TRIP REPORT 2019
Birding Adventures & Snorkeling trip in West Papua
We had a great time on birding adventures and bird photography in West Papua, We arranged 8 people from Singapore, led by Ping Ling.
10 Days birding, began from Raja Ampat, then we birded at Waigeo forest to find two highlight Bird of Paradise; Wilson's Bird of Paradise and Red Bird of Paradise, was great view! they displayed.
A part of the day We did snorkeling at Sepokren village, afterward We traveled by a public boat returned to Sorong to have lunch, and continued with a 4 Wheel Drive vehicle drove 4 hours to the main road where the porters picked logistics and did hiking three hours to Malagufuk village.
Birding along the trail. Stayed in simple Guesthouse.
Next morning We departed very early, hiking four hours to the lek where a pair of Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise displayed on high single death tree, then We moved to another good spot where 8 Lesser Bird of Paradise displayed nicely and had pleasant calls.
We decided to move again for another spot on watching King Bird of Paradise displayed too. We returned to Malagufuk forest, and seen may species, include Magnificent Riffle-bird, Red-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher, Dwarf Cassowary and Northern Cassowary, Papuan Frogmouth, etc.
The end of the trip We drove back to Sorong, stayed one night at Vegal hotel, then transferred-out to the airport for their returning flight departed to Jakarta and connected to Singapore.
After a few days later We continued organizing 10 people from Taiwan who followed the itinerary, 10 days birding in Raja Ampat and did extension trip to Malagufuk forest in Sorong.
We had great time too, and seen mostly target species there.
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TRIP REPORT 2019
Birding trip in the North and Central Sulawesi
(July 26th – August 3rd 2019)
Participant: Dr. Hans-Valentin + Anita Bastian
(Kerzenheim, Germany)
Dear Nurlin,
First of all, I wish you all the best for 2020. We wish you that the new year brings a lot of personal satisfaction, positive experiences, success and many great nature experiences.
As promised, we had prepared a travel report, published in CloudBirder (https://www.cloudbirders.com/be/download?filename=BASTIAN_Sulawesi_0708_2019.pdf).
We were astonished that we saw (and sometimes only heard) in Tangkoko and Lore Lindu totally 143 bird species, next to the numerous butterflies, plants, reptiles.
We hope that this report meets your expectations. Please forward the report to Kasman, whose contact details we don't have. Unfortunately, we don't know how to reach Idris either.
We had once written to him via email, but received no feedback, so we assume that the email address we used may no longer be valid. If possible, it would be nice if you could also forward the link to Idris..
Itinerary:
26.07. due to bad weather late arrival in Manado at 1:30 p.m., 2 hours drive Manado-Tangkoko with birding stop in the Temboan Hills, accommodation Tangkoko Lodge
27.07. Start of excursion at 5:45 a.m. in Tangkoko NP, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. launch, then second excursion through Tangkoko NP, night excursion to Tarsier and Owls
28.07. starting 5:00 a.m. birding in the surrounding (Temboan Hills) and Tangkoko NP; 2:00 p.m. drive to Kalinaun, from there boat trip along the river delta with mangroves
29.07. starting 5:30 a.m. excursion to Tangkoko NP, from 12:30 p.m. drive to Tomohon with stop in Airmadidi (Taman Purbakala Waruga), accommodation in Mountain View Resort, Tomohon.
30.07. starting 5:00 a.m. drive to the Mahawu volcano, then Danau Linow, afternoon birding in the Gardenia Country Inn; then transfer to Manado
31.07. Transfer Manado-Palu with a stopover in Gorontalo, then drive to Wuasa with birding stops, accommodation in Penginapan Lodge Nasional
01.08. starting at 4:30 a.m. to Lore Lindu NP, after a rustic breakfast on the side of the path, walk along the Anaso Trail; night excursion around Wuasa for owls
02.08. starting 5:00 a.m.; birding along the road in Lore Lindu NP and Tambing Lake; Owl excursion again in the evening 03.08. Return to Palu with numerous birding stops; 16:00 arrival at Palu
Lore Lindu NP: After we recognized on arrival in Palu that one of our suitcases had been unloaded at the stopover in Gorontalo, the Malia Tours team, above all Nurlin Djuni, took great care to get the luggage back as quickly as possible. After a true odyssey through Sulawesi, the suitcase arrived in Palu in the evening and was brought to our accommodation in Wuasa that night. Our guide team with Kasman Plankton, Idris Tinulele and a driver were exceptionally well trained in the voices of all of the bird species and in spotting birds in the field. They gave us an excellent insight into the natural diversity of the Lore Lindu National Park. In particular Idris, a local ornithologist, knew the Lore Lindu National Park very well with its rich avifauna as well the variety of butterflies and reptiles. But our guides were also able to show us many botanical specialties of the park. The three were a great team and it was fun to be out with them. The core area of Kalamanta was declared a game reserve in 1973 and was included in UNESCO's “Men and Biosphere” program in 1977 as a biosphere reserve. In 1978 the area around Lake Lindu also became a wildlife sanctuary, and in 1981 the conservation area Lore Lindu emerged from the union of the two conservation areas. In the following year, the Indonesian government granted the area the status of a national park, which was opened in 1993. Already on the way to Wuasa we could observe Knobbed Hornbill (Rhyticeros cassidix), Black Eagle (Ictinaetus malaiensis), Sulawesi Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus lanceolatus), Savanna Nightjar (Caprimulgus affinis), Cerulean Cuckooshrike (Coracina temminckii) Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus), White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus) and Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker (Dicaeum nehrkorni). Anaso Trail sowie umgebende Waldbereiche (5): Hiking the Anaso Trail is a MUST HAVE for every visitor to the Lore Lindu NP interested in nature, flora or fauna. The path starts at 1700 m above sea level and rises to around 2200 m, whereby we did not climb up to the summit, but only up to around 2150 m. The path leads through a mountain rain and mountain cloud forest with very lush vegetation. Even if the ascent is somewhat strenuous, the impressions alongside the trail compensates in many places with its enormous biodiversity. The experiences were of course further enhanced by the profound detailed knowledge of Idris and Kasman. Whether it was the successful spotting of the Satanic Nightjar (Eurostopodus diabolicus) in their day-stand, the unfortunately unsuccessful attempt to see the Sombre Pigeon (Cryptophaps poecilorrhoa), which was only heard very closely, or the successful efforts of many, difficult to spot species like Maroon-backed Whistler (Coracornis raveni), Sulawesi Babbler (Pellorneum celebense), Lesser Myza (Myza celebensis) and Greater Myza (Myza sarasinorum), Sulawesi Grasshopper Warbler (Locustella castanea) or Malia (Malia grata). Other species, such as Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis omissus), are regularly seen chasing insects on the road in the early morning before entering the trail. The well-known breeding site of the Purplebearded Bee-eater (Meropogon forsteni) was unfortunately not occupied, but we could observe them very well and several times from the street. In addition to the enormous variety of birds, the flora in this part of the Lore Lindu NP is also very interesting. Many orchid and pitcher plant species (Nepenthes), a genus of carnivorous plants, grow along the trail. In the forest areas close-by the road we made further observations of species, such as Spot-tailed Sparrowhawk (Accipiter trinotatus), White-bellied Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula forsteni), Red-eared FruitDove (Ptilinopus fischeri), Purple-bearded Bee-eater (Meropogon forsteni), Golden-mantled Racquettail (Prioniturus platurus), Sulawesi Scops-Owl (Otus manadensis) and Speckled Boobook (Ninox punctulata). Rice fields in the area of Wuasa (6): We drove to this point where the Australasian Grass-Owl (Tyto longimembris) can be observed regularly. In fact, this species was very well observed while hunting at dusk. Other species observed in and on the edge of the paddy fields were Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus), Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola), Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis) and Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata); bearby also Great Eared-Nightjar (Lyncornis macrotis). During the evening excursions, Sulawesi Scops-Owl (Otus manadensis) and Speckled Boobook (Ninox punctulate) was again heared, but not the expected Minahasa Mask-Owl (Tyto inexspectata). Tambing See, Campground and surrounding (7): On weekends, the campground is often full of weekend visitors from Palu, otherwise the place is little used. Then there are very good observation opportunities here, as the terrain is very open. A very large gum tree (Eucalyptus deglupta) is bordered with a wooden frame. The Sulawesi Pygmy-Woodpecker (Yungipicus temminckii) flies here. There are flowering orchid beds with Phaius tankervillea. Next to a concreted drainage ditch, we found the nests of Meyer's Lorikeet (Trichoglossus meyeri) in the crown of a palm tree. On the lakeshore on dead tree trunks we observed Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris), at a building on the campsite a very close spotting of the Blue-fronted Flycatcher (Cyornis hoevelli). There are always good observation opportunities along the road, and it is worth walking here for some while. We regularly heard and saw Purple-bearded Bee-eater (Meropogon forsteni), also Sulawesi Hawk Eagle (Nisaetus lanceolatus), Rufous-bellied Eagle (Lophotriorchis kienerii), Ivory-backed Woodswallow (Artamus monachus), Grey-rumped Treeswift (Hemiprocne longipennis) , Turquoise Warbling Flycatcher (Eumyias panayensis), Sulawesi Drongo (Dicrurus montanus), Flame-browed Myna (Enodes erythrophris), Lemon-bellied White-eye (Zosterops chloris) and Black-crowned Whiteeye (Zosterops atrifrons).
For detail trip report please click on this link;
https://www.cloudbirders.com/be/download?filename=BASTIAN_Sulawesi_0708_2019.pdf
Best wishes to Sulawesi
Anita & Tino
Dr. Hans-Valentin + Anita Bastian
Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 15
67304 Kerzenheim, Germany
Tel.: 0049-(0)6351 - 398535
Mobil: 0049-(0)151 – 15528019
Email: bastian-kerzenheim@t-online.de
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TRIP REPORT 2019
2nd June – 28th July INDONESIA 2019
Participant: Francois Mullan, (Ireland)
Introduction For my first birding trip abroad I chose the wonderful nation of Indonesia, an archipelago of more than seventeen thousand islands nestled between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The country holds over 1,400 species, 606 of which are endemics (including five recently described species from Taliabu and Peleng), with many more subspecies expecting to gain full status. This wasn’t a target based trip, at least not solely, and the itinerary was designed to get a different taste of the various regions. Unfortunately, due to visa issues, I had to cut the trip a month short, which meant having to cancel visiting the eastern half of Flores, home to several forest regions which have yet to be fully explored, and was in truth one of the main focuses of the trip. I did not refer to nor did I record GPS waypoints. In addition I did not use playback to find species: these were both big decisions, as they no doubt would have aided in finding some of the harder to see targets, however I enjoy finding birds without the help of tape luring. Regrettably, I did not keep a daily log of the trip, so lot of the report isn’t a as personal as I would have
liked it to be. There are several people I would like to thank who have helped me in one way or another: John Van der Woude and David Blair answered a couple of queries I had regarding visiting Makassar and Palu. Ross Gallardy kindly provided some logistical advice for Sulawesi, and recommended visiting Malagufuk (which I sadly never made it to). James Eaton proposed a number of sites to visit, identified some of my tragic records shots, and offered some general but helpful advice for the trip, all of which I am grateful for. I am indebted to Nurlin Djuni of Malia Tours, who generously invited me to stay in his house the night of my arrival, and also to Allin Sawuwu, one of Nurlins’ guides, who was a pleasure to bird with. Finally, I am grateful to all those who wrote reports offering invaluable advice and information on birding Indonesia, and while this report may not offer as much, I hope it can be of some use to those visiting in the future. For any queries regarding the report, or any feedback, positive or negative, my email is francoismullan@gmail.com.
For detail trip report please click on this link;
file:///C:/Users/acer/Downloads/Indonesia%202019.pdf
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TRI REPORT 2017
Birding trip in Sulawesi, Halmahera and Sumatra
Participant: David Branagh, David Russell, Eugene Garvel (UK & USA)
Crossing the lines: Indonesia June/July 2017
This summer I travelled to Indonesia for the first time. The main part of the trip was spent in Sulawesi and Halmahera, with four days at the end at Way Kambas National Park in southern Sumatra. I travelled throughout in a group of four (together with David Branagh, David Russell and Eugene Garver). The Sulawesi/Halmahera section of the trip was organised by Malia Tours, based in Sulawesi. The Way Kambas section was organised through Ecolodges Indonesia and we stayed at their Satwa Elephants Ecolodge.
The prices per person for the tours were as follows:
Sulawesi and Halmahera (21 days): 45,000,000 IDR (c. £2520/ $3305). This included all internal flights in S&H, but not international flights and connecting flights to Sulawesi from Jakarta. Otherwise everything was included.
Way Kambas (4 nights/ 5 days): $658/ £501. That included transfer from the airport at Bandar Lampung and everything else. We didn't even have to share a room.
I think these prices are pretty good value. You could do the areas more cheaply independently but would struggle to get an organised tour for as low. Many 'big brochure' tours of comparable length to Sulawesi and Halmahera cost two to three times what we paid, and that's often to be part of a larger group.
I'll go through the itinerary for Sulawesi and Halmahera in the next post. First of all, there were a couple of complications worth mentioning.
A few weeks before we began the tour, Nurlin Djuni - who runs Malia and was to be our guide for the trip - informed us that his wife had sadly passed away. This left Nurlin as the only carer for their young son, Wallace. After some discussion Nurlin decided that he would have to arrange other guides for most of the trip, although he guided us on some sections (carrying Wallace through the forest as he did so!). As a result we had a wide array of guides through the trip. These included Ateng (in north Sulawesi), Bahar (in Halmahera), and Allin (in Lore Lindu). Others were with us too, and we frequently had two or three guides with us. Although the guides were of variable experience, they were all friendly, diligent and patient.
Our guide in Way Kambas was Heri, who is the main bird guide at Satwa. He was quite excellent and his ability at finding nightbirds was as good as I've ever seen.
The other complication came when I went to Aberdeen Airport to fly out to Jakarta via Amsterdam. Just before I was about to board the plane we were told there was a technical problem and the flight would be delayed for a few hours while it was checked. This meant I would miss my connection to Jakarta. Because the delay was so late in happening there was no time to make alternative arrangements and the next time I could fly out was 24 hours later. Even then, a short delay (but this time known well in advance) meant that I got put on a Lufthansa flight via Frankfurt instead of the KLM flight I had booked. I lost a day of the trip because of this and met up with the rest of the group in Tangkoko. This delay cost two or three good species, although I was able to make up most things.
For detail trip report please click on this link;
https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=352837
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TRIP REPORT 2016
Birding trip Sulawesi & Halmahera
Participant: Bill Simpson & Dave Willis (UK)
bill-simpson@live.co.uk
SULAWESI & HALMAHERA
June 26th to August 6th 2016
MALIA TOURS
We used this company due to their good reputation. The cost was IDR 58,500,000 (C £3,125) each for the 26 day tour starting from the Hotel Darma Nusantra II near the airport in Makassar on 27th June. It included all food and accommodation, transport in an air-con SUV-type car, entry to all reserves, local guide fees and five flights. The timetable was a little swift for us and we should have had a bit more time at several sites but that was our choice and of course would have been more expensive, but that was what the extra two weeks were for. Our guide Allin, was a good birder and a nice bloke. He found us several good species along the way and always had a smile on his face and looked after us well. We also met the rest of the team at the office in Palu and all were very helpful. Some of the local guides are worth a mention; Lito at Lore Lindu was like a bird-finding terrier, worked very hard and never gave up, and Samuel at Tangkoko could also find birds where others failed ! Nurlin also helped us with the logistics for the last two weeks acting as a ground agent...very helpful....in general, thoroughly recommended..
Best,
Andrew
For detail trip report please click on this link;
https://www.cloudbirders.com/be/download?filename=SIMPSON_SulawesiHalmahera_060 8_2016.pdf
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TRIP REPORT 2016
South and Central Sulawesi
July 28th - August 5th 2016
Participants: Måns Grundsten,
Mathias Bergström, Jonas Nordin, (Stockholm, Sweden)
Highlights • Luckily escaping the previous extensive occlusion of Anaso track due to terrorist actions. Anaso track opened up during our staying. • A fruit-eating Tonkean Macaque at Lore Lindu. • Great views of hunting Eastern Grass Owls over paddies around Wuasa on three different evenings. • Seeing a canopy-perched Sombre Pigeon above the pass at Anaso track. • Flocks of Malias and a few Sulawesi Thrushes. • No less than three different Blue-faced Parrotfinches. • Purple-bearded Bee-eaters along Anaso track. • Finding Javan Plover at Palu salt pans, to our knowledge a significant range extension, previously known from Sulawesi mainly in Makassar-area. • Sulawesi Hornbill at Paneki valley. • Sulawesi Streaked Flycatcher at Paneki valley, a possibly new location for this recently described species. • Two days at Gunung Lompobattang in the south: Super-endemic Lompobattang Flycatcher, Black-ringed White-eye, and not-so-easy diminutive Pygmy Hanging Parrot. Logistics With limited time available this was a dedicated trip to Central and Southern Sulawesi. Jonas and Mathias had the opportunity to extend the trip for another week in the North while I had to return home.
The trip was arranged with help from Nurlin Djuni at Palu-based Malia Tours (maliatours@yahoo.com). Originally we had planned to have a full board trip to Lore Lindu and also include seldom-visited Saluki in the remote western parts of Lore Lindu, a lower altitude part of Lore Lindu where Maleo occurs. Due to heavy rains prior to our trip, Saluki had to be excluded (some river crossings not possible) and we decided to stay for another night in Lore Lindu. For a seven day package to Lore Lindu from Palu and back including transport, accommodation, park entrance fees, guide (Allin, +6285230957555) and all food we paid 8,000,000 IDR per person. Originally we had also plans of doing the South with Gunung Lompobattang completely independent however we had problems getting in touch with any Guest House or Hotel in Malino. During our time in Lore Lindu we decided to hire a driver and local guide (none of whom was speaking English though...) via Malia Tours.
For detail trip report please click on this link;
https://www.cloudbirders.com/be/download?filename=GRUNDSTEN_Sulawesi_0708_2016.pdf
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TRIP REPORT 2016
Birding trip on Gunung Mahawu, North Sulawesi
Participant: Duan Biggs (South Africa)
Birding trip report: North Sulawesi: 9 – 12 September 2016
The following morning the birds were a lot more active and our luck had turned. Nurlin Djuni from Malia Tours (info@malia-tours.com) was at Gunung Mahawu with a group as well. Nurlin is a real Sulawesi expert it was great to have him in the vicinity. Nurlin and his team tracked down a Scaly-breasted Kingfisher and kindly pointed it out to us. After relishing the Kingfisher we moved on up the road. Roadside birding on this our last morning proved spectacularly good: Scarlet Myzomela, Superb Fruit Dove, Isabelline Bush-hen (thank you to Nurlin’s help) Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Streak-capped Dark-eye and many more,
For detail trip report please click on this link;
https://www.cloudbirders.com/be/download?filename=BIGGS_Sulawesi_09_2016.pdf
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TRIP REPORT 2015
Birding trip in Sulawesi
(18 to 25 April 2015)
Participant: Crispin Marsh (Australia
crispin_marsh@scp.com.au
The Plan
I, like many birders, am chasing the intermediate goal of seeing a representative of every bird family. I chose a trip to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi to seek the Hylocitrea (Olive–flanked Whistler), the only member of the family Hypocoliidae. While this was the prime target of the trip I was, of course, open to the enjoyment of any and all birds encountered on the trip. I visited Tangkoko on the northern tip of Sulawesi, principally to look for Kingfishers, and two sites within the Lore Lindu National Park. The first of these was in the area of the Anaso track and the village of Wuasa, principally to look for the Hylocitrea, and the second was the Maleo nesting area close to the village of Saluki.
Logistics
Tony Palliser posted a trip report after his visit to Sulawesi in his successful quest to photograph the Hylocitrea (http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=2044) . He used the services of Nurlin Djuni at Malia Tours (info@malia-tours.com) in Palu, Sulawesi to organize his trip and was very satisfied with the services he provided. On this recommendation I contacted Nurlin and got him to organize a similar type of trip focused on seeing (but not photographing) the Hylocitrea and as many other interesting birds as possible. Nurlin put me in touch with Irawan Halir, generally known as Iwan, (irawanhalir@gmail.com) who is a guide in northern Sulawesi who guided my birding around Tangkoko. The trip was a great success and both guides proved to be very competent and knowledgeable. All of their arrangements worked flawlessly. I also found a report by Con Foley, a Singapore based bird guide and photographer to be very useful as he went to both Tangkoko and the Anaso track area of Lore Lindu National Park http://confoley.com/sulawesi-trip-report). This report includes some of Con’s splendid photographs of the birds he saw.
For detail trip report please click on this link;
http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/birding-aus/2015-05/msg00013.html
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TRIP REPORT 2012
Sulawesi & Halmahera
Participant: Eric Barnes & Chris Barnes (UK & Australia)
Just a short note about a recent trip with my brother to Sulawesi and Halmahera in November.
We had an excellent guide , Nurlin Djuni, who runs Malia tours. http://www.maliatours.com
It’s an eco friendly set up where they cross refer within the region to other team members in Bali/Sumatra/Java etc..
The highlights were the Standardwing, 15 species of Kingfisher , a good number of night birds and over 100 endemics. Nurlin brought us to a new Standardwing site, Weda Diving resort, where there were about 6-8 males and a couple of females. The birds are a 10-15 minute drive and 10-15 minute walk from the accommodation. The display area was about 40metres off the ground but on one occasion a fighting pair of males fell out of the trees and continued to fight it out about 5-8 metres away, unfortunately they were impossible to photograph on the forest floor without a flash. Here ‘s a photo by a keen photographer taken at this site about a year earlier. http://www.wildborneo.com.my/blog/?p=156
Nurlin has over 18 years experience as a bird leader and can tailor trips to peoples needs. He has led for VENT, Rockjumper, Birdtour Asia etc..
Not sure how you manage to load up more than a couple of highly compressed photos!I'll try to load more once the system allows me.
Eric
I love Kingfisher so much!
Many thanks for our information shared and looking forward to view more stunning photos of the birds!!!
For detail trip report please click on this link;
http://hkbws.org.hk/BBS/viewthread.php?tid=17855&page=1&styleid=1
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TRIP REPORT 2012
Borneo, Sulawesi and Halmahera
(4th - 22nd August 2012)
Participant: Daniel Lien, Leif Arne Lien (Denmark)
danielmellegaard@gmail.com
This trip was a private trip with my father, that took us to great locations and birds we find partiularly interesting. They are three very different, but all exceptionally interesting islands. I definitely want to go back in the future. We had a hard time choosing over Borneo and Sulawesi, and we started playing with the idea of doing both in one big trip. We did, and it all worked out very smoothly. It did limit our time in certain locations, which is obviously reflected in our species list.
Highest on my target list were Hornbills, and on that account it was a massive triumph were we had great views of 11 out of 11 possible species on the trip. Among them a magical meeting with a pair of Helmeted Hornbill, my favourite bird. Other major highlights were sightings of 6 species of pitta, 15 minutes spent with a pair of Bornean Ground Cuckoos, displaying Standardwing, Whiteheads Broadbill in the very last second, Purple-Winged Roller and more than 10 species of kingfishers. The mammals must also be mentioned with several amazing encounters with wild orangutans, proboscious monkeys, a sneaky Clouded Leopard and the “too cute to be true” Western Tarsiers.
The major dip of the trip, which I can barely re-live is the Purple-bearded bee eater. One of my dreambirds. I curse myself for gambling we would find it at Gunung Ambang. We ditched Lore Lindu (next time!). Full of hope in Ambang, where Nurlin had seen 2 pairs just 10 days before, it was just completey empty of any Meropogon..the nests seemed abondoned..something must have interrupted their breeding. It was a massive blow, but hey now I have a valid reason to go back.
Guiding & logistics
We had two different local guides on our trip. In Borneo we birded with Jason Reyes, and in Sulawesi and Halmahera we birded with Nurlin Djuni from Malia Tours. They are both great guides. I would recommend both of them. Nurlin in particular though. His guiding philosphy is one I greatly respect, where he really works hard to give something back to the local communities and include them. His service is also superb and he works extremely hard to get you the birds you are interested in. Breakfast in the field is also a concept he introduced us to, which surely is the best breakfast there is. Also a special thank to Jasons instinct when he “summoned” the Helmeted Hornbill. Massive thanks to the both of you. I also want to thank Rob and James from Birdtour Asia who have responded quickly and helpfully to my emails prior to the trip. (Also met Rob in Danum!) Chris Gooddie, also gave me great pitta-tips, thank you for that and your inspirational book, the Jewel Hunter (if you don’t know it, just buy it).
The logistics throughout the trip worked excellently with no real delays. We were spoilt in aircondioned cars wherever we travelled. The speedboat to Halmahera is rather charming, especially when there are Beach Kingfishers waiting on the Halmahera side. Between Borneo and Sulawesi we spent one night in Singapore. Singapore was aslo our main gateway as we flew directly from Frankfurt with Singapore Airlines (yes the service is good, yes the flight attendants are beautiful and yes you can play games on the screen).
Food
The food was generally extremely good. Me and my dad love Asian cuisine and were in paradise food-wise. Not a single day with upset stomachs. If you happen to be a foodie as well as a birder, Borneo Rainforest Lodge in Danum Valley is an absoulte must. The food actually rivals the birds. That says a lot.
For detail trip report please click on this link;
http://surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=2243
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TRIP REPORT 2011
18 Days Birding in Sulawesi & Halmahera
Participant: 8 People + 1 TL (Rockjumper Birding tour),
Summary of Sulawesi & Halmahera
Sulawesi & Halmahera Wallacean Endemics th 24 July to 10 August 2011
Tour Leaders: David Shackelford with local guide Nurlin Djuni
For detail trip report please click on this link
https://pdfroom.com/books/sulawesi-halmahera/ra517N80gJO
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TRIP REPORT 2011
Birding trip in Bali & Bali Barat National Park
(19th - 23rd November 2011)
Participant: Sonly Graham and his girl friend (UK)
Local guide; Pak Yudi (a senior park ranger)
Sonley Graham and his girl friend had done five days birding in Bali Barat National Park.
Pak Yudi guided them, began from Nusa Dua, then continued by a boat across Teluk Berumbun in Bali Barat National Park where could see Bali Myna, afterward birding continued to the farm lands and moon-soon forest, After birding in Bali Barat, then journey continued driving Bedugul and We birded in Bali Botanical garden and in a golf court. The end of the trip they made a short birding in Uluwatu to find shore birds like Christmas Frigatebird. Whole day, their trip was succeed,.
itinerary:
Day 1: (November 19th, 2011): Their arrival at Ngurah Rai international airport by a very late flight with code number KL 08:35, then transferred-in to Kendi Mas hotel in Kuta.
Day 2: (November 20th, 2011): After breakfast birding on mangrove forest (MIC) and Lagoon recycling water in Nusa Dua, then drove through Bali Barat. Birding along the way to see Javan Kingfisher. Afternoon birding on fish ponds to see Small Blue Kingfisher and Javan Plover.
Night: Kubuku cottage in Pemuteran.
Day 3: (November 21st, 2011): Arised early morning, traveled by a speedboat across Teluk Berumbun where could be seen Bali Myna and Black-winged Starling.
return to accommodation to have a coffee break. Birding trip 's continued on moonsoon forest along roadside of the park to see Rofous-backed Kingfisher, Barbets, Woodpecker, and Green Junglefowl at Menjangan resort.
After lunch drove up to the highland on Bedugul. Birding on a golf court.
Night: Wisma PLN
Day 4: (November 22nd, 2011): Birding early morning at Bali botanical garden to see Indonesian Spiderhunter, Small Minivet, Fruit-doves and Thrush.
After lunch drove down to Kuta beach for accommodation.
Night: Melati Hotel
Day 5: (November 23rd, 2011): after breakfast birding trip continued to Uluwatu, then transferred-out to the airport for return flight with a code number KL 0836 departed at 21:35 for departures home. The end of tour service.
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TRIP REPORT 2011
Birding trip in Lore Lindu, Central Sulawesi
Participant: Tony Paliser (Australia)
tony@studio49.com.au
Sulawesi - Target Hylocitrea (Olive-flanked Whistler) -
(August 2011)
The Plan
To attempt to photograph Hylocitrea Hylocitrea bonensis (also known as Olive-flanked whistler), an endemic to Sulawesi, recently considered to belong to a family of its own that is suggested to be more closely related to Waxwing than pachycephala. So, the plan was to focus this trip entirely on this species, with anything else being treated as a bonus.
Getting There
From Australia the easiest and normally the most inexpensive would be to select airline that transits through Denpasar. On this occasion I travelled via Singapore and their associated airline Silk Air as far as Manado and then via Lion Air for the domestic portion which involved two flights Manado to Makassar and then Makassar to Palu. The entire itinerary was fine tuned to perfection by Nurlin Djuni from Malia Tours (lindjuni@hotmail.com / info@malia-tours.com).
Preparation
As to be expected close to the equator the temperatures are hot in the lowlands. However, the climate around Lore Lindu was comfortable with fine conditions each morning and cloud cover producing some rain, mostly early evening. A little warm clothing and rain gear such as an umbrella is recommended. With Lore Lindu some distance from any suitable accommodation a comfortable camping arrangement was set up.
Insect repellent is recommended particularly for chiggers. Mosquito’s proved not to be a problem and for this short trip I did not bother with malaria tablets. Only bottled water should be consumed and it is a good idea to have all cash changed at the airport at the start of the trip.
Photographic Equipment
I managed to lug a heavy 500mm F4 Canon lens and flash around and use it throughout hand held without too much difficulty.
Itinerary
Day 1: (16 August 2011): arrival in Manado transfer to Tomohon for overnight stay at Onong's Palace. Afternoon visit to Mahawu forest.
Day 2: (17 August 2011): Morning visit to Mahawu forest. Afternoon flight to Makassar with a connecting flight to Palu. Continuing by a private vehicle at night to a camp site in Lore Lindu National Park.
Day 3: (18 August 2011): Birding along the roadside near the start of the Anaso track & Lake Tambing and a drive towards Wuasa for lower elevation species.
Day 4: (19 August 2011): Climb to the summit of the Anaso track.
Day 5: (20 August 2011): Arise early morning, Birding along roadside and the lake Tambing, Then a 4 hour drive to campsite at Saluki.
Day 6: (21 August 2011): Saluki forest Maleo nesting grounds then afternoon drive to Palu and an overnight stay at the Sentral Hotel in town and a drive along the coast to Dong Gala beach area to look for Purple-winged Roller.
Day 7: (22 August 2011): Flight back to Manado via Palu once more and an overnight stay at the Novatel close to the airport before returning to Singapore and then Sydney
For detail trip report please click on this link;
https://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=2044
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TRIP REPORT 2010
18 Days Birding in Sulawesi & Halmahera
Participant: 10 people + 1 TL (a group of PEREGRINEBIRD TOURS
(Australia).
PEREGRINE BIRD TOURS SULAWESI AND HALMAHERA
14th August – 7th September 2010
TOUR REPORT LEADERS: Chris Doughty and Nurlin Djuni
This really was a splendid and very enjoyable tour; however, it was not an easy tour, as we had some very early morning starts and a few mountains to climb, and more than one muddy track to negotiate! The rewards for our efforts were simply magnificent; we saw over 100 endemic species of birds that only occur in the Sulawesi-Halmahera region, as well as a supporting cast of a further 130 species of more widespread, but still very colourful, tropical birds. We enjoyed splendid looks at the big 3 important birds of this region; the remarkable Maleo, surely the strangest member of the megapode family, the superb Wallace’s Standardwing, one of the most spectacular of all the birds-of-paradise and superb, close views, of the bizarrely named Diabolical Nightjar, at its daytime roost. We even managed to find a selection of very interesting mammals, with perhaps the Spectral Tarsier, being the most appreciated. A couple of things worked in our favour; firstly, the weather, we lost no birding time due to heavy rain, which even in the dry season, is so easy to do in this part of the world, and secondly, we had great local support from a superb team of cooks and local bird guides, all working together to ensure we had a very enjoyable time, they were all under the expert leadership of Darwin Sumang, from Vacation Indonesia Tours. We would not have seen half the total number of birds without the organisational and birding skills of Nurlin Djuni, head ornithologist of the team, and his very able assistant, the indomitable Eddie Sunardi. After a long and tiring flight from Australia we arrived in the attractive coastal town of Manado, in the far north of Sulawesi. Our first bird of the tour was a Purple Heron, which was in grassland, alongside the runway, at the airport. Here we were met by the team from Vacation Indonesia Tours, as well as several pairs of Pacific Swallows and Eurasian Tree Sparrows, who were nesting in the airport terminal. We were then taken to a beautiful waterfront hotel, where some of us tried out the very inviting swimming pool. This was no ordinary hotel, it had a very well built boardwalk leading from the hotel and down into a substantial patch of coastal mangroves, which enabled us to look at mangrove birds, without getting our feet muddy, it’s a pity we could not say the same about the rest of the tour! In the shrubs and bushes of the hotel we found Zebra Dove, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Olive-backed Sunbird, White-breasted Woodswallow, and Chestnut Munia. In the mangroves we enjoyed watching a flock of Pied Imperial-Pigeons, a trio of kingfishers, Collared, Sacred and Common; we enjoyed watching a family party of White-rumped Cuckooshrikes and a few Sulawesi Trillers. Small flocks of Glossy and Moluccan Swiftlets flew overhead, as did a few Slender-billed Crows. Along the coast, at the end of the boardwalk we watched a few Striated Herons, a couple of Greater Sandplovers, a solitary Whimbrel, plenty of Common Sandpipers and a small group of Grey-tailed Tattlers, who were preparing to roost in the mangroves for the night. 1 The following day was very much a travel day, as we drove south from Manado to Kotamobagu. The edges of the roads were lined with large numbers of cloves, which had been put out to dry. The fences of the homes along the roadside were painted the same colours of the political party, which was in power at the time. The local people were very friendly and waved to us wherever we went. During the drive, we did a little birding in some rice paddies, where we watched Little and Cattle Egrets, several Javan Pond-Herons in spectacular breeding plumage, a Buff-banded Rail, our only Common Moorhen of the tour, good numbers of Wood Sandpipers, a Lesser Coucal and small flocks of Barn Swallows, which had recently arrived from their breeding grounds in China and we also saw a small flock of Scaly-breasted Munias. We saw our first of many Brahminy Kites and a couple of Barred Rails ran across the road in front of our vehicles. In a patch of wooded farmland we added Feral Pigeon, Spotted and Emerald Doves, Slender-billed Cuckoo-Dove, White-bellied Imperial Pigeon, Grey-rumped Treeswift, Black Sunbird, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Blackfronted White-eye, Hair-crested Drongo, and two spectacular species of endemic starlings, Fierybrowed and Grosbeak Starlings. This morning we had an early start to ensure that we were in position in the Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park, by sunrise. Just before dawn we arrived at the area where we needed to be and were greeted by several loudly calling Great-eared Nightjars, who were swooping overhead. At dawn we were in position sitting on chairs watching an area of open forest, where we were hoping to spot a Maleo up a tree, where it had roosted for the night. We were served tea and coffee and then we began to wait and watch. Unfortunately, the Maleo was a no show! However; our time had not been wasted as we saw a great many other beautifully coloured birds, which included an immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle, a magnificent Black Eagle, which was skimming the tops of the trees of the rainforest which lined the hillside, a ghostly white, immature Sulawesi Hawk-Eagle flew by, we saw Sulawesi Black Pigeon, Pink-necked and Grey-cheeked Green-Pigeons, Green Imperial-Pigeon, a small flock of Yellowish-breasted Racquet-tails flew overhead and a Small Sulawesi Hanging-Parrot perched long enough for us to enjoy good scope views of it. Suddenly a Black-billed Koel popped into view, a pair of Yellow-billed Malkohas showed well, we enjoyed super scope views of the very attractive Black-naped Oriole and a pair of White-necked Mynas flew by. We also encountered our first mammal of the tour here; we enjoyed watching a Sulawesi Dwarf Squirrel, which would prove to be the commonest mammal we would observe during the tour. We now changed to plan B; we would search for the Maleo by walking the forest trails. We were joined by three local bird guides, which meant we now had a total of five bird guides, as we searched for the Maleo, surely the strangest of all megapodes. Suddenly, our guides heard a Maleo calling from the tree tops and all the guides disappeared into the depths of the forest. Some time later, one of the guides reappeared and told us to follow him; the other guides had treed a Maleo! Our guides repeated this on four separate occasions, until all of us had seen the Maleo very well indeed. This had been a great team effort, by Nurlin and the team of local bird guides and it was to be repeated throughout the whole tour, over and over again. Following our picnic lunch, we were taken to the nesting area of the endangered Maleo, these bizarre birds nest in volcanically heated soil. A member of the conservation staff dug up an egg from one nest which was removed to be artificially hatched at a nearby secure location. We were then taken to a pen which held a few Maleo chicks, ranging from one to three days old. These chicks are born with the ability to fly and are totally self sufficient, not requiring any parental guidance. If only my four had been the same! We were then allowed to release a couple of the birds that were three days old, and somewhat reluctantly, they flew off into the forest.
In the afternoon, we did some more birding in the forest, where we saw huge birds such as the Knobbed Hornbill, to tiny little birds, like the Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher. Despite the attention of several biting Green Tree Ants, we also saw Wandering Whistling-Duck, Green-backed and Blueeared Kingfishers, Sulawesi Babbler and Grey-sided Flowerpecker. In the late afternoon, we were taken to a very old tree were hundreds of Grosbeak Starlings had excavated nest holes in the soft decaying timber of the tree. It was an amazing spectacle and quite remarkable behaviour for a starling. As we drove back to our lodgings, it coincided with one of the five times per day, when Muslims our required to pray at the Mosque. All the people inside the Mosque knelt on the ground in neat rows, the men and boys at the front and the women and girls at the rear, all the women were dressed in white, from head to toe. It was quiet a spectacle, for those of us who had not seen this before. Another early start found us walking along a mountain trail which climbed steadily upwards, into the upper reaches of the Gunung Ambang National Park. The trail became more like a trench, in some areas it was over 2 metres in height and very muddy. Slowly we managed to prize the birds out of the forest; a superb Spot-tailed Goshawk responded well to tape playback, allowing us fine looks at this superb endemic. A Superb Fruit-Dove showed well momentarily and then a Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, one of Sulawesi’s least known endemics, was seen wonderfully well, a splendid Purple-bearded Bee-eater showed very well and higher up the mountain we managed to find Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Citrine Canary-Flycatcher, Rusty-bellied Fantail, Mountain Tailorbird, Sulawesi Leaf-Warbler, Malia, Yellow-vented Whistler and Golden-bellied Gerygone. We later found out that the deep trench in the trail had been gouged out by people dragging illegally logged trees along the trail. Encroachment of national parks is a worldwide problem, which unfortunately is getting steadily worse. Encroachment upon national parks in Asia is greater than in any other part of the world and we were to experience it in all of the protected areas that we visited, in both Sulawesi and Halmahera. The encroachment on national parks is orchestrated by men of influence, usually with high political connections, who often hire thugs, who intimidate and threaten national park staff, into allowing the encroachment. In the afternoon, we did a little 3 birding in some nearby farmland, where we added Spotted Kestrel, Large Sulawesi Hanging-Parrot and Golden-headed Cisticola. We then taped in the normally very shy Isabelline Bush-hen, which very uncharacteristically, strutted around on the track, in front of us! As we drove back to our lodgings we could not help but notice hundreds of red-and-white flags lining the roadside. It was Independence Day in Indonesia, and they were celebrating 65 years of independence from their Dutch colonisers. On our return to our hotel, we were asked to leave our muddy boots outside. The following morning our boots were returned to us and our wonderful local guides had cleaned them for us. This was an unexpected treat, for which we were all very grateful. The following morning we did some birding in rice paddies, close to the township of Kotamobagu, which proved a little easier birding than the dense rainforest, where we spent most of our time during the tour. In and around the rice paddies we found both Black-crowned and Rufous NightHerons, White-browed Crake, Black-backed Swamphen, Dusky Moorhen, Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Black-faced Munia and Java Sparrow. In the afternoon we birded an area of secondary forest, where we enjoyed good looks at the endemic Bay Coucal and Brown-throated and Crimson Sunbirds. At dusk we tried a little spotlighting, we were not having much success when Nurlin received a phone call from a friend who owned an orchard on the outskirts of Kotamobagu; Nurlins friend told him that he had Sulawesi Masked-Owl and Sulawesi Scops-Owl calling in his orchard. We then jumped into our four-wheel drive vehicles and sped off in the direction of the orchard. A short time later we were able to watch both Sulawesi Masked-Owl and Sulawesi Scops-Owl in the spotlight. The next day of our adventure was very much a travel day, as we drove northwards to Tangkoko National Park, taking most of the day to get there. During the first part of our journey we experienced heavy rain, but after a couple of hours it slowly began to abate, and the rain was replaced by brilliant sunshine. For part of the drive we drove alongside the Tarout River, when we were close to Amurang, some members of the group saw a pair of Sunda Teal flying above the river. Approximately 40 kilometres south of Manado we stopped for a brief leg stretch, along the coast. During the rest stop Rob pointed out a dark morph Pacific Reef-Egret flying out in the bay. On our arrival in Manado we enjoyed a very pleasant lunch in a restaurant overlooking the bay. While having lunch we all enjoyed our only look at a small flock of House Swifts, which were flying around close to the restaurant. By mid-afternoon we had arrived at our destination and settled in to our somewhat rustic homestay. Once the heat of the day had passed, we ventured out into Tangkoko National Park, which is situated on the side of a forested volcano. There was nine clients plus myself, plus another six local birding guides in the party. Once we started walking the trails of the national park, two of the local guides stayed with us and the others disappeared into the forest. As we walked the narrow trails of the forest, we came across a few Sulawesi Crested Macaques, which look more like small apes, rather than macaques. We then came across an Ashy Woodpecker, a huge species of woodpecker, which we enjoyed watching, pecking away in a large tree, directly above us. Then Nurlin received a phone call from one of the guides who had disappeared into the forest, he had found a very interesting bird. In no time at all, we had joined the local guide who pointed out the superb and endemic Ochre-bellied Boobook, sitting at eye level in a small sapling. Continuing along the track, a second phone call produced the stunning and endemic Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher. We were then taken to a large tree in the forest, by now it was getting dark, and no less than three Spectral Tarsiers popped up from a large hole in the tree. They 4 are the smallest primates in the world and this incredible looking species with its endearing large eyes, was very much the inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s `ET`.
For detail trip report please click on this link;
https://www.peregrinebirdtours.com/images/Sulawesi_and_Halmahera_-TRPDF.pdf
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TRIP REPORT 2009
Birding trip on Halmahera & Java
Participant: Steve Anyon-Smith & Barry Virtue (Australia)
July 2009
The only world-class birding guide we had was Nurlin Djuni.
He had been contact through (info@malia-tours.com ) Nurlin joined us for our few days on Halmahera and a day on Ternate. He helped us find most of our target birds fairly quickly and I had the feeling that any extra days on Halmahera would have been frustratingly slow in terms of new birds found.
For detail trip report please clink on this link;
https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SAS-Indonesia-2009.pdf
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Jl. Parigi Raya, No.81 (Perumnas BTN Silae)
Palu - Central Sulawesi
INDONESIA
Tel: +62- 451- 4019452
Mobile phone number + WhatsApp:
+62-812 198 96664
Email: info@malia-tours.com
Alternative Email; maliatours@yahoo.com
Sonley Graham and his friend had done five days birding on Bali Barat National Park.
Pak
We have done a great trip across Borneo, flew from Jakarta to Pangkalan Bun, then a canal
We had a wonderful day of birding trip to Halmahera. We set up trip from Manado,
