Wilson's bird of paradise

Flo and I got up at 5am and hiked up to the top of the hill through the rainforest in the dark. Why? To see the amazing birds that we hear each morning but never really see, except for the odd parrot, hornbill, or goose.

Our destination was suggested by the lady in the divers shop, and she poo-pooed the idea that using a guide would help.

We reached the top just before sunrise, and as the light came we had a beautiful view of the treetops and the sea inlet below. We began to hear the birds, but what flew by was bats.

5 minutes, 10 minutes, half an hour, lots of birdsong, but except for a parrot, nothing to see here.

Later, we did see some flightless birds in the forest. Flo even filmed them, but the quality is like most Yeti movies.

So our birding expedition was a flop relative to our original objectives, but it was still wonderful to go through the forest before daybreak.

As for seeing Wilson's bird of paradise, even for David Attenborough,it took over 20 years to see one in 1996, and I'm guessing he had just a little help. I'm not sure if I have the patience to wait until 2044.

Photo credit: WikipediaRead more