Palm Cockatoo of Raja Ampat

When I go birding in Raja Ampat, Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) is my favorite bird to see. In Indonesia, we call it Kakaktua Raja. Raja means: King. This large parrot has got smoky black feather and big red patches on both sides of his or her cheek. In the mornings, the bird likes to fly to coastal area and land on the branches of catappa trees. Palm Cockatoo eat like to eat catappa fruits.

a couple of Palm Cockatoo at Warduwer beach of Waigeo

Closer look of the Palm Cockatoo

Because of his or her big size, Palm Cockatoo can easily be recognized when sitting and feeding on tropical fruits that grow along the beach of Waigeo island. This bird can also be identified by his or her unique whistling calls. 

When I walked along the Warduwer beach of Raja Ampat. I saw two of the  sitting on very high branches of a tree. I made some pictures of them from a distance and later a closer photograph of the Palm Cockatoo from a window between the branches of trees closer to me.

In addition to Palm Cockatoo, other birds that I often see at Warduwer beach of Waigeo island are Red-cheeked Parrot, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Brahminy Kite, Eastern Osprey, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Pinon Imperial Pigeon and etc.

I use a good pair of Visionking 10×42 mm binoculars and Canon 200D as my birding gear. For field guide book, I used Birds of New Guinea, second edition by Thane K. Pratt and Bruce Beehler. This is a very important reference for identifying birds that occur in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat as well as other regions in West Papua and PNG.
Warduwer beach of Waigeo island is not only a good site for birdwatching but also for snorkeling and freediving. I have done a lot of snorkeling activities at this beach, fish like Wobbegong, Stonefish, Anemonefish, Butterflyfish, Surgeonfish, and Damselfish are some of the many birds that make the coral reef of Warduwer as their natural habitat.

Marine Life at Warduwer beach of Waigeo island

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

Parrots in Waigeo Island of Raja Ampat

Waigeo island of Raja Ampat is a great place to watch parrots. I have organized numerous trips to the island for birdwatchers or nature lovers who want to see parrots and other birds. We usually explore the forest on foot in the mornings and in the afternoons. There are several places that I visit with tourists to enjoy birdwatching. Some of them include Warduwer beach, Yengkawe forest, Fish Lagoon and Sopen forests. All of them are located in Waigeo. In the forest south of Waigeo, I saw Red-cheeked Parrot, Eclectus Parrot, as well as Violet-necked Lory, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, and Palm Cockatoo. There was a wooden platform on the hill where tourists can sit in the mornings to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Kabui bay as well as watching parrots, starlings, kingfishers and paradise birds. In the forest near the runway of the airport of Waisai, I saw Great-billed Parrot, and Coconut Lorikeet. They were very beautiful.

Palm Cockatoo

The best site to watch Palm Cockatoo is Warduwer beach. This black feather bird likes to eat fruits in catappa tree. One afternoon, after enjoying snorkeling at the beach, I saw the Black-Palm Cockatoo landed on a small tree in front of me. I took out my camera to shoot him. Unfortunately, he flew away to a higher tree still in the nearby area. I walked slowly closer to the tree. It was a catappa tree. There were several Palm Cockatoos in the tree. Local people called them Kakaktua Raja meaning literally King Cockatoo.
Eclectus Parrot are sexually dimorphic. The male has got green and red feather whereas the female one has got red, and blue feather with black beak. The eclectus parrot can be seen in most part of Raja Ampat. Female likes to wait in the nest of high ironwood tree. To watch parrots, birdwatchers need a good pair of binoculars such as the 10×42 mm Swarovski, Nikon or Leica binoculars. A camera with tele-photo lens is also good.

Eclectus Parrot

In addition to parrots, visitors can watch a lot of tropical birds in Raja Ampat including Pied Imperial Pigeon, Puff-back Meliphaga, Hooded Butcherbird, Pinon Imperial Pigeon. Red Bird of Paradise, Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Hooded Butcherbird, Beach Kingfisher, Hooked Bill Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Papuan Blyth's Hornbill, and a lot more.

Field Guide

I use Birds of New Guinea as my reference in identifying birds. The Second Edition field guide book was written by Thane K. Pratt, Bruce Beehler and some other ornithologists.

Birding in the Karst islets of Raja Ampat

Karst islets in Raja Ampat

There are several karst formations in Raja Ampat which tourists can visit to enjoy birding and wildlife watching. Some of them were Fish Lagoon, Piaynemo, Wayag and Kabui. Because of their remote locations, bird life in these karsts is relatively rich. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, and Great-billed Parrot are the ones that I often see. Other birds that I saw in my previous trips were Spice Imperial Pigeon, Lemon-bellied White-eye, Hooded Butcherbird, White-breasted Woodswallow, Rainbow Bee-eater, and Striated Heron. Sea birds such as Pacific Swallow, Eastern Osprey, White-bellied Sea Eagle, starlings, lesser crested tern, Torresian Crow, and Lesser Frigatebird,  can also be seen in the karst
Snorkeling
In addition to organizing birding trip, I also run snorkeling trips to Raja Ampat. Tourists who want to join the tours need to bring their own masks, snorkels and fins as well as underwater (action) camera such as Go Pro, Nikon W300. We will enjoy snorkeling over the coral reef of Waigeo, Gam, Mansuar, Kri, Friwen Wall, Arborek to see such fish as Grouper, Jackfish, Surgeonfish, Anemonefish, Parrotfish, and, etc.

Booking

If you are interested in taking a birdwatching, snorkeling and sightseeing tour in Raja Ampat and want me to organize your trip in the archipelago, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or whatsapp: +6281332245180.
Also read:
Coastal Birds of Raja Ampat
Snorkeling and Birding in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat
Snorkeling and Sightseeing Tour in Raja Ampat