 King Bird of Paradise |
 Victoria Crowned Pigeeon |
 12 Wired Bird of Paradise |
 Pale-billed Sicklebill |
 Northern Cassowary |
 Lesser Bird of Paradise |
King Bird of Paradise |
Victoria Crowned Pigeeon |
12 Wired Bird of Paradise |
| Pale-billed Sicklebill |
Northern Cassowary |
Lesser Bird of Paradise |
Introduction
This report describes a brief solo birding trip of 6 days made to Nimbokrang, West Papua, Indonesia. A longer stay is recommended.
Condensed version of this report without photos
for printing
Details of 7 other personal New Guinea & 1 Indonesia Trip
2011 "Parrots & Oil Palms" New Britain
2010 "Paradise at the End of the World" Alotau, Normanby Island
2009 "The Search for the Mythical Blue Bird of Paradise" Kama/Kumul Lodge/Brown River/PAU
2009 "The Revenge of the Chiggers" Madang/Keki Lodge
2009 "Papua New Guinea, Always Expect the Unexpected" PAU/Varirata/Brown River/Tari
2008 "Papua New Guinea, Two short trips" PAU/Varirata/Brown River/Hisui/Kumul Lodge
2012 "The fabled Isles of Wallacea" Sulawesi/Halmahera"
References
Beehler, Bruce & Pratt, Thane - Birds of New Guinea 2nd Edition, 2015.
Beehler, Bruce & Pratt, Thane - Birds of New Guinea - Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics, 2016
Laman, Tim & Scholes, Edwin - Birds of Paradise, 2014 National Geographic Birds of Paradise Project - Stunning photos of all species
MacKinnon & Phillipps - Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java & Bali, 1999 - Useful as you will probably pass through Java or Bali on route.
Gregory, Phil - Birds of New Guinea and Associated Islands - A checklist (updated regularly)
Frith, Cliff & Dawn - Birds of Paradise: Nature, Art and History, 2010
Frith, Cliff & Dawn - Bowerbirds: Nature, Art and History, 2008
del Hoyo, Josep & Collar, Nigel - HBW & BirdLife - Illustrated Checklist of Birds of the World Vol 1, 2014
Kukila - The journal of Indonesian Ornithology
Internet - Many useful trip reports and info including:
http://www.birdsofparadiseproject.org/
West Papua incl. Fakfak Peninsula - Frank Rheindt July - September 2008
Papua- September 15th – October 13th 2012 -Tim Mitzen
West Papua, July 29 – August 16, 2013, Gary and Marlene Babic
Sicklebill Safaris West Papua, June 4-28 2015, Phil Gregory and Untu Baware
West Papua Nimbokrang (15-19 August 2013), Jon Hornbuckle
West Papua Oct-Nov 2015 Gareth Knass
Avibase Bird checklists of the World
International & Local Companies offering trips to West
Papua
Local guides used for this trip
Pak Jamil (62)-852-5433-2796 All pre trip arrangements were made via text messaging to Jamil. You can ring but his English is not that good.
Alex Waisimon (62)-81-338-470-896 email: heavenisland38@yahoo.com
Background
Nimbokrang in West Papua is perhaps the most easily accessible, convenient, comfortable, safe and cheapest location on the island of New Guinea to sample the substantial and varied birdlife of its' vast lowland rainforests. Within 10km of the accommodation it is possible to see 9 species of birds of paradise - Lesser, King, 12 Wired & Magnificent BOP, Magnificent Riflebird, Glossy-mantled, Crinkle-collared & Jobi Manucodes and Pale-billed Sicklebill. The Sicklebill, restricted to the NW Lowlands of New Guinea is one of the main drawcards for this location. Other interesting but difficult local specialties are the Northern Cassowary, Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Blue-black Kingfisher, Shovel-billed Kingfisher, Salvadori's Fig-parrot and Brown-headed Crow, to name but few.
The Pale-billed Sicklebill is relatively seldom reported. It is said to be the hardest of the birds of paradise to actually see. In 1986 Bruce Beehler studied the Pale-billed Sicklebill just across the PNG border, in the Vanimo region. He found the birds to be relatively common in this area and I was interested to go there to find out if they were still there. After some research I was deterred by the expense and my lack of knowledge of the existence of any local guides in this region. PNG is not the place to go wandering about by yourself and it is essential to only go out with local people.
Many reports eluded to Nimbokrang being a possible site to find the Sicklebill. After a few text messages to Pak Jamil, I had secured airport transfers, accommodation, food and guiding at a very reasonable rate.
Around Nimbokrang we found Pale-billed Sicklebills at most of the locations we visited. With their mohawk appearance and strange calls they are great characters. I can attest they are quite hard to actually see, despite being noisy and conspicuous. This is because of their foraging habits. Like Riflebirds they climb tree trunks inside the forest probing for for insects. They rarely come out to the open canopy. From time to time we did get lucky and had good views.
Despite a long list of interesting species, the birding in the alluvial swamp forests around Nimbokrang is perhaps some of the most difficult on the planet. In this land of the skulkers, some of the birds are impossible to see, some nearly impossible and most of the rest just generally difficult. Much of the time is spent standing in sticky mud. It is always hot, humid, your glasses steam up, binoculars steam up, eyeballs steam up and everywhere you are usually accompanied by a cloud of mosquitos. The reputation that this is the worst area for malaria in Australasia does not help. Jamil still has bouts of malaria and one of Alex's relatives died and was buried during my stay.
But watching a 12 Wired-bird of Paradise diplaying within 5 minutes of arriving at the first location made it all worthwhile.
As with many locations on this planet, exponential population growth continues to degrade many eco destinations. Nimbokrang is no different and the local forest is being steadily depleted by local logging operations following more industrial operations in the past. Some reports elude to the place being not as good as it used to be with Northern Cassowary and Victoria Crowned Pigeon still there but now being rather difficult to find. The forest is full of trails made from hardwood planks that are used to haul timber out. Especially around Jalan Korea there was a fair bit of activity and chainsaws going off for most of the day. The Eastern patch of forest within close walking distance to Pak Jamil's house looked like the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. But a look at the area on Google Earth shows a huge expanse of intact forest surrounding the township
Species
88 Species were recorded over the 6 days (according to the taxonomy in Beehler and Pratt).
Conservation
Whilst I was there WWF Indonesia, who have an office in nearby Jayapura, came to visit Alex's block. They were encouraged by the possibility of improved protection of the thousands of hectares of forest that are still standing on land owned by Alex and his village. Certainly Alex has woken up to the economic benefits of protecting the forest from logging and hunting.
Guide
I stayed at the guesthouse of Pak Jamil, the famous guide in the area. Jamil is now getting older and was sick, perhaps from malaria or other ailments. The visitors' book in his guest house has entries going back to 1992. He coordinated activities but I was taken out into the field by Alex Waisimon. Alex has only recently started guiding. He is good at finding the birds of paradise and still learning about the other species. Very usefully he has a large block of forest, backing onto an even larger block of thousands of hectares owned by his villagers. There is a good system of logging tracks which act as trails and some low hills which act as great vantage points to watch birds passing by in the late evening. He has plans to build a lodge here.
Jamil's guesthouse, whilst not the Hilton, was perfectly comfortable with the benefit of excellent meals prepared by Mrs Jamil. The general routine was to get up at about 5am, have a good breakfast, go out for the morning, return for a good lunch, sleep a couple of hours, then have another excursion in the evening. Another tasty dinner would be followed by an early night at 8pm. It was all very civilised.
During all trips to the forest I was accompanied by Alex and trainee guide William. Another trainee guide Marten also helped out on visits to Alex's block. We bumped into the famous Danche along Jalan Korea. He didn't look very happy. Danche is apparently the man for Cassowary excursions but he doesn't speak English so has not been used so much by Jamil.
Cost for accommodation, food and guiding was just IDR 1 Million/day (approx A$100/day) . Transport to the airport was IDR600,000 (approx A$60) each way. Jamil has recently bought his own car. His driving was very slow and careful. He had only had the one parking mishap. Alex drove the 90 minute airport transfer at rather higher speed leaving one feeling slightly queasy. Sadly I was not treated to the selection of Celene Dion CDs in the car.
There is no need to stay in Sentani as they can drop you at the airport ready for the early morning return flight.
All transport around the township was by moped, which was fine as we never went further than about 10km.
Alex & Jamil at Jamil's House.
Dangers and annoyances
I was advised to take Doxycyclone for Malaria and was very diligent about taking the tablets, including for four weeks afterwards. I also sprayed myself liberally with repellant before each excursion. There were mosquitos in numbers at most forest locations. Nimbokrang does not seem to have the same air of malevolence about it that exists in PNG. Whilst I was accompanied by the guides at all times I would have felt quite safe wandering about the township. It was fairly hot all the time but no worse than my hometown Cairns.
Much of the time is spent walking through sloshy mud and to save your shoes it is worth picking up a cheap pair of wellington boots in the township, as worn by the guides. The plank trails keep you out of the mud to some extent but they are very slippery and when on a hill side resemble a ski slope.
Documents
A 30 day visa is issued to Australians on arrival in Indonesia at Bali. A Surat Jalan permit is not needed to visit Nimbokrang, but I was taken anyway to the police station just to say hello, inform them of my presence and make sure I was well looked after.
Locations
Specialties denoted in bold
Pak Jamil's Garden
Jamil's small garden in the township is steadily being converted to fish farming. A pleasant evening can be had sitting by the pond watching the catfish. He also has an aviary with two Victoria Crowned Pigeons. These are rescue birds. Attempts to build up stock through captive breeding have been unsuccessful as both seem to be males.
Species seen:
Brown Lory, Mimic Meliphaga, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Shining Flycatcher, Red-capped Flowerpecker, Olive-backed Sunbird, Tree Sparrow, Crimson Finch
Yellow-gaped Meliphaga is reported in some trip reports. The meliphagas in the garden did have a brighter rictal streak and a paler ear spot.
Jamil's fish ponds.
Alex Waisimon's Block (SW Forest Patch)
Alex is actively promoting his block for birding and has signs up forbidding hunting. He has a large area of secondary forest backing onto a still larger block comprising thousands of hectares owned by his village. We saw Northern Cassowary droppings but he thinks there is a better chance of viewing cassowaries up at the village. He plans to introduce tours to the village in 2017. Close to his house is a hide used by National Geographic photographer Tim Laman to photograph the 12 Wired BOP that visits a display post early every morning. Not far away is another rather high treetop canopy display area for Lesser BOPS and a King BOP display tree was also nearby. Raucous Pale-billed Sicklebills called often but don't use such regular display areas. We occasionally saw one out in the open perched on the rattan. We call rattan 'Wait-a-while' in Far North Queensland. Walking through it is like walking through barbed wire lined with fish hooks.
There are some low hills on his property, some with good vantage points. A couple of very pleasant evenings were spent sitting up on the hill watching Eclectus Parrots, Channel-billed Cuckoos, Pinon's Imperial Pigeons, Brown-headed Crows, New Guinea Harpy-Eagle etc flying to roost up the valley.
Species seen:
Northern Cassowary (Droppings only), New Guinea Harpy-Eagle ,Grey-headed Goshawk, Pale-vented Bush-hen, Great Cuckoo-dove, Pink-spotted Fruit-dove, Orange-bellied Fruit-dove, Coroneted Fruit-dove, Pink-spotted Fruit-dove, Brown Cuckoo-dove, Wompoo Fruit-dove, Pinon's Imperial Pigeon, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Rainbow (Coconut) Lorikeet, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Eclectus Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Lesser Black Coucal, Channel-belled Cuckoo, Oriental Cuckoo, Glossy Swiftlet, Variable Dwarf Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Emporer Fairy-wren, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, New Guinea Friarbird, Yellow-bellied Gerygone, Blue Jewel-babbler, Boyer's Cuckoo Shrike, Black-browed Triller, Brown Oriole, Spangled Drongo, Northern Fantail, White-bellied Thicket-fantail, Shining Flycatcher, Golden Monarch, Brown-headed Crow, Grey Crow, Glossy Mantled Manucode, Pale-billed Sicklebill, King Bird of Paradise, 12 Wired Bird of Paradise, Lesser Bird of Paradise, Metallic Starling, Yellow-faced Myna, Red-capped Flowerpecker, Black Sunbird, Olive-backed Sunbird
Jalan Korea
A large area of secondary forest exists along the old logging road known as Jalan Korea, after the Koreans who operated here a few decades ago. The locals complained they were just paid a few cigarettes by the loggers who removed much of the valuable timber. Smaller scale local logging is continuing with many plank trails into the forest and the frequent sound of chainsaws. After continuing a few km along the road it eventually narrows to a walking track and this is the best area for birds. Typically it is a lot easier to see birds here amongst the low trees from the convenient path, than it is within the primary forest proper. After several hundred meters the track comes to a river with bridge that was ripped up by the Koreans. This has effectively protected the forest further up as vehicular access is not possible. But apparently the government has plans to 'fix up' this road...
Along this track is a small clearing with a hill where granite for the road was extracted. This clearing and hill provides a good vantage point to watch birds with another population of very noisy and vocal Pale-billed Sicklebills. Alex and Jamil would also like to build a lodge here but don't have the IDR20 Million (A$2000) to purchase the 20 hectare(?) block. It as almost tempting to just give them the money to help preserve this block along with it's noisy population of invisible Red-legged Brushturkeys and other birdlife.
Here we also saw Blyth's Hornbills, 12 Wired Birds of Paradise and Lesser Birds of Paradise (common and vocal, here as at most locations around Nimbokrang).
Species seen:
Red-legged Brushturkey (heard+nest), Brown Cuckoo-dove, Wompoo Fruit-dove, Coroneted Fruit-dove, Orange-bellied Fruit-dove, Pinon's Imperial Pigeon, Purple-tailed Imperial Pigeon, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Buff-faced Pygmy-parrot, Rainbow Lorikeet, Red-flanked Lorikeet, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Brush Cuckoo, Glossy Swiftlet, Papuan Spine-tailed Swift, Dollarbird, Blyth's Hornbill, White-eared Catbird (heard), Emporer Fairy-wren, Mimic Meliphaga, Green-backed Honeyeater, New Guinea Friarbird, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, Large-billed Gerygone,Yellow-bellied Gerygone, Papuan Babbler, Pygmy Longbill, Black Butcherbird (heard), Boyer's Cuckoshrike, Black Cicadabird, Black-browed Triller, Rusty Pitohui, Spangled Drongo, Northern Fantail, White-bellied Thicket-fantail, Shining Flycatcher, Hooded Monarch, Golden Monarch, Ochre-collared Monarch, Grey Crow, Glossy-mantled Manucode, 12 Wired Bird of Paradise, Lesser Bird of Paradise, Pale-billed Sicklebill, Black-sided Robin,Yellow-faced Myna, Black Sunbird
Creek at Jalan Korea with Birdquest camp. A great spot in the early morning.
Shovel-billed Kingfisher Site (SE Forest Patch)
This muddy, swampy patch had even more mosquitos than elsewhere. It is owned by guide William (or his family). This is a good site for the rare Shovel-billed Kingfisher. Unfortunately we got there slightly after dawn and missed any chance of locating it with a pre-dawn call. But several good sightings of the common but impossible Hook-billed Kingfisher made up for it. The Hook-billed Kingfisher was heard all over Nimbokrang, even close to the middle of town, but mostly sits motionless and is extremely difficult to see. The Shovel-billed Kingfisher also calls on Alex's block but he hadn't ever seen one there. Great-billed Heron is a possibility on the river here. We were lucky to come across a fruiting palm visited by birds of paradise and White-eared Catbirds giving good views of this difficult bird. Many more birds were heard than seen in this swamp.
Species seen: (h=heard)
Wompoo Fruit-dove (h), Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (h), Brown Lory, Red-cheeked Parrot (h), Channel-billed Cuckoo (h), Brush Cuckoo (h), Azure Kingfisher (h), Common Paradise-Kingfisher (h), Hook-billed Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra (h),Yellow-billed Kingfisher, White-eared Catbird, Mimic Meliphaga, New Guinea Friarbird, Yellow-bellied Gerygone, Black Butcherbird (h), Lowland Peltops (h), Brown Oriole (h), Spangled Drongo, Northern Fantail, Brown-headed Crow (h), Glossy-mantled Manucode, 12 Wired Bird of Paradise, Lesser Bird of Paradise, Yellow-faced Myna (h) ,
Forest at the end of Jamil's Street (Eastern Forest Patch)
In the past many visitors have spent time in the Eastern Forest Patch at the end of the road where Jamil lives. As might be expected from an area so close to town, this area has been heavily degraded. The first part is now grassland, then you walk past a horrific area of recent forest destruction which looks as if a cyclone has just been through. A King Bird of Paradise display tree is said to no longer be active. Plank trails run all through the swamp forest entangled with rattan. Nonetheless we saw Blyth's Hornbills here and heard more Pale-billed Sicklebills. We found recent Northern Cassowary footprints and droppings. Blue-black Kingfisher has been seen here and we heard Papuan Hawk Owl.
Species seen: (h=heard)
Northern Cassowary (footprints & droppings), Red-necked Crake (h), Coroneted Fruit-dove, Orange-bellied Fruit-dove, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Greater Black Coucal (h), Papuan Hawk-owl (h), Papuan Frogmouth, Hook-billed Kingfisher (h), Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Blyth's Hornbill, Emporer Fairy-wren,Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, Long-billed Honeyeater, Lowland Peltops, Black-browed Triller, Northern Variable Pitohui, Golden Monarch, Pale-billed Sicklebill (h)
KM-8
The forest at KM8 gives the visitor a taste of what the primary forest in the area should look like. It comprises low hills which presumably make logging less appealing than the other areas remaining on flatter terrain. Here are much taller trees and you are away from the plank trails. A few species seem to occur here that are perhaps not found in the swamp forest including Magnificent Bird of Paradise and Magnificent Riflebird. This location was also our best hope for Victoria Crowned Pigeon. Luckily we missed the pigeon requiring another visit in the future. Birding is even more difficult here with most species being up in the high canopy. Being primary forest it was very easy to walk about down below but bird density was rather low. We only saw 10 species in 6 hours here. Jamil knows of display areas for both the Magnificents here. The Magnificent BOP was easily seen at his display ground, but the Magnificent Riflebird was heard only.
Birds seen:
Red-legged Brushturkey (h), Papuan King Parrot, Common Paradise Kingfisher (h), Blue-black Kingfisher (h), Red-bellied Pitta, New Guinea Friarbird, Black Berrypecker, Blue Jewel Babbler, Golden Cuckooshrike, Little Shrike Thrush, Black-browed Triller, Magnificent Riflebird (h), Magnificent Bird of Paradise, Lesser Bird of Paradise
Open areas
A number of species were seen around the township and rice paddies that did not occur in the forest proper. In particular Alex showed me an active Fawn-breasted Bowerbird bower in a small area of scrub being used for firewood extraction. Crimson Finches are reasonably common in the township. These finches are not mentioned in earlier reports and are perhaps escapees from cage birds collected on the South coast.
Birds seen:
Nankeen Night Heron, Brahminy Kite, Feral Pigeon, Lesser Black Coucal, Dollarbird, New Guinea Friarbird, Fawn-breasted Bowerbird (Bower only), Willie Wagtail, Shining Flycatcher, Pacific Swallow, Golden-headed Cisticola, Tree Sparrow, Crimson Finch, Streak-headed Mannikin
Daily Log
12th March, 2016 Jamil's Garden
Most flights to West Papua from Bali seem to go at night and I arrived in Sentani (Jayapura) airport at 08.40 after a relatively comfortable 6 hour flight with Garuda. This can be booked online for just IDR3.7 million return (A$370). No one was at the airport to meet me but luckily I had picked up an Indonesian mobile phone in Bali. Unfortunately all screen controls were in Indonesian so it was very difficult to operate. Fortunately a kindly person at the airport asked if I needed help and he managed to ring Jamil, determining that the car was only 5 minutes away. A mobile phone is quite cheap and handy if you can operate it, if only to text loved ones at home to reassure them you haven't become lost forever in the impenetrable wilderness of West Papua.
Alex and William shortly arrived and as a first stop we whisked off to a store selling rubber linings for Jamil's new fish breeding enterprise. It was about a 90 minute drive along the winding road to Nimbokrang conducted at some speed. We had one brief stop to admire the picturesque Lake Sentani where the only birdlife of note was the distant calling of a Golden-headed Cisticola.
After a brief stop at the police station to comply with local etiquette we finally arrived at Jamil's house where I finally got to catch up on some much needed sleep. The cloudy conditions were determined to be somehow unsuitable for Pale-billed Sicklebill viewing, but I didn't mind having a rest day and sitting around Jamil's fishpond watching the Shining Flycatchers and some flyover Brown Lories.
Lake Sentani.
13th March, 2016 Alex's block (SW Forest Patch)
We were up at 5am and out to Alex's block while it was still dark. I wasn't sure what to expect. After a 5 minute walk guides Alex, William, Marten & I arrived at a bird hide large enough to park a bus in. Looking out in the early morning gloom I was very pleased to see a terrific male 12 Wired Bird of Paradise displaying on post right in front. After watching him for a brief while we then walked a little way uphill to see 3-4 Lesser Birds of Paradise displaying above in a rather tall tree. Then shortly after that we walked up a small hill which seemed full of birds at the top. This was apparently the spot where the Pale-billed Sicklebill photos in Tim Laman's book were taken. By this time my glasses had steamed up from the humidity as had my binoculars. This was to become a regular pattern of events. Frustratingly I was unable to see properly or identify any of the small birds flitting about right in front of me. Eventually after much wiping with cloth I could see a bit just in time for a pair of Pale-billed Sicklebills to emerge on to the rattan. After some time I realised that some of the birds I was looking at were actually Tawny-breasted Honeyeaters belonging to the dusky meyeri group, which look rather dull and little like Tawny-breasted Honeyeaters elsewhere. Most of the other small birds were Yellow-bellied Gerygones that we also saw at most other sites.
I slid back down the slippery hillside only falling over just the once catching poor glimpses of Papuan Babblers and a pair of Blue Jewel Babblers crossing the trail. The Sicklebills were calling all around and we spent quite some time failing to get a better look. They are on the move all the time so the only hope was to try and follow their raucous calls up and down the hillside without falling over.
After this we headed back down the hill admiring a pair of Rufous-bellied Kookaburras calling away happily. Alex knew the display tree of a King Bird of Paradise and shortly after we were admiring this rather bizarre looking creature.
By 09.00 it was starting to get hot and activity was already dying down. We headed back to Jamil's house but returned at about 14.00 not seeing too much until later in the afternoon The late evening is a good time to sit up at Alex's lookout where we listend to the invisible Sicklebills close by below and watched Eclectus Parrots jostling with Sulphur-crested Cockatoos for the best position. A number of birds perched out in the open enjoying the last of the daylight including Pinon's Imperial Pigeons, Yellow-faced Mynas and Orange-bellied Fruit-doves. One surprise was an Oriental Cuckoo which perched close by.
Alex's Forest, his house & a Papuan Babbler nest.
14th March, 2016 Jalan Korea & Township Open areas
I wanted to go back and have another look at the 12 Wired BOP displaying but Jamil thought this was a good day to visit Jalan Korea so we set out again on the bikes. This was a good idea. Visibilty was much better along this road and amongst others we encountered more 12 Wired BOPs, Emporer Fairy-wrens, Golden Monarchs, Coroneted Fruit-doves and a Large-billed Gerygone, a familiar species that also occurs in my garden back home. A nearby White-eared Catbird in the swamp forest refused to show itself despite my going in and getting very wet feet in the process.
Eventually we came to a large clearing and small hill where gravel for the road had been extracted. There was a good view from up top and we watched Blyth's Hornbills passing like Puffing Billy steam trains. Red-legged Brushturkeys, Black Butcherbirds and more Pale-billed Sicklebills called loudly and invisibly from within. Alex went into try and find the Sicklebills while I had good views of Purple-tailed Imperial Pigeon, Red-flanked Lorikeet, Buff-faced Pygmy-parrot, Hooded Monarch, Glossy-mantled Manucode and Rusty Pitohui on the forest edge.
Alex couldn't find the Sicklebills so we went and looked at a Red-legged Brushturkey nest. Near the nest group of Papuan Babblers came through finally accompanied by the Pale-billed Sicklebills and I had the best views of them yet, probing the bark on tree trunks mid canopy.
In the afternoon we looked at some of the open areas around the township. The most interesting sighting here was the bower of a Fawn-breasted Bowerbird, very sparsely decorated with a few green fruit. We waited around but there was no sign of the owner. The bower was situated in a small scrubby area where the locals were collecting for firewood so I am not optimistic about its long term future.
Nearby an impoverished local came out of a hut and I was more than happy to pose for a photo with mum taken by daughter with her ipad.
The only other new bird of note was Streak-headed Mannikin in the rice paddies. On dusk we went to look for nightjars but the road was very busy. Some fly past Nankeen Night-herons and a couple of unidentified ducks were the only waterbirds seen the whole trip.
Fawn-breasted Bowerbird's Bower.
15th March, 2016 Shovel-billed Kingfisher site (SE Forest Patch) & Eastern Forest Patch
This morning we decided to try and look for the rare and local Shovel-billed Kingfisher. This strange kingfisher can sometimes be located by its pre-dawn call. It frequents areas of exposed mud, where it is easy to dig. The flat swamp forest to the South East of Nimbokrang looked like good habitat and it has been seen here in the past.
Unfortunately we were slightly late getting there and it was already light by the time we arrived and didn't hear this kingfisher call. This land is owned by William's family. At one point we had to cross a largish river to access the area. Fortunately William had come here the day before and thoughtfully felled a large tree across the river to use as a handy bridge. So much for ecotourism. A Water Dragon was seen at the bridge. This wet muddy area was frequented by large quantities of mosquitos which harassed us constantly. Loud Black Butcherbirds called noisily and invisibly nearby. We often heard these butcherbirds, which I also get every day at home, but I never actually saw one. Yellow-billed Kingfishers also called frequently in here but we never saw any either. Quite some time was spent looking for the Shovel-billed Kingfisher but instead we did get a few looks at the commoner but equally elusive Hook-billed Kingfisher, with a number of individuals perching silently and motionless in the low canopy.
We glimpsed a few Brown Lories passing overhead but never got onto the Brown-headed Crows up in the canopy. There were good numbers of birds here but actually seeing any was quite a challenge. Far more were seen than heard. Eventually we got lucky and found a fruiting palm visited by 12 Wired BOP, Lesser BOP, Glossy-mantled Manucode. Here we were could enjoy prolonged views of the White-eared Catbird, another impossible skulker.
We were eventually driven out by the mosquitos and headed home stopping again at the Fawn-breasted Bowerbird's bower but there was still no sign of the owner
White-eared Catbird.
In the evening we walked along the plank trails of the Eastern Forest at the end of Jamil's Road. I think this location previously would have been very good but it has been seriously trashed by small scale timber extraction. In places it looked an absolute disaster area. Hooked rattan was growing everywhere. This is always the first emergent plant to grow when a gap in the forest appears and progress off the track through this spiky cane was very difficult. We went off the track looking for more loudly calling Pale-billed Sicklebills but again never got a good look. I was surprised to see a pair of Blyth's Hornbills flying above the devastation and they landed in an enormous strangler fig still standing, appearing even larger by the lack of surrounding vegetation. Luckily these fig trees produce very poor timber so tend to get left standing, acting as island refuges for the birdlife.
We picked up a few new species here not seen elsewhere including Northern Variable Pitohui, Long-billed Honeyeater and Lowland Peltops. There were quite a few Northern Cassowary droppings here, not far from town and we saw some fresh footprints in the soft mud. The fruits in the droppings seem to pass through only slightly digested and a huge number must be needed to provide enough sustenance for this large bird.
Cassowary droppings and juvenile Northern Cassowary.
The only Greater Black Coucal of the trip called loudly beside the path but never came out. As it got dark we tried for Blue-black Kingfisher with playback from my rather quiet ipod but heard nothing back. We did hear Papuan Hawk-Owl on the way home and also Red-necked Crake, another call I enjoy every evening at home.
16th March, 2016 KM8 & Jalan Korea
Today was our great hope for the famous Victoria Crowned Pigeon and an early start was deemed necessary. No one was quite ready for our planned departure time of 03.30 but we were on our way by 04.10 and walking a fair distance down the trail in the darkness past Red-legged Brushturkey nests in the hill forest at KM8 by 04.30. Sometimes the turkeys can be seen at night roosting along the trail.
In actual fact we were there rather too early and had to spend quite some time waiting in the pitch dark for the sun to come up. I was unconcerned sitting in the deep dark forest by myself with two relative strangers and their sharp knives. A distant call was thought to be a Crowned Pigeon but it sounded rather like a Frogmouth to me. Just on light but still too dark to see anything, we clearly heard one single call close by of the mythical Blue-black Kingfisher. We never heard it again and this one is another good reason for a return visit.
We saw Papuan King-Parrots flying in the gloom and heard a Magnificent Riflebird. The call of the Riflebird here is quite similar to the Magnificent Riflebirds of Far North Queensland but notably different to the Growling Riflebirds of Varirata.
Conversely a Red-bellied Pitta (habenichti) seen and heard hopping through the ferns sounded very similar to the Red-bellied Pitta (macklottii) which migrates to Far North Queensland. Researchers have examined DNA of these pittas and found some differences, influencing some authorities to register these as different species. But the HBW tells me that there is no universally accepted agreement as to how DNA can be used to delineate species. Beehler & Pratt agree, claim the DNA differences are only slight and both birds remain Red-bellied Pitta. Who should we believe? Essentially what we are seeing here is evolution in action with no clear cut end result. Sometimes nature just defies our attempts to put animals in neat boxes.
Pale-billed Sicklebills were said to occur at KM8 but we didn't hear any. We did find another display tree of Lesser Birds of Paradise. These Lesser Birds are perhaps the most obviously common bird in the forests around Nimbokrang. Alex showed me the display area of a Magnificent Bird of Paradise and we could enjoy watching him at length for the vantage point of a large fallen log. I probably spent too long here as we got to the nearby Magnificent Riflebird diplay perch too late and he had finished. But I wasn't too worried as these birds are abundant and can be easily seen in the Iron Range National Park of Far North Queensland.
It was good to be in relatively deep unspoilt forest away from the sound of chainsaws. Here it was easy to walk about off the trails as the tall forest shades out the spiky Rattan. Not that it was any easier to actually see any birds here as they were mainly up in the high canopy. Alex went for a walk to look for Crowned Pigeons without success while we saw a few more birds, Black Berrypecker and Golden Cuckoo-shrike. After quite some time in here we wandered back seeing another pair of Blue Jewel-babblers cross the path. There are a few Red-legged Brushturkey nests right on the path and they were calling but on another visit I will have to set up vigil somewhere and wait for one of these shy tasty turkeys to come in.
Whilst stopping to look at a Little Shrike-thrush a Common Paradise-Kingfisher started calling nearby. I spent about half an hour as he circled around calling continuously from one perch to another close nearby. But I had to eventually admit defeat and never managed to set eyes on him.
On our way out it started to rain heavily but the loan of the 'My Little Pony' birding umbrella kept the worst of it away.
In the afternoon I was ready for some easier birding and we went back to Jalan Korea. One can keep picking up new birds around Nimbokrang upon repeat visits to the same locations with a large number of potential species and a relatively low chance of actually seeing any. New species seen this afternoon included Ochre-collared Monarch, Pygmy Longbill, Green-backed Honeyeater and a trio of 'common' Black-sided Robins which put in a brief appearance.
More Blyth's Hornbills were here this evening and a party of Grey Crows flew over. A single Dollarbird was perhaps an early migrant returning back from Australia.
We stopped to talk to the timber cutters. They get about $10 for a thick 4 meter hardwood plank which would sell for well over $100 back home.
17th March, 2016 Alex's block (SW Forest Patch)
On the last day we went back to Alex's block as I wanted to have another look at the 12 Wired BOP displaying and the Pale-billed Sicklebills.
A party from WWF Indonesia also turned up and I spoke to Klaas Jan Teule who was very encouraged by the conservation activity made possible by local ecotourism. Klaas had visited Alex's block a few weeks previously with the American Ambassador to Indonesia, along with his large security entourage. The security guards were not pleased about having to wait behind in order to avoid scaring off all the BOPs.
The 12 Wired Bird of Paradise was back on his display perch, this time with an admiring female. I got to see the behaviour where he rubs her face with his wires. A Variable Dwarf Kingfisher showed an interest in the proceedings and perched above me. The Pale-billed Sicklebills were also out and about and I eventually got some distant photos of a male calling from out on the rattan. Today we saw more Glossy-mantled Manucodes. I never saw any birds that could really be Jobi Manucodes.
The secret to success here is always to find a fruiting tree and we managed to find a suitable palm with quite a few Orange-bellied Fruit-doves (the commonest Fruit-dove here) along with more Coroneted Fruit-doves, Lesser Birds of Paradise and the only Pink-spotted Fruit-doves seen on the trip.
We headed back to Alex's hut and chatted and and had tea in a torrential downpour which lasted for a couple of hours. Marten mentioned that there was a Northern Cassowary in the village just down the road. He said one of the loggers had caught a young one and it was at their sawmill. I imagined a sad terrified miserable creature stuck in a dingy box and was initially reluctant to have a look.
We went to visit the sawmill and sat in the rain with the loggers and found out more. The cassowary was in fact free to come and go as he pleased. He returned to the family home to join them at meal times where he preferred to eat from the table than off the floor. He was apparently out in the forest so we waited around.
Fruiting palm with fruit-doves and the sawmill, home to the Cassowary.
Presently he turned up and was the most extraordinary animal. He was perfectly tame and friendly and wandered around the place at length allowing for many photos. I sat down for a while to change lenses and he came and stood patiently right next to me waiting for his close up portrait. Watching him so close was quite an experience and another highlight of the trip. Eventually he lost interest and wandered off back into the forest.
At the end of my last day we sat up at Alex's lookout, catching a few glimpses of a New Guinea Harpy Eagle patrolling above the canopy. We saw still more new birds including a Great Cuckoo-dove and a Grey-headed Goshawk on the powerlines.
In the late evening numerous birds came to perch out in the open including Fruit-doves, Pinon's Imperial Pigeons, Eclectus Parrots, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Boyer's Cuckoo-shrikes. An excellent trip was capped off by a passing pair of Brown-headed Crows before we headed back down the slippery plank trails.
Juvenile Northern Cassowary.
Dominic Chaplin
Cairns, Australia July 2016
p: PO Box 208, Bungalow, QLD 4870
e: dominic@pinecreekpictures.com.au