I just got the desperately sad news that, following his long battle against cancer, Samkris (known as Kris) Tindige has died this morning. Juszti, Robi, Stu and I were very privileged to have spent some time with him in his beloved West Papua last year, on what would be one of his last tours and experienced at first hand what a very special person he was. With an infectious smile and a great sense of humour, despite being in great pain, which was later diagnosed as the return of his cancer, he was a delight to be with and we enjoyed a lot of laughs during our short time together. My favourite story is when he visited the UK for the first time, without his trusty machete, and he said to himself  "Right Kris, you are in the city now, you must try to survive!" Completely at home in the rainforests of West Papua it was funny to hear that he felt the same as us city-dwellers with the situation reversed!

There are some photos of Kris on my West Papua entries from last year and I also found a few more today:

Samkris Tindige, Batanta Island, September 2006

Samkris Tindige, Salawati Island, September 2006 (photos by Stuart Warren)

Mike Watson, Clitheroe, Lancashire

Hungarian Glider (Neptis rivularis), Marosfő

 

We spent just over a week, 21-29 June 2007, at Fészek Panzio, an excellent small guest house run by György and Irma Csorba in the sleepy village of Marosfő (Izvoru Muresului – Hungarian place names used with Romanian names or English meanings in brackets), in the heart of Transylvania, with Évi’s mum and her brother’s family.

The Hargita range from Marosfő.

Marosfő (=Maroshead, as in Ribblehead and pronounced ‘morrosh-fur’) is situated 18km south of Gyergyószentmiklos (Gheorgheni) at the source of the River Maros (Mures) and is a great place for wildlife. Not only does Fészek Panzió (pronounced ‘face–ek’=Nest Pension) have the embryonic River Maros running right through the back garden but it also backs onto a hillside with a wide variety of excellent butterfly habitats from sphagnum bog, wet meadows and calcaerous grassland to mixed woodland. Further beyond lie large tracts of pine forest and grazing meadows. There was more than enough to keep me occupied within walking distance! This was particularly good from a photographic point of view as I was on-site and ready to take advantage of breaks in the usually frantic butterfly activity, whenever the sky clouded over or in the evening, to get some shots of the all-important under-hindwings of perching fritillaries. During the day the butterflies were often impossible to follow in sunshine because there were so many individuals. Almost as soon as one landed it would be buzzed by another and fly off again on its relentless search for females. It is also not nice to trample these beautiful and fragile habitats, as the pursuit of an individual butterfly usually involves, so I would generally have one go at a perched fritillary and if it flew off I would leave it alone. Hence not many open wing shots! If you visit Marosfő please adopt the same approach and take only photographs!

Fészek Panzió, Marosfő.

 

I spent a lot of time in the meadows behind Fészek Panzió, which are also owned by György and Irma. The small sphagnum bog over the garden fence, although partly drained, was full of Lesser Marbled Fritillaries Brenthis ino and I also photographed a Large Heath Coenonympha tullia here. A little further towards the start of the forest edge fritillaries abounded with another 11 species present: Dark Green Argynnis aglaja, High Brown Argynnis adippe (f. cleodoxa), Niobe Argynnis niobe, Queen of Spain Issoria lathonia, Small Pearl-bordered Clossiana selene, Weaver’s Fritillary Clossiana dia, False Heath Melitaea diamina, Assmann’s Mellicta britomartis (a few) amongst the much more common Heath Mellicta athalia, Marsh Euphydryas aurinia (a single faded individual on 22 June only) and finally Titania’s Fritillary Clossiana titania of the rare and very light-coloured transsilvanica subspecies. The latter is a widely distributed holarctic butterfly with a fragmented range in Europe and it is apparently only reliably known from two other localities in Romania, one being near Békás Szoros. I am told by Lajos Németh that the type specimen of this subspecies no longer exists and that its locality is now unknown. I found it in two widely separated areas of woodland edge meadows at Marosfő, between 844-955m and also at another site near Szenyéte, also known as Szenéta (Senetea), about 12km to the west at 1005m. Although this seems a major discovery I suspect it is more widely distributed than is presently thought but being a member of the lookalike Clossiana genus it is easily overlooked unless its hyper-distinctive underwing pattern is seen. The name Titania originates from the queen of the fairies in Shakespeare’s play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and the wikipedia entry for Titania quotes a nice poem, delivered in the play by her husband Oberon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titania. Lajos also tells me that collecting does not pose a significant threat anymore and I can see that the going rate for a Titania’s Fritillary on ebay appears to be only £3 and a Weaver’s is worth a mere £2.20!

Titania’s Fritillary (Clossiana titania)

 

Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja).

Niobe Fritillary (Argynnis niobe).

Weaver’s Fritillary (Clossiana dia).

Lesser Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis ino).

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Clossiana selene).

 

Assmann’s Fritillary (Mellicta britomartis), male top, lower two the same female – note the submarginal band on the underside hindwing is ‘coloured-in’ with a very contrasting orange/yellow.

 

Heath Fritillary (Mellicta athalia).

 

False Heath Fritillary (Melitaea diamina). I initially overlooked this species and only identified it correctly when rechecking photos of what I thought was Assmann’s Fritillary (Mellicta britomartis), due to the orange/yellow submarginal band on the underside hindwing. However the underside hindwing shows a greater extent of orange in the basal area than Assmann’s and, more importantly, black spots inside the orange lunules in the post discal area. I then dug out some upperside photos of the same individual which show much finer spotting on the upperside hindwing.

Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia), a very worn individual.

Over the course of the week I recorded a total of 51 species in and around Marosfő. Swallowtail Papilio machaon put in an appearance a couple of times but typically appeared to be on its way somewhere. Whites were in short supply and included Large White Pieris brassicae, Small White Artogeia rapae, Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines, Clouded Yellow sp Colias sp and Brimstone Gonepteryx rhammi. Blues were similarly few and I only saw Scarce Copper Lycaena vigaureae, Little Cupido minimus, Mountain Alcon Maculinea rebeli (presumed to be this rather uncertain species at 1100m, above the ski-ing area), Silver-studded Plebejus argus, and Holly Blues Celastrina argiolus, Brown Argus Aricia agestis and Mazarine Blue Cyaniris semiargus. In addition to the fritillaries mentioned so far, other Nympalids included Purple Emperor Apatura iris (in the garden at times), White Admiral Limenitis Camilla, Hungarian Glider Neptis rivularis (common), Map Butterfly Araschinia levana , Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta , Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae , Peacock Butterfly Inachis io, Painted Lady Vanessa cardui and Comma Butterfly Polygonum c-album and other Browns included: Marbled White Melanargia galathea, Arran Brown Erebia ligea, Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina,  Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus, Chestnut Heath Coenonympha glycerion, Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria,  

Large Wall Brown Lasiommata maera and Woodland Brown Lopinga achine. The only skippers I managed were Small Thymelicus sylvestris and Oberthür’s Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus armoricanus.

Mazarine Blues (Cyaniris semiargus) and a Little Blue (Cupido minimus).

Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus).

Scarce Copper (Lycaena vigaureae).

Marbled White (Melanargia galathea).

Large Heath (Coenonympha tullia), note the very Eastern Large Heath-like (C. rhodopensis) markings including a very short pale anterior post discal mark on the underside forewing, not even crossing v5, however the large bold spots do not fit C. rhodopensis - the population in this area is apparently well-studied.

Chestnut Heath (Coenonympha glycerion).

Woodland Brown (Lopinga achine).

Arran Brown (Erebia ligea).

Large Wall Brown (Lasiommata maera ).

Oberthür’s Grizzled Skippers (Pyrgus armoricanus).

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

At the time of our visit the meadows were being cut in the village, resulting in a bonanza for the bird population, however those behind the panzio were still uncut and the sphagnum bog, which had not been cut the previous summer was showing the benefit of this ‘gap year’. These meadows were previously cut twice a year(!) and György is now going to adopt a less regular regime, for the bog at least. The higher meadows are also no longer being cut with anything like the same regularity (some apparently not within the last four years) and Irma thought that the level of grazing by livestock was also much lower now. It will be interesting to watch the effects of this change on the butterfly populations in coming years. The Marosfő area was also experiencing a severe drought during our visit and there was even a threat that the panzio’s water supply would be cut-off later in the summer. The village has some lovely butterfly habitat but it is hardly remote, being on the main road between Gyergyószentmiklos and Csíkszereda (Miercurea Ciuc) and the meadows are crossed by a couple of power lines as well as an underground gas pipeline. Dragonflies here included Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo, Emperor Anax imperator and Willow Emerald Damselfy Lestes viridis (1 at the small pond where the gas pipeline crosses the stream behind the Panzio – follow the line of Ox-eye Daisies that have colonised the disturbed ground).

Évi’s niece Boglárka (Buttercup!) and a Ringlet - it’s important to get kids interested in nature! (left) and Hummingbird Hawkmoth (right).

The meadows are also full of flowers and include some nice orchids. Marsh Helleborines Epipactis palustris flourish along tracks across the meadows made by Wild Boar and both Fragrant Gymnadenia conopsea and Heath Spotted Orchids Dactylorhiza maculata are common. Bears from the nearby Hargita range are only very rarely encountered in Marosfő, as are Wolves, although Irma and György had one sighting last winter and some years ago the dog next door was killed and eaten by Wolves during a period of one metre-deep snow, leaving only the head and spine, still attached to its chain. They apparently target chained dogs! The only mammals we saw here though were Roe Deer.

Willow Emerald Damselfy (Lestes viridis), left and Marsh Helleborines (Epipactis palustris), right.

 

We also made a couple of day trips from Marosfő. One morning we went to Békás Szoros (Békás Gorge, szoros literally meaning ‘tight’) the awesome 5km long, 300m deep limestone canyon just east of Gyergyószentmiklos. Formerly marking the 1000 year border of the Hungarian nation the limestone karst scenery here is really breathtaking! It is also one of the best sites in Europe to observe breeding Wallcreepers. There is no need to negotiate steep paths or climb anywhere as the birds often nest only 20m or so above the main road. The young of a nest we knew the location of had probably fledged and left it, however we did eventually see the fine male parent, which appeared to be taking moths to another crevice in the rock. We enjoyed some great views and at one point he flew in an arc, butterfly-style, out over the rushing stream in the valley below. We also saw Common Buzzard (pair), Alpine Swift (10+ zooming around the gorge and visiting holes in the huge cliff face above the lowest line of gift shops), Dipper (adult and a juvenile) and Grey Wagtail here. Butterflies included Purple Emperor Apatura iris, Hungarian Glider Neptis rivularis (common), White Admiral Limenitis camilla, Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia, Dark Green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja, Marbled White Melanargia galathea, Large Wall Brown Lasiommata maera, Arran Brown Erebia ligea, Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina and Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus but all are present around Marosfő. Incidentally the only butterfly species recorded away from the vicinity of Marosfő was Purple-shot Copper Lycaena alciphron, seen at Hargita Fürdő.

Wallcreeper, Békás Szoros.

Békás Szoros.

Dipper, juvenile.

 

On another occasion we had a very enjoyable horse cart ride to Sugó Barlang (= Sugó cave), arranged through Irma, who accompanied us. The cart track which leads to the cave entrance is reached via Vasláb (Voslabeni) 4km north of Marosfő and at first passes through some fields and then follows the Sipos valley passing Sipos-kő (1567m). The first section is lined by willows and numerous Purple Emperors Apatura iris were basking along its length, buzzing the horses and cart as we passed by. Beautiful Demoiselles Calopteryx virgo fluttered over small trackside streams and we made a game of swatting the occasional horse flies which landed on the cart’s occupants. Further on we entered a sheltered and steep-sided valley, cloaked in pines and it was here that we saw several striking clytie form Lesser Purple Emperors Apatura ilia as well as some normal individuals. A Swallowtail Papilio machaon, White Admirals Limenitis camilla, Hungarian Gliders Neptis rivularis and more Purple Emperors were amongst the numerous butterflies taking salts from the shallow muddy pools along the rutted track, however pride of place went to another big target – Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell Nymphalis xanthomelas. Its paler leg colour (far from yellow of course!) was visible through binoculars and I was able to take a couple of poor record shots, however it was very timid and the only one I saw made off into the forest canopy the first time I disturbed it. The walk to the cave itself was rather uneventful although there are a couple of (possibly transplanted) Lady’s Slipper Orchids Cypripedium calceolus by the entrance huts alongside several Red Helleborines Cephalanthera rubra. The slippers were in seed but the Helleborines were in full flower at the time of our visit. Évi and I did not venture into the cave but it is apparently worth a visit if you have time. We also saw a couple of dragonflies here – Brilliant Emerald Somatochlora metallica (3 or 4 shining green-bodied insects that patrolled the track near the turn-off to the cave) and Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis. In all we only saw a handful of dragonfly species in Transylvania.

Clockwise from top left – Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Hungarian Glider (Neptis rivularis ), Purple Emperor (Apatura iris) and Lesser Purple Emperor (Apatura ilia).

Two that almost got away, Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell (Nymaphalis xanthomelas), left and High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe f. cleodoxa), right.

Birding around Marosfő and in surrounding Transylvania in general was also pretty good with White Stork (commonly seen nesting in small villages atop power cable posts), Hazel Grouse (1, deep in the forest, on the ridge behind the panzió), Golden Eagle (1 over Sipos-kő), Lesser Spotted Eagle (1-2 over the Maros valley near Vasláb), Common Buzzard (common), Honey Buzzard (3 regularly over the hillside behind the Panzio and from the highest peak above the ski-area to the south of the source of the River Maros), Goshawk (3 sightings from the panzió garden, once carrying prey towards the forest to the southeast), Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, Turtle Dove (in the meadows near Vasláb), Northern Pygmy Owl (1 calling from the pine forest behind the panzió briefly one evening), Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Hoopoe, Common Skylark, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Tree Pipit, White Wagtail, European Robin, Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear (1 at Szenéta Quarry), Whinchat, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Common Whitethroat, Marsh Warbler, Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Crested Tit, Eurasian Treecreeper, Red-backed Shrike, Magpie, Jay, Nutcracker (a noisy family of 4 regularly in the forest behind the panzió and another 3 in meadow-side forest at Szenéta), Common Raven (1-2 at Sipos-kő), Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, European Serin, Common Rosefinch (3, a female/2cy male plus a pair in an area of willows on one of our day trips, at the southern limit of its distribution in the Western Palearctic in Transylvania and seen at one of the two Romanian red dots in Hagemeijer and Blair’s 1997 ‘EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds’), Eurasian Bullfinch, Common Crossbill and Yellowhammer. I have also seen Three-toed Woodpecker, Ural Owl and Capercaillie in the Hargita range previously but at a much higher altitude than we tried on this trip.

Whinchat, juvenile (left) and Vasláb hay meadows (right), showing signs of neglect.

 

Fészek Panzió is owned and run by György and Irma. They are a lovely middle-aged couple and gave us a very warm Transylvanian welcome – Evi has stayed here with her family for years. György speaks some English as well as German and Irma’s cooking is probably the best home-cooking I have had anywhere in Eastern Europe, traditional Hungarian in a Transylvanian style and using exclusively local and organic ingredients. I had endless cups of her fantastic herb tea, made from dried flowers from the surrounding meadows. The substantial late cooked breakfast every morning meant we hardly needed to eat again until late in the day and the evening meals were absolutely excellent, accompanied by local pálinka (Hungarian brandy). The accommodation cost E35 per person per night on a bed, breakfast and evening meal basis. Although we drove from Debrecen (about seven hours non-stop), from 30 October this year it will be possible to fly to Targu Mures ( Marosvásárhely in Hungarian = Maros marketplace) from London Luton Airport with www.wizzair.com, for as little as £45 return including taxes! György can offer a transfer from here to Marosfő, only two hours away. Alternatively, Bucharest is about four hours drive away to the south. To make a reservation contact György Csorba (pronounced ‘Jurge Chorba’) at Fészek Panzió, RO-Jud. Harghita, Izvorul Muresului, Nr. 604, ROMANIA feszek@clicknet.ro (Please email me if you have any difficulty contacting Fészek Panzió) or Tel. 0040 744 472619/ Fax. 0040 266 336941.

Clockwise from top left: Fészek Panzió bog, the embryonic Maros River at Fészek Panzió – a good place for watching butterflies taking salts from its muddy ‘banks’, Black Redstart, juvenile in the garden and Fészek Panzió.

Few people in Western Europe are aware that Transylvania (known as Érdely to Hungarians), as well as much more besides of the present day territories of its neighbouring countries, used to belong to Hungary. After the First World War, the former state of Hungary was carved up by Trianon, the 1920 treaty presided over by France and Britain, after which only one third of the original country remained. Vast swathes of land that had been part of Hungary for over 1000 years(!) were handed to its surrounding neighbours, including Austria, its ally, who had coerced it into the war! The cruellest cut however was the loss of Transylvania to Romania. Most Hungarians still dream of getting their mountains back and the same is also true of the 1.7 million ethnic Hungarians marooned in Transylvania who hope to be reunited one day with their motherland. Hungary briefly regained Transylvania prior to the Second World War but unfortunately, in Germany, chose the wrong side again and lost it soon afterwards. 

The Ceaucescu era which followed had dire consequences for Transylvania as the crackpot communist dictator settled huge numbers of native Romanians there, notably in Kolosvár and Nagyvárad (renamed Cluj Napoca and Oradea respectively), transforming them into depressingly ugly cities. As he squandered enormous sums of money on his madcap ‘improvements’ to the new greater Romania, Transylvania was largely neglected and its infrastructure left to fall into disrepair. However one small credit to him is that he was responsible for saving Romania’s Brown Bear population from the hunter’s rifle, as only he and his party cronies were allowed to shoot them.

Romania’s accession to EU member status on 1 January this year has however brought Transylvania closer to Hungary again and the devastating effect of the Trianon separation has been lessened recently. The many huts selling green cards on the Romanian side of the border at Bors now stand locked up and abandoned as the EU frontier has moved further eastwards and it is quite conceivable that before too long the same currency will be used on both sides of the border, rendering it even less of an obstacle. Border security is now noticeably lightweight, with just a cursory glance at your passport, no need for a stamp anymore and the whole process takes little longer than a motorway toll-booth. The crumbling communist era factories are being replaced (or at least I think they are as it is often impossibly difficult to tell if they are derelict or still in use!) by new industrial units, occupied mostly by logistics and distribution companies, which now line the road across the border in Romania. The number of old Dacias (the Renault 12 copy model) is decreasing and there is now a much wider variety of makes of car on the road. There are noticeably fewer horse-carts and new housing developments are springing up on the edges of the major cities. In the space of just six years since my first visit it is obvious that a lot has changed as the EU money has flowed in, however most rural areas remain desperately poor, the average income in Marosfő for instance is less than E200 per month.

Kolosvár – a civil engineer’s nightmare!<

Borzás Puszta, Hortobágy National Park.

Hungary 16-20 June 2007. A brief stay, before Évi and I went to Transylvania. We arrived to much hotter temperatures than in the UK, consistently over 30 degrees celcius and reaching 37 on 21 June as we left for Romania. We spent a lot of time with friends and Évi’s family but I managed a few excellent days birding/butterflying.

 

16 June 2007: Budapest to Debrecen (2000-2215) via the newly completed motorway, which now extends all the way to Hungary’s second city. Roadside birds before dark were Common Buzzard (4), Red-backed Shrike(2), Common Stonechat (1) & Hooded Crow (1).

 

17 June 2007: Debrecen. A hot and sunny day with hardly a cloud in the sky and 30+ celcius. In the early hours we arrived back Evi’s mum’s apartment after a night out to a Common Nightingale belting out its song from the edge of the Great Wood on the opposite side of the street!

Later (1100-1300) a walk in the dappled shade of the (not-so-)Great Wood produced Green (a juvenile) and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Common Nightingale (another heard), Blackcap, Wood Warbler (1 watched singing), Chiffchaff, Spotted Flycatcher (common), Collared Flycatcher (female – surprisingly a new Hungarian bird for me on my fourteenth visit!), Marsh Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Red-backed Shrike (male), Rook, Hooded Crow, Golden Oriole (2 dashing through the canopy), Eurasian Tree Sparrow, European Serin and Hawfinch (both heard) of note plus a handful of butterflies in the darkness including Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria, Marbled White Melanargia galathea, Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia and Small White Artogeia rapae.

 

18 June 2007: Hortobágy National Park. An effortless 100-species-day, birding in my favourite place in the world (0830-1900). Hot and sunny, but clouding over in the afternoon with some very heavy downpours later. We made an extended transect from north to south starting at Kaba, then Borzás Puszta, Zám Puszta, Fényes Halastó (bright fish lake), Balmázújváros, Mágdolna Puszta, Vókonya (the amazing 1700ha area of puszta that Zoli and Jáno have been restoring via their EU LIFE fund project) and finally Nagyiván (Big Ivan) Puszta before heading back to Debrecen. With János Oláh and Zoltán Escedi.

Clockwise from top left – a flowery Borzás Pustza, Eurasian Spoonbills, the mighty Vokonya triple well (the only one of its kind on the Hortobágy) and a hairy Mangalica pig at Vokonya (renowned for their low cholesterol meat and a missing link between Wild Boar and the domesticated pig).

A great selection of birds included Black-necked Grebe (30+, Kaba), Great Crested Grebe (1, Fényes), Pygmy Cormorant (10+, Fényes), Great Bittern (1, Vókonya), Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron (1, Fényes), Little Egret, Great Egret, Purple Heron, White Stork, Black Stork (1, Zám Puszta, 1, Vókonya and 2, Nagyiván), Eurasian Spoonbill, Common Shelduck (3, Kaba), Garganey, Ferruginous Duck (41, Kaba), White-tailed Eagle (2 adults, Fényes), Short-toed Eagle (1, Nagyiván), Marsh Harrier (100+, ubiquitous!), Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk (1, Vókonya), Common Kestrel, Red-footed Falcon (male at Zám Puszta and 20+ at a colony), Eurasian Hobby (1, Kaba), Saker (1, on the edge of Balmáz. at Mágdolna Puszta, an adult sitting on the ground, surveying a Souslik ‘town’), Quail (heard, Vókonya), Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing (200+ Kaba and 400+ Vókonya), Wood Sandpiper (1, Kaba and 2, Vókonya – the return wader passage had started), Green Sandpiper (3, Kaba and 1, Vókonya), Common Redshank, Spotted Redshank (5, Kaba, 20+ Borzás Puszta and 20+ Vókonya), Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit (300+ Borzás Puszta and 20+ Vókonya), Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel (1, Kaba), Common Snipe (2, Vókonya), Ruff (10+, Kaba, 7, Fényes and 4, Vókonya), Caspian Gull, Little Gull (1, Kaba and 1, Fényes), Common Tern (10+, Kaba), Black Tern, Whiskered Tern, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, Eurasian Hoopoe (1, Nagyiván), European Roller (1, Borzás Puszta), Syrian Woodpecker (1, Balmázújváros), Yellow Wagtail (very common), Common Nightingale (1, Vókonya), Bluethroat (heard), Black Redstart (1, Fényes), Common Stonechat, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Aquatic Warbler (2, singing), Savi’s Warbler (3 heard, Nagyiván), Marsh Warbler (1, Vókonya), Great Reed Warbler, Great Tit, Marsh Tit, Bearded Reedling (4, Zám Puszta), Penduline Tit (heard Fényes), Eurasian Nuthatch, Red-backed Shrike (30+), Lesser Grey Shrike (5), Rook, Hooded Crow, Golden Oriole (3), Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Corn Bunting. The only butterflies we saw were a few Eastern Bath Whites Pontia edusa and Small Heaths Coenonymphya pamphilus on the puszta, however we did see a few interesting dragonflies: Norfolk Hawker Aeshna isosceles (1, Zám Puszta), Lesser Emperor Anax parthenope (3, including a mating pair at Fényes Halastó), Hairy Dragonfly Brachytron pratense (1, Fényes Halastó) and Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata (2, Zám Puszta).

Apparently enjoying an excellent breeding season on the Hortobágy this year with almost 250 pairs, Red-footed Falcon (female left, male right).

19 June 2007: Zemplén Hills and Tisza Valley. Hot and sunny all day, 35+ degrees celcius. Some birding and butterflying in the Zemplén Hills on either side of a great csárda lunch, finishing with an unsuccessful attempt to twitch a White Pelican in the Tisza Valley at Szentistván (St Stephen) with Zoltán Ecsedi, János Oláh, Zoltán Petrovics and Attila Simay today. 

Birds included Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Egret, Great Egret, Grey and Purple Herons, White Stork, Eurasian Spoonbill, White-tailed Eagle (1, Szentistván), Short-toed Eagle (1, Szentistván), Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel. Red-footed Falcon (3, Szentistván – sometimes called ‘the little Hortobágy’ with its small remnant patches of puszta and shallow lakes), Common Crane (8 over-summering birds at Szentistván), Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Northern Lapwing, Curlew Sandpiper (1, Szentistván), Common Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper (1, Szentistván), Black-tailed Godwit, Caspian Gull, Black Tern, Whiskered Tern, Common Cuckoo, Eurasian Hoopoe, European Bee-eater (1, Tokaj), Wryneck (another soft Hu lifer!), Short-toed Lark (1, of the endangered hungarica subspecies, once widespread but now at only one remaining site in Hungary, near Nyíregyháza, singing high in the sky above corn fields – a hard Hu lifer!), Yellow Wagtail, Northern Wheatear (1, Szentistván), River Warbler (2, heard), Eurasian Nuthatch, Red-backed Shrike (still very common in the Zemplén), Rook, Hooded Crow and Yellowhammer (2 near Erdöbenye).

Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius), above and High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe), below. 

 

Butterflies stole the show today with a small selection of nice species on the warm calcaerous grassland and along the forest roadsides of the Zemplén Hills. Unfortunately we couldn’t find Zephyr Blue P. pylaon at a known site (maybe too late in such a hot summer?) however we did find our other big target today, Pallas’s Fritillary Argynnis laodice, a beautifully-marked eastern species with a classy name, which is at the western limit of its range in Hungary. At least 3 were taking salts from a forest road north of Erdöbenye. Jáno spotted some Purple Emperors whilst driving through a sunny glade along a quiet forest road so we stopped and got some good looks at these, as well as a few Silver-washed Fritillaries. After a while we noticed several dead fritillaries, presumably killed by cars speeding through the forest, one of which was a perfectly fresh Pallas’s. Fortunately this sad discovery was soon followed by some live ones!

Pallas’s Fritillary (Argynnis laodice).

Other butterflies included: Swallowtail Papilio machaon (1), Scarce Swallowtail Iphiclides podalirius (1, Tokaj), Brimstone Gonepteryx rhammi (male), Green-underside Blue Glaucopsyche alexis (4, Tokaj), Silver-studded Blue Plebejus argus, Idas Blue Plebejus idas (3 very worn individuals at Tokaj, but still showing traces of the silver studs on the outer edge of the broad band of orange lunules on the hindwing underside and a row of heavy arrowheads on the inner side, ruling out P. pylaon), Purple Emperor Apatura iris (3, north of Erdöbenye) Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta, Peacock Inachis io, Comma Polygonum c-album, Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia, High Brown Fritillary Argynnis adippe, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Clossiana selene, Heath Fritillary Mellicta athalia (common on the grassland north of Erdöbenye), Marbled White Melanargia galathea, Great banded Grayling Kanetisa circe (1, north of Erdöbenye), Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina, Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus and Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris.

Zemplén Butterflies. Clockwise from top left – Purple Emperor (Apatura iris), Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia), Great Banded Grayling (Kanetisa circe) and Heath Fritillary (Mellicta athalia).

20 June 2007: Debrecen. Hot and sunny, 37 degrees celcius. Even shopping in the centre of the city today produced a very short list of birds that would be a great day in the UK. Crested Lark, Black Redstart and European Serin are all common and easy to see here. Despite the communist era tower block apartments (an acquired taste) modern Debrecen is an attractive place for a birder. Flocks of House Sparrows can still be seen, grass on the roadside verges is left to seed, weeds are not cleared from every corner and the wide boulevards are lined with trees – a complete contrast to today’s antisceptic UK.

 

Two of my best mates: János Oláh., left and Zoltán Ecsedi, right wearing a genuine csiko hat.

30 June 2007. Debrecen-Budapest. Another scorching day travelling from Debrecen to Budapest’s Ferihegy Airport with some great birding at 120kmph+ on the motorway, including Common Buzzard (16), Marsh Harrier (3), Saker (1 carrying prey over the road infront of the car north of the Hortobagy National Park), Red-backed Shrike (14), Lesser Grey Shrike (1) and European Roller (2)!

Mike Watson, Clitheroe, Lancashire.

I escaped from the office again and drove one of our 4-wheel drive vehicles on the recent Birdquest Oman and Bahrain tour, 27 October – 12 November, led by Ray O'Reilly.

 

The tour was a great success with 240 species recorded, including a record-equalling 56 Birdquest 'diamond species'*. Oman is one of the world's great crossroads of avifaunas and we saw birds from all quarters with vagrants from Southern Asia alongside Palearctic migrants, African species sharing the Dhofar coast with Middle-eastern specialities and wanderers from the southern oceans amongst a throng of local seabirds.

 

One of the main reasons birders travel with us to Oman and Bahrain is to see two single-species-family members, Crab Plover and Grey Hypocolius, at their most reliable world locations. These two big targets did not disappoint and we saw both of them well and in big numbers, however we also saw a host of other much sought-after birds including Jouanin's Petrel, Persian Shearwater, Red-billed Tropicbird, Masked Booby, Socotra Cormorant, Sooty Falcon, Barbary Falcon, Arabian Partridge, Spotted and Little Crakes, Caspian Plover, White-tailed Lapwing, Broad-billed Sandpiper, White-cheeked and Saunders's Terns, Lichtenstein's, Crowned and Spotted Sandgrouse, Bruce's Green Pigeon, Pallid Scops, African Scops & Hume's Owls, Egyptian Nightjar, 'Dhofar' Swift (now thought by some to be Forbes-Watson's Swifts), Sykes's Wagtail, Masked Wagtail, Blackstart, Rufous-tailed, Variable, Mourning, Arabian and Hume's Wheatears, Scrub, Sykes's, Menetries's, Asian Desert and Arabian Warblers, Desert Whitethroat, Plain Leaf Warbler, Arabian Babbler, Shining Sunbird, Steppe Grey Shrike, Fan-tailed Raven, Tristram's Starling, Ruppell's Weaver, Indian Silverbill, Striated Bunting and Yemen Serin. Thanks to Ray's great knowledge of Middle-eastern birding in general and Omani birds in particular we also managed to add 15 species to the Birdquest Oman and Bahrain tour list including some outstanding vagrants like Intermediate Egret, Small Pratincole, Grey-bellied Cuckoo (split from Plaintive), Forest Wagtail and Green Warbler as well as filling some obvious gaps like Verreaux's Eagle and Spotted Thick-knee.

 

Travelling in Oman is a real pleasure with a great road network, mostly good accommodation and food (the latter was actually excellent in places) and very friendly people everywhere. Here are some of my photographic highlights:

 

Jouanin's Petrel Bulweria fallax - off Mirbat, Oman.

 

 

Persian Shearwater Puffinus persicus – adult, off Mirbat, Oman.

 

 

Persian Shearwater Puffinus persicus – 1cy, off Mirbat, Oman.

 

 

Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus – 1cy, Wadi Darbat, Oman.

 

 

Striated Heron Butorides striatus brevipes – Al Qurm, Muscat, Oman.

 

 

Western Reef Egret Egretta gularis – Salalah, Oman.

 

 

 

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia – Al Qurm, Oman.

 

 

Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus - Sayq Plateau, Oman.

 

 

Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus – Jarziz Sun Farm, Salalah, Oman.

 

 

Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus – Al Beed Farm, Oman.

 

 

Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca – 2cy, Khawr Taqar, Oman.

 

 

Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca – Subadult, presumed 6cy, Salahah, Oman.

 

 

Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga – 1cy, intermediate fulvescens morph, Salalah, Oman

 

 

Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis – 1cy, Salalah, Oman

 

 

Sooty Falcon Falco concolor – 1cy, Al Fahl Island, Oman.

 

 

Arabian Partridge Alectoris melanocephala – Ayn Hamran, Oman.

 

 

Little Crake Porzana parva – 1cy, Al Maghsayl, Oman

 

 

Crab Plover Dromas ardeola – 1cy, Ras as Sawadi, Oman – the first of many hundreds! Note three species of tern in the foreground.

 

 

Small Pratincole Glareola lactea – East Khawr, Salalah, Oman. A Middle-eastern rarity.

 

 

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva – Al Qurm, Muscat, Oman.

 

 

White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus – Qurayyat dump, Oman.

 

 

Pin-tailed Snipe Gallinago stenura – Hilf, Masirah Island, Oman.

 

 

Sooty Gull Larus hemprichii – Salalah, Oman.

 

 

Siberian Gull Larus [heuglini] heuglini – adult, Masirah Island, Oman.

 

 

Lesser Crested Tern Sterna benghalensis – Shinas, Oman.

 

 

Bruce's Green Pigeon Treron waalia – Ayn Hamran, Oman.

 

 

Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei – Oman. We finally cracked this one in 2006! Difficult to see now most of its world range is 'off limits' to western birders.

 

 

European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus – Qurayyat, Oman.

 

 

Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis – Al Qurm, Muscat, Oman.

 

 

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus – East Khawr, Salalah, Oman.

 

 

European Bee-eater Merops apiaster – Dawka, Oman.

 

 

Crested Lark Galerida cristata – Bahrain. Ubiquitous!

 

 

Pale Crag Martin Hirundo obsoleta – Taqar, Oman

 

 

Masked Wagtail Motacilla personata – Sohar Sun Farms, Oman.

 

 

Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus – Bahrain. Now almost completly engulfed by new building developments, time is running out for the famous regular roosting site here.

 

 

Blackstart Cercomela melanura – Ayn Hamran, Oman.

 

 

Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina – Al Gaftain, Oman.

 

 

Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka – 1cy female, Sayq Plateau, Oman.

 

 

Arabian Wheatear Oenanthe lugentoides – Tawi Attair, Oman.

 

 

Hume's Wheatear Oenanthe alboniger – Muscat, Oman.

 

 

Daurian Shrike Lanius isabellinus – adult, Al Qurm, Muscat.

 

 

Turkestan Shrike Lanius [isabellinus] phoenicuroides – adult male, Quitbit, Oman.

 

 

Turkestan Shrike Lanius [isabellinus] phoenicuroides - 1cy, Quitbit, Oman.

 

 

Birdquest in Oman and Bahrain:

 

Birdquest watching Intermediate Egret at Khawr Rouri, Oman.

 

Birdquest watching Grey Hypocolius in Bahrain – not the nicest backdrop but what a bird!

 

 

Dan completes the bird families in Bahrain.         Rosemary, Ian and Ken at Barr al Hikman

 

Nigel at the awesome Barr al Hikman

 

 

The beautiful Dhofar coast at Al Maghsayl              Baobab tree at Wadi Henna

 

 

Frankincense tree                                                Sunset over Masirah Island

 

Thanks to everyone who participated in this tour for making it such an enjoyable trip!

 

Mike Watson, Clitheroe, Lancashire

 

*Birdquest diamond species are either endemic to a country or local region or considered 'special' birds for some other reason (e.g. seen on few Birdquest tours; difficult to see across all or most of its range; the local form is endemic or restricted-range and may in future be treated as a full species).

 

Here are some of the people from the ‘Best of Wallacea 2006′ trip:

 

Tibor Juhasz (Juszti) from Nyiregyhaza, Hungary

Robert Vanyi (Robi) from Biharugra, Hungary

Robi & local guides Untu & Ferdinand at Tangkoko, Sulawesi

Stuart Warren from Bedfordshire, UK                                    The monkeys at Muara Angke don’t like him!

Mike Watson from Clitheroe, Lancashire, UK (photo by Robert Vanyi)

Tamas Zalai (Husi) from Heves, Hungary

Gyorgy Szimuly (Szimi) from Tata, Hungary                          Theo Henoch from Manado, Sulawesi

A Magyar Csapat, Sidangoli 2006! (Back left-right: Szimi, Robi & Juszti, front left-right Husi & Brad Pitt)

Theo and Demanius Bagoly (Anu) having a fag break at his homestead, KBP, Halmahera

Anu’s girls cook an excellent meal in very basic conditions (photo by Robert Vanyi)

Dinner at Anu’s place. Left to right: Mike, Juszti, Theo, Anu and Robi (photo by Stuart Warren)

Juszti and Stu birding the logging road at KBP, Halmahera while Anu looks on

Juszti, Robi & Stu after Scaly Kingfisher                                                        Robi enjoying his favourite hobby

Kris Tindige (a smile big enough for all West Papua!)          Shita Tindige (photo by Stuart Warren)

Local guides Andy from Wailebed, Batanta Island (left) and Nalman from Salawati Island (right, photo by Robert Vanyi) 

 

Robi and porters, Salawati Island -it’s a tough trip! (photo by Robert Vanyi)

 

Mike Watson, Clitheroe, Lancashire 

 

 

 

I managed to spare a little time to photograph a small number of butterflies in Halmahera and West Papua in September/October 2006 (some of which have so far proved impossible to identify even with the kind help of the Museum of the Netherlands):

The spectacular Taenaris catops, a member of Oriental/Australasian Amathusiidae family on Batanta Island, West Papua (photo by Robert Vanyi)

 Mycalesis sp., Batanta Island, West Papua

 

Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus, Kali Batu Putih, Halmahera - a widely distributed world butterfly

Hypolycaena phorbas, female, Batanta Island, West Papua

Skipper Hesperiidae sp., Batanta Island, West Papua (apparently only identifiable to species by examination of its genitals)

 

 

Thanks to Rob de Vos of the Museum of the Netherlands for help with identifying, believe it or not, the Long-tailed Blue!

Mike Watson, Clitheroe

Agrionoptera longitudinalis Kali Batu Putih, Halmahera, September 2006

Agrionoptera lineata Kali Batu Putih, Halmahera, September 2006

 

 Diplacodes sp Salawati Island, West Papua October 2006

Ground Skimmer Diplacodes trivialis Salawati Island, West Papua October 2006

 

Huonia daphne Kali Batu Putih, Halmahera September 2006

Huonia/Diplacina sp Kali Batu Putih, Halmahera September 2006

Indigo Dropwing Trithemis festiva Kali Batu Putih, Halmahera September 2006

Neurothemis stigmatans Kali Batu Putih, Halmahera September 2006 

 Neurothemis stigmatans Pokili, New Britain July 2004 (for comparison)

 

Orthetrum testaceum/vittatum Kali Batu Putih, Halmahera September 2006

Nannophya pygmaea (male) Salawati Island, West Papua October 2006. Dragonflies of the Nannophya genus are the world’s smallest. This one is only 15mm long!

Nannophya pygmaea (teneral male) Salawati Island, West Papua October 2006

The dragonflies on Halmahera were seen along or close to fast-flowing forest streams with rocky limestone beds. The Diplacodes on Salawati were on a coral beach and the Nannophyas were in rank vegetation along a trail through a small plantation.

Thanks to Rob de Vos  R.deVos@uva.nl and Vincent Kalkman vincent@naturalis.nmn.nl of the University of the Netherlands for helping with some of the identifications. Their excellent West Papua Insects website can be found at http://www.papua-insects.nl

Opinions on the unidentified species above are welcome!

Mike Watson, Clitheroe 

Lying just east of Wallacea, off the western tip of the Vogelkop Peninsula of New Guinea, is the island of Salawati (known as Salwatty in Wallace’s day). The northern end of Salawati, bordering the Sagewin Strait still retains almost all its forest cover and is a birder’s paradise. Kris Tindige reminded us that, during his epic travels, Wallace had in fact tried to reach Salawati from Seram in 1860 but was thwarted by adverse winds and instead sailed north to Waigeo (or Waigiou as it was known then). Had he made it to Salawati he would surely have visited nearby Batanta too and we could have had the legacy of a few more birds bearing his name. Bonaparte had of course already beaten him to Wilson’s Bird of Paradise 10 years before, naming it in honour of the 18th century American Ornithologist. Wallace is however still commemorated in the common or latin (or both) names of an amazing 12 bird species, although the current trend to remove the early natural historians from common names may mean this eventually shrinks down to the 8 more permanent latin ones. If you have not done so already, try and get hold of a copy of ‘The Malay Archipelago’, Wallace’s account of his travels. It is a great read and a real source of inspiration to follow in his foot steps.

 

Salawati Island is still one of the best places to see several sought-after New Guinea endemics including Western Crowned Pigeon, Northern Cassowary and King Bird of Paradise. Strangely only the Cassowary is present on both Salawati and Batanta despite their close proximity and apparently similar habitats. In addition Twelve-wired, Magnificent and Lesser Birds of Paradise are all to be found on Salawati but not at all on Batanta. Conversely it is surprising that both Red and Wilson’s Birds of Paradise are both present on Batanta but not on Salawati. The reason for these curious distributions is that Salawati was once attached to mainland New Guinea whereas Batanta has always been separate. It puzzles me why any of these birds have not managed to cross such a short stretch of water in all the time they must have existed here as separate species.

sunrise over Salawati Island

 

As we were staying at Kris’s guest house on Batanta Island for five nights we had the luxury of taking it a bit easier than most visitors and spent the day after our initial success with Wilson’s Bird of Paradise, 27 September, following a much easier schedule. We crossed the Sagewin strait, stopping en route to admire some Bottle-nosed Dolphins and then visited a small lake on the shore of Salawati, which held a surprisingly large number of ducks for this part of the world. There were at least 30 Spotted Whistling Ducks and 15 Radjah Shelducks, along with a handful of egrets (one of each Great, Intermediate and Little) and both Little Kingfisher and Azure Kingfishers, the former a new bird for all.

Spotted Whistling Ducks and Radjah Shelducks

Salawati Island (photo by Robert Vanyi)

 

After this brief foray we crossed back to Batanta seeing a total of 4 Bulwer’s Petrels flying west through the strait and then hugged the south coast of the island, looking in vain for the ever-elusive Great-billed Heron. We did manage a few interesting birds: White-bellied Sea Eagle; Red-necked Phalarope & Glossy-mantled Manucode (contender for the title ‘dullest Bird of Paradise’). The remains of the former logging operation jetty could be seen but traces of their activities are quickly being reclaimed by nature.

Homestead on Batanta Island (photo by Robert Vanyi) 

 

In the afternoon we tried the lowland forest behind the village of Wai Lebed however this was quite disturbed and there was a lot of evidence of recent illegal logging with the unpleasant noise of a chainsaw shattering the peace of the afternoon. We retreated back to the remaining forest and garden clearings behind Kris’s guest house, about half a kilometre east along the shore. Our first couple of afternoons, 25 & 26 September, were also been spent in this area and had been quite successful with highlights: Pacific Baza; Long-tailed Buzzard; Grey-headed Goshawk; Pink-spotted Fruit-Dove; Dwarf fruit-Dove; Pinon Imperial Pigeon; Palm Cockatoo; Moustached Tree Swift; Rufous-bellied Kookaburra; Blyth’s Hornbill; Pale-billed Scrubwren; Frilled Monarch; Mimic Meliphaga; Hooded Butcherbird; Red Bird of Paradise (10+ of this excellent endemic of the West Papuan islands of Waigeo & Batanta at a lekking tree, with much activity and display taking place around a couple of visiting females. Sadly their former lekking tree had been cut down to make a dugout canoe and its sorry remains could still be seen lying where they fell) and probably best of all, although seen rather briefly and not by all of us, a White-eared Catbird, which appeared quietly in the canopy below a pair of Wompoo Fruit-Doves but quickly vanished.

Red Birds of Paradise (photo by Robert Vanyi)

Rufous-bellied Kookaburra                                                   Lesser Frigatebird (photo by Robert Vanyi) 

 

We didn’t add much this afternoon but enjoyed some better views and watched the roosting flight of 100+ Eclectus Parrots again, with a few Rainbow Lorikeets and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos joining their noisy parade. Although we were still seeing some good birds we felt a bit restless that we had still not explored the forest on Salawati yet.

 

We returned to another excellent evening meal cooked by Kris’s wife, Shita, who employed some local women from Wai Lebed to help in the kitchen and serve our meals. This provides some much-needed extra income in this quiet corner of the world. Our stay attracted a lot of attention from the local people giving them a chance to observe our strange customs and habits. A good number of them passed by from time to time during our stay pausing to watch whatever we were up to. After we had finished dinner we planned the next day’s birding.

 

The area immediately surrounding the guesthouse proved a good birding location and Shita regularly saw something good while we were out, for instance Palm Cockatoo and Channel-billed Cuckoo. We eventually managed to see the resident Hooded Pitta (of the novaeguineae subspecies with much blue on its shoulders), which called every day and sometimes during the night from the tangle behind the bush-toilet; Black Thicket-fantail; Papuan Frogmouth (1 spotlit after dark one evening) and Large-tailed Nightjar (1 seemed to pass by calling most mornings) in the vicinity of the guest house.

Wai Lebed, Batanta Island

Kris Tindige’s Guest House                                                  View from the dining table 

Juszti snorkeling

 

Without electricity and almost on the equator, where daylight hours are roughly 6 ‘til 6, we found ourselves turning in by 8 each evening, allowing an opportunity for plenty of sleep despite the early starts. That is, as long the chigger bites, sunburn and bee stings did not distract too much. Batanta and especially Salawati are notorious for chiggers (microscopic mites, which burrow unseen into the skin in places where the incresed pressure of clothing brings blood vessels closer to the surface, like the ankles or waist, causing incredibly itchy pimple-like spots that don’t go away for several weeks) however we did not have too much trouble. Maybe a dozen or so bites each and nothing like the 300+ bites possible in places like the Fly River forests of Kiunga in PNG. To ward off chiggers we used pure sulphur powder, used like talcum powder, around our ankles and in our socks and also around the waistline plus some insect repellent as well. There were also hardly any mosquitoes either however there is malaria here so you should take precautions. We had our biggest scare whilst watching the Red Bird of Paradise lek. We were trying to work out the best viewpoint up through the canopy to the open-crowned lekking tree when Stu suddenly called out in pain. I thought he had been bitten by a snake but it was soon clear he was being attacked by a swarm of bees he had just disturbed whilst walking off trail through the under-storey of the forest. Fortunately they did not continue to sting him after he hurried away but he had still been stung numerous times on the head and shoulders. Luckily nothing became of the incident except for some large red lumps.

Stu examines his bee stings, Batanta Island 

 

On each of the next three days we visited Salawati, twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. We concentrated on the lowland forest a couple of kilometres to the east of the settlement and made one afternoon visit to the dry river bed leading south from the settlement. The heavily degraded forest around the latter was quiet although we saw quite a lot of Blyth’s Hornbills (30+, with up to 10 in one fruiting tree, including some juveniles); Black Lory (5 flying over, one pair and a juvenile and another pair – a good West Papuan endemic) & Grey Imperial Pigeon (2) but not much else. The afternoons on the islands seemed nowhere near as good for bird activity as the mornings. This was a former area for Western Crowned Pigeon and King Bird of Paradise but not any more.

 

Both morning visits were very good! We saw both Western Crowned Pigeon and King Bird of Paradise on 28 & 30 September, as well as a Great-billed Heron (at last!), which was spotted by Robi just as it was about to sneak off out of sight around a corner of the coastline. Kris had managed to locate Nalman this time, the local guide, who was very helpful in guiding us along indistinct trails through the forest. He was also great at spotting birds with his hunter’s eyes. Kris has apparently actively discouraged him from hunting the Crowned Pigeons and Cassowaries and they are starting to become more numerous in this area. Nalman now specialises in wild pigs.

 

Western Crowned Pigeon took a little time to locate but eventually, as we walked up an almost dry river bed, we heard the distinctive loud wing claps, like a gun going off, as we disturbed them feeding on the ground. At the back of the group again, I did not see them take flight however Nalman had soon located one high in a tree, looking down at us. It flew again and landed a short distance away out of sight. After some scrambling up a very steep slope, without much to cling onto and with the camera in one hand I reached Kris, who had relocated it perched not far away and much nearer to eye level than before. I took a lot of  photos before the huge dumb pigeon realised what was happening, as ever pushing my luck with slow shutter speeds in the poor forest light, and fortunately a couple of them were OK.

Western Crowned Pigeon

 

Kris thinks that they are often reluctant to leave a perch due to the huge amount of energy needed for their tail to clear the branch they are standing on!

 

After the pigeon flew another bird nearby broke cover and joined the first in an even taller tree. They are an amazing sight and although I had seen one of the trio, Southern Crowned Pigeon, before it was still a thrilling experience. Our second sighting was different in that Kris managed to spot one on the ground, below the trail we were following, quite near the beach and most importantly before it had seen us. We could watch it walking around in between the small saplings on the forest floor until it eventually spotted us and took flight, allowing some more perched views before it flew off.

 

King Bird of Paradise was one of the highlights of the whole trip. On the first morning we used playback to attract the attention of a female and then a male, which responded and called for a while, sparking off a couple of neighbouring males and although it showed quite well briefly it could hardly be described as extrovert. The performance of the males a little further west towards the settlement on our last morning was something quite different. We heard them calling unprompted this time and soon located a male holding court in a medium-sized tree. It seemed to be using the same perches and we could follow its movements quite easily this time. A lot of calling was again being answered by a couple of neighbours and then things got a bit hotter. A female appeared to inspect him, perching on a branch close to him and he quickly became a fluffed up quivering mass of feathers, fanning his wings infront, raising his two peacock tail streamers above his head, raising the blue and white pectoral fins on his chest and producing a fan-shaped disk which completely encircled his neck. He was quite an incredible spectacle.

King Bird of Paradise

 

I had seen some limited display before in PNG but nothing to match this. We watched him for about an hour during which time he had two visits from females, but sadly it seems he was ultimately rejected, despite a fine performance, well at least we thought so. The grand finale however, was still to come. After we had walked a little further and seen a couple of notorious skulkers nearby, Rusty Mouse Warbler and Black-sided Robin (both very responsive to playback though), another male King BoP started calling and we were able to watch him in the canopy. He was quickly visited by a female and went through a routine similar to the previous male but ended it by hanging upside down on a branch, wings closed and swinging from side to side like a pendulum. I never saw anything like this before!

 

Mike Watson, Clitheroe, Lancashire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are so many fantastic birds to see in the world and now, thanks to the internet, there is also the ability to quickly find a way of seeing them. It can sometimes be difficult to decide where to go next. I am always keen to ask people who have seen a large proportion of the world’s birds, which is their favourite and why. One species which is mentioned time after time, by those who have seen it, is Wilson’s Bird of Paradise. Mark van Beirs has seen more birds than most, at almost 7500 species and it remains his no.1 bird. Having watched the amazing footage of the BBC’s ‘Attenborough in Paradise’ production, now combined with digital sound on DVD, I could easily understand why. I could not ignore this weight of opinion and my next trip was an easy choice.

 

An expedition-style trip is essential to see Wilson’s Bird of Paradise and the vicinity of the small hamlet of Wai Lebed (or ‘Wailebet’) on Batanta Island, off the western end of West Papua is by far the easiest option. You can either join an organized tour group with a bird tour company or, as we did, gather a group of friends to help cover the cost of the now rather expensive trip. We chose Kris Tindige of the Papua Bird Club as he had operated many successful visits to Batanta, including expeditions for the BBC (Sir David Attenborough) and National Geographic. He proved excellent, along with his wife, Shita, who accompanied us to Batanta. It would not be sensible to opt for the cheaper alternative of a spur of the moment, locally-organised trip for reasons of safety and reliability. The companies who are used to running these trips are usually booked far in advance so you may also have to wait a while for your chance. Also the sea between Sorong on the mainland and the entrance to the Sagewin strait, along which Batanta Island is accessed can be quite rough, especially later in the year and a seaworthy boat with 2-3 engines as well as an experienced crew is a good idea. The other island on which Wilson’s Bird of Paradise can be found, Waigeo, is further still and rough seas can make it difficult to land on. It could however be even more rewarding than Batanta with the birds lekking at sea-level and also the mythical Bruijn’s Brush Turkey is lurking there somewhere!

 

Then there is the next hurdle to clear, the steep walk up a muddy trail to the lekking grounds, which are usually found above an elevation of around 350m. This might not sound much but in the heat and humidity beneath the forest canopy we would have traded it for a Scottish mountain three times higher. We were fortunate in having both porters for our camera bags and no rain immediately before nor during our visit as it was obvious that the trail would be many times more difficult when wet and slippery. We also had two practice walks behind us in Gunung Tangkoko in Sulawesi (very hard while still jet-lagged and unacclimatised) and the Standardwing lek at Kali Batu Putih on Halmahera so were pleasantly surprised to find the hike up to the Wilson’s was much easier than we were expecting. However it is still a good idea to strip down to the waist for the walk and save soaking a shirt!

 

The walk is immediately inland from Kris’s guest house and takes about 1 1/2 hours at a very easy pace, passing through a couple of garden clearings and then the remaining lowland forest before climbing steeply uphill, along a narrow ridge. It even has some flat sections higher up, allowing a little respite. We set off at 0400 and on the ascent ‘iron-man’ Juszti was at the front, as always, and fluked a  Red-bellied Pitta roosting in a tree right next to the trail in the dark – his second amazing find of the trip (the first being the tame Sombre Kingfisher which sat in the same tree less than 10m from a busy road for 5 days). I had lazily accepted the offer of a porter for my camera bag and they were still way behind us so it was down to Robi to take some photos of the slumbering Pitta.

Red-bellied Pitta (photo by Robert Vanyi)

Be careful where you put your hands when crossing the numerous fallen tree trunks/butresses etc. along the trail. On the descent from our second visit to the lekking ground Stuart was aimlessly knocking chunks off a large rotting tree trunk. After he was attacked and badly stung by a swarm of bees a couple of days earlier I thought he would have been more cautious and I said jokingly ‘you should be careful, there might be something nasty in there that will come out and get you and is there a hospital near here?’ Of course there wasn’t, the nearest hospital is three hours boat ride away in Sorong and that is providing the sea is OK, not to mention the approximately two hours it would take to carry him to the boat. Anyway, within about thirty seconds there was a shout of ‘snake!’ as a large nasty-looking yellow and brown snake, with the girth of a forearm had popped out of the tree trunk. We felt sure it must be a viper due to the diamond head shape and patterning along its back so we kept well clear, although we did gradually venture a little closer to take some photos. I was not 100% convinced as it looked too ‘snouty’ from above and it later transpired to be the viper-mimic – New Guinea Ground Boa (Candoia aspera) but very impressive nevertheless. It slithered back into its log after Juszti poked it a bit with a stick. I bet the porters were back there again with the local wildlife catcher the next day and it is now in a glass tank somewhere in Sorong!

 

New Guinea Ground Boa (Candoia aspera)

Having reached the current lekking court we waited for the porters to arrive with the rest of our gear, took up position behind a screen of rattan palm fronds and sat and waited. Suddenly the combined weight of Juszti, me and especially Stu, of 284kg (we had weighed ourselves earlier on the baggage scales at Manado airport for a laugh) caused the makeshift bench constructed from the poles on which we were sitting to collapse with a huge crash. We were also a little subdued at the verdict from Kris that the lekking court was no longer in use as there was no area perfectly cleared of leaves on the ground. Could it be that we were too late in the season, or that he had started another lek somewhere else? We were however soon relieved to hear that there was still a male in residence when his ear-splitting call rang out from the forest about 20 metres away. Time passed, a Cinnamon Ground Dove walked through the lekking court and eventually we decided to resort to artificial methods and use playback to lure him into view. After several plays of the distinctive call he soon appeared, perched on a horizontal branch about 5 metres away. Fortunately a full adult male complete with tail curls, red and yellow ‘rucksack’ and perfect velvety plumage. He sat in the same position for several minutes, calling and allowed a perfect view, albeit in shady light under the forest canopy. After taking in his amazing array of special features such as his the bare blue skin of his ‘brain’ and his pale lemon gape we took some photos. After a while he ventured lower onto the ground and cleared a few leaves but did not indulge in any display. He was much trickier to follow here due to a matrix of branches and the palm fronds of the viewing screen partially obscuring our view. Also an immature male, with the first vestiges of red on his wings, joined his master briefly.

 

Good images of Wilson’s Bird of Paradise in the wild are uncommon, as you will see from a google image search. This is partly due to the shady conditions in which they are usually seen and their apparent dislike of camera flash. There is however a special edition of National Geographic magazine on the way featuring Wilson’s, amongst other Birds of Paradise, which, I am told by Kris Tindige, will include some stunning photos taken two years ago. I managed only one acceptable record shot, which taken at 1/4 second exposure and hand held at 350mm+ is not 100% sharp. It is however better than the large number of disappointing blurs which accompanied it on my CFcard. The immature male seemed to be accompanying the full adult male and maybe there is some kind of bachelor group system at leks, as in Manakins. My record shot of Mr Wilson’s apprentice is even less sharp! 

Wilson’s Bird of Paradise (adult male)

Wilson’s Bird of Paradise (immature male)

As far as looks were concerned we all agreed he was a new entry at number one however I think that a lot of other factors certainly added to our impression of him. His extreme rarity for a start, the expedition-style nature of the trip, boat journey and all, the hard walk to the lekking ground, the amazing location high in the pristine rainforest and of course months of anticipation. Although we had a good idea of what we were going to see it was still an amazing experience. It also pays to remember that not everyone is successful in their attempts to see him! On our second attempt, a couple of days later, he was not at all co-operative, just coming in to check us out quickly, again together with his apprentice, after which he kept his distance. We saw another male briefly a little further downslope and heard at least 2 others but our first sighting remained the best one.

 

Afterwards we celebrated with a swim in the sea. Kris’s guest house is located on the beach with a beautiful garden of corals only a few metres offshore. An idyllic setting in paradise!

Top – Coral garden and bottom – Brain coral, Batanta Island  (photos by Robert Vanyi)

 Mike Watson, Clitheroe, Lancashire