Just back from a few days in PNG April 4-14, and interested to see
which of the migrants had got back there yet:
Sacred Kingfisher a few around but no large numbers yet.
Channel-billed Cuckoo a few along the Fly River but again no big
flocks yet.
Dollarbird a couple at Varirata are probably the resident race; very
few along the Fly and Elevala Rivers as yet.
Eastern Koel a few around Kiunga and along the Fly River, but may be
resident birds.
No sightings or hearing records of Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher
at Varirata or the Elevala, but the birds at the former are I suspect
the resident race.
No Black-faced Cuckooshrikes around either.
A quick PNG digression: one great sighting up at Varirata was 4
Moustached Tree-swifts mobbing a Variable Goshawk, they were
screeching noisily and zipping around the hawk, with tails spread
wide. They drove it off quite quickly, then i was enthralled to see
one of the tree-swifts do a complete "Top Gun" style 360 degree barrel
roll as it tore back over the clearing, something i've never seen them
do previously, almost like a victory roll for driving off the
intruder! Certainly one of the sights of the trip, it would have made
a great video. This is the largest and most spectacular of the tree-
swift family, they remind me a bit of pratincoles in flight, and it
is a possible vagrant to the Torres Strait, being a great flyer and
quite widespread in the hills of PNG.
Phil Gregory
www.cassowary-house.com.au
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