Thursday, September 7, 2023

Private Birding Tour in Sorong and Tambrauw with a Tourist from India

I have just completed a private birding tour for a visitor from India. He arrived in Sorong by Citilink's plane. I met him at the airport and organized his transfer to Sansapore Pacific Park Beach Resort in Sausapor town of Tambrauw regency. It took around 3 hours to reach the destination. 

sorong and tambrauw regency
Birding in Tambrauw and Sorong

We stayed at the wooden bungalows of the resort. The front, side and backyard areas of the resort are filled by various kind of trees, and flower plants. These plants attract insects and sometimes birds. 

Meadow Argus butterfly (Junonia villida)
Meadow Argus Butterfly
taenaris butterfly in West Papua
Taenaris butterfly
The beach faced Pacific Ocean. There was huge coral reef area which was the habitat of a lot of species of marine creatures. Sansapore Pacific Park Beach Resort was a great place for snorkeling and insect or butterfly watching. There were cruiser, common green birdwing, silky owl, great eggfly and ulysses butterflies. Visitors needed at least three to four days to watch butterflies and to enjoy snorkeling. 
Palm Cockatoo

After checking into the resort, we took a rest for around two hours and then began our birding tour to a forest a little outside Sausapor town. We spent around three and a half hours there. We saw Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Coconut Lorikeet, Hooded Butcherbird, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, and etc. 

Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher
Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher

We continued our trip to Klabili village where we saw King Bird of Paradise, Palm Cockatoo, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher and Yellow-billed Kingfisher. 

While we were about to do birding walk that morning at the village, a fish vendor came by a motorcycle with a basket attached on his back seat. There were various kinds of reef fish that he offers. Unfortunately, we were on a trip to the forest. We could not buy the fish. However, the villagers asked us to take some photos with the fish and the vender. Well, we were happy to do what they had requested. Here is the fish photo. 

fish vendor
A pose with villagers, a fish vendor and his fish as well as some photos from the tour

During the last morning of the tour, we went birding in Mangrove area of Sorong city. We saw Orange-fronted Fruit Dove and Brown-backed Honeyeater, Sahul Sunbird, Nankeen Night Heron, Striated Heron, Common Sandpiper and etc. 

If you are interested in taking a private butterfly watching, or snorkeling tour in West Papua, and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 




Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Wildlife Watching Trip in Tambrauw Regency

In the past few months I have been guiding tourists on wildlife watching tours in Sorong, Tambrauw and Arfak mountains as well as other parts of Indonesia such as Sumatra, Bali and Java. Our experience in Tambrauw was unique because tour participants could see both marine and rainforest environment. 

One of the destinations which we visited was Weyos beach. It was located in north-east region of Tambrauw. In early August 2023, I organized a trip for 8 French visitors. We went to Sausapor by 4WD car. It took around 3 hours to reach the town. 

cuscus, paradose birds and baby turtles
Wildlife in Tambrauw forest

Accommodation

We stayed at Sansapore Pacific Park which was a great place to enjoy sightseeing, sunset watching, swimming and snorkeling, recreational fishing, butterflywatching and birdwatching. The rainforest at the outskirt of Tambrauw regency was a good place for birding.

private snorkeling tour in Indonesia
Sansapore Pacific Park Beach Resort

It was a beautiful beach accommodation. However we did not stay long at the beach resort. The next morning, we continued our trip to Weyos beach by 3 small motor boats. It took approximately 3 hours to reach the beach.  Arriving at the beach, we put our belongings in a shelter. There were dome tents, mattrasses and pillows that I had prepared for the guests. For the next 3 days of our adventure at Weyos beach, we went swimming and snorkeling, watched birds along the sides of Wenyef river and visited that nesting site of leatherback turtles at night. There we saw baby turtles (hatchlings) coming out of the sand and crawling into the sea. 

turtle watching
Weyos beach in Tambrauw regency

Local villagers went to the sea to catch fish. So, everyday, we could eat grilled fish. 

The lek of Lesser Birds of Paradise was located on the slope of a hill around 20 minutes walk from our shelter. To watch the birds, we woke up at 05:00 and then made some preparations. At 05:30, we started walking to the site of the paradise birds. Most of the tour participants watched the paradise birds of the first time. It was a magical experience for them. They felt so happy after watching the courtship dance performance of the paradise birds. In the last day of our tour at Weyos beach, we posed for some photographs with local villagers. After saying goodbye to them, we left the beach by motorized boat to Sausapor town and then to Sorong city in the afternoon by 4wd cars again. All the tour participants were very happy with the trip. 

birding in tambrauw regency
Birdwatching in Tambrauw

I hope that in the near future, more tourists will be interested in visiting Tambrauw regency.

If you are interested in traveling to Tambrauw regency to enjoy your holiday, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.



Friday, August 4, 2023

Birdwatching and Snorkeling in Tambrauw

Sansapore Pacific Park is a beach resort in Sausapor town of Tambrauw regency. It can be reached by 4WD car from Sorong city. The house reef of the resort is the natural habitat of a lot of species of marine creatures including tropical reef-fish (parrotfish, wrasse, butterflyfish, moorish idol, anemonefish and etc.), sea cucumber, sea star, Christmas Tree Worm and beautiful corals. Visitors who are interested in snorkeling to see the beauty of this marine life have to bring their snorkeling device such as mask, snorkel and swim fins. 

The best time to enjoy snorkeling at the beach of Sansapore Pacific Park is from April to October. 

snorkeling photos tropical reef fish
Marine life at the beach near Sansapore Pacific Park Beach Resort

A good underwater camera such as the Nikon W300 or Olympus TG-6 will enable snorkelers to take pictures and videos of the marine life of Sausapor beach. 

tambrauw snorkeling
Marine Life in Sausapor beach


birdwatching and wildlife watching
Hiking in Tambrauw's forest

The hills around Sausapor town is the habitat of Eclectus Parrot, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, Western-crowned Pigeon, Helmatted Friarbird, Black Butcherbird, Hooded Butcherbird, and a lot more. Visitors need to bring their own binoculars. For taking photographs, visitors need to bring D-SLR camera with 159-600 mm lens. Another althernative can be a point and shoot camera such as Nikon Coolpix P1000 or Canon Powershot SX70. 

To identify birds, birdwatchers can use e-bird or merlin. 

palm cockatoo
Probosciger aterrimus

Visitors who like butterfly can also watch butterfly in the front and backyard of the resort. Cruiser butterfly, Ulysses and Common Green Birdwing Butterfly can be seen in the area.

butterfly watching tour
Butterflies in Indonesia

Where to stay

For accommodation, visitors can stay at Sansapor Pacific Park. There are wooden bungalows that provide affordable accommodation for visitors. 

beach resort
Sansapore Pacific Park Beach Resort

How to get there?

First, you need to fly from your country to Jakarta or Bali of Indonesia. After that you could take a domestic flight by such airlines as Lion Air, Batik Air or Garuda to Sorong city. Your trip to Sansapore Pacific Park beach resort can be organized by a 4WD car. 

Tambrauw regency of Indonesia
Tambrauw regency is located between Sorong and Manokwari

If you are interested in taking a trip to West Papua region of Indonesia, and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Tourist Attractions in Sorong City

Sorong city which is the main gate for visitors who want to travel to Raja Ampat has got a number of interesting attractions: Usually they spend one or two days in Sorong city before continuing their trip to Waisai town or flying back to their country. Here are some of the attractions. 

Birdwatching in Sorong
Sahul Sunbird

  • Rainforests in Sorong are located along the coastal area and in the hills behind the city. The forest that can be visited easily by birdwatchers is the mangrove forest. It has got boardwalk that allows visitors to watch birds, butterflies, beetles, lizards, fish, crabs, and see mangrove trees. 
  • Traditional Market is the place for visitors who want to see goods and services that city dwellers buy and sell. Various kinds of fruits, vegetables, meat, kitchen equipment, electrical appliances, clothing and etc. 
  • Islands - There are several interesting islands around Sorong regency. Visitors can go to the islands to the villagers or watch birds and other wildlife. 
Wildlife watching outside Sorong city
Sorong city has got supermarkets, department stores, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, massage service, car rental, boat rental, traditional market, fast food restaurants, souvenir shops, and etc.
If you are interested in exploring the natural and cultural attractions around Sorong city and want me to organize your tour and guide you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to +6281332245180. 

Friday, June 16, 2023

Birding in Mangrove Forest of Sorong City

Mangrove forest of Sorong city is a good place for visitors who have short time to enjoy birding before they fly back to their country or continue their trip to Raja Ampat. It takes around 20 to 30 minutes to reach it. Visitors need to bring a good pair of binoculars, a camera with telephoto lens. The best time to start watching birds is early in the morning at 06:00 or in the afternoon at 15:30. 

brown-backed honeyeater, shining flycatcher, olive-backed sunbird
Birds in Coastal Forest of Sorong

The common birds in mangrove trees are Brown-backed Honeyeater, Metallic Starling, Orange-fronted Fruit Dove, Shining Flycatcher, Sacred Kingfisher and Olive-backed Sunbird. There are also White-bellied Cuckooshrike, White-breasted Woodswallow, Willie Wagtail, and Helmetted Friarbird. 

I used to see Australian Ibis, Blue-Black Kingfisher, Nankeen Night Heron in the forest. However, they are not so common. 

When I guide visitors, I bring 2 pairs of SVBONY 10×50 binoculars. I use one pair for myself. The other pair is mounted on a tripod to function as spotting scope, so every tour participant will have the opportunity to watch the bird. Binoculars on tripod are perfect tools for finding birds in distant branches of trees. 

I usually combine this short birding trip with tour to traditional market of Sorong city. 

For extended tour, a 4-day/3-night birding in Waigeo and a 3-day/ 2-night birding trip to Klasow valley of Sorong regency or Tambrauw regency can be offered to interested visitor(s). 

The birds in these regions include Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-faced Myna, Lowland Peltop, Red-cheeked Parrot, Eclectus Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Red Bird of Paradise, Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Beach Kingfisher, Whimbrel, Striated Heron, and a lot more.

The number of participant for the long birding tour can be one visitor to a group of eight birdwatchers. 

Sorong city as tourist destination
Flight Route to Sorong City

Sorong city can be reached by plane from major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, Manado, Ambon, and even Jayapura. Garuda, Lion Air, Batik Air as well as Sriwijaya have got regular flights to Sorong city. 

There are a lot of hotels in Sorong. Some of them include Kyriad M, Swissbel Hotel, Aston, Waigo, and etc. 

Booking

If you are interested in taking a birding tour in Sorong city, Raja Ampat islands, Tambrauw regency of South West Papua province of Indonesia, and want me (Charles Roring) to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 


Saturday, June 3, 2023

Birding in the forest near Sorong city of Indonesia

Sorong city is the entrance gate for visitors who travel to Raja Ampat. Usually after long flights from home, visitors who have just arrived in Sorong feel tired. They want to take a rest for at least one night in a hotel of the city. They are also interested in exploring interesting places such as its restaurants, traditional markets, the nearby village or island. Visitors who have just completed their holiday in Raja Ampat may also want to explore tourist attractions in Sorong city.

birdwatching in indonesia
This bird picture was taken using Fujifilm HS50EXR

Bird or animal watching is an interesting activity that visitors can do. As a tourist guide, I have organized tours for solo or group travelers to watch birds in a forest not far from Sorong. 

West Papua birding trip
Olive-backed Sunbird

We usually start early in the morning at 06:00. I bring 2 pairs of binoculars 10×50 binoculars. One pair is mounted on a tripod to function as spotting scope. I use the other pair to find birds. I also bring laser pointer and a small loudspeaker to call birds. However, in order not to disturb the bird, I don't play the bird very often. 

The lowland mangrove forest of Sorong is the habitat of tens of species of beautiful birds and butterflies. Based on my previous trips, the species that I have seen include White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Olive-backed Sunbird (now also called Sahul Sunbird), Brown-backed Honeyeater, Australian White Ibis, Nankeen Night Heron, Sacred Kingfisher, Orange-breasted Fig Parrot, Hooded Butcherbird, Orange-fronted Fruit Dove, Blue Black Kingfisher, Emperor Fairy Wren, Oriental Dollarbird, Rainbow Bee-eater, White-breasted Woodswallow, Yellow-faced Myna and a lot more. 

For butterflies, there are Priamus butterfly, Silky Owl Butterfly and etc. 

birding trip in Sorong of Indonesia
Flight route to Sorong city

I bring a bridge camera Fujifilm HS50EXR. It is an old photographic device with 42× optical zoom that is quite powerful in shooting flora and fauna in distant or tall trees. The birdwatching or animal watching tour lasts until 09:00 morning time. 

orange breasted fig parrot
Birds in the lowland forest near Sorong city

After the tour in the forest of Sorong, I can extend the trip to the nearby traditional market or to a nearby island. Some visitors even request 4 to 6 days animal watching trip both in the forest of mainland West Papua and in Waigeo island of Sorong city.

If you are interested in taking the birding trip and want me (Charles Roring) to guide you, please, contact me by email to peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Thursday, May 25, 2023

West Papua Birding Tours in Waigeo and Sorong City

I have just completed a 4-day-3-night birding and wildlife watching tour in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat and mangrove forest of Sorong city. I guided Mike who is an American visitor from Florida of the United States. 

waigeo raja ampat and Sorong regency
Birds in West Papua

We spent 3 days 2 nights watching birds along the roadside of Saporkren as well as the hill forest of the island to look for such birds as Red Bird of Paradise, Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Claret-breasted Fruit Dove, Dwarf Fruit Dove, Western-crowned Pigeon, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Hooded Butcherbird, Helmetted Friarbird, Shining Flycatcher, Yellow-faced Myna, Pacific Swallow, Common Sandpiper, Willie Wagtail, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Osprey, Brahminy Kite, Papuan Boobok, Lesser Frigatebird, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, Black Sunbird, Papuan Black Myzomela, Raja Ampat Pitohui, Blyth's Hornbill and a lot more. 

We enjoyed the magnificent view of the beach of Saporkren and also the hill areas in the north-east of Waisai's airport. It was a nice trip because we could also see cuscus, and flying fox. 

After completing the tour in Waigeo, we continued our birding trip to Mangrove forest the next morning. Birds that we saw there were not many because our time window was so little. We saw nice birds including White-bellied Cuckooshrike, White-breasted Woodswallow, Brown-backed Honeyeater, Orange-breasted Figparrot, Common Sandpiper, Emperor Fairywren, Sacred Kingfisher, Metallic Starling, Australian Ibis, Rainbow Bee-eater. 

It was a good trip because we could see a lot of birds that can be seen in West Papua's forest. 

I used a pair of 10×50 binoculars that I installed on a tripod. I gave us beautiful view of the birds that we saw in high branches of trees. Some of the birds that I mention in this blog post were shot Fujifilm HS50EXR. 

Well, if you are interested in birding and wildlife watching in Sorong, Raja Ampat and Tambrauw regencies and want me to organize and guide you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Sunday, May 14, 2023

West Papua's Birding Tour with 4 German Visitors

A few weeks ago, I guided 4 German visitors on a 3-day-2-night birding and wildlife watching tour in West Papua's Klasow valley. It was a great trip because we saw birds of paradise as well as a lot of other tropical birds that live in the region. 

wompoo fruit dove, beautiful fruit dove, rufous-bellied kookaburra, western-crowned pigeon

There were several species of paradise birds that we saw. They were Lesser Birds of Paradise, Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise and King Bird of Paradise.

In addition to paradise birds, we also watched a lot of other tropical birds including Red-cheeked Parrot, Large Fig Parrot, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Blue-black Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Western-crowned Pigeon, Zoe's Imperial Pigeon, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Orange-bellied Fruit Dove, Beautiful Fruit Dove, and etc. 

klasow valley of Malagufuk village, sorong regency
Birding tour in West Papua with 4 German visitors

For night walk, we saw White-lipped Green Frog, Cuscus, Possum, and various kinds of insects. 

I used an old point and shoot camera. It was Fujifilm HS50EXR. This allowed me to take pictures of birds and other wild animals in tall trees. 

Flight Route

To enjoy birding in West Papua, your destination should be Sorong city. This is the flight route:

Jakarta Makasar Manado Sorong
Flight route to Sorong city from major tourism hubs in Indonesia

If you are interested in taking a birding tour in West Papua especially in Malagufuk, Klabili of Klasow valley or Sorong city and Raja Ampat, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 


Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Night Walk in Malagufuk's Forest

The village of Malagufuk has been a famous destination for rainforest tourism since 2014. This week, I am guiding 2 visitors from Singapore and the United Kingdom. We have explored the forest to look for birds and other wild animals. So far, we have seen King Bird of Paradise, Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Lesser Birds of Paradise, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher and Common Paradise Kingfisher, Papuan Pitta, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Magnificent Riflebird, Golden Myna, Moluccan King Parrot. We have seen a lot of other tropical birds as well. 

flying fox hanging in a tree
A Flying Fox in Malagufuk's forest

We did night walk several times. We did it along the boardwalk and were happy with the result. We saw Papuan Frogmouth, wallaby, cuscus, White-lipped Tree Frog, and Papuan Boobo. In the previous night, we saw Papuan Pitta, New Guinea Small-eyed Snake (Micropechis ikaheca), and a few nocturnal animals. 

I introduced Malagufuk for the first time in 2014. At that time, no body in ecotourism industry knew its existence. The concept of nature based tourism was new for the villagers. Now, Malagufuk has been listed by world class birding and nature tour companies as important destination in West Papua region of Indonesia.

cuscus or possum
cuscus

For me, personally, the introduction of nature or rainforest based tourism in West Papua will support local villagers to preserve their forest, and coral reef environment. 

birding in west papua
Papuan Boobok, Papuan Frogmouth and White-lipped Tree Frog
malagufuk, west papua
Two visitors with kids in Malagufuk village

Well, if you are interested in traveling to Indonesia to enjoy birding and wildlife watching, you need to bring with you a good pair of binoculars. I personally use 10×50 ed prime lens binoculars from SVBONY, I also use a laser pointer, a small loudspeaker to call birds and bridge camera Fujifilm HS50EXR. The photos in this post were taken using this photographic device. 

If you want to visit Malagufuk and other destinations, and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Birding and Sightseeing in Raja Ampat by Speedboat

Raja Ampat is a great destination for visitors who like birding, snorkeling and sightseeing. I am guiding a group of American visitors this week (17 to 21 April 2023). Today we had a long hiking in the forest to watch Red Bird of Paradise. It was a challenging trip especially for participants who are not used to walking up steep slopes of tropical montane forest. Fortunately, we were able to watch the paradise bird. 

Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra)


Female Shining Flycatcher
Shining Flycatcher
We also saw Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Hooded Butcherbird, Blyth's Hornbill, Brown Oriole and Palm Cockatoo and etc. 
birdwatching in Waigeo
Birding and sightseeing in Raja Ampat

In the mid-day, participants of the Raja Ampat tour enjoyed snorkeling at the house reef of the beach resort where we stayed. 

underwater marine life

Because the main theme of our tour is snorkeling and birdwatching, I organized a trip by speedboat to small islands in the south of Waigeo where could watch birds and enjoy sightseeing. We landed at a white sandy beach of an island in Kabuy bay where we spent around 1 hour to watch Spice Imperial Pigeon, White-breasted Wood-Swallow, Singing Starling, Oriental Dollarbird, Eastern Osprey, Eclectus Parrot and Helmetted Friarbird. I used 10×50 binoculars that were mounted on a tripod to enhance the birding experience of the tour participants. 

As we continued our trip by slowly moving along the coast, we saw a Beach Kingfisher sitting on a dry branch of a tree. We stopped the boat. All tour participants aimed their digital cameras to take pictures of the bird. 

We continued our trip again along Lesser and Greater Urai islands and along the sourhern coast of Waigeo. In addition to birds,we saw dolphins that were feeding on small fish while swimming very close to the limestone walls of southern region of Waigeo. 

We saw the reddish colour of the sunset. We also saw fishermen of Saporkren villagers were catching fish with their canoes. It was nearly dark when we arrived at the jetty of the resort again. It was a wonderful trip. 

red-cheeked parrot

Our next activity for tomorrow will be watching Wilson's Bird of Paradise. 

birding tour in Indonesia

If you are interested in taking a birding, sightseeing and snorkeling tour with me as your guide or tour organizer, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 
Also read: 

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Rainforest Tour in Sorong and Raja Ampat

I often guide tourists on rainforest tour in Sorong and Raja Ampat regencies. Most visitors who want to spend their holidays in Waigeo, Gam or Mansuar islands need to fly to Sorong city first. From there, they will continue their trip by fast ferry boat to Waisai and then by motorized boats to homestays and resorts in those islands. 

There are a lot of visitors who request land tours especially the wildlife watching trips to rainforest. 

wildlife watching in Klasow valley and Waigeo island
Rainforest tour in Sorong and Raja Ampat

The one that is close to Sorong city is mangrove forest. When I guide visitors to this forest, I bring binoculars that I attach on a tripod. This allows tour participants to watch birds in distant trees with better images. Birds in mangrove forest that we could see include White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Orange-fronted Fruit Dove, Orange-breasted Fig Parrot, Brown-backed Honeyeater, Olive-backed Sunbird, Hooded Butcherbird, Blue-black Kingfisher and etc.

Western-crowned Pigeon (Goura cristata)
Western-crowned Pigeon in Klasow valley

For trips to rainforest of Sorong regency, I usually offer a 3-day-2-night wildlife watching trip in Klasow valley. The main target birds to see include various species of insects, birds, reptiles and mammals. Because visitors stay in a village in the forest, monitor lizard, cuscus, and paradise birds could be seen during the tour. 


When I guide visitors in Raja Ampat, I combine snorkeling and sightseeing tour with birdwatching and wildlife watching. Actually, coral reef is considered as the tropical forest of the sea. It is the natural habitat of a lot of species of marine animals and plants. Beautiful marine creatures could be seen while we swim over coral reef. But unique rainforest animals can be watched when we go hiking in tropical forest of Waigeo. 

69 love yin and yang position
Red Bird of Paradise Courtship Dance
in 69 Tantric Position for the smooth flow of Love Energy

If you are interested in taking rainforest tour in Sorong, and Raja Ampat, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Monday, March 27, 2023

Butterflies and Moths in West Papua

When I guide visitors on wildlife watching tour in the forest, we often see beautiful butterflies and moths. My favorite destination for watching butterflies include Wasior town and its Wondiboy mountains, Coastal area of Tambrauw regency, Susnguakti forest in Manokwari, Klasow valley in Sorong, and Waigeo island of Raja Ampat. 

The following picture is a Swallowtail Moth that I saw in Klasow valley. This black turquoise moth likes to attach himsel to the underpart of a green leaf in the forest in an upside down position. Its latin name, perhaps, is Alcides agathyrsus. It is a beautiful moth that is big and always attracts the attention of visitors who see him.


Swallowtail moth in Klasow valley
A Swallowtail Moth  in Klasow valley of West Papua

When I guided some visitors in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari on birdwatching and wildlife watching tour, I saw beautiful butterflies there too. One of them was a Cruiser butterfly whose scientific name was Vindula arsinoe. He was sitting on a rock near a small stream.

Cruiser Butterfly (Vindula arsinoe)
Cruiser Butterfly in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari

In Wasior town of Wondama regency, local people grow various kinds of hibiscus and a lot of other tropical flower plants. They attract butterflies and other insects.

Common Green Birdwing Butterfly (Ornithoptera butterfly)
A Common Green Birdwing Butterfly in Wasior Town

One of them is the Common Green birdwing butterfly. 

Another interesting butterfly in the rainforest of West Papua is Taenaris onolaus saturiator. This is one of the family members of owl butterflies. The two black-yellow circles on the hindwings that look like the eyes of an owl may be used by the butterfly to scare away predators.

butterfly watching
An Owl Butterfly

I often travel to Raja Ampat islands. Usually I go there to guide visitors on wildlife watching, snorkeling and sightseeing tour. There are beautiful butterflies and moths too. 

Idea durvillei's butterfly from Waigeo island of Raja Ampat
Durvillei's butterfly

I also used to see this species of butterfly in Mansinam island.

If you are interested in taking a butterfly watching tour in West Papua of Indonesia and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Sightseeing, Wildlife Watching, Freediving, and Snorkeling in Raja Ampat with 2 British Visitors

I am now in Raja Ampat. I am guiding 2 British visitors, Gary and Esther, on one-week tour for sightseeing, birding and snorkeling around Waigeo island, Friwen island, Gam island, Mansuar islabd, Arborek, and Piaynemo, Yenbuna, Mioskon island and Five Rocks as well as Saporkren village and Warkesi forest. 

Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra)
Red-bird of Paradise

In the past few days of our birding tour, until now we have seen more than 40s species of forest and coastal birds including Lesser Frigatebird, White-breasted Woodswallow, Pacific Swallow, Eastern Osprey, Gurney's Eagle, Helmetted Friarbird, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Papuan Frogmouth, Willie Wagtail, Beach Kingfisher, Pacific Reef Heron, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Common Sandpiper, Lesser crested Tern, Coconut Lorikeet, Mimic Honeyeater, Puff back Honeyeater, Hooded Butcherbird, Eclectus Parrot, Spice Imperial Pigeon, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-faced Myna, Red-bird of Paradise, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Red Bird of Paradise, Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Island Leaf Warbler, Blyth's Hornbill, Mustached Treeswift. 

I used 10×50 binoculars that I mounted on a tripod using an adaptor. This kind of arrangement allows me to have a device that is similar to spotting scope but in more affordable price. This morning we watched Red Bird of Paradise and Wilson's Bird of Paradise. They were so beautiful.

I also have got an old camera the Fujifilm HS50EXR that allows me to take pictures of birds in distant tree. The ones that are showed in this article were shot using the device. 

Papuan Frogmouth

We stay at a beach resort that is surrounded by trees. This allow us to watch birds, butterflies, and other insects without having to walk long distances. 

Taenaris honrathi
Perhaps a Taenaris honrathi butterfly

There are still more days, more birds, fish and seascapes that we will see. I hope that I can make a lot of beautiful pictures and videos of them. 

marine tour in Waigeo, Mansuar, Arborek
Snorkeling photos from Raja Ampat

clownfish
Anemonefish in Friwen Wall of Raja Ampat
We enjoyed swimming and snorkeling in the coral reef areas of Friwen Wall, Arborek, Yenbuba, Mioskon, Five Rocks, and Saporkren. We saw a lot of marine creatures including various anemonefish, surgeonfish, damselfish, trevally, sweetlips, moorish idol, butterflyfish, black tip sharks, and etc. 

birdwatching and sightseeing in Piaynemo karst
a selfie picture with Gary and Esther in Piaynemo karst
If you are interested in sightseeing, birdwatching and wildlife watching as well as snorkeling tour in Raja Ampat archipelago of Indonesia, please, contact me Charles Roring by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com. 

Merchandise

Please, support this blog by buying art drawings and illustrations of wild animals and plants in the form of prints on various products as follows:

Watercolour Sketch of Bird

Watercolour Sketch of Bird
Fruit Dove from Tropical Rainforest

Vector Art Drawing in Inkscape

Vector Art Drawing in Inkscape
Swimming with Whaleshark

Vector art illustration in Inkscape

Vector art illustration in Inkscape
Baby leatherback turtle was reaching for the sea

Drawing of Paradise Bird

Drawing of Paradise Bird
Lesser Birds of Paradise art print on classic T-shirt

Digital Drawing in Autodesk Sketchbook

Digital Drawing in Autodesk Sketchbook
A Couple of Red Bird of Paradise