Birthday BOP...PAPUA NEW GUINEA (29 June)

We started this whistlestop custom tour of New Guinea in the Bird-of-Paradise rich highlands. A short flight from Port Moresby had us landing in Mount Hagen and whisked into Enga province and the world famous Kumul Lodge. The lodge is named Kumul after the Pidgin name for Birds-of-Paradise, and well-named. An hour after checking in we were 3 birds-of-paradise the richer: their fruit laden bird table lured in first a Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, then a Brown Sicklebill bounded onto the platform, before a flash of orange and a rustle in the flower bed revealed the flame-colored Crested Bird-of-Paradise. Although it should be said this odd BOP has now been reclassified and has been moved into a whole new family, the satinbirds. So I guess we had two BOPs and one Satinbird. A quality birthday if ever there was one!

More treats to come from the so called "Land of the Unexpected", Papua New Guinea, to come soon...