Are we too late to save the elusive birds of this Papua New Guinea island?

5 Feb 2018

New Britain's birds are among the least known to science. A group of researchers ventured into the island's unforgiving wilderness to find out how these species were coping with the loss of their forest. They found that some had adapted - but many more need urgent protection before it's too late.

Perched on the outer edge of the Malay Archipelago, and sheltered from the vast expanse of the Pacific only by the thin strip of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea’s New Britain boasts an impressive diversity of fauna and flora. The island’s volatile colonial and volcanic history have made it almost accustomed to upheaval. However, the most recent disturbance is to its forest landscape, with over 20% of its lowland forest being lost between 1989 and 2000. The culprits are palm oil plantations and industrial logging, which are threatening to turn New Britain’s rich biodiversity into a monoculture reflecting our consumerism – or worse, a barren, deforested wasteland.

Read on  

Karimui Owlet-nightjar - rediscovered after half a century

by Ashley Banwell - ashleybanwellsbirding.com

Aegotheles affinis terborgi is only known from a single specimen taken at 1100 meters from the Karimui Basin in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea on 16th August 1964. This individual was presented to Jared M. Diamond by a native who said he had caught it by hand while it was sleeping on a branch during the day. JMD named this distinctive race after Dr John Terborgh was had accompanied him on a 1964 collecting trip to Karimui. Since its discovery it had been place under Barred Owlet-nightjar A bennettii based upon its close similarity to the two mainland races of A bennettii but it was distinct from these races in its much larger size, wing length being 154mm compared with A bennetti bennettii which has a 121-128 wing, as well as its much darker blacker upper parts. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive currently places it under Allied Owlet-nightjar A affinis and the recent Birds of New Guinea - Distribution, Taxonomy and Systematics places it under Barred A bennettii. 

The other population of Allied is present in the Arfak Mountains of the Bird's head Peninsular in West Papua at the elevation of 80-1500m which is some 1400 kms to the west. Most authors agree that it is a good possibility that it may well be a full species but further observations and recordings of its vocalisations would be required to increase the knowledge of this taxon. 

Having a keen interest on nocturnal birding and combined with my passion for Papuan birding I had been aware that there may well be something of great interest hiding on the old volcano at Karimui. I had been making enquiries about visiting the region for a couple of years and finally in July 2016 I was back in Port Morseby with Karimui next up on my agenda. Despite Air Niugini's best efforts to cancel my plans and the countries Prime Minister facing a vote of no confidence we eventually made it into Goroka via Lae, not as we planned but we were ready for our MAFF charter flight into Karimui. So Markus Lagerqvist, Roger McNeill, Daniel Wakra and myself had four nights in Karimui to find an owlet-nightjar without any recordings or information on where to look it suddenly seemed a tall order. 

Read more

New sightings of Beck's Petrels but no tagged birds

An intrepid BirdLife International team are back from their voyage to discover the nesting grounds of Beck's Petrel, a small seabird facing an uncertain future.

With over 200 kg of chum specially designed to lure the Critically Endangered Beck’s Petrel Pseudobulweria becki, a couple of gas operated net canons for harmless capture and a keen crew of four from BirdLife International and the Wildlife Conservation Society, the PNG Explorer motored out of Kavieng, bound for Cape St George at the southern end of remote New Ireland in Papua New Guinea. Even without “spontaneous chumming” thanks to calm seas, curious Red-footed Boobies Sula sula, Black Noddies Anous minutus and other pantropical seabirds were soon escorting the ship on its 400 km trek south.

The first Beck’s Petrels were soon sighted. Quietly, but with excitement and nervous anticipation, the team set a chum slick, but a few casual swoops and a shake of a tail feather later, the birds’ inspection of this marine buffet was done. Nevertheless, fears that the strong El Niño conditions affecting the Pacific may have caused the petrels to move elsewhere were allayed; and with greater numbers known to be in the vicinity of the Cape, this subdued start was merely a teaser.

Continued