Indonesia: Sulawesi & Halmahera Oct 14—Nov 04, 2010
Posted by Susan Myers
Susan Myers
Susan Myers absolutely loves birding and traveling in Asia. As she says, "The combination of incredible and diverse wildlife, ancient and fascinating cultures, and the...Related Trips
Our second 2010 Sulawesi & Halmahera tour produced excellent birding in this little-known part of the world. There were many highlights, but the Purple-bearded Bee-eater, Wallace's Standardwing, and the remarkable Maleo topped the list! Unfortunately, habitat loss continues to be a major problem in this region and it's safe to say that Indonesia falls into the category of "see it while you can." Nevertheless, the wildlife of Sulawesi and Halmahera put on a great show, even if we did miss some of the more difficult endemics, and we enjoyed a fascinating and beautiful area that is well off the beaten path.
We started our explorations of these weirdly-shaped islands in the southern city of Makassar where we explored the nearby forests of Karaenta in search of the restricted-range Black-ringed White-eye, which we found very easily. Moving farther north to central Sulawesi, we spent the next few days in Lore Lindu National Park. Here we birded the attractive montane forests in search of the higher altitude endemics and specialties. Unfortunately, the recent total disintegration of the track meant we had to walk from the bottom up the Anaso Trail. Highlights on the trail included some amazing looks at the sensational Purple-bearded Bee-eater, followed by a Diabolical Nightjar at arm's-length and some super looks at Red-eared Fruit-Doves.
We spent quite a bit of our time at Danau (Lake) Tambing where the stunning Fiery-browed Mynas dominated the scene. Pied Crows, with their remarkable vocalizations, put in some wonderful appearances. We had great looks at a Small Sparrowhawk, as well as Rusty-bellied Fantails and Blue-fronted Flycatchers. The nearby flowering trees attracted large numbers of Sulawesi Myzomelas, while Island Blue and Citrine flycatchers, Gray-sided and Yellow-sided flowerpeckers, and various species of white-eyes put in appearances. Yellow-and-green Lorikeets zipped all over the place. A close perched Sulawesi Serpent-Eagle was a special treat.
Along the road closer to Wuasa we had an excellent afternoon with scope views of the remarkable White-bellied Imperial-Pigeon, as well as a sneaky Sulawesi Blue-Flycatcher, a number of cooperative Gray-sided Flowerpeckers, and a couple of Large Sulawesi Hanging-Parrots amongst others. Another big highlight at Lore Lindu was a very cooperative Cinnabar Hawk-Owl in the early morning—plumb in the middle of the spotlight! This species was first described as recently as 1999!
Our next destination was the island of Halmahera, where we spent a week exploring various sites. After flying to the legendary island of Ternate—the administrative center of the so-called Spice Islands during the times of the Portuguese, when nutmeg was worth more than its weight in gold—we transferred by boat to the quiet little village of Sidangoli. From here we explored the nearby forests, or what remains of them, finding a nice swag of the endemics. In the forests of the exotically-named Kali Batu Putih we turned up a shy Ivory-breasted Pitta, distant but very welcome Chattering Lorikeets, a lovely pair of Scarlet-breasted Fruit-Doves feeding in a fruiting tree, a very nice Sombre Kingfisher, excellent Paradise Crows, Halmahera Cuckoo-shrike, and Cream-throated White-eyes, while Gurney's Eagles soared overhead.
An early morning boat ride took us to a Wallace's Standardwing lek where we watched these remarkable birds performing high up in the canopy as dawn broke. Moving farther north we based ourselves in the (relatively) bustling town of Tobelo. Some areas of remnant forest patches rewarded us with views of more endemics such as White-streaked Friarbird, Gray-headed Fruit-Dove, Moluccan Starling, and many others.
Returning to Sulawesi we headed directly to the superb Tangkoko National Park on the tip of the northeastern peninsula. This is a small but very rich national park and we enjoyed arguably the best birding of the tour here. Over the next few days we explored the trails within the forest and spent time at an excellent lookout where we observed many of the upper canopy species. One of the features of this park is the remarkable number of kingfisher species. During our stay here we observed seven species including four endemics—Green-backed, Sulawesi Dwarf, Lilac-cheeked, and Great-billed (in nearby mangroves). Another standout bird was the stunning Red-backed Thrush, which showed beautifully after giving us the slip a few times. Our dusk visit to the Spectral Tarsier tree was a non-avian highlight. But many other birds showed well for us: White-faced Cuckoo-Dove (Sulawesi Black Pigeon), Gray-headed Imperial-Pigeon, the appropriately named Ornate Lorikeet, and many more.
We finished our trip with a visit to the improbably named Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park. Near our hotel in Kotamobagu, we made a visit to a suburban garden where we found a simply gorgeous Sulawesi Masked Owl at its nest hole. But the highlight of our stay here was undoubtedly our visit to Tambun where we were able to see that largest of the megapodes, the Maleo. We watched a pair of birds in the early morning light through the scope; as the light improved, we could see their lovely pinkish plumage increasingly well. We had more great looks at a number of raptors including Black Eagle, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Spotted Kestrels, and a number of Spotted Harriers, which have an interesting disjunct distribution. In a nearby flowering tree we had great views of Sulawesi Triller, Sulawesi Cuckoo-shrike, and Large Sulawesi Hanging-Parrots. We also met up with Bay Coucal, the eye-catching Yellow-billed Malkoha, and a number of other goodies, as pretty Gray-rumped Treeswifts and Ivory-backed Woodswallows put on a great show.