PAPUA NEW GUINEA 2026 Part three: Bouganville (11-15 August)
Tuesday 11 August 2026. Port Moresby-Buka-Arawa. A Collared Sparrowhawk flew past the dining area window at Airways while we were having breakfast and in the grounds as we were leaving I saw 5 Torresian Imperial Pigeons. We transferred the airport avoiding the worst check-in queues as Dani had booked us in online the previous evening. We arrived at Buka Airport, on a small island just off the north coast of Bouganville soon after 11:00. We collected our bags loaded into three 4WDs and bought some food. There was a short queue for the small ferry but it was only a ten minute crossing to Bouganville. We slowly drove to Arawa on the centre of the island making roadside stops along the way and a short diversion to the coast. At an early toilet stop I had brief views of the only Brown-winged Starlings I was to see. Ok it was only a starling but immediately suggested that birds on Bouganville might be no more co-operative for someone who was loosing their edge than those on Huon had been. Subsequent stops were better and I saw 4 Island Imperial Pigeons, 6 Lesser Frigatebirds, 3 Claret-breasted Fruit-Doves, 3 Glossy Swiftlets, 2 Blyth's Hornbills, 4 Solomons Corellas, Papuan Eclectus, 2 Red-flanked Lorikeets, 4 Duchess Lorikeets (superb), 3 Cardinal Lorys, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, 2 Willie Wagtails, Steel-blue Flycatcher, 4 Long-tailed Mynas, 2 Midget Flowerpeckers and a Sahul Sunbird. |
| Buka to Bouganville passenger ferries |
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| Long-tailed Myna on Bouganville |
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| Cardinal Lorys on Bouganville |
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| Duchess Lorikeets on Bouganville |
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| quite a stunning bird |
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| Claret-breasted Fruit Dove on Bouganville |
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| one of several Cane Toads at Loloho Cottage, our Guest House |
Wednesday 12 August 2026. Bouganville. After an early breakfast we drove to the edge of town and stopped briefly in a rough open area for a few minutes. Being in the last vehicle I wasn't sure what for but we soon continuing up the Panguna Road up to the first pass, at about 950m. It was dull, windy and a bit drizzly so not ideal birding conditions. We spent some time near the pass then slowly birded our way down towards the tree line, trying a couple of short trails. We returned to Arawa for lunch then visited a section of nearby coast - supposedly good for Solomons Sea Eagle - until dusk. After dinner we tried another road a shorter distance into the hills looking for nightbirds and in particular but unsuccessfully Fearful Owl. During the day I heard Pacific Koel and saw 10 Island and a Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeon, 21 Common Sandpipers, 2 Lesser Frigatebirds, single Pacific Reef and Nankeen Night Herons, 20 Glossy Swiftlets, West Solomons Owl, Variable Goshawk, 6 Brahminy Kites, 8 Blyth's Hornbills, single Sacred, Ultramarine and Melanesian Kingfishers, 10 Solomons Corellas, Papuan Eclectus, 15 Cardinal Lorys, 2 Coconut Lorikeets, 2 Red-capped Myzomelias, 3 White-bellied Cuckooshrikes, Central Melanesian Cicadabird, Oriole Whistler, White-winged Fantail, 2 Willie Wagtails, Steel-blue Flycatcher, Chestnut-bellied (Bouganville) Monarch, 2 Pacific Swallows, 2 Bouganville and 4 Yellow-throated White-eyes, 6 Long-tailed Mynas, 3 Metallic Starlings, 4 Midget Flowerpeckers and a Sahul Sunbird.
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| Central Melanesian Cicadabird on Bouganville |
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| Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeon on Bouganville |
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| Nankeen Night Heron near Arawa |
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| Long-tailed Myna on the coast near Arawa |
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| Ultramarine Kingfisher on Bouganville |
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| West Solomon's Owl on Bouganville |
Thursday 13 August 2026. Bouganville. A slightly earlier breakfast and drive straight up to Panguna Road pass. Still dull, windy and a bit drizzly we birded a short distance over the pass then back down the Arawa side. New birds for me were 4 Pale Mountain Pigeons, Solomon's Rufous Fantail, Solomons Monarch and 7 Bouganville Crows. After lunch we tried a couple of small riverbanks on the edge of Arawa for Woodford's Rail drawing a blank at the first and some having brief view but me only hearing it at the second. Getting a bit concerned about Solomon's Sea Eagle I asked Dani about it and it turned out there had been a pair breeding in the rough open area where we'd stopped on the edge of town the previous morning but they weren't there. I made some comment about it would have been nice to at least see the nest and it must have sunk in as we made a brief stop on the way back to dinner. I scanned the tree and immediately saw an immature Solomon's Sea Eagle sitting in it. It seemed about time I had a bit of good fortune. After dinner we returned up the Panguna Road for nightbirds and a chances of Solomon's Frogmouth and Fearful Owl. No luck but 2 more West Solomons Owls were nice. During the day I saw Spot-breasted Cuckoo-Dove, an Island and 2 Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeons, Superb Fruit Dove, 3 Lesser Frigatebirds, 10 Glossy and a Uniform Swiftlets, 5 Blyth's Hornbills, Sacred Kingfisher, 2 Solomons Corellas, 2 Cardinal Lorys, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, 4 Willie Wagtails, Chestnut-bellied Monarch, 2 Long-tailed Mynas, Midget Flowerpecker and Sahul Sunbird.
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| Pale Mountain Pigeon on the Panguna Road |
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| Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeons on the Panguna Road |
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| immature Solomons Sea Eagle near Arawa |
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| with two brave Solomons Corellas |
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| very obliging West Solomons Owl seen while spotlighting on the Panguna Road |
Friday 14 August 2026. Bouganville. Due to a flight change today was to be our last full day on Bouganville. We drove straight up to Panguna Road pass and birded for an hour down the other side and back. The wind had picked up and it remained dull and a bit drizzly. We crossed back over the pass and, in somewhat better weather, walked a few sections of road lower down but still in decent forest. New birds for me were a very smart Yellow-bibbed Fruit Dove (when I realised it had been split from the species I'd seen on Manus in 2006), a not so good flght view of Meek's Lorikeet and a dark morph Pied Goshawk (my earlier view of one not beeing good enough for a new bird). We returned for lunch and concentrated on Woodford's Rail drawing a blank at a new site but most of us, me included, getting a brief but reasonable view where I'd heard one the previous day. We finished the day on a riverbank not far from the coast, the highlight being another Solomon's Sea Eagle. A final drive up Panguna Road after dark failed to produce any nightbirds, the two main targets eluding us despite having been seen there recently. During the day as well as birds mentioned above I saw 2 Pacific Black Duck, single Island and Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeons, Common Sandpiper, 10 Glossy and a Uniform Swiftlets, Brahminy Kite, 2 Blyth's Hornbills, Common and Melanesian Kingfishers, 3 Solomons Corellas, 40 Cardinal Lorys, 2 Red-capped Myzomelas, 2 White-bellied Cuckooshrikes, 3 Central Melanesian Cicadabirds, 4 Oriole Whistlers, White-winged Fantail, 4 Willie Wagtails, Solomons Rufous Fantail, 4 Chestnut-bellied Monarchs, Pacific Swallow, Bouganville White-eye, 2 Midget Flowerpeckers and 2 Tree Sparrows.
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| Yellow-bibbed Fruit Dove on the Pangura Road |
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| White-winged Fantail on the Pangura Road |
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| Common Kingfisher on the river near Arawa |
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| Sacred Kingfisher near Arawa |
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| Solomons Sea Eagle near Awara |
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| looking a bit more mature? |
Saturday 15 August 2026. Our last day on Bouganville (the original tour itinerary had us departing on 16th but that flight had been cancelled, not uncommon in PNG). With a rescheduled departure at 16:10 and an 05:30 departure from Arawa I was hopeful of a few stops to break up the 4 hour drive to Buka and maybe provide better views of Brown-winged Starling and some more looks at Duchess Lorikeets. Unfortunately not as a 50mph journey ensued. I was in the front vehicle and benefitted from a brief stop for 2 roadside Woodford's Rails but otherwise only saw 2 Blyth's Hornbills. Apparently the rush was to be sure of getting across to Buka to mitigate any ferry delays. This seemed a pretty weak excuse not to make any birding stops. In the event there was only a 5 minute wait for the ferry (during which time a Black Noddy flew along the channel) and once on Buka we went for breakfast in a cafe. There are apparently no places to go birding on Buka and no promontories for seawatching so we stayed in the cafe until going to the airport at 15:00. Maybe hotel garden birding isn't so bad afterall. The only other birds I noted during the day were 2 Metallic Starlings. Our flight was on time making a quick scheduled stop at Rabat on the way back to Port Moresby. Somewhat ironic as Nick and I would be flying to Hoskings the following morning although getting from East to West New Britain wouldn't have been at all easy. We were back at the Airways early evening for a final group dinner. Asked for my birds of the trip it wasn't easy to come up with any - Duches Lorikeet, Yellow-bibbed Fruit Dove? Nice people on the tour but as far as seeing my hoped for/expected birds went it was the probably most disappointing tour I've done.
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| Bouganville-Buka ferry |
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sunset as we approached Port Moresby
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Sunday 16 August 2026. The tour finished after breakfast. Nick and I were flying to Hoskins at 15:40 and had considered hiring a taxi to visit Varirata again but were a bit concerned any delay getting back might cause us to miss our flight. We said our goodbyes, arranged a late checkout and did another circuit or two of the hotel gardens. Birds seen were Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, Toresian Crow, Pacific Swallow, 2 Fawn-breasted Bowerbirds, 3 Metallic Starlings and 4 Willie Wagtails.
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| male Papuan Eclectus at Airways (happily, it seemed, sharing the cage with a female) |
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| female Papuan Eclectus at Airways, not the difference in plumage one might have expected |
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| Fawn-breasted Bowerbird at Airways |
