Birds of
Paradise
Making our way down the steep muddy path in the early morning
light, we followed our guides Willy and John through a grove of coffee trees.
Our destination was the tall gum trees that lined the creek bottom, where we
hoped to see Raggiana and Superb Birds of Paradise. As we made our way down to
the creek, more and more children from the bush houses on top of the ridge joined
our quiet procession. We were led here by avid birdwatchers, Dr. Bill and
Marsha McCoy. In January, Bill and
Marsha retired after serving 22 years at Kudjip hospital and the Melanesia
field office respectively. Crossing the creek, we arrived under a canopy of
coffee trees and tall gum trees. We patiently glassed the tree tops with our
binoculars, looking for a flash of orange plumage – the telltale sign of a
Raggiana Bird of Paradise. One of the young PNG boys became Brenda’s private
spotter, pulling on her sleeve and pointing up in the direction of the brightly
colored birds. We finally saw a few to make the early morning experience a
success. The Superb Birds of Paradise with their dark plumage were harder to
spot even though we could hear their unique calls. There are 39 known species
of birds of paradise found only in Papua New Guinea.
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Coffee trees and a gum tree
canopy provide ideal habitat
for birds of paradise |
Later in the year, we had the opportunity to travel to Kumul
Lodge located at 8,585 feet in the mountains of Enga Province. Owned by
nationals, Kumul Lodge is a great place to view and photograph Ribbon-tail Astrapia
Birds of Paradise, Brown Sicklebill Birds of Paradise, and other fascinating
species including Tiger Parrots, Smoky Honeyeaters whose face patch changes
color, Crested Berrypeckers, and White-winged Robins.
Check out these two links:
Raggiana Bird of Paradise
Superb Bird of Paradise
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Avid birdwatchers,
Dr. Bill and Marsha McCoy |
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| Brenda's personal guide and spotter |
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Ame receives a helping hand
across the creek |
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| Kumul Lodge |
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A male Ribbon-tail Astrapia
Bird of Paradise (Moira Miller Photo) |
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| A pair of Zebra Parrots (Moira Miller Photo) |
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Smoky Honeyeater
(Moira Miller photo) |
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A female Brown Sicklebill Bird of Paradise
(Moira Miller photo) |
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We checked out this "bird of paradise"
on our way through Mt. Hagen. It
is the closest thing to fast food in the
entire highlands of PNG! |
