Paradise Bird Watching and Wildlife Tour in Indonesia: Manado

Showing posts with label Manado. Show all posts

Friday, December 13, 2024

Birding in Kasulala Forest of Sorong, and Waigeo of Raja Ampat

Sorong regency has been famous as destination for visitors want to explore tropical rainforest and watch tropical birds of Southwest Papua Province of Indonesia.

Eclectus Parrot

There is a forest that is located in the east of Sorong city. Its name is Kasulala forest. It is the habitat of various species of birds such as Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Red-cheeked Parrot, Large Fig Parrot, Yellow-faced Myna, Golden Myna, Northern Fantail, Sooty-thicket Fantail, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Azure Kingfisher, Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher, and etc.

Wompoo Fruit Dove

Equipment:

Visitors who want to watch birds in Kasulala forest need to bring binoculars. Flash light will also be needed for night walk in the forest.

There are other optional equipment which visitors may also bring such as spotting scope, laser pointer and camera with telephoto lens.

Pinon Imperial Pigeon

Accommodation

Visitors who want to visit Kasulala forest can stay in guesthouses that are built on the hill overlooking Klasow valley. They can stay for 1 night, 2 nights, 3 nights or even longer.

Accommodation in Kasulala Forest

After exploring rainforest and watching birds in this part of Sorong regency, you could continue tour trip to Raja Ampat for another rainforest wildlife watching trip or snorkeling and scubadiving tour.

Waigeo Island of Raja Ampat

There are a lot of birding sites in Raja Ampat. Most birdwatchers go to Waigeo island. There, they could watch Red Bird of Paradise and Wilson's Bird of Paradise as well as other birds such as Eclectus Parrot, Coconut Lorikeet, Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Great-billed Parrot, Beach Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Claret-breasted Fruit Dove, Western-crowned Pigeon, Blyth's Hornbill, Radjah Shelduck, Whimbrel, Pacific Swallow, Collared Kingfisher, Moustached Treeswift, White-breasted Woodswallow, and etc.

A female Papuan Eclectus was flying over the blue sea in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat

Birdwatching could also be done in various small islands around Raja Ampat to look for Spice Imperial Pigeon, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Osprey, Violet-necked Lory, Channel-billed Cuckoo and etc.

Osprey

Bird Photography Tour in Sorong Regency of West Papua

I have just organized a tour for 2 Thai photographers to a lowland forest of Sorong regency in the Province of Southwest Papua. The destination of the tour is Malagufuk village. During the 5 days/ 4 nights tour, the visitors were guided by local guides and villagers.

Northern Cassowary

A lot of birds were seen and photographed by the participants. Some of them are listed below:

Azure Kingfisher
Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher
Rufous-bellied Kookaburra
Blue-black Kingfisher
Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher
Lesser Birds of Paradise
King Birds of Paradise
Magnificent Riflebird
Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise
Rufous Owl
Northern Cassowary
Red-bellied Pitta
Hooded Pitta

Hooded Pitta

These photographers saw a lot of birds but they only focused their observation on certain species that they would like to photograph.

Lesser Bird of Paradise

BIRDWATCHING TOUR IN MINAHASA PENINSULA OF NORTH SULAWESI PROVINCE, INDONESIA

I organize birdwatching tour for visitors who are interested in watching birds in Minahasa peninsula of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. The areas that we can visit include Mouny Mahawu, the forest and farmland of Subdistrict Sonder, Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Tambun Maleo Sanctuary, Tapak Kolintang Forest and farmland area at the outskirt of Manado city.

Birds that can be watched during the trip are Green-backed Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Malkoha, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Crimson Sunbird, Sahul Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, Hair-crested (White-eyed) Drongo, Sulawesi Drongo, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Ashy Woodpecker, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Maroon-chinned Fruit-dove, Black-naped Fruit Dove, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Sulawesi-crested Myna, Black-naped Oriole, Gray-rumped Treeswift, White-breasted Woodswallow, Sulphur-bellied Whistler, White-browed Crake, Buff-banded Rail, Barred Rail, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Black-faced Munia, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Barn Swallow, Purple Needletail, Glossy Switflet, Speckled Boobook, Sulawesi Scops Owl, Ochre-bellied Boobook, Sulawesi Pygmy Hornbill, Knobned Hornbill, and a lot more.

Sulawesi Scops Owl

Equipment that participants need to bring include binoculars, flashlight, camera with telephoto lens (optional). Participants need to wear dark clothing that are friendly to birds.

Black-naped Fruit Dove

The city which is the entry point for birding tour in Minahasa peninsula is Manado. Every day there are flights from Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Denpasar, Sorong to Manado city. They are served by such airlines as Garuda, Citilink, Lion Air, Batik Air, TransNusa.

Traveling to Manado city

There are also international flights to Manado from Singapore served Scoot Air and from Guangzhou to Manado by China Southern Airlines.

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

Also read:

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Birding in Paddy Fields of District Sonder in Minahasa Highland

I often do birding work in the mornings and afternoons to find more species of birds in the forest, farmlands, water stream, and paddy fields of District Sonder in Minahasa Highland.

Chestnut Munia

In paddy fields of Talikuran and Tincep villages, I see several interesting species such as White-breasted Woodswallow, Collared Kingfisher, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, White-browed Crake, Barred Rail, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Chestnut Munia (also called Black-headed Munia), Scaly-breasted Munia, Eurasian Treesparrow, Gray Teal, and Sunda Teal. I used to see Cinnamon Bittern but not so frequent.

White-breasted Woodswallow

The paddy field off Talikuran village is quite hidden from car traffic. It is an ideal site for visitors who want to enjoy walking tour for sightseeing and birdwatching.

The White-breasted Woodswallow like to sit on electrical wire at the roadside along the edge of paddy fields. But they sometimes fly higher and land on palm leaf or the branch of tall tree, when they feel threatened by my presence. I often try to walk closer to photograph them.

Collared Kingfisher

More Cattle Egret could be watched if there are farmers who in the paddy fields running their plowing machines. The bird like to follow from behind to feed on small fish and other water animals that are exposed by the plow blades.

Collared Kingfisher like to stand on tall branches of trees at the edge of paddy fields. To take pictures of the bird, birdwatchers need to use a digital camera that is equipped with telephoto lens of a length around 400 to 600 mm.

Zebra Dove in District town of Sonder, Minahasa Highland

There are also Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) and Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata) that like to walk on the concrete floor that is used by farmers to dry their harvest of rice grain under the sun. It is not only water birds that we can watch when we do the walking tour.

Villagers in Subdistrict town of Sonder like to grow tropical flowers around their house yards. Some of them include bougainvillea, chrysanthemum, perennial asters, easter lilies, zinnia, marigolds (calendula) and etc. The flowers often attract butterflies such as The Clipper, Blanchard's Ghost, Common Birdwing and Lime Swallowtail.

Where is Sonder? How to go there?

Sonder is a small district town in Minahasa regency of the Province of North Sulawesi. The entry point to visit this region is Manado city.

Every day, there are flights between Manado city and major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Balikpapan, Makassar and Sorong.

International direct flights exist between Manado and Singapore served by Scoot Air; between Guangzhou and Manado city served by China Southern Airlines.

Flight route to Manado city

Land route to Tomohon town and District Sonder in Minahasa highland

Most tourists travel to Manado city to enjoy scuba diving in Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen and Lembeh Strait.

They can combine their marine trips with this walking tour in District Sonder during their trip in Indonesia.

Booking

If you are interested in taking a birding tour in District town of Sonder in Minahasa highland and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Also read:

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Birdwatching and Photography Tour in Minahasa Highland and Tangkoko Nature Reserve

Minahasa in the Province of North Sulawesi of Indonesia is a highly recommended destination for visitors who love birdwatching. There are a lot of birding sites in the highland especially at the outskirts of Tomohon and Subdistrict town of Sonder. Visitors can go hiking, sightseeing and birding in the farmland, forest, and rice field of these towns.

Black-naped Oriole, this bird is bigger than Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula). Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker

Some Birds in Minahasa Highland

The first forest that can easily be reached by visitors is the tiny forest of Tounelet that is located inside Sonder town, at the back of Siloam hospital. Visitors can walk down the road slope of Tounelet village to watch birds and photograph them. Birds that can be watched include Sooty-headed Bulbul, Brown-throated Sunbird, Sahul Sunbird, Black Sunbird, Grey-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Scaly-breasted Munia, Chestnut Munia, Eurasian Treesparrow, Black-naped Oriole, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Barred Rail, Cattle Egret, Black-crowned White-eye, Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Swiftlet, White-nest Swiftlet, and Slender-billed Crow and etc.

Black-crowned White-eye

In the rice field area, we could watch more birds such as White-breasted Woodswallow, Collared Kingfisher, Cattle Egret, Cinnamon Bittern, Purple Heron, White-browed Crake, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Chestnut Munia, Collared Kingfisher, and Scaly-breasted Munia.

Crimson Sunbird

More birds could be watched when we go to higher elevation forest. There are White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Black-faced Munia, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker (Picoides temminckii), Crimson Sunbird, Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove (Macropygia albicapilla), and Warbling White-eye (Zosterops japonicus), Collared Kingfisher, and Hair-crested Drongo (which James Eaton's Birds of Indonesian Archipelago names it, White-eyed Spangled Drongo). More birds could be watched if we explore the forests and farmlands in lowland and lower montane areas like Tangkoko, Tunan and Mount Tumpa.

Lake Linow and Lake Lahendong are also good for birdwatching. We could watch Wandering Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arcuata), Gray Teal, Sunda Teal, Barn Swallow, Gray-rumped Treeswift, Collared Kingfisher, Cattle Egret, Barred Rail, and etc. There are buildings and watching platform at the side of the lakes which can be used by birdwatchers to observe birds.

The roads that connect Sonder with other villages are good for general birding. Birds such as Zebra Dove, Collared Kingfisher, Slender-billed Crow, Hair-crested Drongo, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Bay Coucal, Black-billed Koel, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Finch-billed Myna, and etc. can be watched during a morning or late afternoon walking tours.

Visitors need at least 7 days for exploring Minahasa highland, lowland and lower montane forests.

Blanchard's Ghost (Idea blanchardii), Blanchard's Wood Nymph (Ideopsia vitrea), Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly

Blanchard's Ghost, Manado Yellow Tiger and Blanchard's Wood Nymph Butterflies

In addition to birds, various species of butterflies could also be seen during the hiking tour in Minahasa. They include the Common Birdwing, Blanchard's Ghost, and Blandchard's Wood Nymph (Ideopsis vitrea) butterflies that like to feed on nectar of flowers in the morning.

Gray-sided Flowerpecker

Sonder is a small subdistrict town in Minahasa regency of the Province of North Sulawesi. It is a nice destination for nature lovers who are interested in seeing mountains, farmlands, ricefields, hotsprings, and forests while watching birds, butterflies and other wildlife in the region.

Sonder town in Minahasa highland of North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Tincep - the village of Flowers

As we continue walking along the roadside from Sonder town to Tincep village, we will see rice fields with the background of hills. Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Purple Heron, and swiftlets dominate the area. As we entered the village, we will see various kinds of flowers. Tincep is a beautiful village because the villagers grow colourful flowers around their house yards. Tincep is the village of flowers and butterflies.

Flowers in Tincep

Tincep is the village of flowers and butterflies

Lime Swallowtail Butterfly in Tincep village of Minahasa

WILDLIFE TOUR TO TANGKOKO NATURE RESERVE

This birdwatching and photography tour in Minahasa Highland can be extended to Tangkoko Nature Reserve for at least 3 days/ 2 nights to see various species of birds and other wild animals of North Sulawesi.

Birds that can be found in Tangkoko include Green-backed Kingfisher, Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, Great-billed Kingfisher, Sulawesi-crested Myna, Finch-billed Myna, White-necked Myna, Ashy Woodpecker, Spot-tailed Goshawk, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Yellow-billed Malkoha, Green Imperial Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit-dove, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon, Sulawesi Brush Cuckoo, Black-naped Oriole, Yellow-breasted Racquet-tail (also called Minahasa Racquet-tail), Golden-mantled Racquet-tail, and etc.

Birding activities are conducted inside the forest of Tangkoko Nature Reserve, along the edge of the forest especially in Temboan Hill and also along the coastal area. Most often a boat trip from Batu Putih village along the coastal area to Naun river will be conducted for tour participant to see Great-billed Kingfisher. At sea, visitors could also see Pacific Reef Heron, Lesser Frigatebird, Greater Frigatebird, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Black-naped Tern and etc.

How to get to Minahasa Highland?

Manado city is the main gate to visit Minahasa.

It is very easy to visit Minahasa. First, visitors need to fly from your country to Singapore. After that visitors could take a direct flight by Scoot Air to Manado city.
If visitors fly to Jakarta, Surabaya, or Denpasar, they could continue their trip by taking domestic airline to fly to Manado city.
There is also daily flight between Sorong city and Manado city.

Flying Route to Manado City

I could meet you at the airport and organize your trip to Minahasa or other regencies in North Sulawesi.

If you are interested in taking a nature tour in Indonesia by combining West Papua and North Sulawesi regions and want me to organize your trip, you could contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read:

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Birding in North Sulawesi

Last year I guided a tourist from the Netherlands on a birding, wildlife watching, and sightseeing tour in North Sulawesi. This is a province in Indonesia. We spent around two weeks exploring the rainforest of the region.

The first place that we visited was a waterfall in the suburban area of Manado city. We walked on the concrete path that was quite slippery to the waterfall and admired its beauty. After that we walked slowly back to the main road while watching birds. Blue-tailed Bee-eater was the one that we saw flying around the open space near the cliff of the waterfall.

Birding in North Sulawesi

As we walk along the roadside, we began to see more interesting birds such as Oriental Dollardbird, Green Imperial Pigeon, and Black-naped Fuit Dove. We also saw Sulawesi Spangled Drongo, Sulawesi Crow, Collared-Kingfisher, Little Egret, and Cattle Egret. There were a small group of crake that were walking up a slope across from us. They were quite far. I could not see in details about their feather. They could be Buff-banded Rail or Slaty-legged Crake. The Dutch lady wanted to visit Bunaken. So, I organized a trip to the island.

Black-faced Munia

Returning to Manado city, we continued our trip to Doloduo by public bus where we stayed in Tante Mien's homestay. It was far from Manado and took a few hours to reach it.

We walked along the roadsides, around the rice field and saw a lot of Domestic Pigeon, Red-collared Dove, Sahul Sunbird, Chestnut/ Black-headed Munia, Pacific Swallow near a water dam. There were some Black-faced Munia moving inside the branches of a shrub plant. I carefully aimed my camera at those birds and shot one of them.

Red-backed Thrush (Gekichla erythronota)

Rusty-backed Thrush

We continued our trip to Tangkoko Nature Reserve and spent a few days watching birds in the region. I was able to take pictures of Sulawesi Hornbill, Ashy Woodpecker, Ruddy Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Finch-billed Myna (Scissirostrum dubium), White-eyed Spangled Drongo, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, White-rumped Triller, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Knobbed Hornbill and a lot more. In Tangkoko's forest, we saw mammals such as Celebes Crested Macaque and Spectral Tarsier. The trip to Tangkoko was a prolific birding experience.

Black-naped Oriole, Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove

The highland of Minahasa was in our list of places to visit. By another public bus, we went to Tomohon and stayed in a hotel for a few nights. We went hiking to the crater of Mount Mahawu, enjoyed tea and watching birds in Lake Linow of Tomohon and visited extreme traditional market near the bus station. People sell and buy dogs, snake, fruit bats, mouse as meat.

Traditional Market in Subdistrict Town of Sonder

At the last leg of the tour, we visited Pal beach in North Minahasa regency. The scenery was beautiful. Unfortunately, I did not bring my snorkeling mask, and fins. So, I could not explore its coral reef.

A White Sandy Beach in North Sulawesi

I still had a separate birding walk in District Sonder where I saw Sulawesi Scops Owl (Otus manadensis), Turquoise Warbling-flycatcher (Eumyas panayensis), Sooty-headed Bulbul, Grey-sided Flowerpecker, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Malkoha, Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis), Black-crowned White-eye, Barred Rail (Gallirallus torquatus), female Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja), Sulawesi Hanging Parrot (Loriculus stigmatus), and a lot more.

At the airport, before flying back to her country, she and I saw Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove.

Are you interested in taking a birdwatching tour in North Sulawesi?

Flight Routes to Manado City

There are daily flights from major city in Indonesia to Manado city served by such airlines as Garuda, Citilink, Batik Air and Lion Air. There is direct flight between Singapore and Manado city served by Scoot Air. From Guangzhou to Manado city, the flight is served by China Southern Airlines.

Flight routes from major cities in Indonesia to Manado

Land route from Manado city to Tomohon and Sonder that are surrounded by birding sites

If you are interested in visiting the province of North Sulawesi in Indonesia, and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: -6281332245180.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Malagufuk's Birds

Malagufuk, a small jungle village in Klasow valley of Sorong regency is a nice place for visitors who like birding. I introduced it for the first time to the outer world as a new destination for ecotourism activities in late 2014. At that time nobody in birding tourism industry knew its existence. The Tropical Birds Visitors who travel to Malagufuk will be able to watch a lot of tropical rainforest birds. Some of them are listed below:

Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor)

Male Lesser Bird of Paradise

Beautiful Fruit Dove, Orange-bellied Fruit Dove, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Ornate Fruit Dove, Brown Cuckoo Dove, Great-cuckoo Dove, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Western-crowned Pigeon, Magnificent Riflebird, King Bird of Paradise, Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Lesser Birds of Paradise, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Rainbow Bee-eater, Yellow-faced Myna, Golden Myna, Eclectus Parrot, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Black Lory, Black-capped Lory, Large Fig Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Coconut Lorikeet Lorikeet, Greater Black Coucal, Lesser Black Coucal, Blue-black Kingfisher, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Sacred Kingfisher, Hook-billed Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Lowland Peltop, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Boyer's Cuckooshrike, Red-bellied Pitta, Hooded Pitta, Shining Flycatcher, Grey-streaked Flycatcher, Variable Goshawk, Grey-headed Goshawk, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, Spangled Drongo, Black Sunbird, Sahul Sunbird, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, Hooded Butcherbird, Oriental Dollarbird, Glossy Swiftlet, Moustached Treeswift, Metallic Starling, Rufous Owl, Papuan Nightjar, Northern Cassowary, Emperor Fairywren, Blyth's Hornbill, Nankeen Night Herron, Torresian Crow, Papuan Babbler, Little Shrikethrush, Helmetted Friarbird, Yellow-bellied Longbill, Spot-winged Monarch, Frilled Monarch, Rusty Pitohui, Black-browed Triller, Black-sided Robin, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, Oriental Cuckoo, Forest Bittern, and a lot more.

Some birdwatchers who went to Malagufuk said that they also saw rare species such as Green-naped Pheasant Pigeon, Blue Jewel Babbler, and Thick-billed Ground Pigeon.

My Photographic and Birding Devices

Every time I go to the jungle village, I will bring my camera to take pictures of birds, wild animals and unique plants. In the past, I brought Nikon Coolpix P600. After that I used a Fujifilm HS50EXR which I used for several years. In recent years, I bring Canon 200D with Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens. For watching birds, my devices are quite modest, a pair of Visionking 10×42 mm binoculars and a Kinglux 20-60×60mm spotting scope. Malagufuk is located quite deep into the lowland forest of Klasow valley. Now, there is a 3.3 kilometers wooden boardwalk that connects Malagufuk and the main road. In the past, the path from mainroad to the village was muddy and the plants on both sides of the it were infested with mosquitoes and leeches.

Alternative Birding and Wildlife Watching Sites They may not be suitable for tourists who could not walk for several hours. There is some good alternative places for birdwatching. My recommendation will be Sansapore Pacific Park in Sausapor town; Klabili village are located in the same valley and forest areas at the outskirts of Sorong city.

For birdwatchers and nature lovers who are willing to travel further in the region to watch more different and endemic avifauna can combine their trips to Sonder town in Minahasa highland of North Sulawesi province of Indonesia. There is regular daily flights that connect Sorong city with Manado city.

Book your birding tour now.

Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to through this contact link if you are interested in taking the birdwatching tour.

BIRDWATCHING IN MINAHASA

As a tourist guide, I offer birdwatching tour to Minahasa highland in the Province of North Sulawesi of Indonesia. It is a beautiful tourist destination. The duration of the tour is between 3 to 7 days depending on the number of birding sites that the participants want to visit during the tour. The outskirt areas of Sonder town have got roads through forest and farmlands that allow visitors to enjoy birding easily.

Yellow-billed Malkoha, Maroon-chinned Fruit Dove, Crimson Sunbird, White-breasted Woodswallow, Sooty-headed Bulbul

The hill forest, agricultural land and paddy field of Sonder are the habitat of the following birds:

Barred Rail
Black Sunbird
Black-naped Oriole
Black-faced Munia
Black-crowned White-eye
Brush Cuckoo
Brown-throated Sunbird
Cinnamon Bittern
Collared Kingfisher
Crimson Sunbird
Chestnut Munia
Cattle Egret
Eurasian Treesparrow
Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Finch-billed Myna
Glossy Swiftlet
Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon
Gray-sided Flowerpecker
Gray-rumped Treeswift
Hair-crested (White-eyed) Drongo
Little Egret
Mountain (Warbling) White-eye
Pale Blue Monarch
Purple Heron
Sahul Sunbird
Slender-billed Crow
Sulawesi Drongo
Sulawesi Myzomela
Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher
Scaly-breasted Kingfisher
Scaly-breasted Munia
Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove
Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker
Sooty-headed Bulbul
Sulawesi Hanging Parrot
Sunda Teal
Rock Pigeon
Yellow-sided Flowerpecker
Yellow-billed Malkoha
White-browed Crake
White-breasted Woodswallow
White-nest Swiftlet
White-faced Cuckoo-dove
Zebra Dove
and etc.

Scaly-breasted Munia, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher

It is not only birds that we will see during the walk through farmland. We could see butterflies and other animals as well.

Black-naped Oriole

Agricultural Produce

Minahasan people grow food crops such as banana, sweet potatoes, taro, corn and rice. There are also vegetable and fruit gardens. Clove and nutmeg used to be important commodities in Sonder and other districts in Minahasa. The cultivation of vanilla is also popular among farmers in Minahasa highland. They also run fish, pig and poultry farming. Farmers in North Sulawesi diversify their crops in order to have stable income from agriculture. In Tincep village, people grow rice, they also sell various kinds of colorful flowers. For Rambunan village, one of the products that they sell is palm sugar. It is an important ingredients in various kinds of home made foods in Indonesia.

Other birding sites in the Province of North Sulawesi that birdwatchers could visit include Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Mount Mahawu, Lake Linow, Pine Forest of Lahendong, Talawaan Road, Maleo Sanctuary in Tambun, and Mount Ambang.

Waterfall, flowers, birds and butterfly in Tincep village in Minahasa

Waterfall, flowers, birds and butterfly in Tincep village of Minahasa

Birding Devices

Most tourists bring binoculars. For photographers, they like to bring D-SLR camera with telephoto lens. When I guide birding tourists, I bring my binoculars, spotting scope, laser pointer, and portable loudspeaker. I use field guide book Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea by James Eaton et al. A very good alternative for field guide is Android based Merlin App. by the CornellLab.

Purple Heron, Zebra Dove, Hair-crested (White-eyed Drongo), Sooty-headed Bulbul, Finch-billed Myna, Brown-throated Sunbird, Collared Kingfisher

Butterflies

In addition to birds, visitors could also see various species of butterflies such as Blanchard's Tree Nymph, Blanchard's Wood Nymph, Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly, Lime Swallowtail, Meyer's Jay (Graphium meyeri), Blue Moon or Great Eggfly, Gigon Swallowtail (Papilio gigon), Sacred Tabby (Pseudergolis avesta) and etc.

Meyer's Jay Butterfly

Where is Minahasa and how to get there?

Minahasa is a region in the Province of North Sulawesi whose capital is Manado city. The birdwatching tour that I offer in this article will be conducted around the town of the district town of Sonder. It takes around 1 hour 30 minutes by car from Sam Ratulangi International Airport of Manado city to Sonder town.

Flight routes from major cities to Manado

Visitors need to fly from their country to Manado city. There are international direct flights from Singapore to Manado city served by Scoot Air. From Guangzhou to China, the flight is served by China Southern Airlines.

For domestic flights between major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Balikpapan, and Sorong, the flights are available everyday and are served by such airlines as Garuda, Citilink, TransNusa, Lion Air and Batik Air.

birding around the forest and farmland of sonder town

District Town of Sonder, the birding activity will be conducted around this town

Book your birding tour now.

Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 if you are interested in taking the birdwatching tour.

Also read:

Paradise Bird Watching and Wildlife Tour in Indonesia

Pages

Friday, December 13, 2024

Birding in Kasulala Forest of Sorong, and Waigeo of Raja Ampat

Friday, August 9, 2024

Bird Photography Tour in Sorong Regency of West Papua

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Birding in Paddy Fields of District Sonder in Minahasa Highland

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Birdwatching and Photography Tour in Minahasa Highland and Tangkoko Nature Reserve

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Birding in North Sulawesi

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Malagufuk's Birds