Vulturine Parrot

Vulturine Parrot in West Papua

Vulturine Parrot or also called Pesquet's Parrot is a species of bird that is endemic to New Guinea. Continuous hunting by local people, massive logging and conversion of forest into huge monoculture plantation has significantly reduced the population of this bird. That's why IUCN put the bird into the status of vulnerable.
For me, as a birdwatcher, the bird has always been in my target list. I am lucky because I have seen him several times in its natural habitat. The first was in the lower montane forest of Vogelkop region when I was guiding two Swedish tourists. The location of the high population of Vulturine Parrot was very far from Manokwari and Sorong.  To reach it, we need to go by 4wd car. Because the cost of chartering 4wd car during the tour is very high, I highly recommend that visitors travel in a group of 3 to 4 people to share it.
I have just returned from a hiking and wildlife watching tour in the Andaer forest of Vogelkop region of West Papua. I spent 5 days-4 nights exploring its pristine tropical rainforest both along the ridges and valleys. My exploration of the forest allowed me to watch several important species of tropical birds including the Vulturine Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus).

A couple of Vulturine Parrot in West Papua

My daily rituals during the trip would be waking up early in the morning, having some coffee and fried sweet potatoes and then leaving the village for the forest on foot.
I carried a small D-SLR camera, Canon 200D equipped with a telephoto lens - the Tamron 150-600 mm G2. I also carried my 10×42 mm Visionking binocular. With these devices, I was able to see and take pictures of such birds as Lesser Birds of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Magnificent Birds of Paradise, Mountain Peltop, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Brahminy Kite, Long-tailed Buzzard, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, and Black-capped Lory.
It was early November 2018, we were entering rainy season. For a lot of birdwatchers, it could be seen as a bad sign. In the contrary, it was a good time to watch birds and other wild animals. There were flowers and fruits in the forest. They attracted birds to fruiting and flowering trees. Rain began to fall in the afternoon. But later it stopped at around 15.00 local time. That's the time when a lot of birds flying out of their nest and hiding place.
I offer hiking tour in the Vogelkop region of West Papua to visitors who are interested in seeing rainforest environment from closer look. During the tour, visitors will have the chance to see plants; watch birds, butterflies, dragonflies, as well as other animals in the jungle.
If you are interested in taking the tour, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.