Huon astrapia

Later discovered that JH had walked all the way back to the Mission. Similar routine as yesterday except that the vehicle picked up JH and AJ at Rossun then returned to collect us, before driving to Temote’s house in Pokun village. A calling Boobook was spotted at the edge of the forest and gave good views in torchlight. Walked in pretty quickly, AJ whooping loudly, to the area where we had stopped yesterday.

• The YUS Conservation Area engages local communities in forest and tree kangaroo conservation.
• We walked a little further and began the whooping again when suddenly the bird appeared above us vibrant red, blue and black calling loudly.
• Tour groups tend to go to Sebutuia Bay on West Fergusson Is as there is a more easily seen population of Goldie’s of about 10 birds at sea level only 20 minutes easy walk from the beach.
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• Dropped off by the now friendly Satop villagers and headed back to the Mission.
• It takes around 5–6 years to reach full adult plumage, like its congeners.

It takes around 5–6 years to reach full adult plumage, like its congeners. We ate lunch on the road and while the others wandered off in search of new species we walked back down to the trail where we had seen the first Parotia the previous day. No sign of the bird but good fly-by views of Pesquet’s Parrot. Left JH by the trail, camera poised and walked back up the road to give the Parotia one more try. Down at the hide we were rewarded with stunning views of the bird on the ground clearing its display court of leaf litter, with iridescent breast-shield, orange nose bump and swirling plumes clearly visible without bins. The bird appeared to be gearing itself up to display but, possibly lacking the stimulus of a female audience, suddenly gave up and disappeared.

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We admired the view of the forest and its little villages dotted around and then began to walk back down the road. We hadn’t gone too far when we encountered a flock including Yellowish-streaked, Rufous-backed and Black-throated Honeyeaters together with the much wanted Spotted Berrypecker and Mottled Whistler. Spotted Berrypecker seemed fairly common with 10+ birds seen and we even found an active nest in a roadside tree. No time to hang around so we immediately began the walk with Mombi to the village of Welawa at an elevation of 250m as we needed to get there before dark to see the Goldies BoP which allegedly hung around trees at the village in the late afternoon. A fairly stiff walk then followed with brief views of Curl-crested Manucode, endemic to the islands here, before we arrived around 17.00 at Welawa, a village of 3-4 basic huts surrounded by vegetable gardens.

There are 81 mammal species in this ecoregion, including six species that are endemic or near endemic. The Huon tree-kangaroo is restricted to the peninsula forests at higher elevations. The endangered Papuan long-beaked echidna is resident, as well. Huon Astrapia is another bird of paradise only found in the isolated mountain ranges of the Huon Peninsula.

The rain persisted and grew heavier so around 13.00 we descended the by now treacherous trail – JH slipping into the river – finally reaching the house by the road where we again sheltered under the eaves. Paid the guide half of what he asked for and began to walk up the road to the village. Fortune favoured us as a vehicle stopped to pick up which saved our legs but left us soaked through by the time we arrived at the Mission. The rain continued unabated the entire afternoon and was still pouring as we went to bed. Returning to the car park we scanned the trees around the open area and saw Zoe Imperial-Pigeon and the uncommon Coroneted Fruit-Dove.

Wahnes’s parotia is endemic to the Huon and nearby Adelbert Mountains. The Finisterre Range, covering a third of the ecoregion, is home to more mainland endemic species of warm-blooded vertebrates than any similar-sized area in Papua New Guinea. We slept better than anticipated even although it became quite chilly in the night, and arose at 05.30 having foregone the opportunity to look for the owls calling an hour earlier. We packed our gear and as dawn broke wandered to the edge of the forest where the Goldie’s were calling.

It has a very limited range, confined to the mid-mountains of the Huon Peninsula. This unique bird of paradise has an incredible upside-down hanging courtship display. Paid Anton 300 kina including a small tip which he accepted with bad grace and in many ways we were happy to depart his dubious company. Back at the hotel, JH went round to Grace & Ken’s who kindly agreed to allow us the use of their boat the following morning. We had JH for company now, having given up village living for the relative comforts and cold beer of the hotel. Tour groups tend to go to Sebutuia Bay on West Fergusson Is as there is a more easily seen population of Goldie’s of about 10 birds at sea level only 20 minutes easy walk from the beach.

Donning our waterproofs we set off and once clear of Sewa Bay the water in the channel was running fast with 3 foot swells, not much when you are standing on the shore but pretty impressive in a boat only 3foot above the water in the open sea. Many fewer birds on the crossing although the palish grey mantle and wings of a party of 5 black-capped terns that flew across the bows were very suggestive of Grey-backed Tern rather than Bridled Tern. In the early afternoon we walked down the road seeing Mountain Peltops, Ornate Fruit-Dove and Pink-spotted Fruit-Dove , White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike, Pygmy Honeyeater and an immature/female Emperor BOP and Riflebird. The rain began in earnest and soon was pouring down in torrents as we sheltered under the eaves of a building at the side of the road along with school children and villagers who giggled a lot at our presence.

Lastly, what is called a post-copulatory tumble occurs, where, after mating, the male and female tumble towards the ground, entangled together while doing dramatic twisting and flapping, an unusual behavior even for the eccentric Paradisaeidae family. Nesting occurs from October–November; its nest is a firm, shallow cup made up of vines, dirt, rootlets, and roots, atop a foundation of broad leaves and moss, all constructed solely by the female. She lays a single, pinkish, blotched egg with fine streaks of lavender-greyish. Incubation unknown, though the nestling period is up to 27 days, with all parental duties tended to by the female only.

The YUS Conservation Area engages local communities in forest and tree kangaroo conservation. Forests continue to be lost at the lower elevations adjacent to largely cleared lowlands and helicopter logging contributes to degradation. Hunting of tree kangaroo and echidna can diminish vulnerable populations over time. This is an account of the trip undertaken immediately before my budget tour of PNG that followed the “standard” itinerary see surfbirds. I had been to Manus in 1999 but not to the Huon Peninsula or D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago which held the last of the PNG birds-of-paradise I needed .

AJ lectured us on standing still and not making any silly mistakes like yesterday when, according to him, our minimal movement had scared off the bird – no comment! More whooping elicited a distant response, then it was heard closer at which point AJ hared off down the track hooting even more loudly but the bird came no closer. We walked a little further and began the whooping again when suddenly the bird appeared above us vibrant red, blue and black calling loudly.

This portion of New Guinea is a very active tectonic area with a complex geologic history. The surface geology of this ecoregion is a combination of Miocene siltstone, conglomerate, volcanics, and limestone. The Finisterre Range in particular consists of one steep ridge of limestone.

Another cramped hide meant that White-eared Catbird was only seen by some along with Papuan Drongo and Dwarf Whistler, but although we could hear the Magnificent BoP calling there was no sign of it coming to the display court. Around 09.00 we emerged to walk the trail, seeing Hooded Pitohui and Crinkle-collared Manucode feeding in a huge tree and further along the trail 4-5White-rumped Robin put on a surprisingly good show. Following a slightly thicker porridge and raisin breakfast we headed back up to Satop, picked up the guides, drove up the valley and then walked a rough trail down to a hide that had been built adjacent to the display court of a Wahnes’ Parotia. Superb Bird of Paradise was briefly see on the walk in but on a chilly morning our uncomfortable 90 min wait in the cramped hide gave only brief views of the Parotia – we also heard an invisible Lesser Melampitta calling close to the hide. We climbed back out the valley to the road and walked a little way before taking another trail that led upward into dense closed forest. Regent Whistler and Huon Astrapia were seen on the way and once on the trail Grey-streaked Honeyeater, Mountain Leaf Warbler, Yellow-billed Lorikeet were found as was a perched Long-tailed Buzzard which soon flew off.

The Huon astrapia is considered as Least Concern, though as poorly-known as it is, it almost comes in into the Data-Deficient category. It is not routinely hunted, though the skins and tail feathers of the males are important cultural items for the people of Nokopo. The Huon astrapia , also known as Rothschild’s astrapia, Huon bird-of-paradise, or Lord Rothschild’s bird-of-paradise, is a species of bird-of-paradise belonging to the genus Astrapia. Except for some forest loss along the southern part, habitat modification of the narrow coastal shelf, and the Buweng Timber Rights Purchase , most of the ecoregion’s natural habitat is intact, especially the Huon Highlands. Two proposed large protected areas (Finisterre and Mt. Bangeta) cover about 18% of the ecoregion area, but recent protected area assessments suggest their boundaries, gazettement, and management are presently unconfirmed.

A common species in its limited habitat range, the Huon astrapia is evaluated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Welcome to BirdForum, the internet’s largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it. All PNG images can be used for personal use unless stated otherwise. The above preview shows how to use the live preview on this website. The image displayed is just an example, and is not available for sale.

After some debate we decided to take DW as intermediary, costly but it was to prove well worth it. At 09.40 we began walking the Circuit Trail, seeing Dwarf Whistler and Sooty Thicket-Fantail. Semirubra it is necessary to charter a boat to Tong Island outside the coral reef near Lorengau.

Parrot On Tree Branch – Arfak Mountains Arfak Astrapia Bird Ribbon-tailed Astrapia Huon Astrapia PNG

” Over the next hour or so we had great views of the bird perched in the trees and were able to take some photos. We then ambled slowly out the forest seeing Variable Dwarf Kingfisher, Meek’s Pygmy-Parrot, Golden Whistler, Pied Monarch, Shining Flycatcher and Northern Fantail. We paid Temote, who is a really nice guy, 250kina and soon reached the road where the hotel vehicle was waiting.

This little-known astrapia is a medium-sized bird-of-paradise species, excluding the tail. The males reach up to around 69 cm long and weighs up to 205g, including the tail, while the smaller female is around 47 cm (18.5 in) long and weighs slightly less at 200g. It takes around 5-6 years to reach full adult plumage, like its congeners.

Met up with Augustus, the park ranger/guide who soon took us to daytime roosts of Marbled Frogmouth and Barred Owlet-Nightjar which was great – we probably also disturbed a roosting Barking Owl which flew off without anyone getting a good view. Back at the clearing Boyer’s Cuckoo-Shrike, Black Myzomela and Green-backed Gerygone were seen but a calling Painted Quail-thrush could not be located. The male has black plumage with a glossy blue crown, dark olive-green back, an iridescent purple-green elongated nape feathers, and a very long and broad purplish black tail. The female is smaller than male, and has blackish-brown plumage with pale barring on its abdomen. Concerned by the rising wind and somewhat behind schedule we pressed on, arriving at Sadowai around 10.00, immediately noting the choppy water in the sheltered bay. Captain Raymond was waiting and told us that the proposed trip to Duchess Island for Nicobar Pigeon and Louisade White-eye was off as we would need all our time and fuel to get back to East Cape.

Checked out and picked up JH from his hotel, arriving at the airport in good time for the flight. Just as well we did as the flight in a small Dash 8 proved to be overbooked and several very irritated people were told they would have to wait for a later flight. Arriving back in POM we checked into the Granville where lack of electricity in our standard room meant a free upgrade to an “Executive” room. Didn’t make much odds if you dislike cockroaches – they occur in both!! Spent an hour at the Datec internet place, recently upgraded to broadband, a first for JH in PNG, then back to the Granville while JH went to the airport to pick up the first two of the other 4 participants for the main tour.

Continuing down the road we encountered Brehm’s Tiger Parrot, Tit Berrypecker and following a quick lunch on the road at 13.15 added Brown Falcon, Mountain Kingfisher, Mid-mountain Berrypecker, Brown-breasted Gerygone and Brown-backed Whistler. With some difficultly we finally saw another of the Huon endemics, the vocal but elusive Cinnamon-browed Melidectes. Around 15.30 the truck picked us up and we made our way down to Satop, somewhat painfully for those sitting over the wheel arches of the vehicle as it bumped along the rough road. The day’s only disappointment was a stop at the beer shop where we found the beer was “finished”. Dropped off by the now friendly Satop villagers and headed back to the Mission. As it was still bright and sunny we continued further down the valley but activity was low so we soon returned to the mission to relax with a cup of coffee at the end of a very successful day.

Met Grace & Ken at the jetty and the small boat was soon whizzing across the bay to Kandriu Island . On arrival met by the local head man Jack Daniels who immediately showed us Yellow-bibbed Fruit-Dove sitting low in a tree by his house. Spent the next couple of hours walking round the island with an ever increasing gaggle of kids, seeing Spice Imperial Pigeon, McKinlay’s Cuckoo-Dove, Island Monarch, Bismarck Black Myzomela, Melanesian Scrubfowl and Beach Kingfisher among others. Returned to the main island late morning and idled the afternoon away, latterly on Ken & Grace’s super slow e-mail. As heavy rain had begun, we walked back to the edge of the trail leading from the forest, took some shelter as best we could and ate lunch.

Thanks to DH, GW finally saw Orange-crowned Fairy-wren – seen by MW in Irian Jaya 16 years earlier. Walked the road which was somewhat quiet so at 11.45 descended once more to the Parotia hide where the bird showed briefly on the ground but did not display. As we drove higher we all noticed a black blob sitting high in a tree on the ridge which, when scoped, proved to be a male Wahnes’ Parotia, our first bird and surely one of the key endemics of the Huon. A female Wahnes’ Parotia was also noted in the tree and further on male and female Huon Astrapia were well seen together with the stunning Spangled Honeyeater and 4 Pesquet’s Parrots, and it was not yet 07.30! As the vehicle climbed slowly up the road to the top of the ridge, Blue-grey Robin was seen and Ashy Robin heard and at 09.00 the truck reached the viewpoint at 1900 metres.

Facts About Huon astrapia

Plenty of Eclectus and Eastern Black-capped Lories but no BoPs – finally we did hear some although seeing them proved virtually impossible due to the horrible overgrown rocky terrain and the fact that the birds were in high dense canopy. It was a real struggle and none of us had a decent view before dusk brought activities to an end. Leaving DH in the forest the others headed down the trail to an open area, where we took a short break before returning the hide. The bird seemed closer, calling just above our heads but nothing could be seen until for just a couple of seconds it blazed in, iridescent green, burnished gold and mahogany brown, perched on the display pole and just as quickly shot back into cover. Meantime DH had a big flock of mainly monarchs and fantails plus a Long-billed Honeyeater. Long lie for us and casual breakfast, JH returning at 09.45 from his morning walk and hitch to Rossun and back.

Same scenario as the previous evening, stumbling around uncomfortably inside the forest proved useless and we eventually came out to the edge where 3 or 4 Goldies including full males seen well. Blyth’s Hornbill, Channel-billed Cuckoo and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo were also added. Fried sweet potato and tea for breakfast, during which JH saw a Cinnamon Ground Dove fly through the clearing. We left at 07.15 and during the descent saw the highly localised Curl-crested Manucode showed well and lower down a small flock included Spot-winged and Black-faced Monarchs, Large-billed Gerygone and Grey Whistler. This agreed, by late afternoon they produced the first bird at 6 pm with great daytime views of a calling Manus Hawk-Owl. Departed Rossun leaving JH in his 50 kina accommodation after declining a large meal of chicken, fish, taro, greens and rice from AJ’s sensible wife Susan.

The ecoregion’s land area is provided in units of 1,000 hectares. The protection goal is the Global Safety Net area for the given ecoregion. The protection level indicates the percentage of the GSN goal that is currently protected on a scale of 0-10.

The rain would not let up so we endured a miserable walk back to the Mission. The ladies produced dinner using our supplies plus local rice and vegetables. We talked a lot about how to handle things tomorrow but it was really DW’s play and he seemed to want to target the local dissenters, have a strong talk with them and then pay them to act as guides. Breeding behavior is relatively vaguely known, though thanks to Tim Laman and Edwin Scholes’ observations, their behavior better understood. During courtship displays, the males start with a series of short hops between branches, which is known as perch-hopping. During this display, the male adjusts his position to suit the eye of the observing female constantly.