Reports

Recent testimonials and trip reports by:

Dana Gardner's group Testimonial, September 10th, 2002

Recently my group and I went birding to West Papua (Irian Jaya) with a very friendly and knowledgeable Indonesia bird guide, Kris Tindige of Papua Bird Club. It proved to be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding trips I have ever taken. We were glad to see Kris’s ardent interest and support for local conservation efforts and his style of ecotourism that really benefits the indigenous people. Meals were always good with an abundant of fresh fruit and vegetables. Kris is knowledgeable and sensitive to political issues in West Papua, and is always concerned about the comfort and safety of his group. He maintains long warm relationship with local Papuans at all areas we visited. Our group tallied 235 species of birds, including a whopping 18 Birds of Paradise!

I would urge any birdwatcher interested in a trip to West Papua to Kris Tindige with his official Papua Bird Club organization. He offers very reasonable prices and has high skill at running a professional, interesting, hassle-free, and bird-filled tour. I’ll be happy to provide further information, and can be contacted at dana [at] gardnerbirds.com

Dana Gardner
(Illustrator of: Guide to the Birds of Wallacea, Field Guide to the Birds of Singapore, Life of the Pigeons, etc)

To Whom It May Concern

Our journey to Irian Jaya had been in pursuit of natural history, landscape, hiking, human culture, camping and being as close to the nature if Irian Jaya, and its complex relationship with human life, as possible. In all of these aspirations we found total delight and the utmost satisfaction everywhere we went, and in everything we saw and did. However, perhaps our most enduring memory will be that of the bird life. Not simply because of the abundance of species we encountered, and our list was well in excess of two hundred but also because of its diversity from Brush Turkey to Myzomela; of color of pyrotechnic quality from Parrots to Birds of Paradise and totally extravagant Flame Bowerbird; of the astounding feats of animal architecture as practiced by Vogelkop Bowerbird: and of the daily dozens of seabirds, water birds, raptors, waders, pigeons, parrots, kingfishers, hirundines, little and big birds, red, blue, golden birds of every conceivable type, color, habitat and form, which left us breathless and amazed.
Without you and your willing assistance and guidance, none of this would have been possible, so our gratitude to you is enormous. Your planning of the trip has been to your great credit and to our huge advantage, your day to day organization and running of the expedition has been immaculate, you have provided constant interest and fascination which has ensured not a single dull moment for any of us, you have ensured good food, good company, and your own special brand of splendid good humor.
We owe the huge debt of gratitude to you for the total success of our journey and its mission. Our reports will be available for anyone who is sufficiently interested to read it. It will remain another splendid chapter in the journeying and wonderings of the MWC, and one, which be difficult to equal.
For all of there things and many more, we offer our great thanks. Many expeditions can offer interest, adventure, good company, wonderful discomfort, hard work, Bir Bintang, special water, huge variety or marvelous humors but very few can combine these features and a range of other delights and unexpected surprises, and produce the perfect package. You achieved it, and we have been the grateful recipients.

Ian Tillotson, on behalf of the MWC group members, Chief Warden, Countryside Council for Wales,
PLASGOGERDDAN, ABERYSTWYTH, CEREDIGIONS SY23 3EE, ENGLAND
Tel: (01970) 828551, Fax: (01970) 828314, E-mail: Tillo.tyco [at] virgin.net