Indonesia: Sulawesi and Halmahera

Day 1: The tour begins this evening in Denpasar. Night in Denpasar, Bali.

I had been wanting to do an Indonesia tour for a long time, finally got to do it, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Loved Sulawesi and Halmahera.I’ve been on three tours with Susan. They are always excellent because she handles all facets of a tour in a very efficient and professional manner, from her obvious birding skills, to logistics, planning, etc. I certainly look forward to going on some more tours with her.Gerald Miller, Dec. 2109

Day 2: After breakfast, we’ll transfer to the airport for our flight to Makassar. On arrival, we’ll bird near the airport looking for Barred Buttonquail, Pale-headed Munia, Lemon-bellied White-eye, White-shouldered Triller, Javan Sparrow and possibly Pale-vented Myna. After lunch, we’ll drive to Ramang or Karaenta, remnant forest patches on limestone outcrops close to Makassar and home to our prime target, the very localized Black-ringed White-eye, a species restricted to southern Sulawesi. A number of other Sulawesi endemics also occur, and this morning’s outing will provide an excellent introduction to the island’s magical avifauna. In particular, we’ll keep a keen eye out for Sulawesi Streaked Flycatcher and Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, two species that can be hard to come by elsewhere. Sulawesi Babblers (one of the very few babblers to be found east of Wallace’s Line) sing from the undergrowth, noisy Hair-crested Drongos call from the roadside (the distinctive form here has a white eye), and the canopy is home to Grey-sided and Yellow-sided Flowerpeckers and Black Sunbirds, while Grey-rumped Treeswifts patrol above the forest. In open areas near Makassar, depending on water levels in the paddies, we may find such interesting species as Cinnamon Bittern, Woolly-necked Stork, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Pied Chat, Zitting Cisticola, White-breasted Woodswallow, and Scaly-breasted Munia. In the afternoon we’ll bird local fish ponds with another chance at finding Pale-headed Munia. Night in Makassar.

Day 3: After breakfast, we’ll fly to Palu, and continue by road to Lore Lindu National Park. This is essentially a travel day but we’ll have a chance to do some birding in paddy fields along the way. Night in Wuasa.

Days 4-6: This wonderful area supports most of Sulawesi’s montane species and offers fabulous birding. The Anaso Track and the surrounding forest is where most of the montane birds are found, and White-bellied Imperial Pigeon, with its remarkable call, Rufous-throated Flycatcher, Sulawesi Myzomela, and Yellow-bellied White-eye, among others, are possible.

On one day, we’ll walk uphill near the entrance to the Anaso Track in search of Red-eared Fruit-Dove, the rare Sombre Pigeon, flocks of Golden-mantled Racquet-tails, the mysterious Diabolical Nightjar, Maroon-backed Whistler, Pygmy Cuckoo-shrike, the enigmatic Geomalia, Sulawesi Thrush, and the thrilling Great Shortwing. We’ll make a special effort to find the Hylocitrea, formerly known as Olive-flanked Whistler and now in its own family.

On another day we’ll bird at the bottom of the track at Lake Tambing, where the surrounding forest supports still more excitement in the form of flocks of Yellow-and-green Lorikeets, Dark-eared Honeyeater, Rusty-bellied Fantail, and Ivory-backed Woodswallow.

On the remaining day we’ll walk roadsides in excellent forest in search of Piping Crow, Sulphur-bellied Whistler, and Cerulean Cuckoo-shrike, to name but a few. At night we’ll try for nightbirds, including Cinnabar Boobook and Minnahasa Masked Owl. Nights in Wuasa.

Day 7: After breakfast we’ll return by car to Palu, stopping again in the forests of Lore Lindu, and then in Oloboju to look for Savanna Nightjar on its nesting grounds. A number of open-country birds and waterbirds can be seen in the magnificent and ancient paddy fields stretching between the park and Palu. We’ll stop to check through the flocks of Chestnut Munias for the localized Black-faced Munia, and we may well see Lesser Coucal and Eastern Yellow Wagtail. We’ll have a delicious lunch at a floating restaurant on the way, after which we’ll transfer to Donggala and head to Tanjung Karang Beach. Night in Palu.

Day 8: After breakfast we’ll fly to Manado and continue by road to Kotamabagu, stopping for birds along the way. In the afternoon we’ll hope to find one of Sulawesi’s most enigmatic birds, the Maleo, and we have a very good chance of seeing them as they inspect their nests. Maleos lay their eggs colonially in the ground in areas where the soil is heated volcanically, leaving them unattended. The youngsters are able to fly strongly almost as soon as they come out of the egg! Unfortunately, predation, especially by humans, takes a massive toll (almost all the nesting grounds are known to the local people). At this site many of the eggs are taken to be reared in the safety of a hatchery, ensuring a considerably higher success rate than in the wild. Even so, the future of this wonderful species remains precarious. We’ll spend the day in the area searching for Maleo and other forest birds that abound here including an unusual isolated population of Spotted Harrier, Buff-banded and Barred Rails, White-browed Crake, the beautiful Black-naped Fruit-Dove, Sulawesi Black Pigeon, the secretive Yellow-breasted Racquet-tail, Black-billed Koel, Bay Coucal, the colorful Sulawesi Pitta, and Pied Cuckoo-Shrike. Night in Kotamabagu.

Day 9: We’ll bird this morning around Kotamabagu for more views of the remarkable Maleo. If we haven’t seen them yet, we’ll try for Stephan’s Dove, Large Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Purple-winged Roller, Pygmy Sulawesi Woodpecker, Ivory-backed Wood-swallow, and Yellow-breasted Racquet-tail. After lunch, we’ll drive to Tapakulintang, in Dumoga-Bone National Park. This is a great area for a host of Sulawesi’s wonderful forest birds, including Maroon-chinned Fruit-Dove, Yellow-billed Malkoha, and Ashy Woodpecker. With luck, we’ll also find one or more of the park’s scarcer inhabitants such as Sulawesi Ground-Dove or Rusty-backed Thrush. Night in Kotamabagu.

Day 10: After a full morning’s birding again in the forests of Tapakulintang, we’ll turn eastwards and return to Manado in preparation for tomorrow’s flight to Halmahera. Night in Manado.

Day 11: This morning we’ll take a short flight to the island of Ternate, where we’ll board a speedboat over to the town of Sidangoli on Halmahera. We’ll spend the day birding around Sidangoli before heading to the town of Binagara. Night in Binagara.

Day 12: This morning we’ll bird in the Atakajawe Lolobata National Park near Binagara. In the afternoon we’ll drive to the village of Subaim for a four-night stay. The Foli area to the north of Subaim was made famous in David Attenborough’s film on birds of paradise as the location of one of the display trees of the magnificent and rare Wallace’s Standardwing. This extraordinary bird of paradise occurs only on Halmahera and neighboring Bacan. Until its rediscovery in the 1980s, it was long thought to be extinct, and it is the prime reason for visiting this site. We’ll spend our time searching for the many Halmahera endemics that occur here, including the voluble Ivory-breasted Pitta, which can be found in good numbers. We’ll also do some night birding to find the strange Moluccan Owlet-nightjar, as well as Moluccan Scops Owl. Night in Subaim.

Days 13-14: This morning we’ll leave very early for the drive to Foli, when we arrive we must transfer to a 4WD vehicle for the rough but short drive up the hill to the site of the lek. Waiting under the Standardwing’s lekking tree at dawn, we’ll hear the loud display calls as the first glimmers of light appear through the canopy. As the sun rises, the activity rapidly increases, and gradually our monotone surroundings will be enlivened by flashes of glistening green breast-shields and orange legs. Before we know it, we’ll be engrossed in the spectacular display going on just a few meters above us. Males, with white standards sticking out in all directions, call loudly and suddenly leap into the air before parachuting back down to their perches in the hope of attracting a rather drab female. When one appears, she causes a near riot as rival males tussle over her attention. Its wolf-whistle-like calls echo around the forest, and before too long we should be able to track down this most impressive species. Other hoped-for species include Variable Goshawk, Dusky Scrubfowl, Scarlet-breasted, Blue-capped, and Grey-headed Fruit-Doves, Spectacled, Cinnamon-bellied, and Pied Imperial Pigeons, White Cockatoo (still fairly common despite the ongoing forest clearance), Red-flanked Lorikeet, Chattering and Violet-necked Lories (both declining due to trapping), Moluccan Hanging-Parrot, Red-cheeked, Eclectus, and Great-billed Parrots, Goliath Coucal, Blue-and-white and Sombre Kingfishers, Common Paradise-Kingfisher, Purple Roller, Blyth’s Hornbill, Moluccan, Halmahera, and White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrikes, Rufous-bellied Triller, Golden Bulbul, Long-billed Crow, Paradise Crow (actually a bird of paradise!), and Halmahera Oriole—Wallace’s famous friarbird mimic. Nights in Subaim.

Day 15: Making our way back to Sidangoli from Subaim, we’ll have another busy morning of birding on Halmahera in search of Moluccan Starling, Beach Kingfisher, Moustached Treeswift, and any others we may have missed until now. Of course, second and even third looks at many of the fabulous Halmahera endemics will be much appreciated! We’ll then cross back to Ternate, maybe spying Spinner Dolphins or Red-necked Phalaropes en route. After dinner in our lovely hotel, we can look for the endemic Blue-eyed Cuscus, a possum-like marsupial that lives in the surrounding gardens.

Day 16: After breakfast and some morning birding in hopes of North Moluccan Pitta, we’ll drive to the airport from where we’ll fly back to Manado. On arrival we’ll transfer to our vehicles for the three-hour drive to Tangkoko National Park in Sulawesi’s northeast. Night at Tangkoko.

Days 17-18: We’ll have two full days to explore the coastal and lowland forest of this wonderful park, which supports a good range of the region’s endemic birds. As we travel into the park we’ll bird the forest en route and should see many spectacular Wallacean species, such as Black-naped Fruit-Dove, the unusual Blue-backed Parrot, Yellow-billed Malkoha, and Ashy Woodpecker. This park is amazing for kingfishers, and we’ll look for Ruddy, Lilac-cheeked, Great-billed, and the Green-backed Kingfishers, as well as the diminutive Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher. The park boasts a healthy population of the remarkable Knobbed Hornbill as well as a unique monkey, Sulawesi Crested Macaque. Weather permitting, during the heat of the middle of one day we’ll take a boat out to an area of mangroves in search of Great-billed Kingfisher and White-rumped Cuckoo-shrike. As darkness falls in the evenings we’ll walk into the forest in search of the amazing Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier; we have an excellent chance of finding (and photographing) these diminutive primates at dusk as they exit from their shelter in the huge fig trees that are a feature of this area. At dusk on another day, we might see the huge, harrier-like Great Eared Nightjar floating over the forest, and at night we have a good chance of finding Ochre-bellied Boobook as well as, perhaps, the rather cute Speckled Boobook and Sulawesi Scops Owl.  Nights in Tangkoko National Park.

Days 19-20: We’ll spend the early morning birding in Tangkoko again before heading back towards Manado and up into the highlands of Tomohon above the city. In the nearby Mahawu forest we’ll look for montane species, including a chance of the elusive Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Isabelline Bush-hen, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker among others. We’ll start our birding this afternoon concentrating our efforts on the Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, the star bird of the area. Nights in Tomohon.

Day 21: This morning we’ll head back down the hill to Manado Airport where the tour concludes. 

2023 Narrative

With Indonesia known to have the most endemic birds of any country as well as ranking fourth in the number of bird species overall, there is no doubt that birding here is full of excitement. And the strangely shaped islands of Sulawesi and Halmahera are two of the most biodiverse landmasses in the archipelago of over 15,000 islands!

Makassar, Rammang Rammang, & Karaenta

After leaving Bali for our journey into lesser-known parts of Indonesia, our first stop was the city of Makassar, the largest city in Eastern Indonesia located in South Sulawesi. Our main aim was to see the localized endemic Black-ringed White-eye, which has a small range just to the west of this sprawling city. We soon found ourselves exploring the lovely and much quieter natural area, but very hot, Rammang Rammang Karst Reserve about an hour’s drive from the city. Before too long we were rewarded with some excellent sightings including the white-eye and other endemic birds such as Sulawesi Serpent-Eagle, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, and Sulawesi Babbler. A great start to our birding adventure! The next morning, we drove up into the jagged limestone karst reserve of Karaenta in hopes of more exciting finds. We weren’t disappointed with sightings of Yellow-billed Malkoha, Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbills, Ashy Woodpecker, and Green-backed Kingfisher all while we enjoyed our first of many picnic breakfasts.

Lore Lindu

From Makassar, we next flew to Palu, in Central Sulawesi, our jumping-off point for our next destination – Lore Lindu National Park. After a long drive, we arrived in the small village of Wuasa where we spent the next few nights as we explored this wonderfully birdy area. The area around Lake Tambing located in the park’s north is particularly good for birding and we spent many hours here with highlights including splendid Knobbed Hornbills, plentiful and noisy Yellow-cheeked Lorikeets, smart Cerulean and Pygmy Cuckooshrikes, Ivory-backed Woodswallows, Malias…and the list goes on. So many endemic birds, so much excitement. We spent a quite strenuous day climbing the famous Anaso Track, an old logging road that is now impassable to vehicles but fantastic for birding. We had two major targets (and some minor ones, too) here – the Hylocitrea, a seemingly unassuming bird that is now assigned to its own, unique family, and the fabulously named Diabolical Nightjar. We succeeded admirably in our quest and then some more, with additions to our ever-burgeoning list including White-eared Myza, Sulawesi Fantail, and Sulawesi Leaf Warbler, although a heard-only Spot-tailed Goshawk was somewhat annoying! Further explorations around Lake Tambing turned up a sighting of one of Sulawesi’s rarest birds, the Geomalia, that has recently and amazingly taken up residence in the campground. Who knows how much longer this bird will be gettable here, or anywhere for that matter, given its usual elusive nature.

Further afield, we successfully explored some agricultural areas where the extensive paddyfields are still home to many excellent birds, of special note being the ghost-like Australasian Grass Owl. We did exceptionally well for nightbirds during our stay in Wuasa with sightings not only of the grass owl, but of the superb Sulawesi Masked Owl, Speckled Boobook, Sulawesi Scops Owl, and best of all, the Cinnabar Boobook, first described as recently as 1999. On our return to Palu we made a brief stop for Savanna Nightjar, which we know from their roosting site in a hot and bare patch of overgrown scrub, Pale-headed Munias and Lemon-bellied White-eyes were an added bonus. Closer to town we explored some rice paddies where the ready-to-harvest seed heads were attracting big numbers of Streaked and Baya Weavers, and various species of munia.

Palu to Makassar to Manado

After making our seemingly endless journey north to Manado, we met our lovely driver Jonly, and Albert and Annie, and made our way to Kotomabagu, our home for the next three nights.

Dumoga Boné National Park

With great excitement, we set out to the fabulously named Bogani Nani Wartaboné National Park which is one of the last strongholds for the awesome Maleo, the world’s largest Megapode. We were even more excited when we were greeted by Max with the words “the Maleo is right here!” Even before our breakfast, we were marveling at point-blank views of this rare and remarkable bird, that builds its nests in the sandy geothermal soils of this area. But these weren’t the only birds we observed here, not by a long shot. Purple-winged Rollers, White-rumped Triller, Sulawesi Cicadabird, Pale-blue Monarch, and more, rounded out an excellent list. A morning on the Molibagu Road turned up some nice birds, the highlights being a group of migrating Chinese Goshawks and some very responsive Crimson Sunbirds.

Halmahera

We next flew from Manado to the island city of Ternate. Although its name has somewhat faded into obscurity, this bright and bustling city was once one of the richest in the world when it was the largest producer of cloves in the 1500s, and trade with Portugal and Spain was at its peak. Today it is the biggest city in the North Molucca Province and the gateway to the much larger island of Halmahera to its east. But we soon headed to the dock to board our speedboat and crossed the Ternate Strait to Sofifi, the quiet capital of the province. Our next destination was Roji’s Place located within the Aketajawe National Park. We birded here for a full morning, the most exciting sighting by far being the simply stunning Ivory-breasted Pitta, the largest pitta in the world as attested by its scientific name Pitta maxima. With several other regional endemics now on the list, we next made our way to the remote town of Subaim, where we planned to spend the next few nights. At Foli we enjoyed a fantastic morning that began with an adventurous 4WD ride up the steep and rocky mountain to the trailhead for our quest to see the dawn lekking of the Wallace’s Standardwing, surely the world’s strangest bird-of-paradise. The whole area was very rewarding for other birds, too with sightings of Cinnamon-bellied Imperial Pigeon, Blyth’s Hornbill, Blue-and-white Kingfisher, Moluccan Eclectus, Violet-necked Lory, and more. The nearby Uni Uni Road proved to be equally exciting bird-wise, with Moluccan Goshawk, Moluccan King Parrot, Halmahera Paradise-crow, and White-streaked Friarbird being standout highlights. Without a doubt, the incredible Scarlet-breasted Fruit-Dove was the most exciting find here, though.

Making our way back to Ternate via Sidangoli along the island’s west coast, we stopped for some more birding at various locations. We added some more great birds to our list, including the secretive Sombre Kingfisher, Goliath Coucal (which well and truly lives up to its name), Moluccan Hanging-Parrot, handsome Beach Kingfishers, the dainty Moluccan Flycatcher, Azure Roller, Moluccan Starling, and Halmahera Flowerpecker. On our boat trip back to Ternate, despite the difficulty of birding from these very enclosed fast boats, we had some glimpses of Red-necked Phalaropes and a big pod of gorgeous and playful Spinner Dolphins.

Tangkoko

Tangkoko National Park is truly a birding paradise. During our stay here, we had a productive boat trip on the mangrove river in the north of the park, where success came quickly in the form of the impressive Great-billed Kingfisher and the scarce White-rumped Cuckooshrike. Multiple visits to the Tangkoko Lookout, a roadside pullout overlooking a large expanse of wonderful forest, paid off with several exceptional species of pigeons such as White-faced Cuckoo-Dove, White-bellied Imperial-Pigeon, and Silver-tipped Imperial-Pigeon, as well as diverse parrots, raptors, and mynas. Explorations of the park, with the help of the incredibly knowledgeable local rangers, were equally fruitful. One of the most fascinating highlights of the non-avian species was the exceptionally adorable Gorsky’s Spectral Tarsier, a nocturnal primate that has a propensity for concealing itself in the crevices of the numerous strangler figs scattered throughout the forest.

During our visit to Sulawesi and Halmahera, we were amazed by the variety of kingfishers that we encountered, especially here in Tangkoko. We were fortunate enough to spot a remarkable five different species of kingfishers during our stay. In addition to this, we also observed many other remarkable bird species such as the White-faced Cuckoo-Dove, Sulawesi Hawk-Eagle, Ochre-bellied Boobook, Azure-rumped Parrot, Rusty-backed Thrush, and White-necked Myna. Overall, it was an incredible experience with a diverse range of bird species to admire.

Tomohon

During our last expedition to the chilly, high-altitude mountains near Manado, we set ourselves the challenge of finding the last and most elusive of the endemic kingfishers. It proved to be a tough task, as the bird didn’t make it easy for us to navigate through the dense, rooty forest. However, thanks to Bobby’s tireless efforts, we finally succeeded in locating it and everyone was able to enjoy amazing views of the bird. With this discovery, our total count of kingfisher species reached an incredible thirteen.

Our other main goal during our visit was to observe the stunning Sulawesi Pitta, a bird with vibrant red and blue colors that frequently visit a feeding station maintained by Epi and his brother, two local bird watchers who work to ensure the protection of this endemic species. The presence of international bird watchers like us not only provides financial support but also helps to increase visibility and awareness for these conservation efforts. This is true for many of the places we visit on our tours.

Sadly, this brought us to the end of our journey through some of the most exciting birding areas of Indonesia. Epi made sure to give us a memorable send-off, dressed in traditional Minahasa attire that is worn by warriors or waranei who take part in the Kabasaran martial arts and war dance. I’d be scared!

I wanted to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for such a productive and enjoyable birding trip around these fascinating islands.

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