birding never sleeps: PAPUA NEW GUINEA 2026 Part two: Huon & hotel gardens (07-10 August)

PAPUA NEW GUINEA 2026 Part two: Huon & hotel gardens

Friday 07 August 2026. We had breakfast at 05:30, departed from Crossroads at 06:00 and arrived at the charter entrance to Lae airport soon after 06:30. It was with some relief that we learned that the spare part had arrived the previous evening and had been fitted. We went through the weighing process again, saw Plumed Egret, Singing Bush Lark and Tree Sparrows and boarded the flight at about 07:30. Our pilot demonstrated why the P-750 was an XSTOL (Extra Short Take Off and Landing) getting us airborne, fully loaded, in under 800ft! It was a short hop over the mountains to the small coastal fishing village of Wasu where we arrived at about 08:00. A small crowd was gathered although they mainly appeared to be children on their way to school. A quick turn around by our plane left us waiting but before we could feel abandoned our arranged vehicle, a very uncomfortable flat-bed truck soon appeared. We climbed aboard and drove to a shop in the village where we stocked up with water, fruit, rice and some tins, all of which would have been too heavy to carry by plane. The shop had a range of more general goods and was presumably provisioned by an irregular ferry - a regular one might be a more reliable option than flying? At the shop I replaced the cap I'd lost/left in the taxi at Varirata on our first day. It was Chinese, cost about £3, and I've been wearing it ever since. We headed up a rough dirt road into the hills, sharing the back of the truck with our provisions and a few locals. I had flyaway views of 2 Pesquet's Parrots and 2 Great Woodswallows but it was hard to hold binoculars steady from the back of the truck. We arrived at Huon Birding Camp at 10:35 and dumped our bags. While tents and camp beds were being set up we birded up the road for a couple of hours before returning for lunch. I had a distant, barely identifiable view of a Black-mantled Goshawk (I'd not taken a scope which would have been useful) and saw 3 Huon Astrapias briefly in flight. After lunch we drove lower down to look for Emperor Bird of Paradise and soon heard a couple of males calling some way below the road. A trail led in the right direction and a fledgling was seen almost immediately but the males never seemed to get any closer despite our going some way down and low cloud rolled in. We returned to the road obtaining brief views of a female near where the fledgling had been. Two of the three endemic BoPs seen but neither were at all satisfactory. We were back at the camp at 18:00 and after a decent meal we tried spotlingting up the road for a couple of hours. This proved much more successful than our birding during daylight with good views of Feline and Mountain Owlet-Nightjars, a male Red-breasted Pygmy-Parrot, Brown-breasted Gerygone, Red-collared Myzomela, Olive Straightbill, Black-breasted Boatbill, Fan-tailed Berrypecker and Slaty Robin. Other birds seen during the day included Mountain Myzomela, 6 Grey Crows, Canary Flyrobin and 2 Island Leaf Warblers. Not a great start, at least in terms of views obtained of the better birds in daylight, but at least we'd made it to Huon.

replacement part fitted and tested

loading the hold

refueling

onboard and ready to leave

crossing the Huon Mountains

so much good forest below although we wouldn't be reaching this elevation

Wasu landing strip

a quick turnaround

Nick and my tent, relatively tidy but we'd only just arrived

our view

our neighbours

a bit of protein with our bananas

Emperor Bird-of-Paradise fledgling

Mountain Owlet-Nightjar above Huon Birding Camp

Olive Straightbill above Huon Birding Camp

Feline Owlet-Nightjar above Huon Birding Camp

Saturday 08 August 2026. We were the first group at the camp for over 18 months and possibly as a result there seemed to be some issues around local knowledge and access for, in particular, Bird of Paradise and Bowerbird display areas. We were told there were two Wahne's Parotia hides, one seating 2 and the other 4 although it wasn't clear where they were or how much they were being used. We set off up the road after an early breakfast and after about half an hour stopped by a narrow trail that dropped steeply into a foresed valley. This was apparently the way to a/both Parotia hide/s but it was quite a long way. How far?? The ladies stayed on the road while the rest of us set off down the trail but after 10 minutes, by which time we'd dropped a fair distance, Dani called a halt to check whether we wanted to continue. He apparently tried to disuade us but maybe I didn't hear that. Having come this far it seemed foolish not to go on although the lack of knowledge in whaty awaited us was a bit of a concern. Dani went back, we continued with three guides. For me it was to be a very big mistake. Easy with hindsight to bail out and let some of the others try it out knowing we had a couple of hours, but no more, the following morning if they were successful. Easy with hindsight. We continued dropping splitting into 3 and 2, me the first of the three. Given the hide sizes I assumed we three were heading for the four seater but on arrival it seemed clear it was only for two and my being first had to shuffle to the far side, where viewing was very restricted, so Nick who was third could get in at all. I was somewhat dismayed that the ground infront of the hide was covered in several layers of leaves, in complete contrast to dancing floors I'd seen in West Papua. I asked the guide where the bird appeared and an angled trunk was pointed out. If I leant into Chris and closed one eye I could just about see it, rather uncomfortably. We were in the hide for over an hour and I saw absolutely nothing. Nick and Chris saw a distant dark shape fly through the background that might have been a parotia or a bowerbird. We left the hide and were surprised to find Jurgen and Andrew with a guide 2-300 metres back up the track. They'd not been taken to the other hide but were waiting to try ours. With our lack of success we all headed back to the road. Dani was waiting having had a decent couple of hours with Norma and Helena. He and Helena had seen a Wahne's Parotia fly over from theback of the truck as they were driving further up the road and they'd all had good views of Spangled Honeyeater and better views of Black-mantled Goshawk and Huon Astrapia. We all birded the road for an hour, me getting another brief flight view of a Huon Astrapia, but the clouds rolled in and we returned for lunch. I'd seen a couple of interesting shapes in the gloom that might, in better weather, have been Spangled Honeyeaters but very little else. After lunch we headed lower down to a different Emperor Bird of Paradise display tree. Fortunately we dropped below the clouds but on the guides recomendation that we'd be watching the BoPs from under the tree left telescopes behind. After a 15 minute walk we arrived at a dwelling on a fairly open ridge which overlooked at some distance an open tree with several male and female Emperor Birds of Paradise jumping around on open branches. Close they were not, infact too distant for me to even attempt photos, although I now wish I had. One of the guides was sent back for telescopes (Norma had brought one too) but as might have been predicted, given how things were going, the clouds rolled in and the birds dispersed before they returned. At least we'd seen males but not the hoped for Bird of the Trip performance. Another spotlighting session produced Rufous-backed Honeyeater, Red-collared Myzomela, Fan-tailed Berrypecker, Slaty Robin and Papuan White-eye. It was definitely easier to see birds spotlighted at night, they just sat there before flying off before I could get my bins on them. Despite this issue during the day I also saw 2 Amboyna Cuckoo-Doves, Coconut Lorikeet, Brown-breasted Gerygone, Marbled Honeyeater, Helmetted Friarbird, Cinnamon-browed Melidectes, bits of a Tit Berrypecker, 2 Regent and a Brown-backed Whistler, 2 Black and 2 Northern Fantails, Black Monarch, a smart Black-throated Robin, Island Leaf Warbler and Papuan White-eye. I also heard but failed to see Orange-crowned Fairywren, Spotted Jewel-babbler, Greater Lophorina and Growling Riflebird. Nothing was seen well/close enough to warrant attempting photos, a rather sad state of affairs.

Sunday 09 August 2026. Our last morning at Huon although as we had to leave camp at 10:00 it was to be a rather short morning. After an early breakfast we drove up the road to the area we'd been in the clouds the previous day. Fortunately it was clear and a few birds were active, one called as a Dwarf Koel flew into the top of a distant tree. I couldn't get any detail on it through binoculars. I switched to camera in the hope of obtaining an identifiable image but couldn't find it, it had flown and was later reidentified as a female parotia. A couple of Spangled Honeyeaters zipped back and forth across the road but dived into cover before I could see them. We went 50m along a trail to where we'd heard Spotted Jewel-Babbler. It called distantly but wasn't responding. I returned to the road hoping for an identifiable view of Spangled Honeyeater and was soon joined by Nick. One soon flew across and landed but with its head obscured for me. Nick, a few metres away, had a clear view of it and went back onto the trail. I stayed out feeling I needed to see the bright yellow facial wattle and five minutes later, for about 5 seconds, I had an identifiable view of a Spangled Honeyeater. I quickly joined the others, now 150m further down the trail, to discover they'd had eyeball views of a Spangled Honeyeater, seen a skulky New Guinea Bronzewing and you've guessed it a Wahne's Parotia feeding high in a tree. I hung around the parotia tree for a while but nothing was moving so I joined the others at a viewpoint. Here a Mountain Kingfisher flew high into a tree above us where it gave reasonable views. We were now running short of time and headed out to the road, walking down a short way to where the truck was waiting for us. Before reaching the truck fate played a final wind-up. I saw a striking butterfly (or moth?) and while stopping to photogaph it heard Dani shout 'Wahne's Parotia'. He and those nearest him saw it as it flew out of a nearby tree and disappeared. That effectively was it, my long standing desire to visit the Huon had turned out to be a huge disappointment. Whether a later charter to Lae and an extra few hours that morning would have made a difference I'll never know, although I felt sure the lost day had. We returned to camp, picked up our bags and drove down to the coast. Other birds I saw during our final few hours on the Huon included 8 Papuan Mountain Pigeons, 3 Mountain Swiftlet, 2 Marbled and a Black-throated Honeyeater, Black-breasted Boatbill, Regent Whistler, 3 Huon Astrapias incuding one perched briefly, Canary Flyrobin, Papuan Grassbird and Island Leaf Warbler while Lesser Melampitta was heard distantly.

Our charter flight to Lae was scheduled for 11:00 and arrived on time. We were back at Lae and transferred to the Crosroads for lunch. We were not flying from Lae to Port Morseby until the following morning so I was hopeful of an afternoon trip to Merambi Bridge and improved Edwards's Fig Parrot views but the Crossroads gardens for the 4th time was all that was on offer. I saw included a Pinon and 40 Torresian Imperial Pigeons, 2 Orange-bellied Fruit-Doves, 3 Blyth's Hornbills, Sacred Kingfisher, 2 Sulphur-crested Cocatoos, 3 Papuan Eclectuses, 2 Red-cheeked Parrots, 20 Dusky Lorys, 2 Coconut Lorikeets, 2 Scrub Honeyeaters, 2 Brown Orioles, 3 Yellow-faced Mynas and 10 Shining Starlings.

Mountain Kingfisher above Huon Birding Camp

Mirionia paradisea, the day flying moth that might have cost me a Parotia view

preparing to load up (registration P2-NCA?)

leaving Wasu just 48 hours after we had arrived

last view of Wasu

braided river near Lae (registration on wing P2-ANH??)

Yellow-faced Mynas at Crossroads

Monday 10 August 2026. Early breakfast and an hours wander around Crossroads Gardens before getting the bus to the airport. At Crossroads and Lae's Nadzab airport I saw 60 Torresian Imperial Pigeons, 2 Variable Goshawks, 2 Plumed Egrets, a Brahminy and 12 Black Kites, 2 Sacred Kingfishers, 2 Papuan Eclectuses, 4 Helmetted Friarbirds, 2 White-bellied Cuckooshrikes, Brown Oriole, 4 Willie Wagtails, 4 Pacific Swallows, 3 Yellow-faced Mynas and 5 Tree Sparrows - much as on the four previous occasions. Our Lae to Port Moresby flight was on time and we were back at Airways by lunchtime. Nothing had been organised for the afternoon and as it was hot Nick and I left it until 16:30 for a wander around the hotel gardens. We saw Torresian Imperial Pigeon, 2 Peaceful Doves, 2 Fawn-breasted Bowerbirds, 3 Rufous-banded and 4 Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters, 2 Black-faced Cuckooshrikes, 6 White-breasted Woodswallows, 2 Willie Wagtails, a Torresian Crow and 15 Tree Sparrows.