West New Britain - Victor Emanuel Nature Tours

WEST NEW BRITAIN
AUGUST 30–SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
Island Imperial-Pigeons glow against a turquoise sea at Restoff Island in Kimbe Bay. (Dion Hobcroft)
LEADER: DION HOBCROFT
COMPILED BY: DION HOBCROFT
VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC.
2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003
AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746
WWW.VENTBIRD.COM
WEST NEW BRITAIN
AUGUST 30–SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
By Dion Hobcroft
An unexpected flight schedule change saw us narrowly connect with our plane trip
from Port Moresby via Lae to Hoskins, the largest town in West New Britain.
Fortunately it all worked out well; just lucky we arrived at the airport early! After
settling in to the comfortable Walindi Dive Resort, we headed out for an afternoon
of birding at the relatively close site of Kulu River. Again the big dry was obvious.
Max, owner of the resort who has kept rainfall records for 45 years, stated that this
August was one of only two months on record that no rain had been recorded. Our
afternoon went quite well, and we enjoyed quite a few new birds. We had good
views of the endemic Red-knobbed Imperial-Pigeon, Pied Coucal, Purple-bellied
Lory, Long-tailed Myna, and New Britain Friarbird. A displaying pair of Variable
Goshawks, numerous Stephan’s Emerald-Doves, Black Bittern, White-browed
Crake, White-rumped Swiftlet, Melanesian Kingfisher (a split out of the Collared
Kingfisher complex), Eurasian Kingfisher (here a very distinctive subspecies), Varied
Triller, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, and an abundance of raucous and colorful
Eclectus Parrots kept us well-entertained.
The next morning we were in the protected lowland jungle of the Garu Wildlife
Management Area, about an hour’s drive from the hotel. On the drive in through
the oil palm plantations, we made a surprise discovery of an Intermediate Egret, a
rare visitor to New Britain. We had an excellent run starting with a fine pair of adult
White-mantled Kingfishers, an uncommon and often difficult endemic. Then a trio
of Violaceous Coucals turned on an excellent performance as they boomed at us
from a vine tangle. In between we scoped the endemic Red-banded Flowerpecker,
Ashy Myzomela, and our first perched Blue-eyed Cockatoo was a big hit. A
flowering tree produced a pair of obliging Red-flanked Lorikeets, and then we
scoped a lovely pair of Knob-billed Fruit-Doves. A shy male Velvet Flycatcher was
lured into view, and later in the forest interior we had quite good views of this very
shy bird. We could even compare it with the salmon-throated Shining Flycatcher,
with its distinctive angular head. The forest interior was the usual hard work as we
heard New Britain Dwarf-Kingfisher, Black-capped Paradise-Kingfisher, and Finsch’s
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Imperial-Pigeon, but they remained firmly hidden. Fortunately though, a
Melanesian Scrubfowl decided to fly perfectly past the entire group, after a couple
of flushed birds gave us the slip. Also of note was a Great Flying-fox roosting in a
giant tree. With the heat building and the bird activity waning, we returned to the
resort for lunch and a lengthy siesta.
A beautiful male White-mantled Kingfisher, a scarce and inconspicuous endemic of lowland forests in
New Britain. (Dion Hobcroft)
After the break we walked uphill from a nearby village to view successfully a New
Britain Boobook. This small compact hawk-owl showed well in the scope. We did
not proceed further uphill, but went on to bird the area around the Numundo
Cattle Ranch. Here we added a few new birds to the trip list like Tree Martin,
Australian Reed-Warbler, Papuan Grassbird, and the endemic Buff-bellied Munia.
Most amazing though was a flock of twenty Intermediate Egrets behaving
somewhat like Cattle Egrets!
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Violaceous Coucals preen each other in a forest tangle after booming at us. These giant purple coucals
are endemic to jungles of the Bismarcks. (Dion Hobcroft)
A boat trip in Kimbe Bay is a staple offering on this tour, as it allows us to see a
variety of so-called “supertramp” species of birds, a term coined by Jared Diamond
for birds adapted to tiny oceanic atolls that shun the larger islands. We visited
Restoff and Malo Malo Islands, on the cruise outbound enjoying a pod of bowriding Spinner Dolphins. We quickly connected with numerous Island ImperialPigeons and Sclater’s Myzomela. We had almost immediate luck with both
Mangrove Golden Whistler and Island Monarch. Our luck continued with the often
difficult Mackinlay’s Cuckoo-Dove. Still, the star of the show was holding out—the
Nicobar Pigeon. Exploring into the forest interior, we were lucky to find a flock of
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five birds that perched up and gave some really good views before they took off
never to be seen again. We also had a good view of a perched Melanesian
Scrubfowl. Snorkeling took precedence, one highlight being a superb scorpion fish
with strikingly banded pectoral fins. The water clarity was amazing and the reef
with colorful fish delightful. We enjoyed some tropical seabirds like Lesser
Frigatebird, good-sized flocks of Black Noddy, with a few Black-naped Terns. A stiff
sea breeze and rising seas made it unwise to venture further offshore for pelagic
birding. In the afternoon we birded the gardens of the resort, but could not locate
the hoped for Buff-faced Pygmy-Parrots.
The Red-knobbed Imperial-Pigeon is a common bird in lowland forest in New Britain. It is endemic to
Melanesia. (Dion Hobcroft)
With our last full day we had to work quite hard to squeeze the last possible birds
out of the forest. At shortly after sunrise we were positioned on the forest edge at
Boku. A pair of Black Imperial-Pigeons flew over us, giving a decent view. Into the
forest Joseph found a small party of Buff-faced Pygmy-Parrots feeding down low
that gave some excellent views before moving along. To my dismay, in this
excellent site the local people had chopped down a couple of hectares of forest
that was being burnt. The work of the bird tour leader rarely gets any easier on an
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increasingly degraded planet! Once we had picked our way through the maze of
fallen trees and branches, we re-found the trail. Eventually a pair of Black-capped
Paradise-Kingfishers started to call, and after a lengthy effort we finally located one
calling bird, its white tail streamers pumping as it whistled plaintively. A pair of
Northern Fantails was accompanied by a timid Black-tailed Monarch that was lured
into view a couple of times. There were plenty of birds to see in the morning
including Blyth’s Hornbill, Blue-eyed Cockatoo, Purple-bellied Lory, Eclectus Parrot,
Knob-billed Fruit-Dove, and many more. The typically elusive Finsch’s ImperialPigeon “varooooomed” at us but failed to show.
Sunrise at Kimbe Bay dominated by spectacular volcanos here on the “Rim of Fire.” (Dion Hobcroft)
Our final afternoon in New Britain was upon us, and the decision was made to
revisit the Kulu River, but this time a different stretch. It was going fairly quietly
until up flew a Nicobar Pigeon that perched close by for a lengthy study. It was the
first time I had encountered this rare species on the main island. Then a Blackcapped Paradise-Kingfisher flew in like a rocket and perched long enough for a
much improved view. As it cooled down, we waited by the river to see if any birds
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might come out to bathe and drink. What happened next was most unexpected
and the highlight of the entire trip to PNG. First a pair and then a single Pink-legged
Rail came down to the river bank to forage. This flightless rail is almost never seen.
We watched them in the scope for some ten or more minutes. Wow! I even
managed a couple of poor digiscopes for what may be the first time this species has
been photographed. Then out came a Rufous-tailed Bush-hen for a bath, complete
with a Black Bittern, Rufous Night-Heron, and a pair of Spotted Whistling-Ducks. It
had been an amazing afternoon.
A male Mangrove Golden Whistler at Restoff Island. (Dion Hobcroft)
Our early flight had us back in Port Moresby quickly. I arranged a bus to revisit
Varirata National Park, and by 10 am we were in the field. It worked out very well,
as we hit numerous mixed flocks and picked up some very good birds and,
importantly, managed to convert several heard only species from our previous visit
on the main tour to visual manifestations. Amongst the birds of the day were Blackbilled Brush-Turkey (including a tiny chick found perched), Brown Goshawk,
Wompoo Fruit-Dove, White-crowned Koel (an excellent scope study of a calling
presumed male), Barred Owlet-nightjar, Azure Kingfisher, Brown-headed ParadiseKingfisher, Papuan King-Parrot, Green-backed Honeyeater, Rusty Mouse-Warbler,
Pale-billed Scrubwren, Goldenface (stunning), Sooty Thicket-Fantail, Spot-winged
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Monarch, and White-faced Robin. Tired but happy we returned to the Airways for
a bit of luxury as our tour was coming to a close. We had recorded some 322 species
in PNG all up on both tours. On this tour we recorded 88 species in New Britain and
an additional 47 species in Varirata National Park.
This male Papuan King-Parrot gave an excellent view at Varirata NP. (Dion Hobcroft)
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BIRDS:
Spotted Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna guttata)
Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa)
Black-billed Brush-Turkey (Talegalla fuscirostris) Varirata
Melanesian Scrubfowl (Megapodius eremita)
King (Blue-breasted) Quail (Coturnix chinensis) Heard only
Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata ariel)
Little Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos)
Intermediate Egret is a vagrant to New Britain; we were surprised to find a flock of twenty! (Dion
Hobcroft)
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Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Intermediate Egret (Mesophoyx intermedia)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Pacific Reef-Heron (Egretta sacra)
Eastern Cattle Egret (Bubulcus [ibis] coromandus) Port Moresby
Rufous Night-Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Pacific Baza (Aviceda subcristata)
Variable Goshawk (Accipiter hiogaster)
Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus) Varirata
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)
Pink-legged Rail (Gallirallus insignis)
Rufous-tailed Bush-hen (Amaurornis moluccana)
White-browed Crake (Porzana cinerea)
Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
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Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
Black Noddy (Anous minutus)
Black-naped Tern (Sterna sumatrana)
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Great Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii)
This Nicobar Pigeon at Kulu River was a rare main island sighting of a small island specialist. (Dion
Hobcroft)
Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove (Macropygia amboinensis)
Mackinlay’s Cuckoo-Dove (Macropygia mackinlayi)
Pied Cuckoo-Dove (Reinwardtoena browni) Heard only
Stephan’s Dove (Chalcophaps stephani)
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Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida) Varirata
Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica)
Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus) Varirata
Pink-spotted Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus perlatus) Varirata
Knob-billed Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus insolitus)
Superb Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus superbus) Heard only
Red-knobbed Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula rubricera)
Finsch’s Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula finschii) Heard only
Island Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula pistrinaria)
Black Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula melanochroa)
Zoe Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula zoeae) Varirata Heard only
Yellowish Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula [spillorhoa] subflavescens)
White-crowned Koel (Cacomantis leucolophus) Varirata
Brush Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus)
Australian Koel (Eudynamys cyanocephalus) Heard only
Channel-billed Cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae) Heard only
Violaceous Coucal (Centropus violaceus)
Pied Coucal (Centropus ateralbus)
New Britain Boobook (Ninox odiosa)
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Barred Owlet-Nightjar (Aegotheles bennettii) Varirata
Glossy Swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta) Varirata
White-rumped Swiftlet (Aerodramus spodiopygius)
Uniform Swiftlet (Aerodramus vanikorensis)
Moustached Treeswift (Hemiprocne mystacea)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis hispidoides)
Azure Kingfisher (Ceyx azureus) Varirata
New Britain Dwarf Kingfisher (Ceyx sacerdotis) Heard only
Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii) Varirata
Forest Kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii) Varirata
White-mantled Kingfisher (Todiramphus albonotatus)
Melanesian [Collared] Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris tristrami)
Beach Kingfisher (Todiramphus saurophagus) Heard only
Sacred Kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus)
Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher (Tanysiptera danae) Varirata
Black-backed Paradise-Kingfisher (Tanysiptera [sylvia] nigriceps)
Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus) Heard only
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Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis)
Blyth’s Hornbill (Aceros plicatus)
Blue-eyed Cockatoo (Cacatua opthalmica)
Eclectus Parrots are common in New Britain and show very well compared to many other locations.
The female is red and blue. The male is green and red. (Dion Hobcroft)
Buff-faced Pygmy-Parrot (Micropsitta pusio)
Papuan King-Parrot (Alisterus chloropterus) Varirata
Eclectus Parrot (Lorius roratus solomonensis)
Red-cheeked Parrot (Geoffroyus geoffroyi) Varirata Heard only
Red-flanked Lorikeet (Charmosyna placentis)
Purple-bellied Lory (Lorius hypoinchrous)
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Black-capped Lory (Lorius lory) Varirata
Coconut (Rainbow) Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus massena)
Mimic Meliphaga (Meliphaga analoga) Varirata
Ashy Myzomela (Myzomela cineracea)
Green-backed Honeyeater (Glycichaera fallax) Varirata
Helmeted Friarbird (Philemon buceroides) Varirata Heard only
New Britain Friarbird (Philemon cockerelli)
Goldenface (Pachycare flavogriseum) Varirata
Rusty Mouse-Warbler (Crateroscelis murina) Varirata
Pale-billed Scrubwren (Sericornis spilodera) Varirata
Green-backed Gerygone (Gerygone chloronota) Varirata
Fairy Gerygone (Gerygone palpebrosa) Varirata
Yellow-bellied Gerygone (Gerygone chrysogaster) Varirata
Black Berrypecker (Melanocharis nigra) Varirata Heard only
Spectacled Longbill (Oedistoma iliolophus) Varirata Heard only
Painted Quail-thrush (Cinclosoma ajax) Varirata
Yellow-breasted Boatbill (Machaerirhynchus flaviventer) Varirata Heard only
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Black Butcherbird (Cracticus quoyi) Varirata
Stout-billed Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina caeruleogrisea) Varirata
Boyer’s Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina boyeri) Varirata
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina novaehollandiae) Varirata
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina papuensis)
Varied Triller (Lalage leucomela)
Little Shrike-thrush (Colluricincla megarhyncha) Varirata
Mangrove Golden Whistler (Pachycephala melanura)
Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous) Varirata
Brown Oriole (Oriolus szalayi) Varirata
Spangled Drongo (Dicrurus bracteatus)
Northern Fantail (Rhipidura rufiventris)
Sooty Thicket-Fantail (Rhipidura threnothorax) Varirata
Willie-wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys)
Chestnut-bellied Fantail (Rhipidura hyperythra) Varirata
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Island Monarch (Monarcha cinerascens)
Black-tailed Monarch (Symposiachrus verticalis)
Spot-winged Monarch (Symposiachrus guttula) Varirata
Frilled Monarch (Arses telescopthalmus) Varirata
Shining Flycatcher (Myiagra alecto)
Velvet (Lesser Shining) Flycatcher (Myiagra hebetior)
Grey Crow (Corvus tristis) Varirata
Torresian Crow (Corvus orru) Varirata Heard only
Bismarck Crow (Corvus insularis)
Growling Riflebird (Ptiloris intercedens) Varirata Heard only
Raggiana Bird of Paradise (Paradisea raggiana) Varirata Heard only
White-faced Robin (Tregellasia leucops) Varirata
Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica)
Tree Martin (Petrochelidon nigricans)
Australian Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus australis)
Papuan Grassbird (Megalurus macrurus)
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Black-crowned White-eye (Zosterops atrifrons) Varirata Heard only
Metallic Starling (Aplonis metallica)
Singing Starling (Aplonis cantoroides)
Long-tailed Myna (Mino krefftii)
Red-banded (Bismarck) Flowerpecker (Dicaeum eximium)
Black Sunbird (Leptocoma sericea)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
Bismarck (Buff-bellied) Munia (Lonchura melaena)
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This chick of a Black-billed Brush-Turkey in Varirata NP was a rare sighting. Note the yellow legs.
Brush-Turkey chicks, like all megapodes, are on their own from day one when they hatch out and
emerge from the nest mound. (Dion Hobcroft)
MAMMALS:
Great Flying-fox (Pteropus neohibernicus)
Bismarck Bare-backed Fruitbat (Dobsonia praedatrix)
Island Tube-nosed Bat (Nyctimene major)
Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris)
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This poor photograph taken by phone through a telescope maybe the only image ever taken of the
flightless New Britain or Pink-legged Rail, a very secretive endemic to New Britain and a new bird for
the leader! (Dion Hobcroft)
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