At the end of the 2 km trail, from the last post, was a visitors center that was not open but they had a dwarf cassowary statue that tried to attack me. Luckily for me I showed my teeth and scared him off. We got back to the truck and right away another birding guide spotted the yellow billed kingfisher. Jun got out his spotting scope and everyone got great close up shot on their phones. Jun can put a phone up to the eyepiece and snap a great picture. As we ate our packed lunch of chicken sandwiches, we saw another half dozen birds. The great thing about PNG is the high percentage of endemics. These are birds that are unique to the area and are found nowhere else. So nearly every bird that we see will be new to me. After lunch one of the rangers comes by and tells us that there is a Papuan Frogmouth up by the lookout. So we all pile into the truck and off we go. When we arrive we all fan out looking for this highly camouflaged bird. Our driver Kelly, who has not gotten out of the car the entire day, gets out and spots the bird almost immediately. We get a good look and then head back to the picnic area where the trail head to the tree house starts. We all walk the trail but only Jun and I climb up to the top. The entire structure is held together with natural fibers and no nails. Great fun to end the day.
This hiking pole is a life saver
The yellow billed kingfisher (LB#14) was very cooperative
A very cute bird
This is the view from the spotting scope
Boyer's Cuckooshrike LB#15
The aluminum cans are laid out for the passing cars to smash them fully
The dwarf cassowary
Kaw kaw kaw!
Termite nests
Mushrooms right around the picnic area
The Blue Winged Kookaburra LB#16, the biggest birds in the kingfisher families
A Dwarf Fruit Dove LB#17
So many colors
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Hooded Pitohui LB#20, not my best picture but this bird is so distinctive that it is very probable that this is the bird
Papuan Frog Mouth LB#18
Really, please take your rubbish
A big hairy tree fern
There is a new treehouse in town
It is a long way up there!
No problem I am climbing
Ken however is pretending to climb
I made it!
Here comes Jun
Welcome
No nails, just vines and wood
It is a very large construction and should last 10 years
Ken inspecting the cassowary feathers
More pictures of the totems at the gate
Very elaborate
Passing the grasslands on the way out
The side of the road was burning
Our stream has grown larger
A highland stream
At the edge of the ravine
Looking down at the waterfall
Our path in the morning and the path for our return
The waterfall is way down there
Electric lines from the hydroelectric plant
Glossy Swiftlet LB#21
Back into the ravine
Adventure land, we will see you tomorrow
The top of this mountain has been mined away
