Raja Ampat Biodiversity Lodge: Gam Island.

We left the island early on 29^th September. The sea was deceptively calm until we went around the headland, then we battled rolling cross waves & we had an uncomfortable 45 minutes or so before entering the wide straits which eventually end in Sorong. 

The harbor in Sorong.

Our ferry to Wageio: it looks OK on the outside,

 but...

This was first class travel, 

before all the people arrived!

We quickly moved to the outside deck, 

where the smell was less prevalent!

We rushed across town to the next port & bordered our ferry to Wageio. It was pretty full & a little bit smelly, so we spent all the time on deck looking for sea-birds. We recorded Brown Booby; 3 Bulwer’s Petrels; a Wedge-tailed Shearwater & 3 Red-necked Phalaropes. None of which were close, so I didn’t bother trying to get photos. Hopefully we will have more opportunity for sea-birds on the month long boat trip!

Our small boat to the resort,

 complete with supplies!

We ended up surfing on top of the

 large waves, which was quite exhilarating!

Lesser Frigatebird

Adult female.

On arrival in Wageio we transferred to a very small boat for a wet crossing to Gam. A few Singing Starlings were noted in the harbour buildings & several Lesser Frigatebirds glided high over us, on the crossing. Otherwise it was quiet. 

Our home for the next week.

The chalet was very comfortable.

The view from the chalet. Not bad!

Unfortunately this Beautiful Fruit Dove 

became a window casualty.

Helmeted Friarbird

Willie Wagtail

Always present around our chalet.

The very rustic beach bar!

We spent some time here in the evenings!

Many of the wines here, were named after birds.

Notice the slanting horizon!

The martini's were surprisingly good!

The end of our first day here.

Wageio Cuscus

A strange looking animal!

We arrived on Gam & settled into our accommodation, which was right on the beach & had everything we needed for our stay.

This was it! 

One couldn't go far as a limestone cliff 

rose straight out of the sea & was impossible to climb.

Looks easy, but it wasn't!

Brahminy Kite

Immature

The next day we were up at dawn to explore our surroundings. We soon realized that we couldn’t go far, there was no road into the resort! We enjoyed our walk along the shore & back along the forest edge. In three hours were racked up 29 species. Highlights included:

Brown Cuckoo-Dove

Rufous bellied Kookaburra

Glossy mantled Manucode

Eclectus Parrot

Common here, as they are protected.

Sulphur crested Cockatoo

Sen everyday here.

Papuan Hornbill

2 Brown Cuckoo-Dove; 2 Claret-breasted Fruit-Dove; 5 Spice Imperial Pigeon; 2 Pinon’s Imperial Pigeon; Moustached Treeswift; a fly-over Collared Sparrowhawk; two Eagles which I am not sure of their identity. Maybe Pygmy Eagles but not 100% sure. Rufous-bellied Kookaburra & Beach Kingfisher were nice, as were Eclectus Parrot; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo & 5 Red-cheeked Parrots. 

Black Butcherbird

This is a scarce species, 

so pleased to see it so well.

Male Red bird of Paradise

What a bird!

It is amazing how these bright colors 

break up the birds outline, 

making it difficult to see.

A pair of Black Butcherbirds were on the edge of the gardens & 2 Hooded Butcherbirds were seen high in the trees. The highlight of the morning & somewhat unexpected, was a male Red Bird of Paradise feeding along the forest edge. It proved tricky to photograph though!

The coral reef came very close to shore.

The snorkeling was excellent.

Osprey

Sacred Kingfisher

In the late afternoon I had a walk around on my own (Delana was snorkeling). A nice male Great Frigatebird flew over, as did an Osprey. A Violet-necked Lory sped across the sky once again eluding my camera!

Looking at the beach bar from the jetty.

Evenings were very pleasant here!

Some of the food looked

 interesting!

These pancakes tasted surprisingly good!

Fish was always on the menu here & it was excellent.

The trek was quite steep

& it was very humid 

in the forest.

Red Bird of Paradise

Starting to display

1^st October was the day of our trek to see the Red Bird of Paradise lek. We met with our guide at 5 am in the pitch dark & commenced our steady climb up through the forest. We spent some time trying to lure in a couple of Marbled Frogmouths, but they remained hidden. At the lek itself two adult male Red Bird of Paradise were present, but neither was doing a full display. Also, we were looking straight into the sun, so photographic opportunities were limited. To be honest, we didn’t see much in the forest & 4 Green-backed Gerygone were the highlight of a very sweaty & quite tricky walk. 13 species were seen in the three hours. Pretty poor I say.

Glossy Swiftlet

Delana is the big snorkeler, not me. 

But I do give it a go sometimes!

In the afternoon I tried to photograph Glossy Swiftlets, which proved quite difficult & did a bit of snorkeling, which was very pleasant.

 

Shining Flycatcher

Male

Female

Dawn on 2^nd October saw me on my by now, usual circuit of walking around the resort. I saw a pair of Beautiful Fruit-Dove & 2 Channel-billed Cuckoos flew high overhead. Otherwise, it was much of the same species, but I managed to get nice photos of a male Shining Flycatcher.

Palm Cockatoo

Incredible looking creatures!

Great billed Parrot

Eclectus Parrot

Hooded Butcherbird

I walked the circuit again in the afternoon, seeing a pair of Palm Cockatoo & a lone Great-billed Parrot, which is a bit of a small island specialty.

Mimic Mephalaga

Very difficult to identify, as there are several species

 which look the same!

It rained quite a bit in the night, so dawn on 3^rd was very pleasant. The usual walk around produced: 3 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; what we think are Mimic Melaphaga. But the bill looks a little bit short so maybe Puff-backed? Otherwise, it was more of the same species. The big problem for birding here is that you can’t walk anywhere. There are no trails, so one it really limited where you can go.

It rained again in the afternoon, which limited what we could do.

Gurney's Eagle

Up early on 4^th October after it had been raining most of the night. Trees dripping water relentlessly made for difficult birding conditions. A walk around my usual circuit revealed a Brown (Sultan’s) Cuckoo Dove; both Spice & Pinon’s Imperial Pigeons; a very nice immature Gurney’s Eagle; all the normal Parrot & Cockatoo species + nice views of a Great-billed Parrot.

Red Bird of Paradise

Black Butcherbird

Palm Cockatoo

In the afternoon two Red bird of Paradise were around the resort, although elusive. A pair of Black Butcherbirds showed well. Bridled Tern was seen offshore. 

Wageio Cuscus

In the evening spotlighted the Wageio Cuscus around our chalet.

The morning of the 5^th October was more of the same, overcast skies & heavy showers. Didn’t take my camera because of the rain, so missed the opportunity of photographing Spotted Honeyeater in the resort grounds. Quite a nice-looking bird this one.

Later on we went snorkeling.

The 6th October was a travel day. We were up early & after breakfast jumped on the small boat to Wageio. What a contrast to the trip out! 

Today was flat calm & a quick dry crossing. Transferred to the ferry & waited. It was again running late! Singing Starlings were again seen in the harbour buildings. The crossing itself was uneventful, with just a lone Bulwer's Petrel & a Red-necked Phalarope seen.