Sulawesi and Halmahera
27th September - 16th October 2009
Leader: Rob Hutchinson
Participants: Nick Davies, Keith Fisher, Martin Lindop,
Brian Sykes and Howard Winer.
Purple-bearded Bee-eater, Lore Lindu © tour participant Martin Lindop
Our second Sulawesi and Halmahera tour of the year again provided fantastic birding including some of the worlds most sort after birds, among them displaying Wallace’s Standardwing, Ivory-breasted Pitta, Chattering Lory, Moluccan Owlet Nightjar, Maleo, Purple-winged Roller, Purple-bearded Bee-eater, Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher, Green-backed Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Great Shortwing, Sulawesi Thrush, Maroon-backed Whistler, Matinan Flycatcher, Cinnabar Boobook, Diabolical Nightjar and many more.
We also recorded some of the rarer birds in the region including Moluccan Scrubfowl, the rare Purple Dollarbird and even a brief sighting of the enigmatic Invisible Rail on Halmahera. On Sulawesi an undescribed muscicapa flycatcher, Small Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Yellow-crested Cockatoo, Vinous-breasted Sparrowhawk, Scaly Kingfisher and Geomalia.
On the first morning of the tour we started at a small marsh near the town where White-browed Crakes were surprisingly abundant but the Rufous Night Herons present earlier had already headed off to roost. Continuing south-west we made stops for the commoner herons and egrets, along with flocks of Java Sparrow. After lunch in Kotamabagu we began our serious birding with a visit to the Maleo breeding grounds at Tambun. There were no Maleo on show this first afternoon but we did find other excellent birds. Both Sulawesi Honey Buzzard and Rufous-bellied Eagle soared over nearby ridges and at the forest edge were our first Yellow-billed Malkoha, Black-billed Koel, Himalayan Cuckoo, Sulawesi Triller, Pale Blue Monarch and Sulawesi Black Pigeon together with Maroon-chinned Fruit Dove, the latter an endemic restricted to lowland rainforests and thus very threatened by forest clearance.
Close views allowed us to fully appreciate the colourful endemic Yellow-billed Malkoha and the more widespread but equally attractive Red-bellied Pitta, both at Tangkoko on Sulawesi.
© Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia and tour participant Martin Lindop respectively
Next morning we made an early morning start to Gunung Ambang adding fantastic views of three Sulawesi Masked Owls and a single Speckled Boobook perched by the roadside along the way. On the mountain we couldn’t tease the calling Cinnabar Boobook into view and the only thing in the spotlight was a sleepy Sulawesi Babbler. Daylight bought a flood of new birds, the main target took some finding but we eventually tracked down the Matinan Flycatcher, although not much to look at this was nevertheless one of the rarest birds of the tour! As this was our first morning in the mountains we added plenty of new birds including Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Rusty-bellied Fantail, Large Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Streak-headed White-eye, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker and Ashy Woodpecker. In the surrounding fields we found Black Kites (the only place where we regularly encounter them during these tours) and Spotted Kestrel. After lunch we drove out to the edge of Dumoga-Bone National Park for a two-night stay at Tarout and in the afternoon made our way across the river to explore the forest patch there. In the forest we found another Maroon-chinned Fruit Dove, Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, Small Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, more Sulawesi Trillers and a Lesser Fish Eagle. Bay Coucals were typically skulking in the thickest tangles but we had good views with patience while at a convenient forest clearing we had perched views of Yellow-breasted Racquet-tails, Blue-backed Parrot and Pied Cuckooshrike. An evening excursion into the forest gave fine views of Ochre-bellied Boobook in the spotlight.
The next morning we returned again to Tambun, calling out a Sulawesi Nightjar which circled around us at dawn. On this occasion the Maleo performed admirably with prolonged scope views of four individuals. The sterling work of the Wildlife Conservation Society in protecting these birds from human predation of their eggs is certainly paying dividends and we were even able to see a juvenile Maleo newly born in the hatchery prior to its release into the forest. Also here we found distantly perched Sulawesi Crested Myna, Gould’s Bronze Cuckoo, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit Dove and flyover Golden-mantled Racquet-tail. While roadside birding nearby found Barred Rail, Isabelline Bush-hen and a flushed covey of Barred Buttonquail. Our journey back to Tarout gave a fine flyby male Spotted Harrier and a roosting Speckled Boobook enlivened our lunch break. Our remaining afternoon and early morning in the area was spent along the forested road leading to Molibagu finding some difficult birds. Perched views of two difficult accipiters; Sulawesi Goshawk and Vinous-breasted Sparrowhawk were appreciated along with good numbers of passing Chinese Goshawk, Sulawesi Honey Buzzard, Sulawesi Hawk Eagle and Sulawesi Serpent Eagle. Himalayan Cuckoo – a winter visitor – was seen again, more Golden-mantled Racquet-tails screeched overhead, both White-necked Myna and Small Sulawesi Hanging Parrot shared the same bare tree and two Sulawesi Cicadabirds were to be the only sighting of the tour.
Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher and Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher. Just two of the spectacular endemic kingfishers seen during the tour, both photos from Tangkoko, Sulawesi. A total of 13 kingfisher species seen during the tour included 7 found only on these islands! © Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia and tour participant Martin Lindop
It was then time to make the long drive to Tangkoko and after a welcome break with delicious seafood in Manado we spent the late afternoon at a great lookout point overlooking the extensive forests of Tangkoko. Numerous Silver-tipped Imperial Pigeons, Blue-backed Parrots and a single male Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill were noted but the highlight was no less than three Yellow-crested Cockatoo’s – a critically endangered species which seems to be making a return to this area after being absent for several years.
Our next two days were spent within the Tangkoko National Park where all targets performed brilliantly. Kingfishers are a big target here and we had no difficulties getting close and prolonged views of Green-backed, Lilac-cheeked, Ruddy and Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfishers. The other available endemic – the immense Great-billed Kingfisher – was rather shyer during a trip into the mangroves giving only flight views but the later trip did give our only Sacred Kingfishers of the tour and great views of Great-billed Herons on the nearby fish-traps. Back in the forest we found a very obliging Red-bellied Pitta, several Red-backed Thrushes, a Sulawesi Nightjar with a fluffy juvenile and a pair of Sulawesi Scops Owls were seen during the day and Ochre-bellied Boobooks were seen both at night and during daylight. Purple-winged Rollers eventually gave excellent views as did several Tabon Scrubfowl, an obliging Spot-tailed Goshawk, a juvenile Sulawesi Hawk Eagle, feeding Yellow-breasted Racquet-tail and several Ashy Woodpeckers. In more open habitats were more Silver-tipped Imperial Pigeons, Black-naped Fruit Doves, Grey-cheeked and Pink-necked Green Pigeons, Ornate Lorikeets, White-rumped Cuckooshrike and an Australasian Reed Warbler. Special mention needs to be made of Tangkoko’s mammalian highlights; endearing Spectral Tarsiers gave an amazing performance and entertaining Sulawesi Crested Macaques patrolled the forest like miniature Gorillas.
With a key species missing, we again made last minute changes to allow our last morning in north Sulawesi to be spent in the forests of a volcano south of Manado. This was a great success when Howard’s sharp eyes picked out a smart male Scaly Kingfisher perched close, this is one of the islands more difficult endemics and a definite trip highlight. Our remaining time here allowed us to find several Sulawesi Blue Flycatchers, Sulawesi Myzomela and the universally scarce Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker which can sometimes take a lot of effort to locate. It was then time to head back to Manado for our flight into the Indonesian province of Maluku, landing on the island of Ternate. The boat ride from Ternate to Halmahera began well with a close flyover Aleutian tern just moments after leaving the harbour and finished in style with a vocal pair of Beach Kingfishers in the mangroves at Sigangoli.The late afternoon was spent in the nearby hills enjoying our first endemics such as Grey-headed Fruit Dove, White Cockatoo, Blyth’s Hornbill, Grey-throated Goshawk and magnificent views of a pair of massive Gurney’s Eagles, perched and later flying over the ridge-tops.
A selection of endemic night-birds seen during the tour, clockwise from top left; Sulawesi Scops Owl at Tangkoko, Speckled Boobook at Dumoga-Bone, Ochre-bellied Boobook at Tangkoko and Diabolical Nightjar at Lore Lindu. © Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia
The next morning was one of the most eagerly anticipated of the trip and we started early for a trek through the forest in the dark in order to reach a lek of Wallace’s Standardwing before dawn. During the walk we had time for a little night-birding and this proved productive with an imposing Moluccan Scops Owl staring down at us with fierce yellow eyes, and the odd looking Moluccan Owlet Nightjar doing likewise. Even before dawn the weird cries from the standardwings began to ring around the forest and as the light improved we all enjoyed this spectacular bird-of-paradise as they called from display perches with white ‘standards’ held aloft and green breast shields extended. Just as it seems the birds had gone quiet and finished their displayed they returned again and this time we were privileged to see two males in close competition with one hanging upside-down on the branch next to the other!
There were other good birds around and we eventually found a Sombre Kingfisher perched in the canopy, a smart male Scarlet-breasted Fruit Dove, Golden Whistler, Common Paradise Kingfisher and a young Dusky Scrubfowl which obligingly flew up into a nearby tree.
In the afternoon we relaxed during the drive north to Tobelo then after dinner half the party set off to the volcanic sands of a nearby beach, where Moluccan Scrubfowl have for centuries been visiting to lay their eggs. On a beautifully calm evening we were grateful not to wait long as one of these beautifully marked megapodes was found on the first check of the beach and posed nicely in the spotlight before we headed back for an earlier-than-expected sleep.
Colourful parrots abound on Halmahera including Chattering Lory which is undergoing a rapid decline due to capture for the cage-bird trade. Violet-necked Lory is not regularly taken and is still seen in good numbers. © Tour participants Nick Davies and Martin Lindop
The next morning we headed south again and made the boat journey across the bay to the village of Foli seeing numerous Red-necked Phalaropes, Brown Booby, and several terns comprising Roseate, Common, White-winged Black, Whiskered, Great Crested, Bridled and a single Sooty Tern. The old logging road at Foli would form the focus for our search of most of the remaining island endemics and during our three days here we explored various parts of the logging road and several side trails. The open partly logged forest here provides great birding with easy viewing of Moustached Treeswift, White-streaked Friarbird, Drab Whistler, Slaty Flycatcher, Northern Golden Bulbul, Rufous-bellied Triller, Common Cicadabird, Moluccan Cuckooshrike, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Halmahera Cuckooshrike, Dusky-brown Oriole and Blue-and-white Kingfisher to name just a few! We also enjoyed several more sightings of Dusky Scrubfowl which even came out onto the road occasionally in the early mornings, while Cream-throated White-eyes frequented the very scrubbiest habit and newly arrived Gray’s Grasshopper Warblers chacked away from the thickets, giving good views for some.
In one particularly profitable forest area we finally found a pair of Ivory-breasted Pitta which gave good if brief views on the ground but spectacular flight views right over our heads. This forest was also the place where the enigmatic Invisible Rail put in a brief appearance but never reappeared despite some very patient waiting in the area. The forest here did hold furtive Paradise Crows, very dapper White-naped Monach and a big surprise in the form of the rare Purple Dollarbird passing overhead, calling loudly.
The open nature of the forest is also ideal for viewing parrots and pigeons and we had particularly good views of Violet-necked Lory, large flocks of Red-flanked Lorikeets, Eclectus Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Great-billed Parrot, Moluccan Hanging Parrot and on several occasions the beautiful but rare Chattering Lory. Endemic Moluccan Imperial Pigeons and Cinnamon-bellied Imperial Pigeons often perched conspicuously, Pied Imperial Pigeon and Brown Cuckoo Doves were common and we noted their distinctiveness from the birds on Sulawesi. Grey-headed Fruit Doves were particularly abundant but it took some work to find a group of the diminutive Blue-capped Fruit Dove.
Pacific Baza gave nice views both perched and in flight and on the coastline near our guesthouse Pacific Golden Plover, Greater Sand Plover and Whimbrel were all regulars A big effort on the first night easily found our only missing night-bird, Halmahera Boobook which finished the evening by giving point-blank views by the roadside.
On the boat trip back across the bay we spotted a close Aleutian Tern, another Brown Booby and a single Black-naped Tern before we drove back south to Sidangoli for an overnight stay.
Despite much effort we were still missing one key endemic from our time at Foli so on our last morning we made a last attempt in the hills outside Sidangoli and were soon rewarded when a fruiting tree gave an obliging Halmahera Flowerpecker perched for as long as we liked in the scope together with Blue-capped Fruit Doves and another pair of Chattering Lory.
We then headed back to Ternate to connect with our flight to Makassar in south Sulawesi. On arrival we headed straight to nearby Bantimurung but this proved quiet with only a pair of the distinctive hispidoides Common Kingfisher found, this resident race being a likely future split from the more familiar migrant birds. The journey back to Makassar city found Woolly-necked Storks in the rice fields and Pacific and House Swifts overhead.
Two of the rarest birds of the tour were rather subtle in appearance. This muscicapa flycatcher, photographed at Bantimurung, was first reported just 10 years ago and has still not been formally described. Around the same time the rare Matinan Flycatcher was rediscovered at Gunung Ambang where this one was photographed. © tour participant Martin Lindop
The next morning we left early to Karaenta to make the most of the early morning cool. The area was unusually quiet (the birds that is, not the traffic!) but we plugged away and found our targets; the key species here is Black-ringed White-eye which showed well just after our picnic breakfast but other interesting birds included local races of White-necked Myna (with yellow bill tip) and Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill (here with distinct black lines at the bill base). We again found Sulawesi Goshawk perched before heading down again to Bantimurung. Bantimurung was decidedly more active than the previous afternoon and came up trumps with a streaky-breasted muscicapa flycatcher, this taxon, presumed to be a new species was reported for the first time by Ben King as recently as 1997 and which is still awaiting formal description. We soon realized that we were seeing an adult feeding a juvenile and spent some time studying this exciting event. Heading back towards the airport we had just enough time to visit nearby fishponds, finding but most of the waders were distant and only Terek Sandpiper and Eurasian Curlew were of note. We did find our first White-shouldered Triller and a Zitting Cisticola was unusually obliging.
Our flight north to Palu was on time and we were soon on our way to Lore Lindu with stops along the way to enjoy a flock of the restricted-range Pale-headed Munia. Based in the nearby Napu valley we spent the next 4 ½ days exploring the adjacent Lore Lindu National Park which protects some truly magnificent montane forests.
Nice studies of two Sulawesi endemic mynas; Finch-billed Myna (left) and Fiery-browed Myna (right), both photographed at Lore Lindu. © Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia and Martin Lindop
Much of our time was spent in the lower parts of the forest along the roadside which easily provided great views of many targets. Among these Cerulean Cuckooshrike and Pygmy Cuckooshrike soon appeared, Sulawesi Drongo and Lesser Sulawesi Honeyeater were also new and big flocks of feeding Yellow-and-green Lorikeets allowed great views of this furtive species. As early as our first morning we scored here with a male Great Shortwing which hopped around us at close range, a Sulawesi Thrush perched quietly in the scope and group of Malia fed noisily nearby. In the more open parts of the forest we teased Chestnut-backed Bush Warblers out of the undergrowth and a Sulawesi Ground Dove wandered out onto the path close by but almost immediately took flight again.
Our first try in an area favoured by the skulking Maroon-backed Whistler drew a blank but on our second attempt we enjoyed prolonged views of a pair of these difficult birds. The same forest gave several good observations of Blue-faced Parrotfinch and a forest pond here gave close views of both Pacific Black Duck and Sunda Teal.
The famous Anaso Track, an old logging road which is the only such track to give easy access to the higher forests is sadly no longer accessible by vehicle so all our explorations were on foot. Fortunately the great birding distracted us from the effort of the uphill hike. As early as our first visit we scored great views of one of our major targets, the fascinating Geomalia, bounding along the track ahead of us. This strange bird which still defies accurate classification might be a thrush, a babbler or maybe something completely different, and we were happy to get a chance to study this odd bird in the field. Other highlights included frequent sightings of Mountain Serin although typically most were flyovers, Golden-mantled Racquet-tails finally gave good perched views, more Crimson-crowned Flowerpeckers showed and Greater Sulawesi Honeyeaters were common at higher altitudes.
Both Grey-headed Imperial Pigeon and Red-eared Fruit Doves gave fine looks along the Anaso track and it was also the place where we enjoyed another highly desirable speciality, namely Purple-bearded Bee-eater, surely one of the finest of this amazing family. They were very conspicuous during our stay as they nest in the trackside banks, with at least ten individuals seen. Obliging day-roosting Diabolical Nightjars were photogenic but we also enjoyed some close night-time encounters as they fed along the track. Finally the fascinating Yellow-flanked Whistler (recently been shown to be related to the waxwings and far removed from the whistlers!) showed at least twice and another Sulawesi Ground Dove was flushed from the side of the track.
Brief visits to the lower parts of the valley produced many White-bellied Imperial Pigeons together with even bigger flocks of Grey-headed Imperial Pigeon. Sulawesi Serpent Eagle, Sulawesi Hawk Eagle and Rufous-bellied Eagle all gave repeat views down here, Tawny Grassbird eventually showed and we added Lemon-bellied White-eyes which are absent from the higher areas. These lower reaches are also the home of Sulawesi Swiftlets, easily separated from Uniform Swiftlets by their clear white rump, and we saw the largest flocks of Purple Needletails recorded during the tour.
One of Sulawesi most desirable endemic – the fascinating Geomalia - again showed very well for our second tour this year, as these photos by tour participants Martin Lindop (left) and Nick Davies (right) attest. A clear winner in the ‘bird-of-the-trip’ voting.
Night-birding forays easily found Cinnabar Boobook on each attempt, amazing to think that they were only confirmed here for the first time in 2007! Minahassa Owl on the other hand was calling in the distance could not be teased closer.
On our final afternoon it was time to head back to Palu but before indulging in the hot showers we still had time to finish our birding in style. A bird-filled couple of hours around a scrubby river bed outside of Palu held good numbers of Pale-headed Munia, White-shouldered Triller, Savanna Nightjar and both Red-backed and Barred Buttonquails made for some great final birding.
Our total of 278 species recorded included 3 species heard only.
Click here to view the Systematic Bird List
Click here to download the report as a pdf
For information regarding our scheduled tours to Sulawesi and Halmahera please click here. Alternatively please contact us via e-mail regarding organising a custom tour to Sulawesi and Halmahera.
Tour photo gallery
The sterling work by the Wildlife Conservation Society at Tambun in Sulawesi is helping the fragile Maleo population to recover. During our visits we were lucky to see a recently fledged juvenile in the hatchery and fine views of 5 adults. © Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia
Tangkoko is home to two very popular mammals; the gorilla-like Sulawesi Crested Macaques which patrol the forest in large gangs and the cute Spectral Tarsier which emerges from their roost trees just prior to dusk. © Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia
White-streaked Friarbird was a regular visitor to aflowering tree near our accommodation at Foli, where the old logging road produced Cinnamon-bellied Imperial Pigeons. © Nick Davies and Martin Lindop
People-bearded Bee-eater is always a star bird, beaten by only the Geomalia as bird-of the-tour. Purple-winged Roller at Tangkoko also gave good views. © Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia
Bay Coucal at Tangkoko and Cerulean Cuckooshrike at Lore Lindu are both endemic to Sulawesi. ©Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia
Two species in need of taxonomic revision! The distinctive local race of Hair-crested Drongo on Sulawesi with its gleaming white eye receives little attention but surely represents a separate species. Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher on the other hand is now widely regarded as separate from Mangrove Blue Flycatcher with which it was formerly lumped. © tour participants Nick Davies and Martin Lindop
Another endemic kingfisher, this time a confiding Green-backed Kingfisher, gave great photographic opportunities at Tangkoko. © Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia and Martin Lindop
Two big pigeons endemic to Sulawesi; White-bellied Imperial Pigeon was seen as most sites visit whereas Grey-headed Imperial Pigeon is generally found only at higher altitudes. Both of these were photographed during our stay at Lore Lindu.
©Martin Lindop and Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia
The magnificent Knobbed Hornbill was seen at most sites visited on Sulawesi but we never tired of enjoying them, this individual was photographed by Nick Davies along the Molibagu Road. Savanna Nightjar on the other hand made us wait until the last afternoon but we then enjoyed good perched views of several individuals. © Nick Davies and Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia
We recorded three of the four accipiters endemic to Sulawesi during this tour, with this Spot-tailed Goshawk at Tangkoko the most obliging of the lot.
© tour participant Martin Lindop
For further information on our tours to Sulawesi and Halmahera please contact us via e-mail or follow the links for our scheduled departure tours, please click here.
