Papua New Guinea
Introduction
If you want to get to 7,000 species you have to bird Papua New Guinea. With a population of between 11 million and 17 million depending on who you’re talking to. And compared to the sprawl of Indonesia it is very calm. The birding here is supposedly similar to Sulawesi and Bali/East Java. Low bird density but very cool birds. I will be here 23 days, five days on New Britain, (which has its only very special endemics), and 18 days on Papua New Guinea proper.
I flew here from Bali via Brisbane. I knew I was on the mend because I had a yummy scrambled eggs and toast and tea. And there are open fields on the other side of the airport runways so I actually got to see four new lifers!
There is a Rockjumper trip that is just concluding and most of the people on that trip and most of the people on our trip are all in New Britain.
New Britain
July 21, 2026
The day began with an ATM capturing my ATM card at the airport. I might be able to get it back at the bank branch in Port Moseby when we get back there. We’ll see. If you travel a lot you understand that unpleasant things are going to happen. It’s just part of travel.
The plane was late departing but that was a good thing according to the people on the other PNG trip because at least it wasn’t cancelled. My first PNG lifer was actually on in the grass by the runway, a masked lapwing Paul pointed out to me. (Paul is our guide for the whole trip and Erik is also with us for New Britain.) The trip to New Britain was uneventful.
We all loaded onto a huge bus and took an hour ride on so, so roads. Prior to lunch we scanned the ocean and reefs off the hotel and discovered brown noddy, greater crested tern, common tern, lesser frigatebird and brown booby.
We had lunch and then after checking into our bungalows we headed out for a short afternoon of birding. We birded a place called Kilu Ridge. It was great fun and we saw a surprisingly large number of birds including red-knobbed imperial pigeon, yellowish imperial pigeon, white-rumped swiftlet, Blyth’s hornbill, a very cooperative New Britain dwarf kingfisher, (pictured), the very loud Papuan eclectus, red-flanked lorikeet shooting like bullets, coconut lorikeet, ashy myzomela, New Britain friarbird, many Bismark crows, buff-bellied mannikin and Pacific swallows. And these are just the birds that were new to me. Also lots of old friends but what a fun afternoon of birding.
27 species, 13 lifers
Megapode and Lots More
July 22, 2026
We had two spectacular birding sessions today. The morning session was in Garu WMA. The highlight of the session was seeing a Melanesian megapode. Like our old friends the maleo they bury their eggs to hatch them. One of our guides flushed one of them from a place where the ground is thermally warmed. He was great because about five minutes later he found the bird perched. We all wandered into the forest and got great views.
The rest of the session had moments that were incredibly birdy and others that were slow. Amboyna cuckoo-dove, a beautiful brown color, knob-billed fruit dove, like the red-knobbed imperial-pigeon in that it had a red knob on its bill but in miniature, variable goshawk, great views of two New Britain kingfishers, great views of Melanesian kingfishers, the much desired buff-faced pygmy-parrot, many purple-bellied lory, varied triller were the greatest hits. Both pied coucal and violaceous coucal called very loudly but we couldn’t get them to come out.
And they didn’t end at the end of the session. On the drive home we saw a black bittern skulking in the palm oil trees. And a blue-eyed cockatoo briefly landed in a palm tree.
After lunch and a nap we went to the grasslands of Numondo cattle farm. What a fun and satisfying session. Australian reed warblers were in the grasses and were made me reminisce about London and the reed warblers there. Papuan grassbirds also showed very well. And two blue-breasted quail made brief appearances but we got good views. We all walked a picket line at one point through the grasses but nothing flushed. It is so dry here. It hasn’t rained in three weeks according to David, one of the local guides.
The session ended with a chase of a white-bowed crake that turned from an HO to a seen to a picture. It’s an old friend from Sulawesi but what a gorgeous bird. And what a wonderful way to end a very satisfying day of birding.
I continue to recover but I ate way, way too much last night of the yummy food off the buffet where we’re staying. I paid for it all night long with indigestion. Tonight I just had soup and bread. Hopefully it’ll be a little calmer night.
37 species, 17 lifers
The Outer Islands
July 23, 2026
A Pacific koel woke me up with its loud call this morning. So typical of a koel, loud voice, early morning.
This morning after breakfast we boarded a little boat, (maybe a 28 footer or so), and headed towards some of the outer islands. Amongst the many birds we saw on the trip to the islands were a black noddy and a bridled tern. I actually got a diagnostic picture of the black noddy that I will share.
We spent most of our time at one island. The birds we saw there were nothing short of spectacular. Nicobar pigeons, island imperial-pigeons, the tiny bland until you see its gorgeous red neck Sclater’s myzomela, the brightly colored Bismark whistler, island monarch and the stunning spot-breasted cuckoo-dove were amongst the birds we saw.
We then proceeded through pretty rough seas to a quiet stretch of beach where many snorkeled. I hadn’t brought my swimming trunks but in retrospect after all the illness maybe a lie down in the shade on a white sand beach wasn’t a horrible thing.
As has been the case with all the food at this lodge the packed lunch was spectacular. I don’t know which was better, the meatloaf or the chicken legs.
We took the afternoon off and we will go owling after supper tonight so there may be an addendum to this report. What a fun, fun day on the ocean.
24 species, 9 lifers
Pink-legged Rail
July 24, 2026
Today revolved around birding along the Kulu River. We did it twice. In the morning we struggled with three skulkers. Black-capped paradise-kingfisher, Bismark pitta, and New Britain boobook. I got passable views of the kingfisher and the pitta and I got a great recording of the pitta. The boobook was right next to us, but it wouldn’t show itself. Three great birds that took a lot of work.
There were also many old friends along the way including Blyth’s hornbill, (pictured). Their wingbeats are other worldly and I got a good recording of them this evening.
After lunch and a short break, we went back to the Kulu River, just a little different area. Paul soon found a Bismark imperial-pigeon and we also saw a white-bellied cuckooshrike. But the star of the show was two pink-footed rail, (pictured), that came prancing along the edge of the beach we overlooked.
For those of you at home playing along in the eBird world you’re probably wondering about pink-legged rail. Actually it has another name in the eBird world New Britain rail. I like both names but pink-legged best describes these wonderful birds and their delight pink legs. They are a mega bird.
We looked for and dipped yet again on owls tonight. (Yup, that was the result last night too.) But what a way to end the New Britain leg of PNG, pink-legged rail, (AKA New Britain rail).
31 species, 6 lifers
Grounded
July 25, 2026
Sigh! We headed to the airport this morning, destination PNG. Nope, nope and nope. Our destination was the Quonset hut turned terminal at Haskins Airport as they make renovations to the terminal because our flight was cancelled. This is apparently a way of life here with lots of flight cancellations. We sat in the airport from about 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. I did manage a lifer when I saw two singing starlings. Meanwhile Paul and Erik were feverishly working out alternatives. The airline wanted to put us up at a modest hotel but they didn’t have enough rooms. We ended up back at Walindi Dive Resort where we were for three nights. A fantastic place with incredible buffet dinners. I’m making this very short tonight because tomorrow we have to get up in the wee hours of the morning to try to get a 7:00 AM flight. Fingers crossed.
10 species, one lifer
PNG
July 26, 2026
This morning we got up at an obscenely early hour to make it to the airport for 5:00 AM check in to the 7:00 AM flight. It seemed like seats on the flight were being given out in some sort of lottery. I was fortunate enough to get a seat as were two of the three other continuing birders for the PNG tour. Once we got on board, I immediately fell asleep and slept most of the way to Port Moresby.
At the airport we were picked up and delivered to the hotel. Meanwhile Paul was working to get us lunch and get us a ride to a spot to bird this afternoon.
Lunch was yummy toasties and a cup of tea. It was a bit of a rush because the driver wanted to drop us off at the birding spot and then do another fare.
It was an hour to Varirata National Park where we birded. Phil, who is joining the PNG tour here, was already birding there with a local guide though we never saw them.
What a spot for birding this was. It was like so much of the birding in this part of the world. Very quiet most of the time but when there were birds, they were almost always special birds. We started out with plain honeyeaters and a hooded pitohui.
As we searched unsuccessfully for a barking owl, we did get great views of a pygmy eagle soaring in the distance. And we heard the melodious tones of green-backed gerygone. A group of black-fronted white-eye also showed well though from on high. And we had spectacular views of a yellow-billed kingfisher, (pictured).
We then started down a trail that we birded the rest of the afternoon. A beautiful little white-faced robin started off the parade. Chestnut-bellied fantail were numerous throughout the forest. We heard a wompoo fruit-dove. It’s aptly named because of the sound of its call. Black-capped lory flew over. We got great views of elegant honeyeater, several yellow-bellied gerygone and a fairy gerygone.
A growling riflebird came screaming by, but we heard many of them in the forest. A brown oriole played hide and seek with us. We got views of it as it flew over and around us several times.
Towards the end of our hike we saw a fruiting tree full of pink-spotted fruit-doves. And Paul was able to track down a brown-headed paradise-kingfisher. What an absolutely gorgeous bird.
There were two real stars today. One was a guest appearance. A gigantic raptor landed on a branch for the briefest of seconds right beside us. I felt like I was in the scene from Lord of the Rings where Gandalf is riding the eagles to rescue Frodo and Sam from Mt. Doom. It was that big. It was a New Guinea eagle. When it landed on that branch, I think it saw us and that’s what spooked it. But what an incredible bird.
We finished the hike at an overlook of the valley Port Moresby is in. Then our driver took us to a spot known for its Raggiana bird-of-paradise, (pictured). They did not disappoint. For about an hour we looked at these stunning birds as they flew back and forth through this one area of forest. Mostly it was males. When they saw a female they went absolutely bananas. What a fun way to end a great session of birding.
After yesterday’s New Britain debacle this session of birding was just what the doctor ordered to make things all better.
23 species, 19 lifers
El Nino
July 27, 2026
This morning we left Raintree Lodge headed to the airport. We took a 7:15ish flight to Mt. Hagen. (It seems that all flights on PNG are sort of at the time they say they’ll be.) We then took the 40 minute drive to Rondon Ridge Lodge. Wow, what an incredibly beautiful place. By design we had a pretty chill day today. We birded the gardens and grounds of the lodge on our own. I saw two pair of red-collared myzomela. The males are stunning with their red but the rufous color of the females is very pretty as well. A small flock of hooded munia were in the grasses below our rooms. And many New Guinea white-eye were flying around as well.
We had lunch and a chill session. We reconvened at 3:00 PM. It was very windy. Between that and the very dry conditions the birding was extremely challenging. That said I saw ornate melidectes and got great views of a yellow-browed melidectes. Melidectes are large birds that are beautiful in their own unusual way.
I saw a male black friendly fantail hopping along the ground. And we heard a friendly fantail but it wasn’t quite friendly enough to show itself. Our guide took us to the bower, (pictured), of a MacGregor’s bowerbird. The male builds this to attract the female. That’s the only purpose of the bower. Later a MacGregor’s bowerbird flew over us.
All in it turned into a goodish birding day but we had to work at it.
Throughout my summer birding there has been a continuing theme. Dry. The dry conditions are being caused by a big El Nino condition in the Pacific. The impact is drought and dry conditions in this part of the world. And I suspect that it will be just as bad in Northern Territory, Australia when I go there in a few weeks. These conditions definitely impact the birds. There isn’t nearly as much food for them and their energy levels fall. Although the guides are somewhat reluctant to say it this is making the birding much more difficult. (All the guides are doing a great job of putting us on birds, BTW.) By the end of the summer I will be most interested to see if my expectations for the number of birds I will see will be met. My thought is probably not. It will make planning for the next three years a little more interesting. For now, I’ll leave it at that.
16 species, 8 lifers
Rondon Ridge
July 28, 2026
This morning we hiked up to Rondon Ridge. How can I even begin to describe this day? Papuan mountain-pigeon, Brehm’s tiger-parrot, plum-faced lorikeet, Stella’s lorikeet and black-billed cuckoo-dove were among the birds we saw as we hiked up to the ridge.
Once we got to the ridge the bird hits just kept coming. (And I’m glad they did because it was a very cool morning on top.) Mountain swiftlet, a red-breasted pygmy-parrot I discovered, Loria’s satinbird, black-throated honeyeater, smoky honeyeater, dimorphic fantail and an aptly named regent whistler were some of the birds we saw. We also got good views of many blue-capped ifrita on the trip up and at the top.
But the stars of the show on top were the birds of paradise. King-of-Saxony bird-of-paradise and Stephanie’s astrapia were on full display. The King-of-Saxony has two outrageous feathers sticking out of the side of its head. And their call sounds like static on a radio. I’m going to include a not very good picture of one completely unedited so that you can get a sense of the outrageous head feathers.
Stephanie’s astrapia is the other bird of paradise that is just crazy beautiful. It has a super long black tail and it’s a mostly black bird. The male that is. The real show stopper is the bib underneath the head on the male. It’s a bright bluish green and when it shows in the sun it is absolutely breathtaking. I have another not very good picture of this bird that I’m going to include just so you can get a sense of the tail on this bird. It’s incredible. I also have a halfway decent picture of a female.
After lunch on the ridge we started back down. A female black-bellied cicadabird, a fan-tailed berrypecker and a wattled ploughbill were three super cool birds we saw on the trip down. The wattled ploughbill is particularly striking because the male has very prominent red wattles.
After a break we did one more session of birding. A little less windy this afternoon. Blue-gray robin and a greater lophorina were among the birds we saw.
What an incredible day of birding.
26 species, 21 lifers
Paradise in Hiding
July 29, 2026
This morning we went to a hide owned by a local named Paul and we went to a second hide owned by him in the afternoon. Both are very well built and as hides go very comfortable.
In the morning we got wonderful views of female greater lophorina, (pictured), short-tailed paradigalla, (pictured), and both male and female Lawe’s parotia, (pictured). I got a really nice picture of the male and its gorgeous multi-colored chest.
But the morning wasn’t just about sitting and waiting for birds-of-paradise. We also saw Sclater’s whistler, black fantail, streaked berrypecker and I saw a Papuan island-thrush with its orange eye ring and beak. And a mountain kingfisher announced itself loud and clear right above the hide. All in it was a pretty good morning if a bit slow.
The afternoon session was also good but slow. We finally saw a male greater lophorina, (pictured). What a showoff. We also saw two females. We got great views of a short-tailed paradigalla. And we had a good view of a female blue bird-of-paradise sitting in a tree. I actually got a good picture but its head was obscured by a leaf. Isn’t that the way.
12 species, 7 lifers
Sigh…