Willie Wagtail

Wildlife watching in Lowland Forest
When I was hiking with two French tourists along the sides of a river in lowland forest of Manokwari, I saw a black bird that was playing on a burnt tree. Slowly I approached the bird to take some pictures. The bird was not afraid of me and kept on dancing, perhaps to attract his female partner. After examining my pictures, I could identify the bird. It was called Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys). Because it likes to sit on dead trees near the river, I thought that the bird feeds on small fish. Later, from Wikipedia, I got the information that Willie Wagtail eats insects.

Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) in lowland forest of Manokwari

I also saw flowers such as New Guinea Tulip (Spathodea campanulata) whose flower is orange, morning glory, Purple Tepals Water Hycinth (Monochoria vaginalis), New Guinea Scarlet Jade (Mucuna benetti) and Splendid Glory Vine (Varadaya splendida).  The scenery of the river is also very beautiful.

I also saw the bird in cleared forest near Waisai town of Raja Ampat. From the sighting sites, I could conclude that Willie Wagtail lives in coastal and interior region of New Guinea island especially in open habitat. The bird has got black upperpart feather with white underparts. It also has got beautiful sounds too.
Actually, Willie Wagtail is not the only birds that we can see while hiking in the tropical rainforest of New Guinea. There are hundreds of birds that we can watch, some of them include Lowland Peltop, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Brahminy Kite, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Large-tailed Nightjar, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Little Egret, and several species of birds of Paradise.
Rainforest Wildlife Watching and Marine Tour

I can organise rainforest wildlife/ birdwatching in Manokwari, Sorong and Raja Ampat. Short tour lasts between 3 to 5 days whereas long tour usually takes 2 weeks. The 2-week wildlife watching tour starts in Manokwari and then continues to Sorong and Raja Ampat and then finishes in Sorong city again. During the tour, visitors will be able to watch birds, cuscus possum, see wild flowers and butterflies in the jungle, as well as coral reef and colorful tropical fish. Visitors need to bring good binoculars, and snorkeling mask, and fins.

Riverwalk tour in Manokwari forest

Flights
There are regular daily flights between Manokwar city, Sorong city and Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia). You can take Garuda, Sriwijaya or Batik to reach West Papua. I could meet you at the airport of Sorong city or Manokwari city and organize your trip into the rainforest.
Booking
If you are interested in taking a rainforest tour in West Papua and wants me to organise your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp: +6281332245180.