Drive from Cairns to Mossman is a bit like that along California route 1 with mountains on one side and the sea on the other.  A bit more tropical.  We stopped at the Mossman River where fishermen mentioned the crocs.  I said, “a bit of a nuisance?”

They said, “Not really,” but stood back 3 meters from the shore.

This is a chore day between our float on the Great Barrrier Reef and a drive north to Mossman.  I woke with a full fledged cold and so was lazy.  No birding outing at dawn.  Laundry is now underway, and we go to shop for groceries soon.  The Kingfisher Park Lodge warns that there are few provisions nearby.  In a pinch there are restaurants one mile and five miles away.  We may sample them but will also pack groceries for our own cooking.  I don’t know if I will have access to Internet for the next five days.

Just back from two days and one night on the live-aboard dive boat Reef Encounter moored at various locations along Norman and Saxon reefs which make up a small portion of the enormous Great Barrier Reef of northeastern Australia.

I might not vote any member of the Bird of Paradise family the most beautiful bird in the world, but they are certainly the most ornate and some of their courtship behaviors are absolutely ridiculous.  Human males would have to spend some $100K on their attire to match the cost to these birds of wearing such outfits.  

My first bowerbird in PNG was McGregor’s, a more handsome one.  Anne spotted a less elegant species, the Yellow-breasted, a day earlier.  She almost missed the McGregoprs by going on a “cultural tour” for one morning.  Good news was that a McGregor’s showed up again in the afternoon.  These often pigeon-sized birds are noted for the peculiar structures the males make to interest females.  We have seen a few of these bowers and I find them amazing.  

Many birds inhabit New Britain and New Guinea, but the islands are also well peopled, and there is no public land; therefore one birds among people.  More, the most curious birds are the white people who come wearing field cloths and binoculars and calling birds with little speakers.  And so, one must great the resident to obtain permission to bird and will be watched.  One becomes used to that, but from time to time each of us needs leve the group to step behind a bush away from the group.

Arrived before the birding tour and dove for two days.  Small boats took us to fringe reefs at the endge of Kimbe Bay.  Equipment was well used but adequate.  Reefs were lovely but showing stress.  The anemones, basket stars, and small reef fish were spectacular.  Adjusted to the warmth surprisingly easily and woke to the cries of the friarbirds that began their hoarse gurgling at dawn.  We more often heard than saw these large bare-faced birds that haunt the trees of New Britain.

Wonder why there have been no posts during this exciting phase of our touring?  Well, posting requires a means of communication, and we have had little over the past days, and while there has been occasional Internet, it has been very, very slow.  It is slow here, but should work for this message.  A second reason for the silence is that bird touring can be very intense, and our was a serious tour in one of the most difficult places in the world to bird.  And so, when we were not birding or eating, we were resting.

We are weathering our visit to PNG well, but it is not easy touring here.  The temperature falls to 74 at night.  The humidity is 80% at best.  The electricity turns off  at 11 p.m.  One of the fans operates by battery.  The highway is paved except where it has broken to pieces.  The side roads are simply cuts through the trees.  Our resort has creature comforts.  The people outside of the fence have scarcely that.  Most houses are about 8x15 feet rectangles on stilts with windowless and screenless openings.

So good to see so much activity on this web site.  France seems so wonderful, but we are enjoying our jungle adventures.