Sicklebills and Wild Bowerbird Chases!

We headed in 3 different directions again today. Myself, Ray, Dave & William headed to a site for Black Sicklebill, Peter & Colin went to check out a hide for Masked Bowerbird – which unfortunately turned out to be duff, and Graham & Brian headed to the Superb BoP hide and then joined me at the Black Sicklebill hide a little later. As it turned out, the sicklebill hide was set up opposite a feeding station, and was quite a walk up in the dark at 5am I can tell you. It was steep, slippery and I thought quite dangerous – however, when it came time to walk back down, some of our entourage had constructed hand rails along the path and made the whole walk much easier! 

Up to 5 female Western Parotias came in to the feeding station

Anyway, the feeding station became alive with activity shortly after daybreak with up to 5 female Western Parotia coming in to feed. Fortunately, Graham & Brian arrived before a female Black Sicklebill arrived at 08:45am, and she visited on two separate occasions about half an hour apart. We were fortunate indeed to even have a shot of this species, which is usually found at much higher elevations.

Female Black Sicklebill - what a beast!

We waited in vain for the male to show before deciding to leave. The forest here was amazing, with every branch seemingly covered in moss, tree ferns and epiphytes, it was beautiful. A Canary Flyrobin flew in to take a look at us as we stood around, a Vogelkop Scrubwren appeared nearby and we then spent the next 20 minutes trying to get a view of a Trumpet Manucode that flew around us but never settled. 

Canary Flyrobin

Next up was an Arfak Honeyeater before we spent quite a while trying to call in a Spotted Jewel-Babbler that came in so close but the vegetation was so dense and it was clearly an impossible ask. So we walked lower down the trail and enjoyed a fine Lesser Ground-Robin, brief Mountain Mouse-Warbler and Capped White-eye before meeting a disgruntled Peter & Colin along the road who had spent some time waiting for Masked Bowerbird in vain and then being left stranded by our ground crew!!!

 

In the afternoon we birded along the road, mainly hanging around a fruiting tree where Masked Bowerbird allegedly was visiting. It never did and that was no surprise to anyone but we did get Vogelkop Whistler, Papuan Flowerpecker and Mountain Myzomela before staking out the fruiting tree. Luckily, a diminutive Fairy Lorikeet flew in and lingered long enough for most of us to lay eyes on it, whilst a group of Arfak Catbirds gave only the briefest of views. 

Papuan Boobook

At dusk a Papuan Boobook answered my iPhone and we eventually tracked it down to a nearby tree after giving us the runaround! So an interesting and ultimately productive day in all, finished off with Ray not really nailing his landing too successfully into a 5 foot deep concrete roadside drainage ditch……