I visited PNG for 4 weeks from 15th June 1995 to carry out a bird survey in the Lakekamu Basin lowland rain forest for Conservation International.

It was my first visit to PNG, which seems to have fallen out of favour with independent birders in recent years, and I found it quite a contrast to Irian Jaya, birded in 1991. There still seems to be extensive areas of forest, although for how much longer is the worrying question as Malaysian loggers are reported to be very active and there is only one protected National Park in the whole country - Varirata near Port Moresby.

Although many of the birds are shared between the two halves of New Guinea, a substantial number are more readily found on one side than the other - I saw 94 new species, although this included some highland birds found on the upper stretch of the Habbema trek in Irian, which I did not reach. If you had to chose to visit one half, major pros for PNG are:-   

a) Better infrastructure, with opportunities to travel overland on public transport and reach highland sites without trekking.

b) Some spectacular species, difficult or impossible to see in Irian, are easy to see, eg Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise and Black Sicklebill.

c) No restrictions on travel within the country.

d) English is widely spoken and understood.

e) There are some good, albeit expensive, eco-lodges.

On the other hand, Irian is much cheaper and safer, much less developed (although this is changing), and  has few tourists. The safety aspect may be the biggest deterrent to the independent birder in PNG: there appears to be a real risk of being attacked and robbed in many places and the situation is not improving - we even had an armed police guard when driving between the two towns of Wau and Bulolo! The cost of taxis, air travel and accommodation may be coming down as the local currency lost c. 30% of its international value in the last 12 months, but is still very high.

ITINERARY

June     15         Arrive Port Moresby; stay at University of Australia guest-house in Boroko.

            16         Morning at Botanical Gardens, Moitaka Sewage Works and Paga Point; afternoon shopping for lowland forest trip; evening at Aveat Club with Mark Walker and Steve  Spanner of the PNG Bird Club.

            17         Morning at Varirata National Park with PNG Bird Club; noon flight to Wau; afternoon shopping; stay at Wau Ecology Institute (WEI).

            18         Day on foot on Mount Kaindi.

            19         Drive with WEI rangers to Kuper Range; afternoon in forest; stay at WEI Field-station.

            20         Morning in forest; afternoon drive back to WEI, followed by shopping.

            21         All morning at airport for flight to Tekadu, cancelled at 11.30 due to cloud; afternoon Mt Kaindi and Wau.               

            22         Morning at airport, finally reaching Tekadu at 13.10; walk to Sapwe Camp, arriving 16.45.

            23 to July 3    Bird survey at Sapwe Camp.     

July      4          Afternoon walk to Tekadu.

            5          Morning around Tekadu; finally took off for Wau at 13.00; afternoon at Wau.

            6          Early morning on lower Mt Kaindi; drive to Bulolo; afternoon flight to Port Moresby; evening and night with Mark Walker.

            7          Early flight to Tari; stay at Ambua Lodge.

            8 -11     Birding above Tari.                   

            12         Morning flight to Port Moresby; afternoon at Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific office, followed by drive to Varirata National Park; night at resthouse in Park.

            13         Morning at Varirata NP; drive to Moresby; evening flight to Cairns.

NOTES ON SITES

Port Moresby

The Botanical Gardens, on the University campus, are rather small and only worth a visit with time to kill. A few terns can be seen from Paga Point. The best site in town is Moitaka Sewage Farm, a left turn a couple of miles beyond the end of the Jackson Airport runway, on the road to Sogeri and Varirata. This can hold a good selection of waterbirds and waders in season, and there is some reasonable habitat for passerines. However, I was later told it was a dangerous place, with a high risk of attack.

By far the best site is Varirata National Park, 48km east of Moresby. It is most easily reached by taxi, although PMVs to Sogeri go within 5km. It would be worth spending several days here as most of the specialities are difficult to see, namely  Dwarf Cassowary, Pheasant Pigeon, Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Painted Quail-Thrush, Chestnut-backed Jewel-Babbler, Northern Scrub-Robin, Crested Pitohui, Magnificent Riflebird and a variety of fruit-doves - see the appended check-list for more details. There are 2 or 3 small cheap chalets, bookable on arrival, and camping is allowed. There is water but no food. The chalet/lodge-keeper might be persuaded to cook for you or at least provide hot water. 

There are lowland forest sites within an hour or two's drive of Moresby, such as Brown River and Vanapu River, where some good birds can be seen, eg White-rumped and Yellow-banded Robins, Silver-eared and Brown-backed Honeyeaters, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Grey-headed Munia and Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise. However, they are potentially dangerous and bird populations have apparently declined, but the PNG Bird Club will be able to advise on the latest situation - current contacts Steve Spanner, work tel 272279, home 252922 and Mark Walker, work 227615. It is better to go further west now, eg to the Lakekamu Basin or Kiunga.

Wau

This is a convenient mid-altitude area, easily reached by daily flights from Moresby (but only to nearby Bulolo on some days of the week), costing about 100K (= £50) one-way. There should be no problem in finding a bed (and hot shower) at the WEI, for 15K (Kina).

In the past birders concentrated on Mt Missin as the WEI had working-huts on it and researchers/rangers took vehicles up it. However, WEI have transferred activities to the Kuper Range, which is lower and further away, but easily reached with WEI assistance. I found that walking up and down Mt Kaindi, immediately above WEI was rewarding, seeing birds such as Red-breasted Pygmy-Parrot, Little Red Lorikeet, White-eared Bronze-Cuckoo,  Long-billed Honeyeater, White-faced Robin, Mountain Red-headed Myzomela, Spotted Jewel-Babbler, Black-headed Whistler, Black Monarch, New Guinea White-eye, Blue-faced Parrotfinch and Slaty-chinned Longbill. I failed to find Streaked or Spotted Berrypeckers which have been recorded here.

In the 24 hours spent in the Kuper Range, I walked along the road and twice did the ridge trail near the resthouse. Best birds were Papuan Hanging-Parrot, McGregor's Bowerbird, Papuan Treecreeper, Northern Scrub-Robin, Buff-tailed Sicklebill, Stephanie's Astrapia and Mountain Peltops. There is also a National Park between Wau and Bulolo, McAdam, notable for holding Red-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher and Crinkle-collared Manucode - access from the main road, but not easy to spot (I failed).     

Note that Lae, PNG's second city, is only a 4 hour PMV ride away - flying is quicker and more comfortable but times are unreliable and the airport is a long way from Lae, making it difficult or very expensive to reach town. It is the starting point for trips to the Huon Peninsula, by boat or plane to Wasu, then Satop village, to look for the 5 endemics and Beach Kingfisher.

Lakekamu Basin

This is the lowland rain-forest region under study by Conservation International. It is reached by the Wednesday flight from Wau to Kakoro or Tekadu, cost 90 K return. The biggest problem is that flights are delayed, possibly for a day or more, by thick cloud. There is sometimes a flight on Saturday. The current camp by the Sapwe River is a 3 hour walk from Tekadu, where porters/guides are easily hired. It is necessary to bring all food required from Wau, as none is available in Tekadu, and a tent. Water from the river Sapwe is drinkable. Porters cost about 10K a journey and the landowner charges 10K a week. A 3-4 day visit to the camp is advisable, to have a good chance of seeing specialities such as Black-billed Brush-turkey, Southern Crowned Pigeon, a good selection of fruit-doves, parrots (including Vulturine) and honeyeaters, Hook-billed Kingfisher, White-eared Catbird, Black-sided Robin and Golden Cuckoo-Shrike. A colony of Yellow-eyed Starling was nesting earlier in the year but had disappeared. Shovel-billed Kingfisher and Forest Bittern were seen by RS at the previous camp, a 4 hour walk involving some river wading, or a dry walk from Kakoro.

Tari

Now the premier highland site in PNG, Tari is most easily reached by twice daily flights from Moresby - 344 K return. It is possible to take a PMV from Mt Hagen or even Lae, but rather time-consuming, 48 hours for the latter I believe. The place to stay is Ambua Lodge - very pleasant, good food and very convenient for birding - but highly expensive (US$254 a day per person for a double, all inclusive!). The only "affordable" way of doing it is to take an Air Nuigini "weekend getaways" (bookable at Moresby airport and travel agents) which for flight and 3 days and nights at Ambua Lodge costs 454 K per person for 2 and 331 K per person if 3 book. The add-on for extra days - you really need 4-6 here - may be extortionate but is possibly negotiable on site (not with the owners, Trans Nuigini Tours). Alternatively, you can stay down in Tari, an hour away, at the Tari Women's Guesthouse for 15K a night or possibly a cheap guesthouse called Koli just outside town, and hitch up to Tari Gap. Camping is not advisable due to the high risk of being robbed.

The Lodge grounds, at 2090m, hold good birds, most notably Short-tailed Paradigalla and Loria's Bird-of-Paradise, but the best birding is at 2500-2700m at Tari Gap on the main road to Mt Hagen. A free bus from the Lodge goes up there every morning, to give tourists a chance to see BoPs. There are a couple of good muddy trails on the right as you go up, but the "old road", a former popular birding trail, is now very overgrown. Best birds for me in the 3 days I spent between the Lodge and the Gap were New Guinea Eagle, Chestnut Forest-Rail, Bronze Ground-Dove, Brehm's Tiger-Parrot, Mountain Nightjar, Archbold's Bowerbird, Lesser Ground-Robin, Black Sittella, Wattled Ploughbill, Logrunner, Crested and King-of-Saxony BoPs, Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, Mountain Firetail and Crested Berrypecker. I failed to see Meyer's Goshawk, Painted, Modest and Madaraz's Tiger-Parrots, Lesser Melampitta or Garnet Robin, all of which occur. 

It is necessary to go below the Lodge to see some species, one of the best places being the first road on the left, where I saw Blue BoP, Black Sicklebill, Stephanie's Astrapia and Lawe's Parotia feeding in a single small fruiting tree.   

Others

The tour groups visit Kiunga, Tabubil and Bensbach, but no longer go to the Baiyer River Sanctuary, near Mt Hagen, a former popular birding site but now deemed to be highly dangerous.

There are flights from Tari to Kiunga, which lies in the Fly River basin near the Irian Jaya border. The lowland forest holds many of the birds of the Lakekamu basin, plus species such as Flame Bowerbird, White-bellied Pitohui and Greater BoP. Tabubil, the town built to service the nearby Ok Tedi mine, is a long PMV journey from Kiunga but gives access to excellent foothill and mid-altitude forest (500-1500m). Birds include Wallace's Fairy-Wren, White-rumped Robin, Sooty and Golden-backed Whistlers, Spotted Honeyeater, Carola's Parotia, Yellow-breasted and Magnificent BoPs. There are hotels in both towns.

Bensbach Lodge is due South, near the coast, and is PNG's answer to Wasur National Park just over the border, with lots of birds, especially water-types, and a few specialities such as Fly River grassbird and Beccari's Scrub-Wren. As it is also run by Trans Niugini Tours, it will doubtless be horrendously expensive.

A number of large islands also belong to PNG and have their own specialities, notably New Britain, New Ireland and Bouganville, but I can add nothing to existing literature on these.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My main thanks go to Bruce Beehler for giving me this excellent opportunity, for granting me funding and arranging the visit. Roger Safford and Leslie Smart, who had set up the Sapwe Camp with Cosmas and John, were a great source of background information and provided an invaluable tape of recordings. John Sengo and especially Cosmas Makamet gave every assistance and much-appreciated friendship in PNG. I am particularly grateful to Mark Walker for all his help in Port Moresby, and would also like to thank the staff of the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific and the members of the PNG Bird Club, especially Steve Spanner, for their assistance. 

Jon Hornbuckle                 

BIRDS RECORDED IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA: 16 June - 13 July 1995

Numbers are the max. recorded per day at the site, with "c" for common and "f" a few; brackets indicate probable but unconfirmed, and "h" heard. PM is the Port Moresby area. Names and sequence follow Clements, JF (1991) Birds of the World: A Checklist. Names in bold are new sp. seen by JH.

The following additional species were thought to have been present but identity was not confirmed:-

MAMMALS

Long-clawed Marsupial Mouse  Neophascogale lorentzii         1 at Tari Gap.

Goodfellow’s Tree-Kangaroo  Dendrolagus goodfellowi           A youngster in captivity at Tekadu, apparently well out of range.