Sorong - Waigeo

We had the morning to check out the nearby mangroves where a pair of Brown-backed Honeyeaters were nest-building quite close to our parked cars. We walked along a road between the mangroves and had a Collared Imperial-Pigeon fly slowly overhead, brief Little Kingfisher, an Orange-fronted Fruit-Dove teed up in the scope, whilst overhead Uniform Swiftlets and our one and only Barn Swallow were screamed at by some supersonic Coconut Lorikeets. A short, sharp shower stopped us in our tracks as we tried to get a view of a Buff-banded Rail walking through a grassy area. So we hopped in the cars and drove a short distance and at this section of mangroves we had a party of Little Bronze Cuckoos moving through. As we watched them a Large-billed Gerygone appeared, and then a Blue-black Kingfisher called. After several flyby’s we eventually managed a decent perched view of it nestled in a dense patch of mangrove before it flew away. There was also a Sacred Kingfisher at the same spot and a Black Butcherbird to keep us entertained before we decided to drive to an area of low hills above Sorong. 

Pacific Baza

Several Blyth’s Hornbills flying past indicated that this must be a good forested area and we also had White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Black-browed Triller, Eclectus Parrot, New Guinea Friarbird, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra and a pair of Yellow-faced Mynas but the only new bird was a Pacific Baza. So we returned to the hotel with plenty of time to pack and have lunch before catching the 2pm ferry to Waigeo.

 

This was a fast ferry and the journey was only maybe 2.5 hours, during which time we saw 3 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, distant Great Frigatebirds and a Great Crested Tern. Upon arrival we were met by our 3 cars and drove to a lovely resort where we’d be spending the next 3 nights, seeing a group of Singing Starlings along the way.