DUNCANVILLE, TEXAS — Last Thursday, Brian and I attended Dr. Bruce Beehler’s lecture in Fort Worth. Dr. Beehler is an authority on New Guinea birds (he wrote the book) and took part in the now famous Foja Mountains expedition in western New Guinea.

That expedition, which documented potentially dozens of new species and garnered international media attention, was the topic of Dr. Beehler’s presentation last week. Dr. Beehler showed some of the photographs that have already circulated widely on the web and elsewhere (e.g., here and here), but coupled with his awe-filled and at times humorous narrative, the photographs seemed to take on a life and significance much greater than I’d experienced before.

We were looking at the first photographs ever taken of the Golden-fronted Bowerbird, and standing before us was the man who had taken them, and had even held the birds in his hands. He said the birds were so tame that he had sat a few feet away as a male displayed for a female at his bower.

As for the honeyeater the expedition described, Dr. Beehler is calling it Melipotes carolae after his wife, Carol. He’d long dreamed, he said, of getting to name a new species. He also used the English name Wattled Smoky-Honeyeater.

Dr. Beehler has wanted to visit the Foja Mountains longer than I’ve been alive. Several years ago, on a flight over the mountain range, he spotted a small interruption in the canopy, a boggy spot where there were no trees. He recognized that little bog as a place — perhaps the only place — where a helicopter could land. Sure enough, that’s exactly where a chartered helicopter dropped off the team in December 2005.

Much is made of the fact that the Foja Mountains forest is pristine and rarely visited. But Beehler’s book, “Birds of New Guinea,” has something to say about that: “What to any outsider’s eye is nothing but trackless rainforest is, to the Papuan, someone’s family property.”

Indeed, the Papasena and Kwerba Mamberamo peoples claim portions of the Foja Mountains as traditional lands, even though they do not appear to have ventured up into the mountains for decades.

In preparation for the expedition, scientists spent time with the local people: living with them, talking with them, and eating with them. The people needed to see “that we weren’t in a hurry all the time,” said Dr. Beehler, and “that we’re just regular folks.” The importance of relationships in Melanesian culture can hardly be overstated.

All too soon, the lecture was done, and Brian and I went to the front to ask for an autograph in my “Birds of New Guinea,” which was my constant companion in every corner of PNG. Dr. Beehler seemed pleased to see the book (it is out of print), and Brian commented that his copy is still in PNG and has Menya bird names written all over the pages. I asked Dr. Beehler about the new edition, which is supposed to be in preparation, but he hemmed and hawed without giving a definitive answer.

I wanted to ask more about the Foja Mountains birds — the Parotia bird-of-paradise, for example. It was included without comment in P. carolae in “Birds of New Guinea,” but now that the birds have actually been observed and photographed, Dr. Beehler seems to believe they deserve full species status. I wanted to ask why, but the event’s high-strung organizer insisted on hurrying his friend away to dinner.

There is so much to see. There is so much to learn. I guess that’s what tomorrow is for.

DUNCANVILLE, TEXAS — My thoughts are far from chilly, wet Texas tonight. Come away with me. Hear the voices of New Guinea birds.

I recorded these birds in the hill forest just above Madang town, Papua New Guinea, in June 2005. The quality isn’t like National Geographic, but then neither is my equipment.

• White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes (Coracina papuensis) are widespread in the lowlands. See my picture here.
  • coracina-papuensis.mp3 (00:07, 116 KB)
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• Variable Pitohuis (Pitohui kirhocephalus) are one of the few birds known to be poisonous. The birds I saw near Madang looked similar to Mehd Halaouate’s Variable Pitohui photo in the BirdForum database (also on the page are brief comments on the bird’s toxicity). I have to confess, I’m about 99% certain that this recording is the pitohui, but unfortunately, I didn’t label the file back when I recorded it. If I’m wrong, somebody please correct me.
  • pitohui-kirhocephalus.mp3 (00:08, 138 KB)
  • pitohui-kirhocephalus.wav (00:08, 375 KB)
• Helmeted Friarbirds (Philemon buceroides) are abundant in PNG’s lowlands, and their raucous cries are one of the most commonly heard bird sounds. A Papua New Guinean in Western Province told me that when the birds begin to call in earnest toward evening, the people know it’s time to leave their gardens and start walking home. Like Carolina Wrens, Red-eyed Vireos, and many other songbirds, Helmeted Friarbirds sing several different versions of their song, as you can hear below.
  • philemon-buceroides-01.mp3 (00:07, 114 KB)
  • philemon-buceroides-01.wav (00:07, 308 KB)
  • philemon-buceroides-02.mp3 (00:13, 213 KB)
  • philemon-buceroides-02.wav (00:13, 583 KB)
  • philemon-buceroides-03.mp3 (00:09, 151 KB)
  • philemon-buceroides-03.wav (00:09, 410 KB)

GREENE CO., MO — Part five of a series in which I set out explore some of the ways that birds help us celebrate Christmas.

Can you name five Christmas carols that mention birds? The first one that sprang to my mind was “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” in which birds are given as several of the gifts. Mike has done such a thorough job with this song over at 10,000 Birds that I’ll just point you to his post rather than say more myself: Birds Of The Twelve Days Of Christmas.

Several other carols feature birds, but unfortunately, they are rather obscure. One of these is “Whence Comes This Rush of Wings?” (or “Carol of the Birds”), which originated in the Bas-Quercy region of France. I’ve adapted the score for three men’s voices and sung it, presenting the recording here as my Christmas gift to you: carolofthebirds.mp3 (1.24 MB, 1:21 duration).

The lyrics and score are available on a scan from hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com: Whence Comes This Rush of Wings? French lyrics (with a literal English translation) are available here. Evidently the third verse, which mentions the greenfinch and philomel (nightingale), was not part of the original French carol.

Another carol in which birds come to sing for the Baby Jesus is “The Friendly Beasts” (or “(The) Gifts They Gave”):

“I,” said the dove from the rafters high,
“Cooed Him to sleep that He should not cry;
We cooed Him to sleep, my mate and I.”
“I,” said the dove from the rafters high.

More…

Several different songs are known in English as “Carol of the Birds.” One, as mentioned above, originated in France. Another “Carol of the Birds” was sung first in Catalan, a Romance language spoken mainly in Spain and Andorra:

Upon this holy night,
When God’s great star appears,
And floods the earth with brightness
Birds’ voices rise in song
And warbling all night long
Express their glad hearts’ lightness
Birds’ voices rise in song
And warbling all night long
Express their glad hearts’ lightness

The Nightingale is first
To bring his song of cheer,
And tell us of His gladness:
“Jesus, our Lord, is born
To free us from all sin
And banish ev’ry sadness!
Jesus, our Lord is born
To free us from all sin
And banish ev’ry sadness!”

Full Catalan and English lyrics. (Warning: This page will make you squint.)
Alternate English lyrics.

Yet another “Carol of the Birds” features owls, cuckoos, pigeons, and onomatopoeia, and it comes in English and Irish flavors. (You’ll have to scroll down a bit after following each link.)

Not to be outdone, the Australians have produced their own “Carol of the Birds,” and I really like it:

Out on the plains the brolgas are dancing
Lifting their feet like warhorses prancing
Up to the sun the woodlarks go winging
Faint in the dawn light echoes their singing
Orana! Orana! Orana to Christmas Day.

More (including midis)…
About the song.

And with that, we conclude our “Birds of Christmas” series this year. You can access the other posts under “related posts” below. Maybe we’ll continue the series next year (send in your ideas!), but until then…

Merry Christmas!

GREENE CO., MO. — Part four of a series in which I set out explore some of the ways that birds help us celebrate Christmas.

Hopefully, we are all sending at least some of our greetings electronically these days to help reduce the millions of pounds of paper used each year for Christmas cards. But what to do with all of your old cards? Well, they do make nice holiday decorations (especially those with birds, of course), and others can be recycled.

Of all the cards I looked through while compiling this post, cardinals and white doves were by far the most commonly depicted birds.

In addition to the peace dove, this card displays four species very familiar in wintry backyards across eastern North America: Northern Cardinal, White-throated Sparrow, Black-capped/Carolina Chickadee, and Blue Jay.

Twenty-eight state birds decorate an evergreen tree on this card from the National Wildlife Federation. Every state bird is represented; 28 is the number of birds once all the duplicates have been removed. Northern Cardinal, for instance, is the state bird in seven states, and Western Meadowlark holds the honor in six.

Two birds add their voices to a musician’s melody on this little card from Spain. “I’m sending this little friend of mine to bring you my very warm greetings from Spain,” wrote the sender. “December, 1973.”

A swatch of Indonesian batik fabric colors the Christmas dove on this card from Jakarta. “Selamat Hari Natal,” it reads inside, “Merry Christmas & Season’s Greeting.”

A small black-and-white bird is one of the woodland creatures gathered around the Christmas tree on this card, which was hand-embroidered in Switzerland. Does anyone familiar with European birds know whether it represents a real species?

GREENE CO., MO. — Part three of a series in which I set out explore some of the ways that birds help us celebrate Christmas.

Nothing says Christmas quite like a cardinal, particularly when he’s matched with an evergreen and some snow. Sure enough, the USPS released a stylized portrait of North America’s beloved “redbird” on a holiday stamp in 1994 (more on the stamp).

I believe the dove from George Washington’s weather vane was the first bird to be featured on a US Christmas stamp. This 1974 issue made history in another way as well: It was the first self-adhesive US stamp (more on the stamp).

Ah yes, where would we be without the partridge in the pear tree? Despite the extravagant tail feathers, the bird in this painting looks like a Chukar (Alectoris chukar) to me. Chris Gibbins, of the fabulous bird-stamps.org, also calls it a Chukar (more on the stamp).

Wait, is that a bird the child is holding in the painting (more on the stamp)?

Yes, and here’s another depiction of the Christ child holding a bird. Intrigued by the apparent symbolism, I did some research tonight and discovered that in religious art, the European Goldfinch foreshadows Christ’s Passion because of its fondness for spiny thistles. The bird can be seen more clearly on this page: Madonna of the Goldfinch (more on the stamp).

Peruvian artist Ignacio Chacón is credited with Madonna and Child with Bird, the painting featured on this year’s traditional Christmas stamp. According to the USPS, Chacón’s use of the bird in this image drew on ancient Inca beliefs to indicate divinity.