Birds of Paradise in Rainforest of Sorong Regency

Lesser Birds of Paradise

Sorong city as the gate to Raja Ampat islands has got its own attraction. There is tropical rainforest in the east of the regency that is the natural habitat of several species of birds of paradise such as Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor), Magnificent Riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus), Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus), and King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius).
To watch those birds, tourists need at least 3 days/ 2 nights to explore the rainforest of Klabolo. There are simple huts in the forest for visitors to stay and to enjoy birdwatching. Villagers work as cooks, local guides, and porters.

Magnificent Riflebird

As a tourist guide, I have organized tours for hundreds of tourists to Klabolo forest of Sorong regency. During the tours, participants have the opportunities to see birds of paradise and a lot of other birds including palm cockatoo, yellow-faced myna, golden myna, rainbow bee-eater, pinon imperial pigeon, lowland peltop, grey goshawk, variable goshawk, pink spotted fruit dove, orange-bellied fruit dove, beautiful fruit dove, great cuckoo dove, oriental dollarbird, azure kingfisher, yellow-billed kingfisher, red-breasted paradise kingfisher, forest kingfisher, black lory, large fig parrot, red-cheeked parrot, eclectus parrot, sulphur crested cockatoo, palm cockatoo and, blyth's hotnbill, even the northern cassowary.
Booking
Please, contact me by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180

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• Birdwatching in Sulawesi
• Birdwatching and butterflywatching in Sonder

Manokwari Wildlife Tour

Hiking tour in Manokwari

I offer a 3-day/ 2-night hiking, birding, wildlife watching and camping in tropical rainforest of Manokwari. During the tour, participants will stay in the jungle to watch paradise birds, cuscus possum, tree dragon lizard, and see green vegetation of Susnguakti forest of Arfak mountains. Participants of the tour need to bring binoculars and camera with telephoto lenses if they want to watch and take pictures of wild animals in the forest. A spotting scope is good too but not a must. There are basecamps in the forest, mattrasses, pillows, as well as cooking and eating utensils. There are dome tents tent function like a mini bedroom and mosquito nets for visitors who want to stay for several nights.
During the tour we will do morning, and afternoon walks in the forest to find Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor), King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus magnificus), Rufous-bellied Kookaburra (Dacelo gaudichaud), and Coconut Lorikeet as well as Great Cuckoo Dove, Common Paradise Kingfisher and Hooded Butcherbird. We will also do night walks to find cuscus possum, bandicoot, ground brown skink, and even the glowing mushrooms. Local villager will immitate the sounds of female cuscus possum to attract the male one. When the calls are being carried out, everybody must turn off his or her flashlights/ torch.
Visitors from French, Switzerland, the Philipines, German, the USA, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Czech, China, South Korea, Sweden and Australia used to visit Susnguakti forest.
Please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com

Birding Adventure in Sorong Forest

Oriental Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis)

Birding in Sorong Ridge Forest

Sorong is a city in West Papua province of Indonesia. It is the gate to Raja Ampat which is a famous destination for snorkeling and scuba diving. Most visitors who want to visit Raja Ampat will need to fly to Sorong city. They may have one or two days in the city before continuing their trip to the island. Taking a tour to a forest will increase the adventure experience of tourists about West Papua's nature. There is a forest area in the regency that is the natural habitat of various species of birds such as: Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), Variable Goshawk (Accipiter hiogaster), Olive-crowned Sunbird (Dicaeum pectorale), Yellow-bellied Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis), Hooded Butcherbird (Cracticus cassicus), Helmetted Friarbird (Philemon buceroides), Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus), Yellow-faced Myna (Mino dumontii), Oriental Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis), Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus), Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus), Black Lory (Chalcopsitta atra), Coconut Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus), Pinon Imperial Pigeon (Ducula pinon), Rufous-bellied Kookaburra (Dacelo gaudichaud), Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor), King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius), Magnificent Riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus), and a lot more.

Rainbow Bee-eater in Sorong forest

Visitors who want to do land tour in Sorong city before or after their trip can take this rainforest hiking and birding tour. To do birding in this forest, visitors need to bring their own binoculars such as the Swarovski EL 8.5×42, Swarovski SLC 10×42, Nikon Monarch 5 10×42 or the more affordable Visionking 10×42 mm.
Since our birding tour is carried out along a mountain ridge, bringing a spotting scope will greatly enhance the birding experience.

Duration of The Birding Tour

The birding adventure in Sorong forest can be as short as 1 day to as long as 3 or 4 days. For day birding tour, participants can start by leaving their hotels at 05.00 and return to the hotel again at approximately 18.00. Birding in the forest for the whole day and going back to the hotel in the evening is one of the most convenient way to see tropical birds of West Papua in Sorong city.

What to bring for Birding in Sorong forest

• Birding gear: binoculars and spotting scope
• Wear hiking boots or sportshoes
• Insect repellent lotion or spray
• Some biscuits and a bottle of water
• Field guide-book: Birds of New Guinea written by Thane K. Pratt and Bruce Beehler

Booking

If you are interested in taking this birding adventure tour, please, contact me by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by text message to my whatsapp: +6281332245180.

Pinon Imperial Pigeon

Pinon Imperial Pigeon

Pinon Imperial Pigeon (Ducula pinon) lives in tropical rainforest of West Papua. They are important seed dispersers that maintain the forest. April is the mating season of the bird. When I guided a Canadian tourist a few days ago, I saw some Pinon Imperial Pigeon mating in trees. Because they were bigger than the average birds, I could take several good pictures of them. In addition to pigeons, I also saw Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Rainbow Bee-eater and Oriental Dollarbird in the forest.Walking deeper into the jungle, I could see Lesser Birds of Paradise performing courtship dance to attract their female birds.

It is the source of protein for some people.  The bird has been hunted for years. The availability of air gun in certain places such as in Manokwari and Sorong, have increased the hunting of the birds at an alarming rate. 

From my personal experience, in the villages where I introduce birdwatching tourism, the hunting of birds have been stopped. The population of birds has been restored.

Visitors need to bring binoculars or a spotting scope in order to watch birds in Indonesia. Two weeks ago, I guided two tourists from France on a hiking, camping, and birding trip to Susnguakti forest. We watched Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, and Magnificent Riflebird as well as other tropical birds during the day and we did night walk to watch cuscus possum. One of the tourists carried a pair of Olympus 10×42 EXPS I binoculars. Birding gear from famous brands such as Nikon, Leica, Swarovski are also used by avid birders. 

If you are interested in Birding in West Papua, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Also read:
Beautiful Fruit Dove

Birding in Fulgidus Forest of Tambrauw Regency

Fulgidus is the name of forest in West Papua that I promote as birding destination for visitors who want to watch birds especially the ones that are endemic to tropical rainforest such as Lesser Birds of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, King Bird of Paradise, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, and Western Crowned Pigeon, Western Black-capped Lory, Yellow-faced Myna, Golden Myna, and etc.
Visitors need a pair of binoculars, and spotting scope to enjoy birding in Fulgidus forest. Wearing darker color clothing, hiking boots or sport shoes is important for exploring the rainforest and birds of the forest.

Getting to Fulgidus forest

It is not difficult to go to Fulgidus forest of Tambrauw Mountains. You need to take an international flight from your country to Jakarta. It is the  capital of Indonesia. There are such airlines as Garuda, Batik, Sriwijaya and NAM air that provide regular flights to Sorong city of West Papua province. I could organize your trip to Fulgidus forest to watch paradise birds, see unique plants of Tambrauw.

Booking
For detailed itinerary and cost calculation, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send text message to: +6281332245180.