I’m posting this notice on behalf of Richard Noske (please note that I have no commercial interest in this venture.)
Tom
*PAPUA 2012*
Our 15-day trip to Papua in August-September was a huge success. There were 8 participants, including me, from around Oz, the youngest being in his early 50s, the oldest being 73. All were amazed and thoroughly charmed by our host Shita Prativi (Papua Bird Club*), and delighted by the local guides.
We saw around 230 species of birds, including 15 species of birds-of-paradise, and many spectacular butterflies (thanks to Peter and Chris) and a fair few dragonflies to boot. The rhododendrons and heaths at Lk Habbema (3,300 m) were also pretty impressive. Moreover, we witnessed and photographed the first ever full display of the Arfak Astrapia, and three male Wilson’s BOPs simultaneously displaying to females (another first).
Although this was to be Shita’s last tour, she has been persuaded by numerous naturalists and photographers to run just a few more PBC tours next year. But 2012 may well be the last year.
I’m happy to organise another Aussie party for a 15-day trip to Papua next year, tentatively between May and October. Tour prices are absolutely rock bottom for that part of the world, and most of the profits go to help villagers – which is not the case for some other bird tour companies (despite the hype on their websites). Throughout the trip, we will be using local guides and villagers, who benefit directly from the tours. One village is now completely self-sufficient due to earnings from ecotours.
If you are interested in the trip, please contact Richard directly at: * rnoske@tpg.com.au*.
**Papua Bird Club (PBC)* was founded in 1985 by Kris Tindige, whose life was dedicated to the promotion of conservation in Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) and the support of Indigenous villages through ecotourism and education. Originally a Yayasan – a non profit-making organization – PBC provided natural history and cultural tours, the profits of which were disbursed to education and community development programmes. Tragically, Kris died from cancer at the age of only 41, after two years of medical treatment that was funded by more than a 100 people from 15 countries around the world, including Friends of Kris Tindige in Australia (FOKTA). He is still sorely missed**. Happily, however, the community work of PBC continues, due to the tireless efforts of Kris’s partner, Shita Prativi, who has finally agreed to keep some money for herself!
**You can read about Kris’s life in the tribute that appeared in KUKILA vol 14
*http://kukila.org/index.php/KKL/issue/view/19*
