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Extension : Sorong lowlands forest birdsThis extension carries us to alluvial lowland forests near Sorong, home to a well diversified and colorful lowland forest avifauna that includes Red-billed Talegalla, dazzling forest kingfishers as Blue-black and Hook-billed Kingfisher, a profusion of parrots including the restricted-range Black Lory, the delightful Western Crowned-Pigeon, and a whopping six species of bird of paradise: Glossy-mantled Manucode, Magnificent Riflebird, and Magnificent, King, Twelve-wired and Lesser Bird of Paradise. Who said Sorong hasn't got a great deal to offer to the discerning bird watcher! Day-by-day itineraryDay 1 [Monday] Following a hearty pre-dawn breakfast in our Sorong hotel, we shall set out on the two hours' drive by 4WD-vehicle to our drop-off point in Sorong lowlands. We shall require most of the morning to slowly bird toward our secluded Moi jungle camp located at 30 m elevation in a mixture of selectively logged and primary alluvial forest beneath a limestone hillock. All along the walk, wacko Blyth’s Hornbills, majestic Palm and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, and noisy Black, Dusky and Black-capped Lories and Rainbow Lorikeets fly overhead as we familiarize ourselves with some of the common or more conspicuous forest interior birds: Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Common Paradise-Kingfisher, Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, Slender-billed and Great Cuckoo-Dove, Stephan’s Dove, Wompoo, Superb, Coroneted, Beautiful and Orange-bellied Fruit-Dove, Purple-tailed, Pinon and Banded Imperial-Pigeon, Mimic and 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, Hooded and Black Butcherbird, Brown Oriole, Northern Fantail, Spangled Drongo, Spot-winged, Golden and Frilled Monarch, Yellow-faced Myna, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, Black Berrypecker, and Green-crowned, Plumed and Pygmy Longbill. After lunch at camp, we shall bird all afternoon in the vicinity in search of more goodies like Azure, Variable Dwarf, Blue-black and Hook-billed Kingfisher, Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Greater Black Coucal, Yellow-capped Pygmy-Parrot, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Pink-spotted and Orange-fronted Fruit-Dove, Long-tailed Buzzard, Hooded and Red-bellied Pitta, White-eared Catbird, Streak-headed Honeyeater, Rusty Mouse-warbler, Large-billed Gerygone, Black-sided Robin, Blue Jewel-Babbler, Lowland Peltops, Boyer’s, New Guinea and Golden Cuckoo-shrike, Rufous-backed Fantail, Hooded Monarch, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, and Golden Myna. Moreover, as we roam more widely in these forests it shall not take long before we feast our eyes on a party of Western Crowned-Pigeons, or surprise a pair of Red-billed Talegalla feeding on the forest floor. Late afternoon shall see us gathered beneath a staked-out display tree of the Lesser Bird of Paradise and we shall 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. After dinner, a nocturnal foray in the vicinity of camp could produce Jungle Hawk-Owl, Marbled Frogmouth, and the little-known Papuan Nightjar. Day 2 [Tuesday] We could start out early with a short spotlighting session, and shall enjoy breakfast as the dawn chorus develops. We shall probably end up spending most of this morning in the vicinity of camp at known display sites of consecutively the Twelve-wired, Lesser and King Bird of Paradise. In fact, a gorgeous plumed male Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise displays just within a stone's throw of camp and is quite likely set to disrupt our breakfast with its remarkably far-carrying advertising calls. The King Bird of Paradise is moderately common in the general area 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’. 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 Red-billed Talegalla, Cinnamon Ground-Dove, Thick-billed Ground-Pigeon, or Western Crowned-Pigeon casually walking by. After lunch at camp we'll head into the limestone hillock 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. Up here, we'll also solicit sightings of the more mobile Magnificent Riflebird. In the evening, we could return to the Lesser Bird of Paradise display tree for another observation session, or we could bird in a forest clearing, which could produce Papuan Spinetail and Moustached Treeswift among abundant Glossy and Uniform Swiftlets, as well as at times spectacular evening flights of hornbills and the various parrot species with Black Lory being particularly abundant. Dinner and optional nocturnal excursion. Day 3 [Wednesday] Following an optional nocturnal stroll, and pre-dawn breakfast we have an entire morning to look for some of the more elusive species already mentioned above. We could monitor known nest mounds of the Red-billed Talegalla from the comfort of a hide if this at times infuriatingly wary species eluded us thus far, and of course we can always spice up this morning with extra observation sessions at display sites of the various birds of paradise too. After lunch, we'll have the entire afternoon to slowly bird back to our pick-up point, where vehicles stand by to transport us to our Sorong hotel. Related linksRead on about the birdlife of the Vogelkop lowlands. Read on about our birding walk in Sorong lowlands. Read on about our Best of Papua birding expedition visiting Sorong lowlands. Read on about our Easy Papua birding expedition visiting Sorong lowlands. Read on about our Waigeo, Arfak, and Geelvink Islands birding expedition visiting Sorong lowlands. Read on about our Waigeo and Arfak birding expedition visiting Sorong lowlands. Browse our terms and conditions. Browse our check-list of the birds of Papua. |
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