from the comfort of JE Meridien Hotel

 

 

There are a number of rewarding birding daytrips to be made out of Sorong, using the newly built
JE Meridien Hotel (opened May 2007) as a comfortable base. Here we highlight a full day's birding
at our most accessible 'local patch' in the steaming lowlands of Sorong, a large tract of primary
foothill forest that supports a well diversified and colorful lowland forest avifauna including the
flightless Northern Cassowary, delightful Western Crowned-Pigeon, and three species of bird of
paradise: Crinkle-collared Manucode, and King and Lesser Bird of Paradise.

 

 

Following a hearty pre-dawn breakfast at the JE Meridien Hotel we shall set out on the 45 minutes’ drive by
chartered vehicle to our drop-off point in Sorong lowlands, from where we shall bird all morning through
selectively logged and primary rainforest. Wacko Blyth’s Hornbills, colorful Rainbow Lorikeets, majestic Palm
and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, and noisy Red-cheeked and Eclectus Parrots fly overhead as we slowly make
our way toward a staked-out display tree of the Lesser Bird of Paradise. We shall take ample time to observe the
several electric males that normally gather here, exploding amidst all shades of green, as they interact with
soliciting females. Having fully absorbed what may well rank among Earth’s greatest natural spectacles, we
shall visit one of several known display trees of the King Bird of Paradise, and it should not take long before we
get to grips with this little gem, in fact the smallest of all paradisaeids, which 19th century naturalist A. R.
Wallace so amiably described as 'a wanton waste of extreme beauty’.

The rest of the morning, we’ll look out for a fine selection of other goodies that occur here such as Red-billed
Talegalla, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Hook-billed and Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Common and Red-breasted
Paradise-Kingfisher, White-crowned and Dwarf Koel, Black, Dusky and Black-capped Lory, Red-flanked
Lorikeet, Yellow-capped Pygmy-Parrot, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Pesquet’s Parrot, Moluccan King-Parrot,
Orange-fronted Hanging-Parrot, Papuan Needletail, Dwarf Fruit-Dove, Western Crowned-Pigeon, Hooded and
Red-bellied Pitta, White-eared Catbird, Green-backed Gerygone, Black-sided Robin, Grey Crow, Crinklecollared
Manucode, Lowland Peltops, Boyer’s, New Guinea and Golden Cuckoo-shrike, Sooty Thicket-Fantail,
Golden Monarch, Golden and Yellow-faced Myna, and Streak-headed Munia.

After lunch on site we shall have an entire afternoon to track down some of the more elusive species mentioned
above. Toward late afternoon we could spend some time again at the respective display trees of King and
Lesser Bird of Paradise, while dusk shall see us gathered at an open vantage point to witness evening flights of
hornbills and especially parrots, which usually include the restricted-range Black Lory. Finally, an optional
nocturnal foray could produce Jungle Hawk-Owl, Papuan and Marbled Frogmouth, and Large-tailed Nightjar.
Dinner and a good night’s rest at the JE Meridien Hotel in Sorong.

What the tour fare includes
The individual tour fares above include the following:
[1] 1 night hotel accommodation at JE Meridien Hotel in a Standard Room at double occupancy;
[2] all ground transportation between JE Meridien Hotel and the birding locations by chartered vehicle;
[3] breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus non-alcoholic drinks with meals;
[4] drinking water and snacks while out in the field;
[5] expert bird guiding.

 

Hotel Facilities
JEM Restaurant
El Cafe
Cendrawasih Meeting Room
Laundry
Car Park Area
Live Music Entertainment
Internet Access

 

Room Facilities
Air Conditioning
Private Bathroom
Hot & Cold Water
Working Desk
IDD Telephone
Satellite Tv
Mini Bar
Complimentary Mineral Water