Secrets of Melanesia: PNG

 Will post when in internet range.

Indonesian Explorer finally begins!

Heritage Adventurer

 I think it is fair to say that both Delana & I were excited to be finally getting aboard ship. So we were up an hour before dawn on 15th October to finalize packing. The ship looked fantastic in Flores harbor.

Our home for the next month.

We are finally on our way!

Our suite, which was very nice!

Komodo Island

Yes, they really are that big!

This is the day! Up early on 14th October & boarded our speedboat to the island of Komodo: the isle of dragons! Had been wanting to see these immense beasts for a long time & they did not disappoint!

It was a beautiful, flat calm morning.

One realizes how arid this part of Indonesia is.

It was a quick trip!

The crossing was through spectacular scenery, but it was a little too rapid for any decent birding. However we did flush two Red necked Phalaropes off the surface of the sea. 

Apparently, it is like this everyday!

Komodo is a large island, 

but tourists are only allowed

 on a tiny fraction of it.

We landed & was met by our obligatory ranger, who took us around. Birding wasn't easy, as there were so many tourists already here. We did amass a list of 25 species. Highlights were the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo & both Rusty breasted & Fawn breasted Whistlers. 

Orange-footed Megapode

Yellow-crested Cockatoo

Critically endangered 

because of the pet trade.

This pair was nesting.

Black naped Oriole

This island form is sometimes

 known as Tengarra Oriole.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Wallacean Drongo

Large billed Crow

Striated Swallow

Fawn breasted Whistler

Rusty-breasted Whistler

Javan Rusa Deer

They sometimes fall prey to the larger dragons.

They are omnivorous & regularly eat 

smaller versions of their own kind.

It pays to keep one's distance!

This is a relative baby around four years old.

Young dragons spend the first few years of their lives up in the trees in order to keep out of the way of the adult dragons, which will of course eat them! The animal above has probably only recently come down from the trees.

Even though they are normally slow moving, 

they have burst of speed when hunting.

They hunt mainly by using their tongue to smell.

We all had great views of several different dragons & learnt about their lifestyle. It was a nice morning but a little too rushed for our liking. We would have liked more time there & would have preferred to cover a larger area of the dry forest.

For Delana & I, time on the island was a little short. We felt we were being rushed around the island, without having the time to enjoy & savor the place. We were only on the island for around three hours & the place was crammed with tourists, all walking along the same route, so opportunities for birding were somewhat limited. This is a shame, as the island is worthy of a more fuller exploration. 

Juvenile Blue spotted Wrasse

Spine cheeked Anemone Fish

Keyhole Angelfish

Gold saddle Goatfish

Violetline Parrotfish

We then hopped on our boat again & made the quick trip to Pink Beach where we had lunch & a snorkel. I managed to sneak away for a few minutes & flushed three Barred Buttonquails & saw 4 Zitting Cisticolas. But birds were sparse here.

We arrived back at our hotel on Flores at 2pm & later a took a walk around the gardens seeing Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker; Lemon-bellied & Yellow-spectacled White-eyes.

After a nice dinner it was time to pack, as we board the ship in the morning!