Birding New Britain - April to May 2013

New Britain Boobook

Ninox odiosa

From Kavieng, New Ireland we took a direct flight to Kimbe (Hoskins) in New Britain. 

Crossing the coast, New Britain

We stayed at the Walindi Plantation Resort, which is about 45 minutes drive through oil palm plantations from the airfield. New Britain is relatively  "developed" compared to New Ireland, which is much more rustic .  New Britain is volcanically active and cone-shaped mountains are a feature of the landscape.

"Volcano, landscape, feature" (see above)

A brochure picked up at the British Bird Fair, a personal recommendation back in February 2013 and the knowledge that several bird tour companies base their "New Britain Extension" tours at Walindi made the place selection a "no-brainer".   

Walindi is well-established and well-run place with a main clientele of divers, who dive the usually clear waters of Kimbe Bay. When we arrived it was raining really hard and runoff from the land was clouding things a bit for most of our fellow guests. We saw a good variety of birds around the accommodation in the following few days, especially when the rain eased off.

New Britain Friarbird

Philemon cockerelli

New Britain Friarbird

Philemon cockerelli

Olive-backed Sunbird 

Cinnyris jugularis

Metallic Starling

Aplonis metallica

Blue-eyed Cockatoo

Cacatua ophthalmica

Blue-eyed Cockatoo

Cacatua ophthalmica

Bismarck Crow

Corvus insularis

Oriental Hobby

Falco severus

White-necked Coucal

Centropus ateralbus

Anyhow, having pre-booked and pre-paid our birding outings we were led out into the field by Walindi's specialist local bird guide, Joseph.  Access to original rainforest was usually through palm plantations, and on a couple of early excursions we found tracks through the plantations cut off by floodwaters.  The plantation areas themselves had birds such as Black Bitterns and Pacific Black Ducks.

Oil Palm "dates"

Collared Kingfisher

Todirhamphus chloris tristrami

Buff-banded Rail

Gallirallus philippensis meyeri

Pacific Black Duck

Ana superciliosa

Black Bittern

Dupetor flavicollis

Willie Wagtail

Rhipidura leucophrys

(Edited) - Common or Black Treesnake   Dendrelaphis punctulatus (Thanks to Jeff C.)

Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeons

Ducula r rubricera

Comb-crested Jacana

Irediparra gallinacea novaeguineae

We visited most of usual birding sites, including the Garu Wildlife Management area, and Kulu river. 

Violaceous Coucal

Centropus violates

We visited the Melanesian Megapode nesting areas and saw White-mantled Kingfishers nearby. 

Melanesian Megapode

Megapodius eremita

White-mantled Kingfisher

Todiramphus albonotatus

A bonus for us was the sight of a family of New Britain Boobooks at a day roost within the grounds of the resort.

New Britain Boobook

Ninox odiosa

New Britain Boobook

Ninox odiosa

New Britain Boobook

Ninox odiosa

Later we had a couple of mornings on a boat out in the bay.  There were quite a few terns on the water. 

Common Tern
Sterna hirundo

Common Tern
Sterna hirundo

Black Noddy

Anous minutus

We birded some of the small islands, where Nicobar Pigeons were a "tick" for us.  

Island Imperial-pigeon 

Ducula pistrinaria vanwyckii

Nicobar Pigeon 

Caloenas nicobarica

Nicobar Pigeon 

Caloenas nicobarica

A few more island birds......

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Haliaeetus leucogaster

Brahminy Kite 

Haliastur indus

Sclater's Myzomela

Myzomela sclateri

Bismarck Tube-nosed Bat

Nyctimene vizcaccia

Then we were able to do some snorkeling before returning.

And that was just about it.  We flew from Hoskins to Port Moresby, where my cunning plan to avoid spending the night in PNG's capital was thwarted by Air Niugini, who postponed our flight by 24 hours.

Birding New Ireland - April 2013 Part 2 Lelet Plateau

Long-tailed Myna 

Mino kreffti

After our success with the mannikins, Larry Clark (father of Shane) took us up to the Puroro Guest House in Limbin, where we stayed five nights.  

Puroro Guest House, Limbin, Lelet Plateau

Walking from the guesthouse every morning we covered part of the road that we had covered by vehicle from the coast a few days earlier. We sometimes met kids going to school in Limbin coming the other  way.

Typical plateau birds for us included Red-banded Flowerpecker, Bismarck White-eye, and Bismarck (Black) Imperial Pigeon,  White-bibbed Fruit Dove, and Red-chinned Lorikeet, among others.

Red-banded Flowerpecker

Dicaeum eximium layardorum

Red-banded Flowerpecker

Dicaeum eximium layardorum

Bismarck White-eye

Zosterops hypoxanthus

Bismarck Imperial-Pigeon

Ducula melanochroa

Pied Cuckoo-Dove

Reinwardtoena browni browni

White-bibbed Fruit-Dove

Ptilinopus rivoli rivoli

Knob-billed Fruit-Dove

Ptilinopus insolitus insolitus

Singing Parrot 

Geoffroyus heteroclitus heteroclitus

As on the coast, Long-tailed Mynahs were quite common.

Long-tailed Myna 

Mino kreffti

Lelet is of ornithological interest as the site where in 1962 Ernst Mayr shot a specimen of what is now known as Mayr's Swiftlet.  This and one specimen shot in the Solomon Islands are the only specimens of this enigmatic species.  The Swiftlet remained something of a mystery to to us, too.  We dutifully took lots of digital photos of swiftlets, but sorting out just which might be Mayr's (mainly among Uniform Swftlets) proved difficult.

We saw New Ireland Friarbird once, and Papuan Mountain Pigeons twice.

Papuan Mountain  Pigeon (right)

Gymnophaps  albertisii albertisii

It seemed to rain at about midday everyday, but we still got several hours birding each day. The birds everywhere were quite shy, probably due to boys with catapults.  

Everyone turns out in their "Sunday Best" for church and Sunday School. 

Limbin Church, Lelet Plateau

"Subsistence" farming, Lelet Plateauu

Collared Kingfisher

Todirhamphus chloris nusae

Moustached Treeswift

Hemiprocne mystacea

Moustached Treeswift

Hemiprocne mystacea

It was difficult to get close photos of anything in the open, but here are a few shots from inside the guesthouse living room. These photo opportunities were my excuse for lounging around.

Black Sunbird

Leptocoma a. corinna

(endemic to New Ireland) 

Black Sunbird

Leptocoma a. corinna

Red Myzomela

Myzomela cruentata erthrina

Red Myzomela

Myzomela cruentata erthrina

Variable Goshawk

Accipiter hiogaster lavongai

Collared Kingfisher

Todirhamphus chloris nusae

Oriental Cuckoo

Cuculus optatus

Varied Triller

Lalage leucomela falsa

White-necked Coucals were quite common.

White-necked Coucal

Centropus ateralbus

White-necked Coucal

Centropus ateralbus

Few vehicles come and go from Lelet, but after five nights at Limbin we got a lift to Dalom Guesthouse on the coast. On a vehicle LIKE this, but not this one, it was too full !

Dalom's position is idyllic, set beneath palm trees with a clear stream running into the ocean. We photographed yet more swiftlets - mostly Uniform - drinking the stream water as it flowed into the sea.  Few scenic spots in creation could be finer to do that kind of thing.

Dalom Guesthouse, New Ireland

Dalom Guesthouse, New Ireland

Mmmmm- a locally-sourced salad

For a rustic idyll, it was not cheap... but the money was going to a good cause, all our hosts' grandchildren had surfboards !

We got a PMV back to Kavieng the following day, where we stayed at the Malagan Beach Resort, with views of the sea.  

"Public Motor Vehicle"

At a PMV station, Jemi's instant-print camera is about to be a big hit

A last hurrah for New Ireland was the sight of Hunstein's Mannikins photographed as we waited - and waited - for our flight to New Britain. Here's a shot taken from the airport waiting room - three or four birds were in the grass outside. We really liked New Ireland !

Hunstein's Mannikin

Lonchura h. hunsteini