Papua Birdwatching

Overview

An estimated 80 species can be seen in a 5-day trip to Fak Fak Nature Reserve, Southwest Papua Province of Indonesia.

Bird target: Southern Cassowary, Papuan Pitta, Eastern Hooded Pitta, Magnificent Riflebird, Magnificent bird-of-paradise, Lesser bird-of-paradise, Radja Shelduck.

Other birds can be seen: Wompoo fruitdove, Pink spotted fruit dove, Superb fruit-dove, Beautiful fruit-dove, Orange-bellied fruit dove, Purple-tailed imperial pigeon, Papuan mountain pigeon, Zoes imperial pigeon, Pinons imperial pigeon, Palm cockatoo, Sulphur creasted cockatoo, Eclectus parrot, Red-flanked lorikeet, Black-capped lorry, Fairy lorikeet, Rainbow lorikeet, Red-checked parrot, Moluccan king parrot, Large fig parrot, Double-eyed fig parrot, Yellow-capped pygmy parot, Greater black coucal, Papuan hornbill, Chestnut breated cuckoo, Papuan dwarf koel, Papuan frogmouth, Marbled frogmouth, Yellow-legged brushturkey, Orange-footed scrubfowl, Pacific baza, Grey-headed goshawk, Vaiable goshawk, Long-tailed buzzard, Papua harpy eagle, Rufous-tailed bush hen, Black-billed cuckoo-dove, Sultan cuckoo-dove, Great cuckoo-dove, Cinnamon ground dove, Stephan emerald dove, New guinea bronzewing, Pheasant pigeon, Southern crowned pigeon, Moustached treeswift, Rufous-bellied kookaburra, Papuan dwarf kingfisher, Yellow-billed kingfisher, Hook-billed kingfisher, Blue-jewel babbler, Painted quail thrush, Rusty mouse warbler, Emperor fairywren, Ruby throated myzomela, Little shriketrush, Long-billed honeyeater, Helmeted friarbird, Streak-headed honeyeater, Tawny-breasted honeyeater, Mimic meliphaga, Puff-backed meliphaga, Large billed gerygone, Black berrypecker, Black sunbird, Spectacled longbill, Olive crowned flowerpecker, Lowland peltops, Black butcherbird, Hooded butcherbird, Black-browed triller, Golden cuckoo shrike, White-bellied cuckoo shrike, Stout billed cuckooshrike, Boyers cuckooshrike, Black cicadabird, Rusty pitohui, Northern variable pitohui, Papuan babler, Grey whistler, Spot-winged monarch, Hooded monarch, Frilled monarch, Golden monarch, Northern fantail, Sooty thicket fantail, Rufous backed fantail, Trumpet manucode, Glossy manucode, Grey crow, Black sided robin, Olive flycatcher, Banded yellow robin, Spangled drongo, White-eared catbird, Brown oriole, Golden myna, Yellow faced myna

Reptiles can be seen in the Fakfak Nature Reserve
Snakes: Tree boa (Candoia carinata), Ground boa (Candoia aspera), Green tree python (Morelia viridis), Sanca patola (Morelia amethistina), White-lipped python (leiopython albertisii), Papuan olive python (apodora papuana), Tropidonohis mairii, Tropidonophis doriae, Dendrelaphis calligastra, Stegonotus sp, Aspidomorphus lineaticollis, Aspidomorphus muelleri and Micropecis ikaheka.
Lizards: Hypsilurus dilophus, Hypsilurud aurensis, Gecko vittatus, Crytodactylus sp, Varanus jobiensis, Varanus prasinus, Varanus Salvadori, Tiliqua gigas and Brown sheen skink.
Mammals: Stipped possum, Sugar glider, Black-spotted cuscus – spilocuscus rufoniger, Common spotted cuscus (spilocuscus maculates), Phalengger orientalis, Bandicut, and Ground kangaroo.

Itinerary

Day 1: Fakfak by Wings Air - Arrival (hotel )
From Sorong to Fakfak we will take Wings Air, The luggage has to be paid for on this flight so please bring only a few pieces of luggage. Late afternoon if we are lucky we can photograph Papuan Pitta and Southern Cassowary

Day 2: Fakfak ( Hotel )
Morning visit to the Cagar Alam Fakfak Barat Nature Reserve to try to photograph the Southern Magnificent Bird of Paradise. Dinner and overnight at a comfortable hotel in Fakfak.

Day 3: Fakfak ( Hotel )
Early morning. To Cagar Alam Fakfak Barat Nature Reserve, with the aim of photographing the Magnificent Riflebird from a hide and Eastern Hooded Pitta from another hide. Dinner and overnight at a comfortable hotel in Fakfak.

Day 4: Fakfak
Early morning, we will try to visit the display Lek of The Lesser Bird of Paradise.

Day 5: Fakfak – Sorong by Wings air . End of the trip
We check out from the hotel and leave the airport for the flight to Sorong, end of the trip