Species which were heard but not seen are indicated by the symbol (H). Species which were not personally recorded by the leader are indicated by the symbol (NL).
CASUARIDAE
Southern Cassowary Casuarius casuarius: An adult female was calling and gave great views on the track by Akame Lodge, and a male crossed the track later. This is one of the most difficult to find species in PNG, being shy and heavily hunted.
PODICIPEDIDAE
Australasian Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
PHALACROCORACIDAE
Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos
ARDEIDAE
Great White Egret Egretta alba:
Pied Heron Egretta picata: Great views at Moitaka SP where we counted some 70 birds.
Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia: Small numbers around POM.
Cattle Egret Egretta ibis: The eastern race is now regular in the Port Moresby and Aroa areas, where it was hard to find ten years ago. Some in breeding plumage.
Little Egret Egretta garzetta: A high count of 26 at Moitaka, often a scarce bird in PNG.
Eastern Reef-Egret Egretta sacra: A dark phase off Hisiu and two on Loloata.
Nankeen (Rufous) Night-Heron Nycticorax caledonicus: Singles near POM and 30 at Moitaka.
Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis: Three sightings along the Elevala.
Forest Bittern Zonerodius heliosylus (H): One was calling in the distance at Akame Lodge one night.
THRESKIORNITHIDAE
Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca: A few at Brown River.
Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia: 11 birds at Moitaka were a surprise, this is a very scarce species.
PANDIONIDAE
Osprey Pandion haliaetus: A single near Hisiu.
ACCIPITRIDAE
Crested Hawk (Pacific Baza) Aviceda subcristata: Seen well at Pokili, Kiunga and Tabubil.
Long-tailed Buzzard Henicopernis longicauda: Seen very well at Tabubil and Kiunga.
Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus: One near Tari, very local in New Guinea.
Black Kite Milvus migrans: One near POM, a strangely local species in PNG.
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus: Lovely views, an outstanding bird.
Eastern Marsh Harrier (Spotted Marsh or Papuan Harrier) Circus spilonotus: A nice look at a single at Aroa.
Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus: One along the Aroa Road.
Variable (Grey) Goshawk Accipiter (novaehollandiae) hiogaster: Nicely seen at Kiunga and Tabubil. The form here has now at last been split by some authorities since it differs so much from the Australian species.
Meyer's Goshawk Accipiter meyerianus: Marvellous if distant views of a perched bird below the Lodge, a rare bird indeed. Phil now claims the long distance ID record for this species!
Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides: One near Kiunga.
ANATIDAE
Wandering Whistling Duck Dendrocygna arcuata: A few at the PAU and 15 at Moitaka.
Radjah Shelduck Tadorna radjah: A single at Moitaka, very scarce in PNG.
Green Pygmy-Goose Nettapus pulchellus: Lovely views of a pair at the PAU and 8 at Moitaka, a delightful species.
Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa: A few at the PAU and Moitaka.
MEGAPODIIDAE
Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius freycinet (H): Heard along the Ok Ma.
Black-billed Brush-turkey Talegalla fuscirostris (H) : Calling noisily at both Kiunga and Varirata, but both the nest mounds that we visit at the latter site had been destroyed by feral pigs.
TURNICIDAE
Red-backed Buttonquail Turnix maculosa: A single flushed from grassland at Aroa for PG.
PHASIANIDAE
Brown Quail Coturnix australis: 2 near Aroa, and a couple seen near the Gap.
RALLIDAE
Red-necked Rail Rallina tricolor (H): Heard near Tabubil.
Forbes' Forest Rail Rallina forbesi: One glimpsed on the waterfall track at Ambua, a great rarity here but clearly often overlooked. What a shame the Chestnut was not co-operative this time.
White-browed Crake Porzana cinerea (H): Heard at Moitaka.
Bush-hen Amaurornis moluccanus (H) : Heard near Aroa.
Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa: A few at the PAU and Moitaka.
Purple Swamphen (Purple Gallinule) Porphyrio porphyrio: Lovely views of the black backed race (or species) melanotus at the PAU.
JACANIDAE
Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea What a great little bird, well seen at the PAU and Moitaka.
CHARADRIIDAE
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles
Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva: 18 at Telefomin airstrip.
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius: Splendid birds near Tabubil which showed the pink base to the bill and yellow eye ring very nicely. The subspecies in New Guinea dubius has a very different call compared to Palearctic birds and could well be a split.
Greater Sand-Plover Charadrius leschenaultii: Two at Hisiu and 6 at Loloata.
Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes: A single at Loloata
Swinhoe's Snipe Gallinago megala: A single at Moitaka was rather late.
SCOLOPACIDAE
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus: Singles at Hisiu and Loloata.
Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos: A few migrants at various sites.
STERNIDAE
Common Tern Sterna hirundo : 15 at Loloata.
Crested Tern (Greater Crested Tern) Sterna bergii: Two off Loloata.
Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis: A single off Loloata.
Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana : Two at Loloata.
COLUMBIDAE
Rock Pigeon (Rock Dove) Columba livia: A controversial species! PG still thinks most birds seen in Port Moresby are domestic stock, as are the Tabubil ones. One for your conscience!
Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove (Brown Cuckoo-Dove) Macropygia amboinensis: Widespread.
Black-billed Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia nigrirostris: A single at Varirata, plus a few at Tabubil and Ambua were the only sightings.
Great Cuckoo-Dove Reinwardtoena reinwardtii: Nice views at Tabubil and Ambua of this truly spectacular bird
Emerald Ground-Dove Chalcophaps indica (H):
Stephan's Ground-Dove Chalcophaps stephani: Heard at Varirata and seen near the Ox-bow.
Peaceful Dove Geopelia striata: A few around Port Moresby.
Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis: A single at the PAU and 6 at Hisiu.
Bronze Ground-Dove Gallicolumba beccarii: A single seen by Phil at Ambua seemed to emerge from a flowerbed and fly across the car park! Always a tough one.
Cinnamon Ground-Dove Gallicolumba rufigula (H): Heard calling distantly at Akame along the Elevala.
Pheasant Pigeon Otidiphaps nobilis: Brief flight views of one at Varirata, for a lucky few.
Southern Crowned Pigeon Goura scheepmakeri: Excellent views of this world class bird along the Elevala, they were very easy this time for a change.
Thick-billed Ground-Pigeon Trugon terrestris (H): Heard very close by at Varirata and again near Kiunga, one day we'll get to see it! I thought we were on at Varirata
Wompoo Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus magnificus: Good views at Kiunga and Varirata.
Pink-spotted Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus perlatus: Excellent telescope views on several occasions.
Ornate Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus ornatus: Good views of a single at Ambua.
Superb Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus superbus: Good views of a male and female near Tabubil, and again at Varirata.
Beautiful Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus pulchellus: Some nice looks near Kiunga.
Coroneted Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus coronatus: Wonderful views of a male of the south coast race at Brown River. This is always a tough species to find.
Orange-fronted Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus aurantiifrons: Great looks along the Boystown Road, a tricky species to find at times.
Orange-bellied Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus iozonus: Kiunga birds have a maroon shoulder bar lacking in the Lae and Madang ones.
Dwarf Fruit Dove Ptilinopus nana: Great views at Brown River. The scarcest of the Ptilinopus in PNG.
Purple-tailed Imperial-Pigeon Ducula rufigaster: Excellent views of two of this sparse species near Kiunga.
Pinon Imperial- Pigeon Ducula pinon: Nice views of flyovers and perched birds along the Fly.
Collared Imperial Pigeon Ducula muellerii: Maximum 40 by the Fly River. This is a specialist of riverine forest and the numbers vary greatly according to time of year. Where do they go?
Zoe Imperial Pigeon Ducula zoeae: The common lowland and hill forest Ducula.
Papuan Mountain Pigeon Gymnophaps albertisii: Poorly named as its quite widespread in both lowlands and hills as well as the mountains.
PSITTACIDAE
Greater Streaked Lory Chalcopsitta scintillata: Good views at Varirata and Kiunga, a subtle species that needs good views to be appreciated.
Dusky Lory Pseudeos fuscata: Very few again this year, maximum was 24 near Kiunga! Nowhere near as common as in pre-drought times.
Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
Goldie's Lorikeet Trichoglossus goldiei: Quite common at Ambua with up to 60 birds, though this is often a very sparse species here.
Western Black-capped Lory Lorius lory: Noisy and excellent. Good views of the race somu at Kiunga and Tabubil.
Josephine's Lorikeet Charmosyna josefinae: Two on two dates near the Gap at Tari. A rare bird.
Red-flanked Lorikeet Charmosyna placentis: Just two flyovers near Kiunga.
Papuan Lorikeet Charmosyna papou: Flight views of this stunning endemic in the Ambua area.
Plum-faced Lorikeet Oreopsittacus arfaki: Nice views of singles at Ambua.
Yellow-billed Lorikeet Neopsittacus musschenbroekii: Both this and the next species were seen well at Ambua.
Orange-billed Lorikeet Neopsittacus pullicauda: Seen well, though bill colour in dull light remains controversial! The green undertail was a help!
Palm Cockatoo Probosciger aterrimus: A star bird, great views along the Fly River with a flock of 4 on one day.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita: Quite common in the west, and sounding quite different to Australian birds.
Buff-faced Pygmy-Parrot Micropsitta pusio: A single at Varirata. One of the world's smallest parrots.
Yellow-capped Pygmy-Parrot Micropsitta keiensis: Seen well in the Kiunga area. A restricted range species.
Red-breasted Pygmy-Parrot Micropsitta bruijnii: Seen nicely at Tabubil and near Tari, the birds being the brighter yellow capped Tabubil form which may be an undescribed subspecies.
Orange-breasted Fig-Parrot Cyclopsitta gulielmitertii: Marvellous views at Kiunga and Tabubil, a real gem.
Large Fig-Parrot Psittaculirostris desmarestii: A single along the Elevala River. A hard one to find.
Brehm's Tiger-Parrot Psittacella brehmii: A nice view of one up near the Gap.
Modest Tiger-Parrot Psittacella modesta: Good views of two above the Bailey Bridge. A very little known species, the call is quite different to that of Madarasz's. Another tough bird to find.
Madarasz's Tiger-Parrot Psittacella madaraszi: A single near Ambua.
Red-cheeked Parrot Geoffroyus geoffroyi: Common at Kiunga and Varirata.
Blue-collared Parrot Geoffroyus simplex: The wind chime bird, seen and heard in flight at Tabubil . The usual flight dots..
Eclectus Parrot Eclectus roratus: Fairly common in the lowlands.
Vulturine Parrot Psittrichas fulgidus: Heard at Akame then great looks at two along the Ok Ma. It gets scarcer every year due to hunting.
Papuan King-Parrot Alisterus chloropterus: A few at Kiunga and again near Ambua, a nice bird.
Papuan Hanging-Parrot Loriculus aurantiifrons: A male at km 120 was a very nice find.
CUCULIDAE
Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus: Seen near Tari and an immature at Tabubil
Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo Cacomantis castaneiventris: Seen very nicely at Tabubil.
Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis: Nicely seen below Ambua.
Long-billed Cuckoo Rhamphomantis megarhynchus: Great looks at single adult male near Kiunga. This was formerly a great rarity that is becoming better known these days.
Gould's or Little Bronze-Cuckoo (Malay Bronze) Chrysococcyx minutillus/russatus: Two seen at Brown River. The resident race here is poecilurus, similar to russatus. These birds were more like minutillus, split by Australian authorities as Little Bronze-Cuckoo.
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus: A single at Varirata was unusual.
Rufous-throated Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx ruficollis: Excellent views at Ambua again.
Dwarf Koel Microdynamis parva (H): Three heard along the Tabubil road at Kiunga.
White-crowned Koel Caliechthrus leucolophus (H): Heard at Varirata, Tabubil and Ambua.
Australian Koel Eudynamys (s.) cyanocephala: Males at Kiunga gave us this dubious split, quite common along the Elevala.
Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae: Great views of 5 of these weird prehistoric-looking creatures flying near Kiunga.
Greater Black Coucal Centropus menbeki (H): Heard at Varirata and Kiunga
Lesser Black Coucal Centropus bernsteini: A nice view of one at Kiunga.
Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus: Common around Port Moresby, where the locals call it "lapun meri" or old woman.
STRIGIDAE
Papuan Boobook Ninox theomacha: Outstanding views at Tabubil, and calling at Ambua, where it is taped-out these days.
PODARGIDAE
Papuan Frogmouth Podargus papuensis: Seen by Cloudlands Hotel.
CAPRIMULGIDAE
Large-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus: Seen by Cloudlands Hotel.
HEMIPROCNIDAE
Moustached Tree-Swift Hemiprocne mystacea: Many great views, a trip favourite and what a beautiful bird!.
APODIDAE
Uniform Swiftlet Collocalia vanikorensis: The common lowland swiftlet.
Mountain Swiftlet Collocalia hirundinacea: Above 2000m, we ticked this one.
Glossy Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta: Common in the hills and lowlands.
Papuan Spine-tailed Swift Mearnsia novaeguineae: Quite common in the Kiunga area.
White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus: Three late migrants near Kiunga were a surprise.
ALCEDINIDAE
Common Paradise-Kingfisher Tanysiptera galatea: A nice view along the Fly River.
Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher Tanysiptera danae: Good views of an immature at Varirata, a great bird.
(White-tailed (Buff-breasted) Paradise-Kingfisher Tanysiptera sylvia)(NL): A single along the Fly River was a nice find for Samuel! We dipped..
Hook-billed Kingfisher Melidora macrorrhina (H): This strange crepuscular skulker was heard at Akame Lodge.
Rufous-bellied Kookaburra Dacelo gaudichaud: Common and noisy in lowlands and hills.
Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii: An excellent bird, seen really well in the POM savannas.
Forest Kingfisher Halcyon macleayii: Lovely views near Varirata.
Collared Kingfisher Halcyon chloris (H): Heard at Hisiu.
Sacred Kingfisher Halcyon sancta: A common winter migrant from Australia in the lowlands.
Yellow-billed Kingfisher Halcyon torotoro: Seen very well at Varirata and Kiunga.
Dwarf Kingfisher (Variable D K) Ceyx lepidus: A fly-by along the Ok Ma.
Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea (NL): Brief views of one at Varirata.
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis: Good views at Lake Kerea of this very wide-ranging bird.
click here for final part of species listing