Watching King Bird of Paradise with 5 German Tourists

I guided 5 German tourists today in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari. We went there to watch King Bird of Paradise that usually dances in the mornings and in the afternoons before sunset time. Their tour organizer was Irawan Halir from the North Sulawesi. We left by a chartered vehicle at 04.30 for the forest. 

Arriving at the entrance site, we got off the vehicle and started hiking to our basecamp. We needed around 1 hour to reach it. It was around 06.30 when we arrived. Because the King Bird of Paradise showed up later, we decided to go to the blind of Magnificent Riflebird. Thirty minutes later, we continued our morning walk to watch Lesser Birds of Paradise. We watched the birds for around 30 minutes and then returned to our basecamp to have our morning tea or coffee. We enjoyed hot tea, coffee and milk with some biscuits and rambutans. 

King Bird of Paradise

Fifteen minutes later, we continued our tour in the rainforest by hiking to the watching site of King Bird of Paradise. When we reached, the bird had not shown up. But we could hear his calls. We sat on the ground with binoculars and camera in our hands. I also prepared my spotting scope which I aimed at the vines where the King Paradise Bird usually sits while waiting for his female counterpart. Minutes later, he flew to the vines and started jumping among them several times. He sat on a hanging liana under a left branch above our heads. The German tourists began taking pictures of the bird. We watched the bird for around 1 hour. We saw the female one too. She showed up later. Other birds that we saw were Frilled Monarch. The calls of Magnificent riflebird, Northern Variable Pitohui, Papuan Pitta, Hooded Butcherbird and Long-tailed Buzzard could also be heard inside the forest. 

We went back to our basecamp and had lunch. The ingredients consist of rice, kangkung (vegetables), fried tuna, sliced ham, and noodle soup.

German tourists with local guides

We walked back to the main road at 13.30 and then headed to the village where we stayed to write the guestbook and saw how local villager made fire using traditional match made of bamboo, palm fiber and granite stone. Villagers gave us rambutan, and soursop.

Our car showed up later. We returned to Manokwari city at around 3 p.m. It was a nice adventure tour.
Here is my contact number: +6281332245180. You could send whatsapp message to book your trip to this forest of Manokwari.

This was written by Charles Roring

Also read:

• Birds in North Sulawesi
• Birding in High Elevation Forest of Minahasa
• Walking Tour, Birdwatching and Butterflywatching in District Sonder of Minahasa Highland
• Birdwatching in Minahasa Highland
• Manado City Birdwatching and Sightseeing Tour
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birdwatching in Sulawesi
• Birdwatching and butterflywatching in Sonder
• https://wildlifeminahasa.blogspot.com

Watching Papuan Pitta, Cuscus Possum and Insects in Susnguakti Forest

The Papuan Pitta (Erythropitta maklotii)

I went to Susnguakti forest in the suburb of Manokwari a few days ago. I guided 2 tourists (Andrew and Barbara) from Poland. We spent our time in the forest to enjoy hiking, birdwatching, insect watching, and general wildlife watching. We explored the rainforest of Susnguakti in the mornings, afternoons and in the evenings. 

Watching Paradise Birds

Because they were veterinarians, they were familiar with biological terms of animals and plants. Some of the birds that we saw and heard during our tour in this eastern region of Arfak range were Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Hooked-billed Kingfisher, Frilled Monarch, Golden Cuckooshrike, Hooded Butcherbird, Northern Variable Pitohui, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Amboina Cuckoo Dove, Black Sunbird, Fairy Lorikeet, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Black-capped Lory, Blyth's Hornbill and etc.

A Couple of Lesser Birds of Paradise in Susnguakti forest in the morning

Watching Insects

Night walk was our favorite activities. We did it every night. Because we regularly clear the walking paths in the jungle by cutting tall grass and sweeping the fallen leaves and twigs using palm brooms. This gives an easy access for visitors to explore most parts of Susnguakti forest. Stick insects, assasin bug, longhorn beetle, crickets, fire flies praying mantis, snout beetle, spiders on the leaves of plants, moths, butterflies, trunks of trees and on the ground. Our Polish guests said that Susnguakti was a very nice forest. 

Cicada in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari

Calling Cuscus Possum

A villager who accompanied us had a special skill to call cuscus possum. It was around 08.45 when we left our base-camp on the second night of our tour in Susnguakti. We stopped for a while at a slope leading to the birding ground for King Bird of Paradise. Moon provided twilight for us. Usually when there is moon in the sky, our chance to see cuscus possum is low. However, this time, it was different. Our Papuan friend began to immitate the sounds of female cuscus. In less than 5 minutes, we could hear the sounds two possums. The sounds of broken twigs in trees were heard when they were walking towards the "female cuscus." Suddenly we heard fightings above our heads. Seconds later a small cuscus possum fell to the ground with a thud. Our Papuan friend turned on his torch and jumped to the possum. He chased the possum. I warned him not to catch the cuscus because it had sharp claws. He grabbed its tail and brought the cuscus possum closer to us.

The cuscus possum that fell on the the ground

For us, the skill of immitating the sounds of cuscus to attract the marsupial animal at night was an extraordinary skill. But this time, he caught it using his bear hands. We were able to see and make good photographs of the cuscus.

We continued our night walk exploration to higher elevation area of the forest. We saw more insects including moths, longhorn beetle, and cicada. We also saw a Papuan Pitta too. He was sitting on the branch of a small tree. We carefully approached the bird and made some pictures of the bird. It did not fly away. We also saw wild flowers on the forest floor. Some emitted fragrant scents. Unfortunately, we do not have the capital to refine the flowers for making essential oils.

Wild Flowers in Forest Floors

It was a nice adventure that night. When we returned to our basecamp again we felt very happy. We were able to see interesting animals.

Susnguakti is a lower montane forest of Arfak mountains. It has been visited by tourists from all continents of the world since 2011. The first tourists who went to Susnguakti forest were university students from Poland. I organized their trip.

Our team with 2 Polish tourists in Susnguakti forest

To reach Susnguakti forest, tour participants have to be physically fit. From the place where car stops, visitors need to go hiking up steep slopes for 1 hour to reach our basecamp. It is a very basic accommodation. We provide mattrass, dome tents, cooking and eating utensils. 

Visitors need to bring clothing that is suitable for hiking, trekking boots or sport shoes, and tropical rainforest, insect repellent lotion, torch/ flash light, and camera with extra batteries. This trip is only suitable for rainforest enthusiasts. 

If you are interested in traveling to Manokwari city to enjoy birdwatching, insect watching as well as wildlife watching in general in Susnguakti forest, you could contact me (Charles Roring) to organize your trip. This is my cell phone/ whatsapp number: +6281332245180.

Please, support this blog by buying some artworks that are available as t-shirts, mugs, cell phone case, stationery, home decor and etc. at the following links:

• Birds
• Red Bird of Paradise

Red Bird of Paradise

Birdwatchers who travel to Raja Ampat will usually put the Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra) in their list of target birds to see. The best times to watch this bird are in the mornings and in the afternoons. There are a lot of places which visitors can choose if they want to watch the paradise bird in Waigeo island. Most tourists go to Saporkren area. I go to different places. Some are located in eastern area of Waigeo whereas others are located further in the south and in the north of the island.  There, I and my guests can enjoy exclusive sites for watching the paradise birds and other tropical birds of Raja Ampat. My recommendation will be the southern hill of the island. There are also other forests in north-east region of Waigeo which tourists can go to enjoy birding.

Male Red Birds of Paradise were performing their courtship dance

Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra)

I highly suggest that visitors bring a good pair of binoculars, and a camera with telephoto lens if they want to take pictures of this beautiful creature. Usually, at least 2 to 4 male birds gather on top of a tree located deep on a hill of the forest. They start calling their female counterparts for mating. When the female Red Birds of Paradise have come, the male ones will perform their courtship dances. They compete one another to win the female birds. Most often the competition gets tougher. The one that is stronger and performs better dance will become the winner. This is a natural selection. 

Red Bird of Paradise in northeast forest of Waigeo

Tropical Birds in Raja Ampat
There are a lot of other birds that we also can see while traveling in Waigeo and other smaller islands around it. They include Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Hooded Butcherbird, Palm Cockatoo, Great-billed Parrot, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Spice Imperial Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo Dove, Great Cuckoo Dove, Beach Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-faced Myna,  Moustached Treeswift, Wimbrel, Beach Thick Knee, Radjah Shelduck, White-breasted Woodswallow, Sahul Sunbird, Singing Starling, Lowland Peltop, Eastern Osprey, White-bellied Sea Eagle, and a lot more.
When I guide tourists to these small islands, I charter a small motorized boat. I also bring a spotting scope which I like to install at a beach to watch coastal birds such as Willie Wagtail, Eastern Reef Egret, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Little-pied Cormorant, and Sahul Sunbird.
Most birdwatchers bring binoculars but there are also tour participants who bring birding cameras. The development of digital camera with telephoto lens such as Nikon P900, or Nikon Coolpix P1000 has increased the chance of birdwatchers to shoot birds in distant and very tall trees. I used Fujifilm HS50EXR to shoot the birds above. Now a lot of pictures of beautiful birds are circulating in social media. They are made using the superzoom photographic devices. Digiscoping system can also produce good quality pictures of birds but they are mostly used by birdwatchers in open areas such as a field with trees around it or clearing areas near a forest. For taking pictures of birds in thick forest, a camera with telephoto lens is more convenient.
However, most birdwatchers will be happy to watch birds using spotting scope too because they can see the vivid colours of their feather through the scope. Famous brands like Swarovski, Leica, and Nikon are very good but expensive. I use Kinglux 20-60×60. Although it is considered as entry level scope, it is quite good. It has got Bak 4 prism in its barrel.

I often combine the birding tour in Raja Ampat with snorkeling tour and with rainforest tour in Sorong regency or Manokwari.

Also read:
Raja Ampat Birds

Watching Red Bird of Paradise

Birding in North Waigeo of Raja Ampat

Parrots in Waigeo Island

Rainforest Tour in Raja Ampat

I personally have created some drawing artworks that are now available as prints on t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and etc.

Red Bird of Paradise

Also read: 

• Birding Paradise: Exploring North Sulawesi from Manado to Minahasa Highland
• Tangkoko National Park
• Birding and Wildlife Tour in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland
• Birds in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Sonder
• Birdwatching Tour in the Farmland and Forest of Minahasa Highland

• Birds
• Red Bird of Paradise
• Red Bird of Paradise Classic T-shirt

Birding in Klawos Forest of Tambrauw regency with 4 American Tourists

From 30 January to 1 February, I guided 4 American tourists on a birding tour to Klawos forest in Tambrauw regency. Klawos forest is located in north east region of Klasow valley. They were Greg, Michael, Debby and Bethany. They had just finished their sea tour in Raja Ampat. So, the birding trip to Klawos forest was an extra mainland tour for them.

Our targets at the time were Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Magnificent Riflebird, Golden Myna, and Lesser Birds of Paradise. Because the habitat of these birds were widely distributed in the lowland land and mountain ridge of the region, we had to do long walks from the flat land to the steep slopes of the forest.

Hooded Pitta was sleeping on a vine.

It was a nice trip. We did birding from early morning to night time. We saw a lot of birds including Palm Cockatoo, Red-cheeked Parrot, Large-Fig Parrot, Eclectus Parrot, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Long-tailed Buzzard, New Guinea Harpy Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Yellow-faced Myna, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo Dove, and White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Blyth's Hornbill, Helmetted Friarbird, and a lot more. I brought my Kinglux 20-60×60mm Spotting scope at that time. So, watching those birds from a hill during sunset time was a very enjoyable experience. Only one of my guests had a good pair of binoculars. So, the spotting scope greatly enhanced their birding experience.

Exploring Klawos forest in Tambrauw regency

Walking down the steep slopes of Klawos forest after watching the Lesser Birds of Paradise, we heard the calls of New Guinea vulturine parrots from the mountain ridge behind us. Unfortunately, we could not see the rare birds.
We also did night walk around the clearing area of the forest and along the main road that connects Sorong city and Sausapor town. We saw Hooded Pitta, and Marbled Frogmouth. 

Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher

On the final day before leaving the village where we stayed in during our birding tour, we saw 3 Palm Cockatoos flying low and making whistling sounds over the village. I immediately installed my spotting scope and aimed it at the tree where they landed but they quickly disappeared into the thick forest of Tambrauw regency.

Yellow-faced Myna in Klawos Forest

Sorong city in West Papua province of Indonesia is the entrance point for visitors who want to go birdwatching in this Klawos forest. Birding in this forest is easy, we could use binoculars, and spotting scope in a number of open areas of the village.

American tourists were watching birds in Tambrauw regency accompanied by villagers

If you are interested in taking a birding tour in this forest and want me to organize your tour, please, send your message by whatsapp to my number: +6281332245180.

Tour with Russian Tourists in Susnguakti Forest

I have just completed a tour with 2 Russian tourists (Elena and Stanislav) in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari. We spent 3 days/ 2 nights (24-26 January 2020) watching birds, taking pictures of insects and taking a bath in fresh water stream.

We watched Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird. We also saw other birds such as Black Sunbird, Brown Cuckoo Dove, Hooded Butcherbird, Black-capped Lory, Mimic Meliphaga, and Frilled Monarch. 

Night Walk with Russian Tourists

Watching Insects

Susnguakti was a great place for entomologists or those who want to see various species of insects. When we did night walk to find cuscus possum, we also saw stick insect, longhorn beetle, snout beetle, big spider, stink bug, Saint Andrew Cross Spider, moths, butterflies. Perhaps, there are thousands of species of insects that can be seen in the forest. Glowing Mushroom started to cover the forest floor near bamboo plants. 

A cricket was coming out of a dry bamboo

Reptiles could be observed in the forest. Forest lizard, ground skink, and green tree lizars can also be seen in the forest. On our last day of walking in Susnguakti forest, we saw a big soa-soa monitor lizard on the trunk of a big tree near the birding hut of Magnificent Riflebird.
I also organized another birding tour for Ekaterina and Ivan from 26 to 28 January in the same forest. The main target birds they wanted to watch were Lesser Birds of Paradise and King Bird of Paradise. They were happy to see them.