WEWAK, PNG — Dollarbirds filled the sky — a dozen, maybe 20. They glided overhead on strong and capable wings. A Brahminy Kite had joined the feeding frenzy, and then a small falcon arrived.

When the day heated up, I retreated indoors and did some work on my life list. I wanted to get caught up with all sightings before I flew to Wuvulu. The huge white pigeons I saw yesterday and today appear to be called Torresian Imperial-Pigeons. “Birds of New Guinea” lumps them with a western form that lacks black-spotted undertail coverts, but as best I can tell from the checklist, they’ve been split now. My string of misfortune with raptors continues; I could not positively identify the small falcon, though I suspect it was an immature Oriental Hobby.

I also did some work on my life list database itself, redesigning some fields and the data entry form. I’m all set for Wuvulu, and I’m getting excited about what I could see there. Lacking a field guide that covers the Bismarck Archipelago, I will just have to observe carefully, take notes, and make identifications at some later date.

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