TO SEE AND PHOTOGRAPH THE AMAZING BIRDS OF PARADISE
YOU NEED TO VISIT WEST PAPUA OR THE PAPUA NEW GUINEA.
I TRAVELED TO WEST PAPUA
IN INDONESIA WITH
WILDNATURE PHOTO ADVENTURES. OUR MAIN GUIDES DURING THIS TRIP WAS STAFFAN AND MONAL.
SEPTEMBER 2023
West Papua, Indonesia
After approximately 20hrs of flying, the group arrived at Jayapura Airport at Sentani in the morning of September 15th.
Greeted by Nomal and his team who took as on a two hours car drive to Nimbukrang up in
the rainforest of the Cyclops Mountains.
This was the start of a two weeks interesting visit to the West Papua rainforest with all their fascinating wildlife.
During these two weeks we was going to travel and visit many places to be able to shot as many spices of birds as possible.
From arriving in Jakarta, Indonesia, the group made seven flights and two ferry trips!
Getting up 04.00 every morning, walking many hours in damp, warm and muddy rainforest!
But worth every minute of the trip!
Below are a collection of the birds and wildlife shot in West Papua.
Hover your mouse over the picture and press to get full size…
Our first stop was Nimbokrang in the rainforest of Cyclops Mountains.
We stayed there only one night but manage to visit a few hides anyway, and after a nights well deserved sleep, we did a long muddy walk in the morning long before sunrise. Amongst others, we had the luck to shot the rare and difficult to spot, Papuan Pitta, which also only can be found in Papua!
Other species was Common Paradise Kingfisher, Yellowbill Kingfisher and the small papegoja, Buffegface .
In the afternoon when we came back to our hotell after the morning hike, a rainfall never experienced earlier started.
The rainforest definitely showed as what it can be like here…
A two hours car journey back to Sentani and then hotell over the night to catch an early flight to Sorong in the morning, via a stop in Manökvari.
After arrival, ones more a two hours car trip from Sorong out to Malagufuk, which could only be reached
via a 3,6 km walk.
The next day, early morning start and a long muddy walk to reach the look out for our first Bird of Paradise.
The Twelve Wired Paradise Bird.
After that, we saw and photograph the Lesser Bird of Paradise, Red-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher,
Oriental Dollarbird and the Magnificent Riflebird.
Day two I spent photographing animals found around the village, like butterflies, spiders and so on.
Departure after lunch for the 3,6km walk and then the two hours drive on bad roads back to Sorong.
After our rest in Sorong, we catch a morning flight to Manökwari and then again, a new two hours drive!
But this time on much better roads, up to the Mingree Village on 1575m hight in the Arafak Mountains.
After lunch my friend Hans, who I did this trip together with, went to a hide only we two, for the Magnificent Bird of Paradise, really great photography…
We spent four night at this village and got to see the following birds;
Supurb Bird of Paradise (even called Vogelkop Lophorina Bird of Paradise. Both Male & Female
Black Billed Sicklebill
Montain Night Owlet
Green Backed Robin
Masked Bowerbird, Male & Female together in the nest!
After our four nights in this interesting mountain village, it was time to move on again.
A few hours drive again in the afternoon back to Manökwari and Swiss-BelHotel for a night.
Breakfast at 06.00 and then to the airport for a Lion Air flight at 09.00 to Sorong, there we change
for a one hour flight to Fak-Fak.
With some delay, we eventually arrived late afternoon to Fak-Fak where our cars was waiting for us to take us little quickly before darkness to a site there it could be possible to see the famous and rare Southern Cassowary, and with our luck, there he was… a fully grown up but small male!
Got really nice shot of him!
Two night at Hotell Grand Papua Fakfak, probably been a nice hotel at one time but really run down now!
Early morning the day after arrival in FakFak, we drove up to a hight off 800m just outside of FakFak for a 30min walk in mud up to a hide for Magnificent Riflebird, also with got shots!
After a breakfast out in the bush, we continued to a hide for the very shy and difficult to spot, Hooded Pitta
Great sightings and shots of both these birds.
After our two nights at Hotell Grand Papua Fakfak, waited a 08.15 flight with Wings Air back to Sorong.
We had a quick stop in Sorong to unpack, grab a sandwich for lunch and rush off for our
two and half hours ferry,, departing at 14.00 to Waigeo.
We stayed at KORPAK Villa & Resort Raja Ampat for three nights, a really nice resort with the rooms
right above the water!
During these days, we visited a couple of really nice hides and got good shots of
Wilson's Bird of Paradise and Red Bird of Paradise.
Also the following Wildlife;
Brown Cuscus
Radjah Shelduck
Blyth's Hornbill
Beach Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
Moustached Treeswift
Three very interesting days with very nice photo oportunities in Waigeo.
Then it was only to wrap this trip up, take the ferry back to Sorong and a flight back to Europe again !
9 Birds of Paradise
Lesser Bird of Paradise
Magnificent Riflebird
Magnificent Bird of Paradise
Supurb Bird of Paradise / Vogelkop Lophorina Bird of Paradise
Common Manucode
Wilson's Bird of Paradise
Red Bird of Paradise
Twelve Wired Paradise Bird
Black-billed Sicklebill
Which a few also put up a display!
Rare birds like the following
Blyth's Hornbill
Papuan Pitta
Hooded Pitta
Masked Bowerbird, which I had the luck to shot with both the Male and the Female at the same time
in the nest!
And the following Kingfisher
Beach Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
Common Paradise Kingfisher
Yellowbill Kingfisher
Red-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher
Plus many other species of Birds, Wildlife and Rainforest Vegetation
