Indonesia: Lesser Sunda Islands: Sep 14—Oct 04, 2009

The islands of Nusa Tenggara, or the Lesser Sundas, stretch across the Java Sea north of Australia, between the islands of New Guinea and Bali. They are part of a unique biogeographic region known as Wallacea, which contains a distinctive fauna representing a mix of Asian and Australian species. This region has a dry tropical climate which has given rise to a natural habitat composed of monsoon forests and savannah woodlands. These distinctive seasonal dry forests harbor a unique wildlife and are home to more than 70 endemic bird species, with new species still being discovered. This part of Indonesia is almost universally devoutly Christian, but each island has fascinating native cultures, which are still enthusiastically practiced.

The small island of Flores has 18 of the Lesser Sunda endemics, and four of them are unique to the island. All four are globally-threatened, including the Flores Monarch and Flores Scops-Owl, which has been recorded only a few times in one small area over the last century. A remarkable 21 bird species are endemic to the island of Timor and surrounding smaller islands, while Sumba has 10 endemics. The area is still relatively poorly studied, and it is likely that future taxonomic work will lead to a substantial increase in the number of species in this region. As recently as 2001, the Sumba Owl was identified as a new species, and intriguingly, another as yet undescribed owl is rumored to exist in the mountains of east Sumba. At least 17 species are globally-threatened, such as the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo, which today occurs only on Timor, Komodo, and Sumba.

As always on our tours in Asia, we enjoy fabulous birding, experience ancient cultures, and meet delightful, friendly people who are keen to extend a warm welcome to visiting birders.

The region is not heavily visited by western tourists, but accommodations are good to reasonable; travel by minibus and 4-WD vehicles; pace easy to moderate with mostly roadside birding, traveling downhill or on level ground; life on the islands relatively slow-paced, and the locals quite laid-back and relaxed; climate warm and humid, but rarely unpleasant, evenings tend to be cooler.