Bismarck Crow ◊  Corvus insularis  Endemic. Common on New Britain.

Lesser Melampitta ◊  Melampitta lugubris  Excellent looks in the Kumul area.

Blue-capped Ifrit ◊ (B-c Ifrita)  Ifrita kowaldi  Several great sightings of this special bird.

Glossy-mantled Manucode ◊ (Glossy M)  Manucodia ater  Common in the Fly River area.

Crinkle-collared Manucode ◊  Manucodia chalybatus  One was seen near Tabubil.

Trumpet Manucode ◊  Phonygammus keraudrenii  Four were seen in the Fly River area: jamesii race.

Short-tailed Paradigalla ◊  Paradigalla brevicauda  Seen twice in the garden of Ambua Lodge. Superb!

Splendid Astrapia ◊  Astrapia splendidissima  Several good views along the new Telefomin road this year again: helios race.

Ribbon-tailed Astrapia ◊  Astrapia mayeri  Endemic. Amazing bird seen at Kumul and at Ambua too. Some males in the Kumul area had full ribbon tails! WOW!

Princess Stephanie’s Astrapia ◊  Astrapia stephaniae  Endemic. A few sightings in the Ambua area: feminina race.

Queen Carola’s Parotia ◊  Parotia carolae  A pair was seen near Tabubil: meeki race.

Lawes’s Parotia ◊  Parotia lawesii  Endemic. Several sightings of females in the garden of Ambua Lodge.

King of Saxony Bird-of-paradise ◊  Pteridophora alberti  Amazing bird with several great sightings! The singing male at Murmur Pass was amazing!

Greater Lophorina ◊  Lophorina superba  Excellent views in the garden of Ambua Lodge!

Magnificent Riflebird ◊  Ptiloris magnificus  Two males and two females were seen near Tabubil.

Growling Riflebird ◊ (Eastern R)  Ptiloris intercedens  Endemic. Many heard and two seen in Varirata NP.

Brown Sicklebill ◊  Epimachus meyeri  Many excellent looks!

Magnificent Bird-of-paradise ◊  Diphyllodes magnificus  A displaying male was fantastic near Tabubil!

King Bird-of-paradise ◊  Cicinnurus regius  Great bird! Male and females were seen in the Fly River area.

Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise ◊  Seleucidis melanoleucus  Another special and stunning bird. A male was studied at length in the Fly River area.

Greater Bird-of-paradise ◊  Paradisaea apoda  The displaying performance near Kiunga was fantastic.

Raggiana Bird-of-paradise ◊  Paradisaea raggiana  It was special watching them displaying in Varirata NP. Following the amazing display show, it was voted the bird of the trip!

Lesser Bird-of-paradise ◊  Paradisaea minor  One male was seen near in the Lai River area.

Blue Bird-of-paradise ◊  Paradisornis rudolphi  Endemic. A fantastic male was seen in the Kumul area. What a bird!

White-faced Robin ◊  Tregellasia leucops  Great views in Varirata NP.

White-winged Robin ◊  Peneothello sigillata  Common at Kumul Lodge.

Slaty Robin ◊ (Blue-grey R)  Peneothello cyanus  We had repeated looks at Ambua Lodge.

White-rumped Robin ◊  Peneothello bimaculata  It was seen well in the Tabubil area.

Black-sided Robin ◊ (B-bibbed R)  Poecilodryas hypoleuca  Great looks in the Fly River area.

Black-throated Robin ◊  Plesiodryas albonotata  One was seen at Murmur Pass.

Black-capped Robin ◊  Heteromyias armiti  Brief looks for some. Frustratingly shy

Papuan Scrub Robin ◊  Drymodes beccarii  A real skulker seen in Varirata NP.

Lemon-bellied Flyrobin ◊ (L-b Flycatcher)  Microeca flavigaster  It was seen in Varirata NP.

Torrent Flyrobin ◊ (T Flycatcher, River F)  Monachella muelleriana  Several good looks in the Tabubil area.

Yellow-legged Flyrobin ◊ (Y-l Flycatcher)  Kempiella griseoceps  non leader

Olive Flyrobin ◊ (O Flycatcher)  Kempiella flavovirescens  Great looks near Tabubil.

Canary Flyrobin ◊ (Papuan Flycatcher, Montane F)  Devioeca papuana  Regularly seen at higher elevations.

Lesser Ground Robin ◊  Amalocichla incerta  One was seen in the Tari Gap.

Pacific Swallow  Hirundo tahitica

Island Leaf Warbler  Phylloscopus poliocephalus

Papuan Grassbird ◊  Cincloramphus macrurus  First seen in the Lai River area: macrurus, and later also tracked down on New Britain: interscapularis,

Golden-headed Cisticola  Cisticola exilis  One was seen briefly on New Britain.

Black-fronted White-eye ◊  Zosterops chrysolaemus  Several sightings in Varirata NP.

Capped White-eye ◊  Zosterops fuscicapilla  Good looks in the Tabubil area on several occasions.

Papuan White-eye ◊  Zosterops novaeguineae  We got the best looks in the Lai River area.

Metallic Starling (Shining S)  Aplonis metallica

Yellow-eyed Starling ◊  Aplonis mystacea  A total of nine were seen in the Fly River area.

Singing Starling ◊  Aplonis cantoroides  Several sightings on the tour.

Yellow-faced Myna ◊  Mino dumontii  Common.

Long-tailed Myna ◊  Mino kreffti  Common on  New Britain.

Golden Myna ◊  Mino anais  A few were seen in the Fly River area.

Island Thrush  Turdus poliocephalus

Pied Bush Chat (P Chat)  Saxicola caprata

Red-capped Flowerpecker ◊  Dicaeum geelvinkianum  Common.

Red-banded Flowerpecker ◊  Dicaeum eximium  A few were noted on New Britain.

Black Sunbird ◊  Leptocoma aspasia  Regular sightings.

Olive-backed Sunbird  Cinnyris jugularis

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (introduced)  Passer montanus

House Sparrow (introduced)  Passer domesticus

Mountain Firetail ◊  Oreostruthus fuliginosus  A pair was seen nest building at Kumul Lodge.

Grey-headed Mannikin ◊  Lonchura caniceps  Just flight views at the PAU campus near Port Moresby.

Hooded Mannikin ◊  Lonchura spectabilis  Several good looks in the highlands.

Buff-bellied Mannikin ◊  Lonchura melaena  Endemic. Handsome bird seen well on New Birtain.

Australian Pipit  Anthus australis

MAMMALS

Speckled Dasyure (Long-clawed Marsupial Mouse)  Neophascogale lorentzii  We had two excellent daytime looks at Kumul Lodge.

Mountain Cuscus  Phalanger carmelitae  Two seen in the garden of Kumul Lodge by some.

Masked Ringtail Possum  Pseudochirulus larvatus  Superb looks of this beauty at Kumul Lodge.

Coppery Ring-tailed Possum  Pseudochirops cupreus  One was seen at Kumul Lodge and two more at Ambua Lodge by some.

Feather-tailed Possum  Distoechurus pennatus  Seen briefly at Ambua Lodge by some!

Dark Sheath-tailed Bat  Mosia nigrescens  A few were seen on our owlet-nightjar outing in the Fly River area.

New Guinea Bare-backed Fruit Bat Dobsonia moluccensis  Two were seen in the Fly River area on our evening boat ride. 

Unstriped Tube-nosed Fruit Bat  Paranyctimene raptor  One was photographed in the Fly River area.

Great Flying Fox (Bismarck F F)  Pteropus neohibernicus  They were seen at the Fly River area and on New Britain. They are huge.