“Throwim way leg” is New Guinea’s “Tok Pisin” for starting off on a long journey, which is exactly what I did when I left home to drive to Atlanta on the 3rd of August. By combining frequent flyer miles with purchased tickets, I ended up with a crazy flight itinerary which would take me to Los Angeles, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Cairns, and on to Port Moresby – definitely a loooong journey! However, there were a few refreshing stops along the way, and even some birding, so my whirlwind Pacific Rim dash was not unpleasant and it certainly was interesting.
But why plan a trip to Papua New Guinea? To quote Tim Flannery, author of Throwim Way Leg, “New Guinea sprawls like a vast prehistoric bird across the north of Australia. After Greenland it is the world’s largest island, and its size, shape and rugged mountains are all the result of its peculiar geological history, for New Guinea is Australia’s bow wave. As the continent of Australia has drifted northward it has accumulated islands and fragments of other continents along its leading edge.” This just begins to explain the unique development of both natural and human history on this wild and mountainous island. Inhabited for roughly 45,000 years and intensely cultivated for approximately 9,000 years, New Guinea today still hosts about 800 different languages (not just dialects), and at least that many species of birds as well. Evolutionary adaptation in this relatively predator-free land has resulted in some of the world’s most spectacularly plumaged birds, the Birds of Paradise (BOPs), many of which have developed elaborate mating displays. Do have a look at the July ‘07 issue of National Geographic for an excellent photographic exposition on these very special birds, which are found nowhere else on earth. In addition to the BOPs, there are plenty of other fascinating species to be seen, for example, ranging from the world’s largest Pigeon genus, at almost 30 inches (Southern Crowned Pigeon ), to the world’s smallest Parrot genus, a bit over 3 inches (Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot).

The usual route to Port Moresby is through Cairns or Brisbane, so it seemed logical to plan for a bit of jet-lag adjustment (and birding too, of course) beforehand. My good friend and birding co-conspirator, Virginia Willcox, agreed with me that Cassowary House, about 30 minutes outside of Cairns, would be ideal. And so it became the first part of the “sandwich”, with PNG to be in the middle, and then, since we had flights back through Brisbane, it only made sense to spend a bit of time in Lamington National Park too. Voila, a birding meal/journey to make the mouth water!

First, however, I had to get there, and the flight itinerary turned out to be a marathon, due to the combination of Korean Airlines flights (from L.A. to Singapore) with Qantas frequent flyer miles (which nicely covered the rest of the air requirements). Thus, a quick stop in Seoul, S. Korea, with its surprisingly modern and very busy airport, produced some interesting scenes. I’m not at all sure what they were selling here, but it certainly was getting a lot of attention!

Korean Airlines’ “signature” dish is “Bibimbap”, a large bowl with small piles of various veggies and one of ground beef, which one then mixes with hot, steamed rice, sesame oil and hot chili paste (to taste, of course, which, in my case, was limited…). It’s a filling meal, though not one I could eat every day! In any case, this made me curious about other Korean fare, and led me to peruse the extensive menu and fake food displays in various airport eateries. Be sure to take note of the yummy looking hangover remedy!
Once I hit Singapore, I sped straight to my hotel for a solid night’s sleep, as I had a rendezvous for birding the following morning. Raj Subaraj and his wife picked me up as arranged at 7AM, and we headed out to hunt for a few specific birds that I hoped to catch up with in Singapore. Raj is a fine all around naturalist with intimate knowledge of what there is and where to find it in his home patch, and so we were successful in seeing 3 species which were lifers for me, including a fine pair of Malaysian Plovers. During the course of that day we also saw some very nice mammals and reptiles, such as this Smooth-coated Otter crunching on a fish, a Malayan Water Monitor lazing on a tree branch, and this cute Plantain Squirrel, with racing stripes on his side.

That evening I flew on to Sydney, where I met Virginia upon my arrival the next morning, and then on to Cairns, at last.

It was such fun to finally be heading up the winding road to Cassowary House, where Sue Gregory greeted us warmly, and immediately got us situated on the deck overlooking rainforest and fruit-laden feeders. The array of wonderful birds we saw in those first few hours was stunning and delightful! The chunky Spotted Catbird was the first to grab our attention.

The Riflebird, our first member of the Bird-of-Paradise family, is truly stunning, with blue/green/purple iridescence on his head, breast and tail, impossible to catch it all in one photo, but you get the idea!
The stars of the show, however, were the Southern Cassowaries, which put in a brief appearance that afternoon, but which really turned out the next morning. As we took the short path from our rooms to the main house, we heard something large approaching, and along came “Missy”, the female, larger of the pair of resident birds. As Virginia so aptly commented, it’s seldom that one detects the presence of a bird by its foot-fall! When standing completely upright, she is about 6’ tall, including the casque which tops her head and apparently serves to assist in plowing through thick underbrush. The colors on her neck and wattles are astoundingly brilliant, not feathers, but bare skin. There are vestigial wings, in the form of large, long quills. The feet, as you can see, are powerful, and men have been known to be trampled to death as a result of a panic-ed rush, often brought on by inadvertently getting between a parent and its off-spring.

It is the male Cassowary, however, who incubates the eggs and looks after the chicks. Here’s one of Missy & Dad’s teenagers:

Another regular is the totally non-chalant Australian Brush-turkey, which makes an amusing sound which is a cross between a grunt and a burp as it pecks along the ground. They won’t win any beauty prizes, but they are easy to see!

We spent two wonderful days birding in the Atherton Tablelands area with local guide Ben Blewitt, a young man with a fine sense of humor (which I find a necessary requisite for fun birding), great driving skills, and knowledge of where to go to find the special birds and animals in the area. In the course of our time with him, I saw over 100 life birds, but more than that, got an excellent introduction to all the flora and fauna of the area. (Cassowary Tours) We happened on this Short-beaked Echidna on a busy roadside. He was quite oblivious to the traffic and continued happily snurfling his way along.

We even saw a Duck-billed Platypus, which is an animal that has always been on my “want” list. Go to the following web site for a look at this animal which has to have been put together by a committee, Duck-billed Platypus . The platypus and echidna are both monotremes, primitive egg-laying mammals.

Red-legged Pademelons (see below), Agile Wallabies, and Musky Rat-Kangaroos (which are marsupials, actually a species of kangaroo) were some of the other critters along the way.

The Atherton Tablelands encompass some lovely scenery and varied habitats.

Some of the special birds here include the Australian Bustard, which we were delighted to find displaying in a field full of others.

The Great Bowerbird’s bower was another highlight. Bowerbirds are probably the supreme avian architects, as the males construct their display sites in a variety of ways, and then decorate them to attract females. Each species has its favorite colors. (“Honey, is this the right shade?”) The Great Bowerbird is fond of reds, pinks and greys. Included in his bower are bottle caps, ballpoint pen caps, bits of plastic sheeting, and few pieces of shale. The bower itself is sturdy and made of woven twigs.

The Galah, a parrot species, is a common bird throughout Australia, but it’s Pepto-Bismol pink plumage is always a welcome sight – Gday Galahs!

Those two days in N. Queensland literally flew by, so now it was time to be off to the meat of the “sandwich”, Papua New Guinea.

New Guinea, the world’s 2nd largest island, lies just below the equator, and provides a huge diversity of habitats, due to its many precipitous mountain ranges, clear and turbulent rivers rushing to extensive, flat delta regions, rain-shadow coastal areas and verdant high mountain valleys. Divided roughly in half from north to south, the island is comprised of Irian Jaya to the west (a province of Indonesia, also called West Papua), and Papua New Guinea (PNG) to the east. There are many satellite islands belonging to each.

We joined our Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT) group in Port Moresby, the capital of PNG, which was known to many who were stationed there during WWII (including Bill’s father). It has some modern trappings and is a major port for the country, but also is reputed to have some law and order problems (which we did not experience), and is not generally a memorable city.

From our comfortable hotel in the downtown area, we visited two birding sites within an easy drive. On the grounds of the Pacific Adventist University, our local guides had staked out a Papuan Frogmouth on its day roost.

There were also hordes of Pied Herons in the ponds there.
At Varirata National Park, the nation’s only such reserve, we had two excellent days of birding, which turned up one of PNG’s most legendary species, the Hooded Pitohui, also known as the “Poison Bird”. A unique avian attribute has earned its nickname, as its feathers and skin are indeed poisonous! Recent study has determined that it is in fact the same poison carried by the Poison Dart Frogs of South America. I know this isn’t the greatest photo, but I just couldn’t leave this bird out (that’s him with the deep cinnamon mantle):

We also had some time at the end of our trip to stop by the Parliament Haus, with its stunning mosaic façade of PNG motifs.

From Port Moresby we launched into the highlands on Air Niugini’s scheduled flight to the town of Mt. Hagen, 3rd largest in PNG. From there we traveled on one of the few roads in the highlands to Kumul Lodge, in a beautiful site just below the slopes of Mt. Hagen itself (elevation 12,500’).

The lodge is owned and run by local people, who are most welcoming and know how to cater to birders (early breakfast? No problem!) Their 15’ long platform, covered and replenished with fruit and vegetable peelings, is a bird magnet, and with a comfortable covered balcony from which to watch, it is a magnet for birders too! The photos which follow were all shot from that location, and would otherwise not have been possible.

Brehm’s Tiger-parrot is just one of 4 species of Tiger-parrot which we saw on this trip. Two other species, a pair of Painted Tiger-parrots and one Modest Tiger-parrot, were found during a memorable, day-long hike up the slopes of Mt. Hagen. Here we encountered the true nature of birding in PNG, for the rain forest is complex and exceedingly dense, and the birds are very, very shy and quick. They have been hunted for approximately 40,000 years, and thus have learned well how not to be seen! Still, our journey along barely discernable hunting paths was both challenging and beautiful. During the course of that day, my double-tied boot laces were twice undone by trailing bamboo and other foliage, as we climbed over, under and across fallen trees, often not even able to see where our feet would land due to the tangle of vegetation. We were accompanied by two local guides whose ever-present bush knives proved invaluable to our progress. Having set off at 7AM, we returned to the lodge after 5PM, tired and a bit wet (the rains came around 4PM), but exhilarated by our experience!

The Brown Sicklebill male, which we heard several times during our hike, eluded us, but this lovely female was a regular at the feeding table.

PNG’s birds are justifiably known for their bright colors, but this one actually manages to change his while you watch! The Common Smoky Honeyeater seems anything but common in his ability to change his facial skin from bright chrome yellow to bright cherry red. He may be common in his occurance throughout cental PNG, but his red-faced reaction to excitement (food? danger? rivals?) is definitely uncommon.

Another common bird at Kumul which shows a vivid facial skin is the Belford’s Melidectes.

Flowers, too, are abundant and beautiful. This tiny orchid was blooming in Kumul’s “orchid garden”, a wonderfully wild and informal area in which hundreds of local endemics have been carefully gathered and set amongst other native vegetation.

Passionflower fruit is a favorite of the Tiger-parrots.

Lupins line the highland road near Kumul.

Just down the road below Kumul, we saw a particularly tidy village. Most of those we saw in the highlands were very carefully walled, with well tended, neat garden plots, and thatch-topped houses. Fires are made within, but there are no chimneys, so they often appear to be on fire, with smoke seeping out of every possible opening.

It was only in the early 1930’s that these highland peoples were contacted for the first time by the outside world. The hundreds of thousands living here were simply unknown and, likewise, white men were a frightening novelty to them! Later on in the trip we enjoyed watching “First Contact”, a documentary with original film footage of that extraordinary encounter.

The Yellow-breasted Bowerbird must be the most accomplished avian architect of all. His double-chambered bower is connected by a lateral avenue, and all three portions are decorated with large blue fruits. Close examination revealed a bit of blue fishing-line filament. Who knows where that came from?! You can get an idea of the scale of this construction by comparison with our Victor Emanuel (VENT) guide, Dion Hobcroft, kneeling beside the bower.

Our next stop, via private charter flight, was Ambua Lodge. We had an excellent pilot and lovely weather for a short trip to the tiny, rough strip just below the lodge itself. Landing on a 9% uphill grade takes some skill, and both pilot and Twin-Otter plane were up to it. I loved seeing the endless forested mountains spread below us en route.

Ambua Lodge lived up to its billing as PNG’s most “upmarket and plush resort”. Its grounds and surrounding country were very birdy too.

Perhaps the star of the show here was the King-of-Saxony BOP, which perched and sang for us on two mornings. Though he is only about 8.5” himself, his fantastic head plumes are more than twice that length, and can be moved at will in all directions! (In a high wind it might be a tad difficult, however…)

The wild grasslands of the Tari Gap provided a dramatic setting for some more PNG endemics.

The Astilbe is a familiar plant in our home landscaping, but here I found an especially pretty one in its true home:

The trails at Ambua included some cleverly constructed bamboo bridges. Not a single bit of cable, plastic or rope has been used in their construction, yet they are quite solid.
During our travels, we ran across some interesting modes of dress. This Huli Wigman, seen along the road in the Tari Valley, was not decked out in his colorful finest, as is most often seen in photos of tribal gatherings (“sing-sings”), but this is his real, everyday appearance and thus, his “everyday” wig, I suppose!

From Ambua our chartered plane delivered us to the western border lowlands at Kiunga. There was a thick layer of clouds as we approached the airport there. When we broke through them we could see nothing but trees standing in water, the river banks completely submerged as far as the eye could see. Torrential downpours just preceding our arrival had the Fly/Elevara Rivers well over their banks. Thus it developed that some excursions which would have resulted in muddy scrambles up the banks in other years became, for us, a boat-float instead. This is both a plus and a minus, as positioning everyone in 2 boats to peer through small windows of dense foliage at a glowing male King BOP and a Common Paradise-kingfisher takes considerable patience and maneuvering! Photos were out of the question, certainly for my little point-and-shoot, but the following web-sites will give you some proper looks at these two species:

King BOP

Paradise Kingfisher

Transport on the rivers, other than the barges heading to the coast laden with Ok Tedi Mine ores, is by dugout canoe.

Our group was divided between two outboard motor-driven aluminum boats.

At one point during our day on the Elevara River, we heard what seemed to be the sounds of an axe at work, only to discover that a huge, emergent tree, fortunately laden with vines, was slowly but surely snapping its roots and falling straight onto the lead boat, which had stopped, motor off, to observe something in the flooded forest. It was a slow motion nightmare, with the vines impeding the crash - the boatman was able to start the motor and gun it just in time, with the tree missing them by only about 2 feet! Those of us in the second boat were stunned, realizing that the others could have been lost but for their timely escape, and they, of course, were counting their nine lives minus one! It was very dramatic and could have been a disaster had it not been for the excellent skills of the boatman and the proper maintenance of the motor (by Sam, our fine local guide). Obviously the huge trees along the river banks had been destabilized by the floods. We were later told that falling limbs and trees are one of the biggest concerns of those who live and hunt in the forests. We also had a couple of small earthquakes while in the Kiunga area, just tremors, really, but they added a definite frisson to the proceedings.
While walking and birding on one of the local tracks, we ran across this man, carrying the usual bush knife, but also his bamboo bow and arrows. David Bishop, one of our VENT leaders, asked him (in Tok Pisin) to show us his handiwork, and he seemed quite proud to do so.

A few other encounters with generally very friendly local residents gave us some interesting contrasts in modes of dress. Undoubtedly most of what is worn here comes from church and other charitable organizations in the western world. Before calling the fashion police, it’s well to consider that without this apparel, which is clearly worn until it disintegrates, there would be little else to wear. In the lowlands this might not be much of a problem, but in the highlands it does get cold! Regardless, somehow they all seem to have managed before we came along… The man closest to the camera in the second picture has pig tails hanging from the front of his belt, pigs being one important measure of wealth here, while behind he has a fluffy bunch of grass or leaves. Around his neck are cassowary quills, which make stout, tidy circlets.

Tabubil is several hours drive N. of Kiunga, though the road is excellent (albeit unpaved) since it was built and is maintained by the powerful copper-mining company which also built the quite westernized town. An interesting stop at the shopping center there produced these Emerald Tree Boas which were resting in trees in the parking lot.

This lovely moth, about 5” across, appeared one morning outside our rooms at the Cloudlands Hotel in Tabubil.

The very rarely seen Shovel-billed Kingfisher was a definite highlight of our stay here. Again, no photos, despite lingering scope views of a perched bird, but here’s a web site to give you a look:

Shovel-billed Kingfisher

The Tabubil airport was reminiscent of a couple of those I saw in Micronesia:

The sign is in Tok Pisin as well as English. Tok Pisin serves as the lingua franca for PNG, and has some interesting phrases. The way to say Jesus, for instance, is “numba wan big pellah God”. Makes sense, doesn’t it?!
The final stop on our tour was Walindi Plantation, a very pretty, comfortable and well-run dive resort on the shores of Kimbe Bay, West New Britain.

This island province is PNG’s biggest exporter of timber and palm oil. The logging has made way for the endless palm oil plantations, which cover what once was prime lowland rainforest.

We enjoyed one day of birding and snorkeling at Restoffen Island, where I opted for maximum sunburn protection while enjoying the beautifully clear water.

One of the birding highlights here was the Melanesian Scrubfowl, a shy mound-nesting bird whose eggs are laid and incubated in a huge pile of soil, leaf litter and debris. Here in W. New Britain, the heat available from volcanic sources provides the necessary temperature for the eggs. The precocial chicks spring out of their nest-mounds completely ready to feed and fly. In fact, one was found near the main lodge at Walindi. Apparently confused by the lights, it had stunned itself on some obstacle during its night flight.

Air Niugini flights took us back to Port Moresby for a bit more birding at Varirata, and then back to Brisbane, S. Queensland, the ending point for our Victor Emanuel trip.

Though PNG proved to be the most difficult birding I’ve yet encountered, I truly enjoyed the challenges. While there is much left behind to come back for, I'm pleased with what I saw. Birds-of-Paradise (BOPs) did not disappoint, and yet, there are so many more special birds there, it's not just about them! The native people who guided us and with whom we came in contact were soft-spoken and friendly, and despite a lot of bad press, the trip proved to be safe and comfortable, with amazingly smooth transportation and accommodation logistics throughout. It was cool and fresh in the highlands, while the lowlands were wetter but still never a total day-long wash-out. All in all, we were quite lucky with the weather I think, as we missed some major rain. PNG is not a great place for mammals, they too have been seriously hunted of course, and there may never have been any real “mega-fauna”. It is clear that protein, or rather, lack thereof, is the driving force behind much of the subsistence farming/hunting. It is indeed a step back in time, centuries, in fact, though the villages are tidily cultivated, largely with sweet potatoes, which we often saw being knawed on, raw, at the roadside. As seems to be the case with most 3rd world (4th???) countries, there are lots of people just standing/sitting around, mostly by the roadsides (there are not many roads, however!) Life clearly moves at a different pace. Transportation is almost exclusively on foot. While the men are almost always seen carrying bush knives, the women are usually bowed under tremendous loads carried in their “belims” (string bags) which depend down the back from their foreheads, often with a baby on their shoulders too. The children seem happy and naked until about 5 or 6 years of age, and clearly enjoyed playing with the simplest of home-made “toys. Still, I’m glad I wasn't born a girl-child there!!!

While others (except for the two great Aussie couples in our group) contemplated impending long journeys home, Virginia and I were met by our friend and excellent birding guide, Susan Myers, who whisked us off up the hills to the comforts and delights of O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse, set in Lamington National Park. This end of our trip served to make the “sandwich” complete, with yet another range of habitats and elevations, and lots more special birds. It was delightful to return to the more open, drier forests in Australia, which eased the transition from the dense, damp rainforests of PNG. This lovely view was shot from an overlook on Duck Creek Road, below O’Reilly’s.

Many of the birds at O’Reilly’s have become well habituated to the guests and those on day-trips from Brisbane, who feed them daily, often by hand. Photographs of these birds were far easier to come by than those in most of PNG. The brilliant Crimson Rosellas were everywhere, even on our balconies!

The Regent Bowerbird male is a bit smaller and more shy, but still came to feed regularly on fruit peelings put out for all the birds.

This fat Wonga Pigeon foraging by the path paid no attention to us at all!

The Satin Bowerbird is especially common here, and his decorating preference is definitely blue!

This bower had next to no natural décor, but the male has made use of great use of the straws and bottle caps which are readily available. He displays and offers his buzzy calls in the middle of the structure, in hopes of attracting one of the many females.

While we were watching other birds from the elevated forest walkway, this male Australian King Parrot landed on Virginia’s head, looking for a hand-out, no doubt.

On trails through the forest we delighted in seeing Albert’s Lyrebird, one of only two Lyrebird species in the world.

Another forest denizen easily seen here is the Eastern Whipbird.

Thanks to Susan’s expertise and persistence, I was able to observe one of Australia’s most difficult species, the Rufous Scrub-bird. He’s a real skulker, amidst chest-high ferns and grasses, so no way I could get a photo, but I will dine out on the memory of this one as an Australian highlight.

One afternoon we almost walked right past this beautifully camouflaged 9’ Carpet Python, which was moving slowly as it was quite cool, and eventually quietly turned back to the forest from the path it had been contemplating.

One last bird from O’Reilly’s, a definite contender for favorite while there, is this little male Superb Fairy-wren.

For more years than I care to remember I’ve had two of my grandmother’s bird prints hanging in our bedroom. As my world-wide birding horizons expanded, I eventually came to learn that they were Fairy-wren species, found mainly in Australia. Here at last was one of those magical birds of which I had only dreamed for so very long!

Finally we said farewell to O’Reilly’s and zoomed down to Brisbane for connecting flights through Sydney and homeward. While Virginia headed to her home in California, I repeated my round-about itinerary with another lay-over in Singapore, and then on through Seoul, Tokyo (an unexpected interim stop) and Los Angeles, then at long last, to Atlanta. By the time I got there I really needed to crash, so after a solid 10 hours of sleep, a first installment on jet-lag adjustment, I was able to drive home the following day. Dear Bill and Ditto welcomed me with a huge bouquet of roses and wonderfully clean and tidy house. As always, my anchors to windward are what make these trips do-able!