Paradise Bird Watching and Wildlife Tour in Indonesia: Klabili

Showing posts with label Klabili. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Birding in North Sulawesi and West Papua

I have just completed two consecutive group tours that covered Minahasa highland in North Sulawesi Province and Klasow valley in Sorong regency of Southwest Papua Province of Indonesia as well as Arfak mountains in Manokwari regency of West Papua province. The first tour consisted of 4 Polish tourists and the second one consisted of 9 Swedish visitors.

White-browed Crake, Crimson Sunbird, Sahul Sunbird, Sulawesi Malkoha, Sulawesi Drongo, Little Egret, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker,

Some birds in Minahasa highland
Reference: https://wildlifeminahasa.blogspot.com

Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, Maroon-chinned Fruit Dove, Superb Fruit Dove

Some birds in Sulawesi

In Minahasa highland, birding activity was conducted along the slope of Mount Mahawu to find the Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, and in Subdistrict town of Sonder to watch: Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Black-crowned White-eye, Warbling White-eye, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Barred Rail, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Bush Warbler, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Collared Kingfisher, and etc.

Forest Bittern

In Southwest Papua Province, we visited Sausapor, Klasow valley (Klabili and Malagufuk), Sorong ridge forest and Mangrove forest near Sorong city. The Vogelkop region is the natural habitat of such paradise birds as Lesser Bird of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Red Bird of Paradise, Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Trumpet Manucode and etc.

We also saw a juvenile female Northern Cassowary, and Forest Bittern which is a special avifauna of New Guinea.

The first part of the tour with Polish tourists was a difficult one because we experienced heavy rain. For the second part with Swedish group the rainy season has just stopped. It was easier to conduct.

We saw a lot of tropical birds during the tour including Eclectus Parrot, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, Black-capped Lory, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Violet-necked Lory, White-breasted Fruit Dove, Western-crowned Pigeon, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Beach Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, and etc.

The Polishs tourists, when in Arfak mountains of Manokwari, saw Western Parotia, Arfak Lophorina, Magnificent Bird of Paradise, Vogelkop Bowerbird and a number of birds that are endemic to high elevation forest of Arfak mountains.

If you are interested in taking a tour to Minahasa highland in North Sulawesi and birding sites in West Papua and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

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Thursday, August 22, 2024

Watching Twelve-wired and King Bird of Paradise in Tambrauw

Recently I guided a European couple in Tambrauw regency. We visited Klabili village and District town of Sausapor. We spent 3 days/ 2 nights exploring tropical rainforest. We watched birds including the Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise and King Bird of Paradise as well as South Papuan Pitta, Forest Bittern, New Guinea Vulturine Parrot and Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher.

Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Southern Papuan Pitta, Blyth's Hornbill, Papuan Frogmouth, Spangled Drongo,

Tropical Birds in Tambrauw Regency of Indonesia

During the tour, we also did night walk to look for nocturnal bird. We saw Papuan Frogmouth and Northern Tree Snake (Dendrelapis calligaster).

To watch the paradise birds in Klabili village, we had to wake up early at 04:00. We made preparation, and had some tea and coffee with some biscuits. At 04:30, we left our homestay for the site of Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus). It took around 1 hour of walking to reach it. It was down when we arrived. Minutes later, the male Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise began to call his mating partner.

When the female Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise came, she landed on a lower tree trunk. Local villagers called it "stick." The male flew to that stick and began his courtship dance performance which lasted for more than 1 hour.

After watching the dance performance, we continued rainforest tour that morning to the site of Forest Bittern. Along the path we saw other birds such as Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Coconut Lorikeet, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, and Blyth's Hornbill. The Forest Bittern was sitting on his nest. We watched it using a spotting scope from a distant in order not to disturb the bird.

We continued our walking tour in the forest to King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius) at around 09:45. The bird was sitting on a branch of a tall ficus tree. It was very difficult to find it.

We still do general birding to see Yellow-faced Myna, Red-cheeked Parrot, Helmeted Friarbird, and Black Lory.

There was a hide behind Klabili village. We entered it before lunch time. We put some worms and played their sounds. The Hooded Pitta landed shortly. He was there for only a few seconds. The Southern Papuan Pitta came later and stayed for around 15 minutes until it started to rain.

At 14:00, we continued our next adventure to Sausapor. We saw Brush Cuckoo, Sahul Sunbird, Rainbow Bee-eater, Blyth's Hornbill, Slender-billed Cuckoo-dove and Hoodee Butcherbird. The forest at the outskirt of Sausapor is the habitat of birds of prey including White-bellied Sea Eagle, Gurney's Eagle, Long-tailed Honey Buzzard, Brahminy Kite and etc.

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

Also read:

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

General Birdwatching Tour in Klabili village of Tambrauw Regency

I have just returned from a 4 day-3 night birdwatching and sightseeing tour covering two beautiful places in Papua Barat Daya Province of Indonesa. They were Sausapor town and Klabili village of Tambrauw regency. We started from Sorong city on Day 1. I guided a couple from the Netherlands.

Eastern Hooded Pitta in Tambrauw regency

We went there by a chartered 4WD car. It took around 4 hours to reach Sausapor town. After checking into our rooms, we continued our activity by doing general birding at the outskirt of Sausapor town. There are several interesting birdwatching sites in Sausapor that we visited. We stayed at Sansapore Pacific Park. It is a beach resort. At the outskirt of Sausapor town, we saw a lot of species of birds including Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Blyth's Hornbill, Brown Oriole, Red-cheeked Parrot, Helmetted Friarbird, Sacred Kingfisher, Hooded Butcherbird, Coconut Lorikeet, Black-capped Lory, Frilled Monarch, Rainbow Bee-eater, Yellow-faced Myna, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Willy Wagtail, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, and a lot more.

Dendrobium orchid, zinnia, red hibiscus, passion flower

Some flowers at the frontyard of Sansapore Pacific Park Resort

Because the resort had its own beach with coral reef, visitors could enjoy snorkeling. There are colorful flowers that grow in the resort including Red Hibiscus, Zinnia, Beach Hibiscus, Passion Flower, and Dendrobium Orchid. The flowers attracted various species of butterflies including Ulysses, Cruiser, Great Eggfly and Taenaris butterflies. Sansapore Pacific Park Beach Resort is a recommended base for butterfly watching trips in Sausapor town of Tambrauw regency.

White-bellied Sea Eagle at the outskirt of Sausapor town

On the third day, we continued our trip to Klabili village. There, they watched more interesting birds including: Hooded Pitta, Papuan Pitta, Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Torresian Crow, Palm Cockatoo, Hooded Pitta, Western-crowned Pigeon, Oriental Dollarbird, and etc.

While sitting at the verandah of Klabili homestay, we saw a female cassowary entered the frontyard.

An immature Cassowary in Klabili village

Nightwalk was also organized during the tour. The forest in Sausapor and Klabili is the natural habitat of monitor lizard, snakes, bandicoot, cuscus, and nocturnal birds.

When we arrived in Sorong city, we had a short visit to Mangrove forest to find Orange-breasted Fig Parrot, Orange-fronted Fig Parrot and other birds.

After the tour, they continued their trip to Raja Ampat.

If you are interested in taking a sightseeing and birdwatching tour in Tambrauw regency of West Papua and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Thursday, September 7, 2023

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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