Tag: Papua New Guinea

photography

New Guinea and the BoPs!

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Our last stop in Indonesia was the province of Papua, on the island of New Guinea. We also went to Papua New Guinea, the country that covers the other half of the island. New Guinea is famous for having almost all of the birds-of-paradise (BoPs) (exceptions are two species in the Moluccas and two species in Australia)! Since I have been reading about the BoPs for almost my entire life I couldn’t wait to go there. Here are the pictures.

In Papua we started at the island of Waigeo in the Raja Ampat island group. One of the most obvious bird species were the huge flocks of Lesser Frigatebirds, seemingly migrating as they streamed across the sky overhead.
Another conspicuous resident of the island were the Willie-wagtails (the real name) which hopped around our houses and sang constantly.
Torresian Crows also frequented the trees by the beach, potentially foraging on the sand.
We unanimously agreed that Waigeo had some of the best sunsets we had ever seen, lasting for almost an hour and constantly changing from pink to yellow to orange to red to purple to black.
The reason we came to the Raja Ampat is because they have two endemic BoPs. One of them is the Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise (shown here) commonly agreed to be one of the most colorful, with its red back, yellow neck, bald blue head, green chest, and blue feet, it is like a tiny firework display.
Here you can get a better view of the curled blue tail feathers and the yellow on the neck, as well as the dark iridescent green belly.
The other BoP endemic is the Red Bird-of-Paradise, with a green head, brown and yellow body, and bright red tail feathers it is one of the more “classic” BoPs in the genus Paradisaea.
Although the Red was hidden in the trees most of the time we could occasionally hear some of its loud resounding trumpet-like calls, meant to attract females to the communal lek.
Although there are only two species of BoP are endemic to the Raja Ampat there is a third species that also lives on mainland New Guinea. Since BoPs are actually descended from crows, the crow-like manucodes are still BoPs. This is a Glossy-mantled Manucode, which was actually just seen near our homestay and not at a special hide.
One of the other birds that frequently turned up at the beach was the aptly named Beach Kingfisher, with the distinctive all-white head visible in the photo.
Although Eclectus Parrots are common on the islands this female is one of the few that perched in the open; more often they were seen flying over.
After Waigeo we stayed at the village of Syoubri in the Arfak Mountains. Our birding guide Zeth Wonggor showed us this Marbled Frogmouth (a type of nocturnal owl-like bird) in his backyard.
While we were in a hide waiting for a Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise to appear this Hooded Pitohui came onto the lek. Pitohuis are famous for being the only poisonous birds; although not deadly to humans, if you bite one you will immediately want to spit it out.
After our wait, the Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise (I call it the mag bop) did show up. The tail shape is similar to the Wilson’s, and they are in the same genus. This was also the only BoP that we saw at a lek with a female, although the female left before the male could display.
One of the least known BoPs is the Long-tailed Paradigalla, one of the “plumeless” BoPs. We waited for it to come and feed at this single banana tree, and eventually our wait was fulfilled.
Although Darwin is generally attributed with the development of the theory of evolution, the explorer Alfred Russel Wallace came up with the same idea at the same time while studying birds-of-paradise in New Guinea and observing how the males could afford to evolve gaudy plumage due to the abscence of ground-living predators and competitors for food. This paradigalla certainly dominated the bananas.
When most people think of a bowerbird it is generally the Satin Bowerbird of Australia, but I believe that this architect deserves the credit: The Vogelkop Bowerbird constructs a large hut-like tent and decorates the entrance with trash and seeds, organized by color and shape: see the large pile of nuts, the “red section”, and pile of plastic cups.
This photo shows the architect at work. Because of the plain plumage, the male must construct a larger bower to demonstrate fitness and maturity.
After the Arfak we took a break from the BoPs and headed to New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. Although PNG has BoPs, none of them reach the Bismarcks. We still got some nice birds, like this Nicobar Pigeon.
These Moustached Treeswifts are, unlike normal swifts, able to perch on branches, and do so commonly, allowing a photo opportunity.
Back on mainland New Guinea we took a trip into Varirata National Park near Port Moresby, and that day turned out to be one of my most succesful single birding days ever. This is a Black-capped Lory, seen on the drive in.
The BoP that Varirata is known for is the Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise, PNG’s national bird. This is either a young male or a female.
Red-faced Parrots are almost exclusively found in New Guinea, but there is a small population on the Cape York Peninsula of Australia. Varirata is the only place we saw them.
Several Raggianas showed up, but we never saw an adult male.
Varirata is also the best place in the world for the delightful little Brown-headed Paradise-kingfisher, which just sits on a branch and watches you watch it.
We were also lucky enough to catch this Barred Owlet-nightjar out in the open, as they are nocturnal and generally stay inside their hole unless you are quiet and patient.
After birding the park we stopped at a nearby wetland where we saw this Comb-crested Jaçana with a chick.
We also found this Plumed Whistling-duck, a vagrant from Australia.
Once our lowland birding had been satisfied we headed up into the highlands near Mount Hagen and stayed at Kumul Lodge, known for the ease of birding at its fruit feeders. This is a Common Smoky-honeyeater eating a piece of pineapple.
The Ribbont-tailed Astrapias (a BoP) at Kumul frequent the feeders and it is more common to see them when you glance out the window than to not.
Equally common are these Brown Sicklebills (another BoP), the young bird on the right and the adult female on the left.
Kumul is also known for its rare mountain species, such as this Mountain Firetail, a finch endemic to the highlands of New Guinea.
Because of its prime location you can take tours from the lodge to see a variety of BoPs; this is a Blue Bird-of-Paradise (Cedar’s favorite) seen just a quick drive and walk away from the lodge.
One of the other birds easily seen at the feeders are Brehm’s Tiger-parrots, which make very good photography subjects.
Here you can see part of the tail that gives the astrapias their name. This photo also provides a good look at the “pom-pom” above the bill.
Less common than the tiger-parrots, Plum-faced Lorikeets skipped the feeders and fed off of the trees instead.
On a walk through the forest we came across this Lesser Melampitta, one of New Guinea’s rarest highland birds and only one of two species in its family.
Besides the trip for the Blue BoP we only took one other trip outside of the lodge for a BoP. This is the King-of-Saxony Bird-of-Paradise. The two long straight lines in the photo are not sticks but specialized feathers coming out of the bird’s head. It can move them around wherever it wants, and could theoretically slap you in the face without moving anything but its head wires. When these feathers originally came to Europe they were thought to be fakes due to the plasticky texture and flag-like appendages lining it.
This photo provides a better view of the flags on the sides of the wires. The actual bird is small, but the wires are big, so Cedar calls it the “Li’l Champion with Big Hair”.
The King-of-Saxony is actually uncommon and hard to find, so we were lucky to get such good views of it.
The call of this BoP does not sound remotely like a bird at all. It more sounds like somebody’s radio broke down and is emitting a combination of clicks, twitters, hisses, static, and beeps in a single fast series. Look it up, it’s amazing.
On almost our last day at Kumul we finally got really good views of Crested Berrypeckers, which are, along with the Tit Berrypecker, in their own family.
poetry

endings

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endings

something’s about to change
to be wrapped up
the final period inked
and what can you possibly say
to leave this chapter satisfactorily?
what last rituals, goodbyes, reflections,
exiting bits of dialogue
can prepare you and your reader
for who you will be next?

one last SP
a final cold shower
a salute to the ribbon-tailed
then a return to English tongues

poetry

resolved: not taking the blame

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resolved: not taking the blame

like Siddhartha
he knows how to wait
silent and still
quiet and calm

less certain is how
he will take in
the guide’s excuse:
you moved too much

as we unmeld ourselves
from the fronds and branches
I hear his breath catch
fighting back tears

on the long silent walk home
I wonder what he will say
when he can speak freely
hoping he won’t accept the proffered blame

at home the tears come
and relief on both accounts
he knows who he is
and won’t be told otherwise

how is it at 12
he already walks away from suspect guilt
with clear eyes and a steady conscience
when I still can’t shake my Catholic days?

poetry

shaking hands

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shaking hands

saying hello
is not the same
as placing your palm
in another’s grasp
feeling their corporeality
in the flesh
letting the electricity
that is your pulse
connect with their spark
putting yourself
in their hands
for even an instant

poetry

ribbon-tailed astrapia

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Owen took these photos.

ribbon-tailed astrapia

bobbing through the bush
he sews a white path
through green ground
binding memory and dream

poetry

when the WiFi barely works

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when the WiFi barely works

0s and 1s drip
like fat orbs of honey
no, molasses –
black-brown and glossy
slowly teasing me with
the taste of warm gingerbread

I’m like those
inconsistently rewarded lab rats –
they never give up –
and I click & reload over and over
maybe this time
the bits will go down smoothly
my desires will sail through
the twisted pipe of fiber/cable
and the rental car will
magically be reserved

poetry

be jijimo

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This poem is inspired by the Be Jijimo Gallery at the National Gallery & Art Museum in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The museum gives this explanation written by Professor John Waiko for the term be jijimo: “Be is literally ‘mouth’. Jijimo is ‘sustaining continuity’. Jijimo may be used by a person who has only one sucker of a particular taro variety; then jijimo is absolutely essential. He must sustain the sucker or that variety of taro will be lost to the community. In the legend, Rirowa, the husband gave the advice, ‘be jijimo’, keep the fire alight by blowing on it. But used as an abstract term, be jijimo means ‘sustaining’ or ‘keeping alive by word of mouth’.

be jijimo

I open my mouth
and pencil comes out
in descending diagonal lines
slidenotes aiming to
capture the essence
of what it’s like to be
here now


poetry

To the Mangled

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To the Mangled

now we bow to the mangled
three-legged dogs
soldiers covered in scars
deckhands maimed by sharks
to those whose forms changed in an instant
bikers crushed by trucks
women falling in the shower on vacation in Cancun
boys fumbling with fireworks
to the souls who stayed whole
even after bodies were broken
after the slipped table saw blade
the faltering plastic surgeon
the heavy machinery suddenly backing
and right here
on this tropical island
to a cheerful white bird
unaccountably battered by a stick
in the rough hands of a brutal stranger

Cocky’s half the bird he was
paralyzed from the hips down now
dragging himself by his beak
blind in one eye
his legs twisted
tail covered in excrement
and still when you walk past
he calls out hopefully
“Hello, Cocky!”
and if you stop
he’ll laugh until you start, too,
or cry like a baby if you walk on

looking into his good eye
you see he’ll graciously accept
a gentle ruffle of his feathers and a kind word
and if you’ve peanuts
he’ll even tip his crest to you in thanks
his unwarranted trust
pains me every time

some souls
no matter how beat down
how twisted by fate
can’t help but continue to hope
to still cling to dignity
to make us all believe goodness still exists
to trust that despite their own suffering
there must be some joy left in the world

poetry

New Ireland shell money bride price

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New Ireland shell money bride price

so many ways to buy
a woman in this world
and here is just one:
gather snail shells
& slice into disks
drill a hole in each center
file each round side smooth
string on cord

the parents bring out the tape
measure labor by the millimeter;
instead of fruit-by-the-foot
it’s Sheila-by-the-shell
how long is this love worth?
how much can this woman ask?