Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxana at Moitaka Settling Ponds

A single Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxana was seen at Moitaka Settling Ponds (National Capital District) at 07:15 on 30 March 1988. The most notable feature was its elongated outer tail feathers, which made it appear more slender than the Pacific Swallows H. tahitica available for comparison. Its plumage was very similar to the Pacific Swallows': dark blue-black above, greyish below with a rich rufous throat and upper breast. The long tail streamers and rich colour of the throat indicated this bird was an adult, as immatures have short tails and duller plumage (Pizzey 1980). A swallow with tail streamers, that had been glimpsed but not identified, at the settling ponds on 24 March 1988, is now assumed to have been this Welcome Swallow. The other two possible options are Barn Swallow H. rustica and Red-rumped Swallow H. daurica, both northern winter visitors to PNG (Beehler et al 1986). It was not considered to be either of these species as it lacked the dark breast band and white underparts of Barn Swallow and did not have the pale or rufous rump and collar of Red-rumped Swallow. We are familiar with all three species.

The Welcome Swallow is endemic to Australia, although some authorities consider it conspecific with the Pacific Swallow (Howard & Moore 1984). It is a partial migrant; some southern breeders desert their nesting areas in the austral winter and move north. It is self-introduced to New Zealand (Pizzey 1980). The first record in PNG was of a single bird associating with Barn Swallows and Tree Martins H. nigricans at Aroa Lagoon, Central Province, in November 1980 (Finch 1980). The second record was of two birds, an adult and an immature at Hisiu Lagoon, Central Province, in October 1984 (Finch 1984). Hence, this is only the third record for PNG and the entire New Guinea region.

Beehler, B.M., T.K. Pratt & D.A. Zimmerman. 1986. Birds of New Guinea. Princeton University Press.
Finch, B.W. 1980. PNGBS Newsletter 173-74: 4-5.
Finch, B.W. 1884. PNGBS Newsletter 212: 4-5.
Howard, R & A. Moore. 1984. A Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Papermac.
Pizzey, G. 1980. A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Collins. Sydney.

Originally published in MURUK 4(3):110 co-authored with Richard Gregory-Smith

Myola in December

The heat and humidity of pre-wet season Port Moresby was gladly swapped for the cooler, fresher air of Myola at 2080m in the Owen Stanley Mountains. We landed at Myola shortly after 07:00 on 4 December 1987. The birding began almost immediately with small parties of Goldie’s Lorikeets flying overhead as they left their roost in the crowns of nearby Pandanus trees. Glossy Swiftlets and Tawny Grassbirds were soon added to the list, all these birds new for Phil who had recently arrived from England for a bird-watching holiday.

Following the welcoming breakfast, the bird-watchers and bush-walkers went their separate ways. The walkers stretched their legs in the direction of the crashed WW2 aircraft while the birders set mist nets in the forest to the east of the village using the same sites as in September 1987. The first birds, a pair of Orange-bellied Fairy-Wrens, were in the net before we had even finished putting it up. Once up, the nets were left for a while and we bird-watched in the moss forest seeing female Stephanie’s Astrapia feeding in the canopy and a Papuan Treecreeper spiralling up tree trunks. We had caught several birds when we made our first round of the nets including three Olive Straightbills, two of which we had ringed the previous September, and a Tawny Grassbird.

Shortly after lunch it began raining and we were treated to heavy showers through the afternoon. This was the pattern throughout our stay with clear mornings and wet afternoons. This reduced our bird-watching and bird-catching time. The mist nets were furled during the heaviest rain and checked often while there were only light showers. Despite the rain we managed to see some good birds. Phil caught up with the elusive Spotted Jewel-Babbler, often heard but seldom seen, while Barry and Lynda glimpsed a Lesser Ground Robin.

On Saturday the bush-walkers made a bog-stomp towards the Kokoda trail as low cloud had deterred them from trying to reach the tree fern forest. This was a wise choice because the rain came early. En route Peter saw a Lesser Melampitta hopping along the trail. The birders stayed around the village seeing ashy Robin, Regent Whistler and Grey Wagtail and catching Large Scrub-Wren and Rufous-backed Honeyeater. A male Mottled Whistler, not previously recorded from Myola, was also caught.

On Sunday the bush walkers, accompanied by Phil, set off early in the hope of reaching the tree fern valley before the rain started. This they managed even seeing Papuan Lorikeet and Painted Tiger-Parrot on the way but they were soaked by the time they returned to the village. Meanwhile, the nets had been going up and down regularly between the showers and catching a few good birds. The star of the weekend was the very last bird caught, a male Garnet Robin.

Once again we would like to thank the villagers of Myola for their hospitality, Pacific Expeditions through whom we organised the weekend and Talair.

People List: bird-watchers: Roger & Jenny Hicks (+1/2), Barry & Lynda Hopkins and Phil Whittington; bush-walkers: Veronique Badoux, Dave Briggs, Peter & Andrea Storer.

Species List:r = ringed,, h = heard only
New Guinea Harpy-Eagle (h), King Quail, Forbes’ Forest Rail, Black-billed Cuckoo-Dove, White-breasted Fruit-Dove, Goldie’s Lorikeet, Papuan Lorikeet, Painted Tiger Parrot, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Sooty Owl (h), Mountain Swiftlet, Glossy Swiftlet, Pacific Swallow, Pied Chat, Lesser Ground Robin, Island Thrush, Spotted Jewel-Babbler, Lesser Melampitta, Blue-capped Ifrita, Orange-crowned Fairy-wren (r) Tawny Grassbird (r), Mountain Mouse-Warbler, Large Scrub-Wren (r), Buff-faced Scrub-Wren, Papuan Scrub-Wren (r), New Guinea Thornbill, Brown-breasted Gerygone, Dimorphic Fantail, Black Fantail (r), Friendly Fantail, Black Monarch (h), Black-breasted Boatbill, Canary Flycatcher, Garnet Robin (r), Ashy Robin (r), Mottled Whistler (r), Regent Whistler (r), Rufous-naped Whistler (r), Papuan Treecreeper, Fan-tailed Berrypecker (r), Olive Straightbill (r), Rufous-backed Honeyeater (r), Belford’s Melidectes, Common Smoky Honeyeater (r), Grey-headed Mannikin, Loria’s Bird of Paradise, Stephanie’s Astrapia.

First published in Muruk 3(2): 67-68

White Pygmy Goose - new for the Port Moresby Area

On 22 November 1987, at 14:30, a female White Pygmy-Goose Nettapus coromandelianus was observed at Aroa Lagoon, Central Province, c.100 km north-west of Port Moresby. The following description is from notes taken at the time: At first the bird was swimming in a channel of open water, between dense beds of water weed less than 50m from the shore. It was similar in size to Green Pygmy-Goose N.pulchellus which were present in large numbers, but smaller than Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa. It had a black bill, a dark crown, and a dark smudge about the eye. No obvious white supercilium was noted. The rest of the head, neck, breast and flanks were bright white. It was a much ‘cleaner’ looking bird than expeted from the illustration in Beehler et al (1986) so that we considered at first it was a male in eclipse. After five minutes it flew to another channel further out in the lagoon and was eventually lost to sight. In flight the back and wings appeared grey with a narrow white bar across the tips of the secondaries. The bird was therefore identified as a female.

There are no previous published records of this species in southern PNG (Coates 1985, Beehler et al 1986). The Asian subspecies N.c. coromandelianusis resident in the Sepik basin of nort-western PNG and Lake Kandeep in the Central Highlands (Beehler et al, 1986). The Australian subspecies N.c. albipennis is resident in north-east Australia (Slater et al, 1986) although “it can be expected to occur as a vagrant in southern New Guinea (Beehler et al, 1986).

The origins of the bird at Aroa are not clear. Illustrations of the female of the Asian subspecies (Beehler et al, 1986, King et al, 1984) show a dusky looking bird wile illustrations of the Australian subspecies (Slater et al, 1986, Simpson & Day 1984) show a much whiter appearance. The bird at Aroa appeared most similar to the illustrations of the Australian subspecies. Unfortunately, none of the field guides consulted deal with both subspecies and the written accounts in the above four field guides and in others (Coates 1985; Pizzey 1983; Macdonald 1973; Rand & Gilliard 1967) are very similar although describing different subspecies.

Beehler, B.M, T.K.Pratt & D.A.Zimmerman. 1986. Birds of New Guinea. Princeton University Press.
Coates, B.J. 1985. Birds of Papua New Guinea, Volume 1. Dove.
King, B., M. Woodcock, E.C.Dickinson. 1984. A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia. Collins.
MacDonald, D. 1973. Birds of Australia. Reed.
Pizzey, G. 1983. A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Collins.
Rand, A.L. & E.T. Gilliard. 1967. Handbook of New Guinea Birds. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Simpson, K. & N.Day. 1984. The Birds of Australia. Lloyd O’Neill
Slater, P., P.Slater & R.Slater. 1986. The Slater Guide to Australian Birds. Rigby.

Originally published in Muruk 3(1): 5, co-authored with Chris Eastwood and Will Glynn.

Food Plants of Female Fan-tailed Berrypecker

During a brief stay at Ambua Lodge, Tari (Southern Highlands Province) in November 1987, female Fan-tailed Berrypeckers Melanocharis versteri were observed feeding on the fruits of three different plants. No male Fan-tailed Berrypeckers were seen feeding. Samples of each plant were collected and subsequently identified by Lawong Balun. They were Planchonella sp (Sapotaceae), Rubus cf. ferdinandi-muelleri Focke (Rosaceae) and Pipturus argenteus Willd (Urticaceae). The fruit of each plant was ingested whole by the birds., the largest fruit being that of R.ferdinandi-muelleri which measured c.7mm x 5mm.

Voucher specimens at UPNG are: Planchonella Hicks & Hicks #8, Rubus #9 Pipturus #10.

Feeding Observations of Short-tailed Paradigalla

Between 9 and 12 October 1987 Short-tailed Paradigalla Paradigalla brevicauda were regularly recorded in the grounds of Ambua Lodge, Tari, Southern Highlands Province, at c.2200m. Most observations were of two birds, presumed to be an adult and juvenile. The adult had creamy-yellow forehead wattles and pale blue gape wattles as depicted by Beehler et al (1986). The juvenile lacked blue gape wattles while its forehead wattles were as large as those of the adult. It was seen to solicit food, in the form of whole fruit, from the adult on three occasions. Each time the juvenile adopted a begging posture with its head held low, neck stretched towards the adult and wings held slightly away from the body and quivering. We could discern no calls associated with the begging.

The adult was observed feeding on the fruit from two Planchonella (Sapotaceae) trees on three occasions. The fleshy berries of these trees were c.10mm in diameter and grey singly on short stalks among the leaves. They usually contained two smooth, elongated seeds. The adult moved through the tree taking only ripe black fruit, leaving hard, green unripe fruit. The whole fruit was ingested. The juvenile was present each time, but it was not seen to take any fruit other than those offered to it by the adult.

At 15:30 on 9 October the juvenile was seen feeding on its own, in a non-fruiting tree. It probed hoes in the branches using its relatively long, decurved bill and took at least one grub. It then pulled dead leaves from the branches, worried at the leaves and seemed to pull further grubs from them, The dead leaves were too high for us to examine them other than through binoculars. When the adult, carrying a Planchonella fruit, landed in the tree, the juvenile stopped its own search for food and begged for the fruit which it received.

At 06:30 on 12 October the adult and juvenile were seen in a species of Sericolea, possibly S.pullei (Laut.) Schltr. (Elaeocarpaceae). This tree was c.6m high and stood in the lodge grounds on the edge of moss forest. The adult was feeding on the small (2 x 1mm) red fruits which are produced singly on short, (1.5cm), thin peduncles amonst the leaves. The juvenile followed the adult through the tree but did not attempt to feed and did not beg to be fed.

At 17:00 on 9 November, also in the grounds of Ambua Lodge, two birds (assumed to be the same ones seen in October) were observed feeding on the berries of a Perrotetia alpestris (Bl.) Loess sp moluccana (Bl.) Hou (Celestraceaea) tree. This tree was c.20m tall.The fruits were small (c.1mm x 0.5mm) and were black when ripe. Fruits were borne singly on short green stems, several of which grew alternately from a more major stem. Although the juvenile was feeding itself, it still followed the adult and was seen to beg for food. A begging call, an often repeated, faint high-pitched squeak was heard.

Voucher specimens at UPNG are: Planchonella, Hicks & Hicks #5; Sericolea #6’ Perrotetia #7. We would like to thank Paul Katik, Lawong Balun and Helen Fortune Hopkins for identifying the food plants.

Beehler, B.M, T.K.Pratt & D.A.Zimmerman. 1986. Birds of New Guinea. Princeton University Press.

First published in Muruk 3(1): 14, co-authored with Jenny H. Hicks.

Beyond Myola

Early on 16 October 1987 I was again on my way to Myola, only three weeks after my last visit. Then, Mike Hopkins had reached 3150m to the east of the village. Such was his enthusiasm for this high altitude forest that he had organised this trip in order to return as soon as possible. This time I, and five others, were going to accompany him. We arrived in Myola before 07:00 to be greeted by the now traditional coffee and toast. After breakfast, porters were hired to carry our bags to a campsite selected by Mike on his previous visit. We set off at about 08:30 on the first stage of our trek. The path climbed steeply most of the way and it took us about 4 hours to reach the tree fern forest at 2800m (700m higher than Myola). Towards the top of the ridge some flowering trees were attracting a variety of lorikeets including Papuan, Little Red, Yellow-billed and Plum-faced. Nearby, and moving with contrasting slowness, we saw a male Brehm’s Tiger-Parrot. The hunting trail we were following continued beyond the weird scenery of the tree fern forest but still climbed just as steeply. Orange-billed Lorikeets replaced Yellow-billed but there was much less bird activity during the afternoon or maybe I was just getting to tired to notice. Mike, Peter and Burk pushed on ahead and by the time Bill and I reached the grassland where Mike intended us to camp, they had already set up the tents. Our campsite was on a slight rise in the grassland, at 3150m. Alpine Pipits were common flying from the grass to perch on tree ferns while Island Thrushes and white-winged Robins were to be seen at the forest edge.

As the sun sank, the temperature dropped rapidly and we all opted for the warmth of our sleeping bags. When I woke there was ice on the tent and until the sun climbed above the surrounding peaks it was chilly. A pair of Eastern Alpine Mannikin and a small party of Mountain Firetails, which drew our attention by their mewing calls, were seen at the grassland edge near the camp. Belford’s Melidectes and Crested Berrypecker were common in the forest. After breakfast, and a stand in the sun to warm up, Mike and Peter set of in an attempt to reach the summit of Mount Kenevi (3400m) while Helen and I went in search of birds in the forest nearer the campsite. Three Greater Ground Robins, intent on a dispute of their own, stopped less than 2m from us. Upon realising we were there, one flew for about 2m, never more than 10cm from the ground. This may be the first time this species has been recorded flying. Before returning to the camp for lunch we added Lesser Melampitta and Blue-capped Ifrita to our list. For the latter this c.300m above the extreme upper limit given in Beehler et al (1986). After lunch we ventured to another part of the forest seeing a male Painted Tiger-Parrot climbing moss covered branches, a very cryptic Rufous Woodcock foraging amongst leaf litter and a flock of c.20 New Guine Thornbills flitting through the canopy. Chris went in search of the ground robins and dipped, but did see a male Crested Bird of Paradise. Some consolation! Mike and Peter returned having not quite made it to the top of Mt Kenevi but they did see Mountain Robin, a species that eluded the rest of us. We spent the evening chatting around the camp-fire while watching UFOs glide across the milky way. By the time we turned in there was a hard covering of ice on the tents.

After an early morning birding session around the camp that produced nothing new, we packed the tents and headed back to Myola. Walking up had been hard work but going down was painful and although I was rewarded with a good look at a male Garnet Robin, shining in the sun, I was very pleased to wander into Myola at 16:00. A restful evening in the Myola guest house, with dinner cooked for us, was a nice way to round off the weekend.

As always our thanks to Talair, Pacific Expeditions and, especially the people of Myola. Thanks also to Mike for organising the venture. I enjoyed it and despite the distance walked, the lack of oxygen, the intense midday sun and freezing conditions at night; I think everyone else did too. Isn’t that right Chris? Bill?

People List: Bill Cooper, Chris Eastwood, Roger Hicks, Mike & Helen Hopkins. Peter Lambley and Burk Sharpless.

Species List: Brown Goshawk, Rufous Woodcock, White-breasted Fruit-Dove, Papuan Mountain Pigeon, Goldie’s Lorikeet, Little Red Lorikeet, Papuan Lorikeet, Yellow-billed Lorikeet, Plum-faced Lorikeet, Orange-billed Lorikeet, Brehm’s Tiger Parrot, Mountain Swiftlet, Glossy Swiftlet, Alpine Pipit, Greater Ground Thrush, Island Thrush, Spotted Jewel-Babbler, Lesser Melampitta, Blue-capped Ifrita, Tawny Grassbird, Mountain Mouse-Warbler, Large Scrub-Wren, Buff-faced Scrub-Wren, Papuan Scrub-Wren, New Guinea Thornbill, Dimorphic Fantail, Black Fantail, Friendly Fantail, Black-breasted Boatbill, Canary Flycatcher, Garnet Robin, Mountain Robin, White-winged Robin, Regent Whistler, Rufous-naped Whistler, Papuan Treecreeper, Black Sitella, Mid-mountain Berrypecker, Tit Berrypecker, Crested Berrypecker, Red-collared Myzomela, Black-throated Honeyeater, Rufous-backed Honeyeater, Sooty Melidectes, Belford’s Melidectes, Common Smoky Honeyeater, Mountain Firetail, Eastern Alpine Mannikin, Macgregor’s Bowerbird, Crested Bird of Paradise, Brown Sicklebill, Stephanie’s Astrapia.

First published in Muruk 3(2): 65-67

A Weekend in Tari

The Tari area, in the Southern Highlands Province, is the home to some of the stranger and more spectacular of PNG’s birds. With the opening of Ambua Lodge, in early 1986, it has acquired a reputation as one of the top birding locations in the world. Bird tours, from all over, visit the lodge and an extensive list of species, including 13 birds of pardise have been recorded. A booklet detailing the species to be seen in the area, written by Brian Frinch and updated by Cliff & Dawn Frith and Nick Gardner, is available from the lodge. Although several members of the PNGBS have visted the area, and stayed at the lodge, little has appeared in the PNGBS publications.

Ambua Lodge lies at about 2200m on the edge of the inhabited and cultivated Tari Basin and unspoilt moss forest, The township of Tari lies 700m lower while the forest above the lodge extends to the grassland of Tari Gap at 2800m. Within this altitude range can be found a wide variety of birds and nearly every species seen will be a New Guinea endemic.

We visited Ambua Lodge on an Air Niugini weekender package in early October 1987. It was the first time this year we had been away on our own and, with due deference t PNGBS members, it made a very nice change. We arrived in Tari before mid-day and were transported to the lodge. The bird-watching was delayed by lunch and then heavy rain but later we found a fruiting tree in the woods below the orchid garden which was attracting several birds of paradise. Over the weekend we watched this tree for about 8 hours and recorded the following feeding on the ripe black berries: an adult and juvenile Short-tailed Paradigalla; a female Blue Bird of Paradise; a female Lawes Parotia and male and female Loria’s Bird of Paradise. Female Brown Sicklebill and Ribbon-tailed Astrapia were seen nearby. An impressive complement of birds and all within the lodge grounds.

Early on Saturday morning we got a lift up to the gap and began walking down to the lodge. In the low scrub bordering the grassland we watched a female Crested Bird of Paradise feeding on small berries and a pair of Crested Berrypeckers feeding in the next bush. The machine gun-like call of a male Brown Sicklebill could be heard almost continuously and a female was watched foraging along moss-covered branches. Lower down, in the open moss forest, the ‘radio static’ call of a male King of Saxony Bird of Paradise was heard and eventually located, displaying in the top of tree with his antennae waving in all directions, an unforgettable sight. Our stroll down the hill became a sprint through heavy rain and we arrived at the lodge soaked to the skin. The log fire in the lounge was most most welcoming.

On Sunday we went below the lodge and saw Superb Bird of Paradise and numerous Island Leaf Warblers but not the hoped for Black Sicklebill nor male Blue Bird of Paradise. The reaminder of the day was spent in the lodge grounds. A Torrent-Lark was seen near the spectacular waterfall across the road; a pair of Varied Sittella foraged on the trunks of trees along the driveway and a female Macgregor’s Bowerbird was seen in the wood below the orchid garden.

Only a few of the species we recorded this weekend are mentioned above. Our list is presented below, but a dedicated birder could add many to that over a long weekend. For a birder visiting PNG this area must be high on the list of places to visit. Nowhere else in the country is it possible to find so many endemic species which are so readily accessible. For example, we saw 10 species of Birds of Paradise in our first 24-hours. For non-birders there is the intriguing culture of the Huli Wigmen, the inhabitants of the Tari Basin, who use bird of paradise feathers in their head-dresses. It is a fascinating destination, whatever your interest.

Species List: h = heard only,

New Guinea Harpy-Eagle (h), Little Curlew, Black-billed Cuckoo-Dove, White-breasted Fruit-Dove, Papuan Mountain Pigeon, Papuan Mountain Pigeon, Dusky Lory, Rainbow Lorikeet, Papuan Lorikeet, Yellow-billed Lorikeet, Tiger-Parrot sp, Rufous-throated Bronze-Cuckoo, Papuan Boobook, Mountain Swiftlet, Glossy Swiftlet, Pacific Swallow, Long-tailed Shrike, Pied Chat, Island Thrush, Tawny Grassbird, White-shouldered Fairy-Wren, Large Scrub-Wren, Buff-faced Scrub-Wren, Black Fantail, Friendly Fantail, Canary Flycatcher, Black-throated Robin, White-winged Robin, Blue-Grey Robin, Varied Sittella, Fan-tailed Berrypecker, Crested Berrypecker, Red-collared Myzomela, Rufous-backed Honeyeater, Grey-backed Streaked Honeyeater, Belford’s Melidectes, Yellow-browed Melidectes, Common Smoky Honeyeater, Hooded Mannikin, Mountain Firetail (h), Torrent-Lark, Great Wood-Swallow, Macgregor’s Bowerbird, Crested Bird of Paradise, Loria’s Bird of Paradise, Short-tailed Paradigalla, Brown Sicklebill, Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, Stepahanie’s Astrapia, Lawes Parotia, King of Saxony Bird of Paradise, Blue Bird of Paradise.

First published in Muruk 3(1): 20-23 co-authored with Jenny H. Hicks