We began the tour by heading south-west from Manado with stops to collect some widespread egrets, herons and waders before arriving in Kotamabagu in time for lunch. Our serious birding began in earnest that afternoon with a visit to the traditional Maleo breeding grounds at Tambun. Human predation of Maleo eggs is a massive threat to these birds but is great to see that through the efforts of the Wildlife Conservation Society and their local rangers, the Maleo numbers are creeping back up to historic level. All this certainly worked in our favour as by the first afternoon of the tour we were already enjoying fantastic views of four Maleo – undoubtedly one of the most desirable Sulawesi endemics! Many of the other birds were quiet but we managed point-blank views of Pale-blue Monarch (noting the differences that make this a popular unofficial split from Black-naped Monarch), Black-naped Fruit Dove, distinctive paulinaGreen Imperial Pigeons, Knobbed Hornbill and as we left at dusk, several Great-eared Nightjars, one Sulawesi Nightjar and a fly-by Sulawesi Masked Owl.

  

An unusually obliging Small Sulawesi Hanging Parrot (left) gave fine views along the Molibagu Road while the rather subtle, but very rare, Matinan Flycatcher (right) showed well at Gunung Ambang.                                                                                              ©Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia

The next morning again started with night-birding, this time at Gunung Ambang, where two Sulawesi Masked Owls included prolonged perched views but a calling Cinnabar Boobook just refused to show itself. Scaly Kingfishers called in the dark but promptly went quiet when dawn arrived and could not be relocated but we did enjoy great views of the mountains main specialty, the subtle Matinan Flycatcher. With this under the belt we enjoyed more of the montane species including Chestnut-backed Bush Warbler creeping around the forest floor and a colourful Superb Fruit Dove. We had our first introduction to many species typical on the Sulawesi highlands including Mountain Tailorbird, Sulawesi Leaf Warbler, Streak-headed White-eye, Yellow-sided and Grey-sided Flowerpeckers, Citrine Canary flycatcher, Rusty-bellied Fantail, Sulawesi Babbler and on the forest edge great views of feeding Yellow-and-green Lorikeets. After lunch back in Kotamabagu we headed for the Dumoga-Bone National Park at Tarout and began with an obliging day-roosting Speckled Boobook. Birding in the remaining forest here brought a flood of new birds including some that are difficult to see elsewhere like Maroon-chinned Fruit Dove, Pied Cuckooshrike and brilliant looks at perched Yellow-breasted Racquet-tail. The thickest tangles in the forest held Bay Coucals and Black-billed Koel, both of which were teased into view while Ornate Lorikeets were a colourful addition.

 

 

A selection of endemic owls seen during the tour, clockwise from top left; Speckled Boobook at Dumoga-Bone, Sulawesi Scops Owl at Tangkoko, Cinnabar Boobook at Lore Lindu and Ochre-bellied Boobooks at Tangkoko.         
©Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia and tour participant Tony Sawbridge (Cinnabar Boobook)

Next morning we returned again to Tambun, starting the day with a Sulawesi Nightjar circling us at close range. As daylight arrived we soon found the hoped-for Sulawesi Crested Myna together with Sulawesi Black Pigeon, Yellow-billed Malkoha, several Sulawesi Trillers were the only ones seen during the tour, and a charming group of toucan-like Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbills. Scanning nearby ridges found Sulawesi Hawk Eagle, Rufous-bellied Eagle and Black Eagle. Speckled Boobooks again showed at midday back at our base then an afternoon along a forested roadside was highlighted by a perched Sulawesi Honey Buzzard, two Sulawesi Goshawk including a very confiding individual, and our first White-bellied Imperial Pigeons and noisy Golden-mantled Racquet-tails screeching overhead. That evening we headed out again into the forest in search of night-birds and came back with a full set; great views of Sulawesi Scops Owl, Sulawesi Masked Owl and an excited pair of Ochre-bellied Boobooks!

   

   

Clockwise from top left; Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher, Green-backed Kingfisher and Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher. Just some of the spectacular endemic kingfishers seen during the tour, all photos from Tangkoko, Sulawesi. A total of 14 kingfisher species were seen during the tour!                      ©Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia

We returned to the roadside birding the next morning although progress to get there was slowed by calling Isabelline Bush-hens which obligingly climbed up into the rank roadside vegetation, Buff-banded Rail, Barred Rail and White-browed Crake in rice fields, flocks of Wandering Whistling Ducks and the local hispidoides race of Common Kingfisher which is surely a good species candidate! When we finally reached our destination we again had great views of Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbills and Sulawesi Black Pigeons, added Sulawesi Cicadabird and were pleased to add a brief Purple-winged Roller and amazing views of Small Sulawesi Hanging Parrots investigating potential nest holes. We also enjoyed the highly range-restricted Gorontalo Macaque before it was time to head to our next destination of Tangkoko. After a delicious seafood lunch in Manado we spent the late afternoon at a great lookout point above Tangkoko where we enjoyed an abundance of Silver-tipped Imperial Pigeons, more Yellow-breasted Racquet-tails and an entertaining Blue-backed Parrot at its nest hole.

Our next two days were spent within the Tangkoko National Park where the birds all performed impeccably. Kingfishers are a big target here and they didn’t disappoint with close and prolonged views of Green-backed,

Lilac-cheeked, Ruddy and Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfishers. We then added another endemic – the immense Great-billed Kingfisher – during a trip into the mangroves on our last afternoon along with 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, a wintering elegans Elegant Pitta, several Red-backed Thrushes, day-roosted Sulawesi Scops Owls and Ochre-bellied Boobooks, Yellow-crested Cockatoo, fine views of three Purple-winged Rollers and our local guides were even able to show us brilliantly camouflaged Sulawesi Nightjar at its nest. Tabon Scrubfowl and obliging Spot-tailed Goshawk were appreciated as were several Ashy Woodpeckers and in more open habitats were excellent numbers of Silver-tipped Imperial Pigeons, Black-naped Fruit Doves, Grey-cheeked and Pink-necked Green pigeons, fine Ornate Lorikeets, Sulawesi Cicadabird, White-rumped Cuckooshrike and a flushed Barred Buttonquail. Special mention needs to be made of Tangkoko’s mammalian highlights; endearing Spectral Tarsiers gave an amazing performance and were, as always, a trip highlight but we also enjoyed charming troops of Sulawesi Crested Macaques patrolling the forest like miniature Gorillas, and Bear Cuscus staring down sleepily from the canopy.
A last minute change to the itinerary allowed us to spend our last morning in north Sulawesi exploring the remnant forests of a volcano south of Manado. Having missed it previously at Gunung Ambang we were delighted with several views of a smart Scaly Kingfisher – well worth the effort and earning a third place in the ‘bird-of-the-trip’ vote! We then had time to pick up Sulawesi Myzomela before it was time to head to the airport, our next destination being Ternate after skipping across the famous Weber’s Line which marks another shift in the regions avifauna.
A short speedboat journey brought us to Halmahera with Bulwer’s Petrel, Great Frigatebird and several Red-necked Phalaropes logged. The late afternoon was spent in the nearby hills enjoying our first endemics such as Grey-headed Fruit Dove, Moluccan Starling, White Cockatoo and magnificent soaring Gurney’s Eagles.
The next morning was one of the most eagerly anticipated of the trip and despite the early start we all excitedly trekked through the forest in the dark. Excitement came earlier than expected when roosting Shining Flycatcher and Golden Whistler found in the spotlight were followed by an Ivory-breasted Pitta sleeping right above the trail, and what a performer! He showed from front and back at close range, delighting the photographers before we left it to continue snoozing. A Moluccan Scops Owl was also spotlighted before we arrived at our designated spot. Even before dawn the weird cries from Standardwing 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. There were other good birds around and we eventually enjoyed very close views of Sombre Kingfisher, Golden Whistler, White-naped Monarch and Goliath Coucal on our walk out.
In the afternoon we relaxed during the drive north to Tobelo then after dinner we started a new adventure to the volcanic sands of a beach, where Moluccan Scrubfowl have for centuries been visiting to lay their eggs. The evening of our visit was rather windy and in spite of a long wait in these spectacular surroundings we managed nothing more than a few brief flight views of the scrubfowls.

  

Two obliging Halmahera endemic; Sombre Kingfisher (left) and Scarlet-breasted Fruit Dove © Tour participant Tony Sawbridge

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, both Great and Lesser Frigatebirds and an abundance of terns comprising Roseate, Common, White-winged Black, Whiskered, Great Crested and Bridled Terns. The old logging road at Foli would form the focus for our search of most of the remaining island endemics and during our 3 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 sightings of Dusky Scrubfowl which even came out onto the road occasionally in the early mornings; the scarce Halmahera Flowerpecker was logged several times while Cream-throated White-eye and Goliath Coucals enjoyed the very scrubbiest habit.
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 a pair of rare Chattering Lory which sadly appear to be in decline here as they are elsewhere. Endemic Moluccan Imperial Pigeons and Cinnamon-bellied Imperial Pigeons often perched conspicuously, Brown Cuckoo Doves were common and we noted their distinctiveness from the birds on Sulawesi and we found two races of Pied Imperial Pigeon to be present. Delightful fruit doves were represented by the abundant Grey-headed, the scarcer Blue-capped and on our last morning we finally enjoyed great views of a singing male Scarlet-breasted Fruit Dove.
Great scope views of a posing Common Paradise Kingfisher, Paradise Crow (rather uninspiring as birds-of-paradise go!), Rufous-necked Sparrowhawk was a rare treat on one date, Pacific Baza gave fine flight views and an Osprey was logged along the coast. A big effort on the first night found both of our missing night-birds with a vocal pair of Halmahera Boobooks and the bizarre-looking Moluccan Owlet Nightjar.
The journey back to Sidangoli gave a double-figure count of Blue-and-white Kingfishers on roadside wires, a perched Grey-throated Goshawk and more Gurney’s Eagles.
Our final morning before leaving Halmahera gave time to search some rank fields where we had nice views of a pair of Rufous-tailed Bush-hen clambering around in the grasses. We began the boat trip back to Ternate with a search of the mangroves, quickly finding a superb pair of Beach Kingfishers which gave fine views while the crossing itself was highlighted by an Aleutian Tern.
With no delays to our flight to Makassar we had time for an afternoon trip to the nearby fishponds, finding Javan Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Marsh Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler and Red-necked stint. Then the fields near Bantimurung held our first White-shouldered Triller, Lemon-bellied White-eye, Golden-bellied Gerygone and Pied Bushchat.

 

The next morning we left early to Karaenta to make the most of the early morning cool. Despite the huge volumes of traffic along the roadside here (the end of the Ramadan festival) we saw some great birds. The key species here is Black-ringed White-eye which showed well even as we finished 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). Another visit to the open fields near Bantimurung added a soaring Sulawesi Serpent Eagle and best of all a Woolly-necked Stork passing overhead, the latter a rare sight indeed in Sulawesi.
Our flight north to Palu was delayed a few hours so we headed straight to Lore Lindu with just a few birds seen but we did get great views of a passing Spotted Harrier just outside town.
Based in the nearby Napu valley we spend the next 4 ½ days exploring the magnificent forest of Lore Lindu National Park. The lower parts of the forest along the roadside 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 it was here where we finally caught up with Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker. As early as our first morning we scored here with a male Great Shortwing hopping out onto the roadside and a Sulawesi Thrush singing from the canopy as a group of Malia fed noisily nearby. Several stealthy walks along a forest trail failed to produce more than glimpses of skulking Maroon-backed Whistlers but we did get more great views of Sulawesi Thrush there, Blue-faced Parrotfinch appeared in a canopy feeding flock and a Small Sparrowhawk perched briefly for some of the group. Fruiting trees here attracted both Superb and Red-eared Fruit Doves.
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 outweighed the energy expended in the long uphill trek and our first visit was no exception with undoubtedly one of the trip highlights as we enjoyed prolonged views of no less than two Geomalia which approached to close range as we enjoyed these strange creatures bounding around the trails. This strange bird which still defies accurate classification; it might be a thrush, a babbler or maybe something completely different, and we were lucky to enjoy such great views.

 

Two of the most fascinating birds of montane Sulawesi seen at Lore Lindu are the rare Geomalia (left) and Yellow-flanked Whistler (right), it has recently been shown that the latter is more closely related to waxwings than whistlers! ©Tony Sawbridge (Geomalia) and Rob Hutchinson

On the second visit up the hill we started in fine style with a pair of Sombre Pigeons belting out their rather ‘bovine’ calls and looking rather smart contra to the rather uninspiring name! Higher up we finally added great telescope views of Mountain Serin after several frustrating fly-overs and discovered a pair of nest-building Crimson-crowned Flowerpeckers. The Anaso track was also the place where we enjoyed another highly desirable specialty, namely Purple-bearded Bee-eater, surely one of the finest of this amazing family. They were very conspicuous during our stay as they busily prepared their nest holes in trackside banks with at least ten individuals seen. Greater Sulawesi Honeyeater was far common in the higher levels and other species only seen higher up were several Grey-headed Imperial Pigeons, an obliging pair of day-roosting Diabolical Nightjars and the fascinating Yellow Flanked Whistler ( recently been shown to be related to the waxwings and far removed from the whistlers!).
On two afternoons we birded the forested roadsides lower down in the valley where Sulawesi Blue Flycatchers sang their sweet song and Lemon-bellied White-eyes proved common alongside Crimson Sunbirds and Sulawesi Myzomela. It was here that we also added Gould’s Bronze Cuckoo and had our best views yet of Sulawesi Cicadabird. In more open areas Tawny Grassbirds inhabited the long grasses, a Rufous-winged Buzzard was a surprise find and a brief Eastern Grass Owl flew by at dusk as Pacific Black Ducks arrive to feed in the rice fields. These lower reaches are also the home of Sulawesi Swiftlets, easily separated from Unifrom Swiftlets but their clear white rump, large flocks of Purple Needletails wheeled overhead and soaring raptors comprised Sulawesi Serpent Eagle, Sulawesi Hawk Eagle, Black Eagle and Rufous-bellied Eagle.

Night-birding forays were not helped by the lack of moonlight but we easily enjoyed great looks at Cinnabar Boobook on each attempt and a Minahassa Owl called in the distance but couldn’t be teased closer.
Our last morning held one last surprise in the form of an obliging perched Small Sparrowhawk before it was time to head back to Palu. We still had time to finish our birding in style of course and a bird-filled couple of hours around a scrubby river bed outside of Palu. Here we added Pale-headed Munia, Savanna Nightjar, Asian Palm Swift and both Red-backed and Barred Buttonquails before it was time to head into Palu and finally enjoy the luxury of a fine hotel, particularly the warm showers!
Our total of 274 species recorded included 6 species heard only.