West Papua October 2025 Part 3: Fabulous birds of the Arfak Mountains

 

Black Sicklebill

The Arfak Mountains of West Papua offer of feast of avian gems including some of the planet's most beautiful birds. A 6-day visit after our Nimbokrang sojourn began with a 2-hour drive from the coastal city of Manokwari in a convoy of three 4-wheel drive trucks to the village of Maybri at 1450m, where we arrived in the early evening. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the basic but friendly homestay at Maybri.

Maybri Guesthouse

Great views from the guesthouse over the surrounding forest.

We were up very early on our first morning to be at the village of Syoubri at 1550m to begin our hike up the mountain at 3am. It was a long, slow and muddy ascent in the rain. We passed Sicklebill Camp, where birding groups sometimes overnight, and arrived just before sunrise at our destination – a hide at 2020m overlooking the display area of the glorious Black Sicklebill. We heard males calling around us for a while before one perched atop a display tree at eye-level a short distance away.

Black Sicklebill male

The bird put on a fine display of fluffing its iridescent plumage and jumping about as the occasional female dropped by, one allowing herself to be mated. It was a jaw-dropping experience to see this – a bird I had missed on multiple trips to Papua New Guinea.

Black Sicklebill male & female

We headed back through the misty, mossy forest looking for birds we could expect to find only in the higher reaches of the mountains. We were rewarded with reasonable views of Ashy Robin and Papuan Treecreeper but Papuan Logrunner failed to show. At Sicklebill Camp we had our first Vogelkop Scrubwren and two more high altitude specialties – Rufous-sided Honeyeater and Cinnamon-browed Melidectes. Friendly Fantail was about and... friendly.

Friendly Fantail

We visited a hide further down at 1770m where fruit was left out to attract birds. Here we found the first of many Western Parotias we were to see. The leks used by males doing their dramatic wing display could sadly not be accessed by our group due to growing and unfortunate rivalry between villages for the ecotourism dollars offered by visiting birders.

Western Parotias

Then along came a key target. A Long-tailed Paradigalla put on a decent show as it fed on the red fruit. Outside the hide we were happy to see the difficult-to-find, tiny Papuan Lorikeet in a feeding tree.

Long-tailed Paradigalla

Another female Black Sicklebill put in an appearance. Heading further down the track we saw Vogelkop Melidenctes, Arfak Honeyeater, Black Pitohui and Papuan Lorikeet before getting back to Syoubri.

Black Sicklebill female

We returned to Maybri - our base for the next few days, having largely cleaned up the high altitude forest target species. (Arfak Astrapia was once viewable above Sicklebill Camp but birds were allegedly shot by rival villagers.) One of the joys of our Maybri accommodation is that the homestay is surrounded by the humble abodes of traditional villagers. Our many interactions with these friendly people were enjoyed by them and us in equal measure. Dogs sitting in the pews at a church service? Sure. Various village images below.

Another highlight of Maybri was the first class food, prepared by local women under the guidance of the capable Gina Baware.

Cooking up a storm

Our time around Maybri was focused on several different hides, most with fruit out similar to the one higher up. The first hide we visited had more parotias and our first Vogelkop Superb Lophorinas, with several males showing nicely.

Vogelkop Superb Lophorina

A female and a male immature Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise turned up; others later were to see a male in full plumage. Green-backed Robin was glimpsed a few times from hides.

Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise female

Female Lesser Bird of-Paradise was a regular at this and other hides although no males appeared.

Lesser Bird-of-Paradise female

Another hide was visited by a Black-billed Sicklebird, a hill forest-lower montain forest specialty that can be easily missed.

Black-billed Sicklebill

Western Parotia & Black-billed Sicklebill

Villagers were dispatched to track down 4 species of owlet-nightjar at their day roosts, and we were fortunate to see all 4 over 2 days. First was a Vogelkop Owlet-nightjar in its tree hole – this recently split species is probably the most difficult to see.

Vogelkop Owlet-nightjar

Next was a Mountain Owlet-nightjar spotted on its daytime perch in the lower forest canopy by a sharp-eyed guide.

Mountain Owlet-nightjar

Number Three was the much-wanted Feline Owlet-nightjar. We'd heard one during our night hike up the mountain. Now we were watching one at eye level at its daytime perch.

Feline Owlet-nightjar

Finally a Wallace's Owlet-nightjar was watched peering from its roosting hole.

Wallace's Owlet-nightjar

We visited the elaborate bower of the Vogelkop Bowerbird. The bird initially was shy but more co-operative on later visits. It dutifully put a few colourful objects that we had moved around back in their rightful places.

Vogelkop Bowerbird bower

Vogelkop Bowerbird

The villagers made a makeshift hide out of banana leaves so we could watch another much-wanted Maybri special. White-striped Forest Rail skulked around for a while calling before a male eventually showed nicely.

White-striped Forest Rail

Birds were plentiful around the village. Arfak Catbird was heard often and seen occasionally. Hooded Pitohui fed below the kitchen.

Hooded Pitohui

Olive-crowned Flowerpecker was not expected to be so common at this altitude.

Olive-crowned Flowerpecker female

A fruiting tree outside the church attracted Mountain Fruit Dove and Superb Fruit Dove.

Mountain Fruit Dove

It was also favoured by the fabulous Masked Bowerbird, another contendor for Bird of the Planet. Several females had flown in before a male finally visited a few times, giving everyone a good look.

Masked Bowerbird female

Masked Bowerbird male above & below

On our last day in the Arfaks we drove up a rough and sometimes hair-raising road to 2040m in the Lake Anggi area. Here the montane forest was mossy and more sparse, interspersed with areas of subalpine heath and wet grassland - very different from what we had experienced further down.

Heading up the mountain

This was the hotspot for Grey-banded Mannikin, a delightful endemic confined to a tiny range in these high mountains.

Grey-banded Mannikin

We saw 60+ in the area, along with the alpine race of Papuan Grassbird. We left the Arfaks to return to Manokwari for an overnight stay at the comfortably Swiss Bell Hotel.

We just saw a Feline Owlet-nightjar!

West Papua October 2025 Part 2: Nimbokrang

 

Salvadori's Fig Parrot

Following our visit to Biak Island , we flew to the West Papuan capital of Jayapura and drove in convoy for 2 hours to the village of Nimbokrang. The village is the base for exploring the bird-rich tropical lowland rainforest of north-east West Papua. We had three full days and four nights here.

Papua coast near Jayapura 

A basic but pleasant homestay here was more than adequate for our needs. Injuries sustained during my fall on Biak prevented me from joining the others for morning hikes. However, I was able to join them for late afternoon sessions at a lookout near the village and do a bit of birding on my own in easier terrain - ending up with no net loss of lifer numbers.

Nimbokrang Homestay

The big attraction for the group more generally were birds-of-paradise and in particular, the spectacular displays of Lesser, King and Twelve-wired birds-of-paradise they enjoyed. I had seen these previously in Papua New Guinea (the border with which is 80km to the east) and would have loved to witness repeat performances. They also saw Pale-billed Sicklebill and Jobi Manucode.

Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise (Pic Alex Cruz)

Grand Mannikin and Black-billed Coucal were among birds I found around the township while the group were out.

Grand Mannikin

Papuan Eclectus Parrot was about in numbers and it was common in the lowlands throughout the trip.

Papuan Eclectus Parrot

Hooded Butcherbird was at home in village gardens.

Hooded Butcherbird

Puff-backed Meliphaga was common about the homestay.

Puff-backed Meliphaga

Following a late afternoon visit to the lookout, we had excellent views of a roadside Papuan Nightjar at dusk.

Papuan Nightjar

The next evening the group visited a track that was off-limits to me, scoring a Papuan Hawk Owl after sunset. Compensation of sorts for me came with Mamberamo Shrike-thrush and Northern Variable Pitohui sightings by the road while they were up the path.

Papuan Hawk Owl (Pic Richard Fuller)

The group's long walk on our last day at Nimbokrang failed to turn up a hoped for Victoria Crowned Pigeon. I was accompanied by a guide on another roadside walk, chalking up a much-wanted Dwarf Koel.

Dwarf Koel

The guide knew of a nesting hole used by a regional endemic, Salvadori's Fig Parrot, but thought it was long vacated. We dropped by anyway and a parrot was there, demonstrating considerable interest in the nesting hole.

Salvadori's Fig Parrot at nest hole

Meanwhile, a Long-tailed Buzzard soared overhead.

Long-tailed Buzzard

Black and Sahul sunbirds were plentiful in roadside village gardens and secondary growth.

Black Sunbird

Pink-spotted Fruit Dove appeared to be the commonest fruit dove.

Pink-spotted Fruit Dove

Plenty of Rufous-bellied Kookaburras were about.

Rufous-bellied Kookaburra

I was surprised to find a medium-size Saltwater Crocodile by a creek. In the afternoon I joined the others at the lookout, from which we managed to see a pair of Brown Lories, another regional endemic.

Saltwater Crocodile

Aside from being a top birding site, the lookout offered fine views over the surrounding forest.

 Nimbokrang was once a reliable site for Northern Cassowary. Numbers have been seriously depleted by hunting and forest-clearing and we had to make do with two captive birds in village gardens, including our homestay. 

Northern Cassowary (captive)

We returned to Jayapura after the rest of the group scored the Salvadori's Fig Parrot during an early morning twitch. We stopped by the scenic Lake Sentani and flew across Geelvink Bay to Manokwari for the next stage of our journey.

Departing Nimbokrang

West Papua October 2025 Part 1: Biak Island

Biak Hooded Pitta

Our 22-day private tour of West Papua kicked off on Biak Island on October 7, 2025. I organised the tour in conjunction with Sulawesi birder Untu Baware. West Papua refers to the Indonesian half of the island of New Guinea, embracing several provinces. The region is becoming increasingly popular with birders as it provides relatively easy access to an extraordinary range of birds – including birds of paradise and other spectacular species - in a variety of habitats. Improving infrastructure and accommodation at various sites makes what was once a difficult destination much easier to visit, although a West Papua trip remains challenging.

First night's bird call

Untu and his daughter Fergina Baware did an excellent job of putting together the logistical arrangements for this trip. Other participants from Australia and the United States were George Appleby, Joe Corcoran, Alex Cruz, Detlef Davies, Richard Fuller, Charles McGrath and Bill Moorhead. They were excellent company and we succeeded in nailing the vast majority of target species. Particular attention was paid to Vogelkop and West Papua endemics, and species difficult to see in neighbouring Papua New Guinea.

Biak coast

Biak offers the opportunity to see 21 Biak and Geelvink Bay endemic bird species. We had decided not to visit Numfor Island as some groups do because it has just 2 endemics not shared with Biak and is logistically more difficult. Our planned 3-day visit to Biak was extended to 4 days because of airline flight rescheduling, although we did not need that extra day. Untu had arranged accommodation at the pleasant Swiss Bell Hotel and our group was transported here and elsewhere throughout the trip in three comfortable vehicles.

Notwithstanding the exhausting overnight flights to get us there, we were keen to hit the road after leaving our luggage at the hotel. In an area of secondary forest not too far from the hotel we scored our first Biak-Geelvink endemic – the handsome Geelvink Fruit-Dove.

Geelvink Fruit Dove

Shortly after we saw a Biak Triller - the first of many we were to encounter - while a pair of Black-winged Lories flew overhead. The afternoon was spent resting to recover from the lengthy travels  undertaken to get here. Although Biak might be a short distance in a direct line from Australia, it is a long haul through Jakarta or Denpasar, and longer still for our American friends. 

Biak Triller

October 8 was a full-on day. A morning highlight was a calling pair of Biak Scops Owls at their daytime roost, with the male showing well. The only scops owl in New Guinea, the species can be difficult to find, usually requiring a foray after dark.

Biak Scops Owl

A Geelvink Imperial Pigeon flew overhead as a female Geelvink Cicadabird showed. A recent split from Australia's Sahul Cicadabird, the species proved to be reasonably common on Biak.

Geelvink Cicadabird

Noisy flocks of Long-tailed Starling, a species restricted to several islands in Geelvink Bay, appeared early and were with us throughout our stay on Biak.

Long-tailed Starling

We notched up Biak (Black) Flycatcher and the strange-looking Biak White-eye.

Biak Flycatcher

In the afternoon we moved on to another area with habitat that looked promising, though patches of mature unlogged forest were few and far between. We found a flowering tree with large numbers of Red-fronted Lorikeet in attendance.

Red-fronted Lorikeet

Digging up the Biak endemics

We had heard Biak Hooded Pitta calling earlier but failed to see it. After some effort we finally managed close and prolonged views of a pitta (first image) in the roadside undergrowth. The distinctive local subspecies of Golden Monarch was not uncommon.

Golden Monarch

We saw a couple of the endemic Biak subspecies of Variable Goshawk. Other species encountered - most with endemic Geelvink or Biak subspecies - included Great Cuckoo Dove, Amboyna Cuckoo Dove, Claret-breasted Fruit Dove and Emporer Fairywren.

Variable Goshawk

Day Three dawned with more specialties on offer. We spent the morning in the Amnyamdam area and the afternoon around Suneri. Geelvink Pygmy Parrot, Biak Lorikeet, Biak Gerygone and Biak Whistler (a skulker with a fine voice) were added to the list.

Biak Whistler

So were Biak Fantail, Biak Monarch and Biak Paradise Kingfisher. Biak Coucal was calling commonly but a few of us managed fleeting views of this skulker. Biak Leaf Warbler was surprisingly scarce, again heard or seen by just a couple of people.

On our final day we looked without success for the last of the 21 regional endemics – Biak Myzomela and Biak Scrubfowl. Few have scored the myzomela in recent years and we were unlucky not to encounter the scrubfowl. I flushed a large bird roadside near the coast which was a potential candidate but failed to see it adequately.

At Karnindi Beach

However we enjoyed a delightful afternoon with the locals at Karnindi Beach. Late in the day I fell on a slippery limestone path that the guide insisted on following, resulting in leg injuries that restricted my birding over the next few days. Still, the Biak visit was a good start to our tour.

Karnindi Beach residence

Endangered Black-breasted Buttonquail habitat bulldozed as timber company pledges new protection measures

 

Black-breasted Buttonquail

Endangered rainforest in the Sunshine Coast hinterland - the habitat of what may be the largest surviving population of the rare Black-breasted Buttonquail – continues to be bulldozed during logging operations. During recent visits I was concerned to see that an area of vine scrub frequented by nesting buttonquail in Imbil State Forest had been felled. Subtropical lowland rainforest is listed federally as critically endangered.

Recently cleared subtropical rainforest remnant in Imbil State Forest

The company conducting the harvesting, timber giant HQPlantations, says it has modified management practices to help protect the buttonquail and other threatened species. Vine scrub remnants in the state forest have been a reliable site for the scarce and cryptic buttonquail for at least the past 30 years. The Black-breasted Buttonquail is the only bird species endemic to south-east Queensland. Buttonquail sites in the Imbil area are frequented by other scarce and difficult-to-find birds such as Barking Owl and Black-chinned Honeyeater.

Barking Owl

Remnant areas of lowland rainforest survive among hoop pine plantations in Imbil State Forest. These remnants are protected under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act and Vegetation Management Act; they can not be cleared to expand the plantation estate. However, “native forest buffer areas” remain under the management of HQPlantations.

It was evident that vine scrub has been bulldozed during current logging operations, with rainforest trees obvious among large piles of vegetation debris. A newly cleared 200m strip of scrub, along with the edge of a mature pine plantation which was logged at the same time, was an important feeding and nesting area for Black-breasted Buttonquail.

Newly cleared native vegetation in Imbil State Forest (above and below)

I submitted a plan for the rewilding of the 21,000ha Imbil State Forest in 2019. That proposed a halt to logging hoop pine plantations, facilitating the regrowth of the subtropical rainforest that occurred naturally over the area before it was cleared. I suggested that as a trial, 200ha of state forest plantation adjoining Conondale National Park be left unlogged as rainforest regrowth is monitored. Although this constitutes a tiny fraction of the 330,000ha of state forest in Queensland under the control of HQPlantations, the company rejected the proposal.

Newly bulldozed fire trail

I reported in June last year that well-meaning land-care volunteers were removing lantana from Black-breasted Buttonquail habitat in the area. Lantana is an exotic weed that generally should be removed, but in the case of this species and some other wildlife, it provides a valuable service. The natural habitat of the buttonquail is the lowland rainforest of south-east Queensland, almost all of which has been cleared. Sites where birds survive, like those in Imbil State Forest, are often flanked or invaded by lantana thickets. Buttonquail feed and seek shelter in them; lantana provides a degree of protection from feral cat and fox predation.

Distinctive "platelet" made on the forest floor by feeding buttonquail

In response to that blog post, the volunteers agreed to stop removing lantana. They have planted a large number of trees in an area where weeds had been removed. I found that behind this newly planted stand of young trees, a 200m track has been bulldozed by HQPlantations through another important buttonquail feeding area. I also saw an assortment of empty cans and bottles, broken machinery and other rubbish.

Newly planted trees in what was buttonquail habitat

I failed to see buttonquail during several visits over the past couple of weeks, which is unusual, although some platelets were present. The population appears to be steadily declining. A constant procession of trucks carrying logs and heavy equipment traversed the road dissecting the buttonquail site during my visits.

However, the good news is that HQPlantations responded positively when I approached the company recently, with senior company officers agreeing to meet me on-site. They explained that the recently bulldozed track was intended as a fire break for forthcoming control burns. The company had been unaware of the presence of Black-breasted Buttonquail and other rare wildlife. I was assured that fire control operations would be conducted in a way that took account of the need to protect the birds' habitat. That was reassuring.

Regarding the recent removal of buttonquail breeding habitat adjoining the newly logged pine plantations, there were no clear answers. However, the suggestion was that vine scrub was removed to facilitate access to pine trees being logged, which the company is legally entitled to do.

The company said in a statement: “We use aerial photography, LiDAR (provides high definition ground surface and canopy mapping), original plantation history records and field inspections to ensure our harvesting remains within the original plantation boundary inclusive of old boundary tracks. Our management of areas of remnant native vegetation adjacent to plantations is focused on maintaining biodiversity values and protecting the adjacent plantation resource. This is primarily undertaken via pest and fire management programs. We do not harvest timber products (excepting introduced pine wildlings) from these areas.”

Company bulldozer at the site recently

Expanding more broadly, the company said: “In some instances, we develop and implement additional species specific management procedures where forest activities may pose a significant threat, - for example koala protection during harvesting operations. We collaborate with local groups to improve the protection and management of endangered and vulnerable species. For instance, we are working with the Burnett and Mary Regional group researching Mary River Cod and other threatened aquatic species within Tinana Creek. We are working with groups including the Macadamia Conservation Trust, regarding the Southern Macadamia Species Recovery Plan.”

Remnant rainforest in Imbil State Forest 

HQPlantations also noted: “As agreed under our Plantation Licence, we have several plantations and associated native forest areas which are being progressively handed back to the State Government, following harvest of the current plantation crop, to be transitioned into permanent conservation estate. As at June 2025, there were three such areas still within the Licence Area totalling approximately 1,200 ha (approximately 700 ha plantation).” These are steps in the right direction, but we remain a long way from a satisfactory reserve plan for protect what remains of critically endangered lowland rainforest.

Logging truck Imbil State Forest