Sumatra and West Java,

Indonesia

21st July – 11th August 2007

Leader: James Eaton

Participants: Björn Anderson, Hemme Batjes, Ron Demey,
Peter Los, Rita Swinnen & Stig-Unö Svensson

'Sumatran' Owlet, Gunung Kerinci © Tour participant Peter Los

Sumatra, Indonesia

21st July – 4th August 2007

A total of 285 species were recorded on this successful two-week tour of Sumatra. We began the tour in the lowland rainforest at Way Kambas, encountering a range of difficult species including particularly memorable encounters with a White-winged Wood-Duck flying into roost at a secluded forested swamp, several Cinnamon-headed Green-Pigeons, dazzling Banded Pittas, all 4 lowland trogons, Rufous-collared and Banded Kingfishers, Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo and a daytime Bat Hawk. Though night-birding proved hard-work on this occasion we still had wonderful close encounters with Bonaparte’s Nightjar, Large & Gould’s Frogmouths and Sunda Scops-Owl. Flying north to the huge Kerinci-Sablat National Park we started off on the mighty Gunung Kerinci. Here both Schneider’s Pitta and a family of Salvadori’s Pheasant were seen well by all before our first morning session was over and highlights during the remainder of our time included point-blank views of Rajah Scops-Owl, Sumatran Frogmouth, Barred Eagle-Owl, Sumatran Trogon, both Sumatran & Rusty-breasted Wren-babblers, but Sumatran Cochoa was seen by just one lucky soul. Finally, birding the slopes at Bukit Tapan produced a whole range of species as we descended the forested road, with an assortment of endemics including Sumatran Treepie, Sumatran Drongo, 3 species of bulbul (of the 20 recorded on tour), Sumatran and Blue-masked Leafbirds and not least the superb Graceful Pitta performing as hoped. Our final morning produced in excess of 75 hornbills around a huge fruiting tree including over 50 Rhinoceros and the spectacular Helmeted.

Large Frogmouth, Way Kambas Gould’s Frogmouth, Way Kambas
© Tour participant Peter Los © Tour participant Peter Los

After meeting in Jakarta from various points of the globe the previous evening, we flew over the Sunda Straits early the next morning and swiftly made our way to the south-eastern tip of Sumatra to Way Kambas National Park, one of the few patches of lowland forest left on this huge island. We spent three full days walking along different sections of the forested road that bisects the park, amassing an impressive list of scarce sundaic species. Babblers are abundant in the forest and we were fortunate to encounter a couple of good feeding flocks containing numerous species, including a small group of manic Chestnut-rumped and Black-capped Babblers creeping along the forest floor, and a fine 10-minute scope view of a singing Black-throated (that was still calling from the same spot 20 minutes later!). However the stars were the fine views of displaying Fluffy-backed Tit-babblers, watching them at close range as they inflated their blue throat pouch and raising their ‘fluffy-backs’ while calling profusely to one another. Other species located more by their vocalisations included a Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo, which joined in the dawn chorus on one morning, as did both Banded and Rufous-collared Kingfishers. Red-bearded Bee-eaters betrayed their presence in a similar manner later in the day, and of course the broadbills were always a constant source of amusement with cracking views of Green, Dusky, Banded and finally a group of Black-and-yellow - a personal favourite. Some of the shyer forest inhabitants put on performances of various quality, in particular the trogons, with all four lowland species encountered, Cinnamon-rumped, Diard’s, Red-naped and Scarlet-rumped. A male Rufous-tailed Shama also showed itself as did a White-rumped Shama, notably less numerous and shyer here compared to the safer havens (from illegal trapping!) of Malaysia’s national parks. Grey-chested Jungle-Flycatcher and Rufous-winged Philentoma made appearances as did the jewel of the forest, two cracking male Banded Pittas. Keeping an eye to the canopy and above; a Bat Hawk - perched in full view - was a nice surprise on our first afternoon; as was a Black-thighed Falconet. Both Wrinkled and Bushy-crested Hornbills put in appearances along with the vocally impressive Black Magpie and Hill Myna. Eight species of woodpecker ranged from the super-cute Rufous Piculet to the gigantic prehistoric-looking White-bellied Woodpecker. Red-crowned and Brown Barbets were often the forerunners in the frugivores families, which included a plethora of Bulbuls, Dark-throated Orioles, Bar-bellied and Lesser Cuckoo-shrikes and Asian Fairy-Bluebirds.
Way Kambas is renowned for its high-density of night-birds and putting in the time reaped some rewards. The notable highlights were the bizarre sounds emanating from a perched Bonaparte’s Nightjar on two evenings - we were even able to scope this bird, the rarest nightjar in south-east Asia - while Malaysian Eared hawked overhead, and ridiculously close views of Gould’s Frogmouth as it flew into our view without the use of playback! The huge Large Frogmouth, having been unusually quiet during our stay, eventually put on a performance of almost equal quality, but a Sunda Frogmouth remained as a heard-only despite the many man hours put in to finding this canopy dwelling species! Owls were particularly quiet, with just Brown Boobook and Sunda Scops-Owl putting in appearances, though they did show very, very well!
Working our way through a network of forested channels in our little boats we reached a remote swamp one evening, while waiting for our prime target we enjoyed the general wildlife. Wild Pig and Sambar Deer grazed in the open grass as Cinnamon-headed Green-Pigeons sat on exposed branches opposite our viewpoint. Just as dusk began to fall we heard the distinctive ‘honking’ of the White-winged Wood-Duck. Turning to our left we were treated to amazingly close views as the white-headed male headed straight for us before banking left and circling the swamp. Later we heard another duck and found it sat 50 metres up in a distant tree! A memorable experience, that will linger long in the minds of everyone present.
Other species recorded during our stay here included Banded Bay and Plaintive Cuckoo, Lesser Adjutant, a frustratingly brief Storm’s Stork overhead, Crested Goshawk, Red Junglefowl, Crested Fireback, Little, Pink-necked and Thick-billed Green-Pigeons, Blue-rumped Parrot, Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot, 4 sp of malkoha, Silver-rumped Needletail, Grey-rumped and Whiskered Treeswifts, Blue-eared and brief Rufous-backed Kingfishers, Fiery Minivet, Red-throated Sunbird, Yellow-breasted and Yellow-vented Flowerpeckers and Slender-billed Crow. An ever-present feature of this forest is the high-density of mammals. We had several wonderful encounters with Siamang at close-range, and it was nice just sitting back and listening to their vocalisations. Beautifully patterned Prevost’s Squirrels, a Leopard Cat in our spotlight, as was a Red Giant Flying-Squirrel even gliding in the spotlight. Though most frustratingly a Clouded Leopard was spotted too late crossing the road by the leader, as everyone else was looking the other way watching Black-winged Flycatcher-shrikes!

Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Way Kambas Cinammon-headed Green-Pigeons
© Tour participant Peter Los © James Eaton/Birdtour Asia

Bidding farewell to this bird-filled forest we connected with our flight back to Jakarta, then after a lunch and some nearby birding which produced Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker, Small Blue Kingfisher, Island Collared Dove and Javan Pond-Heron, we flew back to Sumatra (nothing is simple in Indonesia!), but this time to Padang, situated halfway up on the west coast, in preparation for the following day.
After a comfortable nights stay in Padang we drove south-east along the Barisan Range into the massive Kerinci-Sablat National Park until we reached our friendly homestay for a late lunch at the base of Mt Kerinci, famed as the endemic hotspot of Sumatra. As expected, birding was typically hard going at times and we really had to work hard for our birds. Our first afternoon was a predominately rain-soaked one. Though when a Sun bear crossed the trail in front of us, slowly walking away despite our presence, we didn’t mind so much, and we followed this with a family of Salvadori’s Pheasants including 6 tiny chicks appearing right in front of us before slowly walking away allowing everyone a view of the male. It isn’t normally this easy, but this was our first of three sightings of this species!
Our first morning on the trail proved an eventful one, with a fine run of species early on. First a Salvadori’s Nightjar fluttered back and forth overhead, and shortly after a splendid Sumatran Frogmouth gave us a full-frontal, showing off his obscure mouth-filled face, complete with inch long bristles scattered all over his face! Frustratingly we were overtaken by two groups of independent birders while admiring this beauty, thwarting our chances of searching for the highly elusive Schneider’s Pitta along the trail, or so we thought……for once we began our walk our third bird of the day was spotted perched on a diagonal branch. Before dropping to a more convenient horizontal branch for us all to admire – a dazzling blue-backed male Schneider’s Pitta! Now with two of Kerinci’s most elusive species under our belts we were able to enjoy the birding more. We had four full days walking up and down the narrow summit trail, which at times can be rather monotonous, but we scored with at least one gem each day. The next hoped for species was scope views of a large party of Sumatran Green-Pigeons, busy feeding on ripened fruit overhead. After appearing as mere shapes through the binoculars on our first afternoon, these birds would remain throughout our stay. Rusty-breasted Wren-babbler, the finest songster on the mountain, duetted ‘hot, wet, tea’ at varying frequencies at point-blank range, though the pair of Sumatran Wren-babblers stole the show with their fine performance; sitting on exposed branches above the dense undergrowth until we walked away. The understory also played host to other sought after species; Sunda Blue-Robin regularly presented themselves in front of us, as did a pair of feisty Spot-necked Babblers. Above the understory, regular feeding flocks were splashed with colour by charming Sunda Minivets and cute Sunda Warblers. Quieter inhabitants of the mid-story included a fine male Sumatran Whistling-thrush along with the much more numerous Shiny Whistling-thrushes, Rufous-vented Niltava and, eventually, clown-like Sumatran Trogons. Disappointingly only Björn sighted the rarely-seen Sumatran Cochoa during his marathon like sprint up the mountain on the final morning, a singing immature male, along with a brief Pink-headed Fruit-Dove, a species the rest of us would connect with on Java. Owls were much more co-operative on Kerinci than Way Kambas. Our night-time excursion proved fruitful with stunning point-blank looks at two Rajah Scops-Owls and as dawn approached Dusky Woodcocks rode overhead, appearing as shapes in our strong spotlight. Fortunately we were able to locate a vocal Barred Eagle-Owl perched overhead one morning, and we encountered a fresh-faced juvenile ‘Sumatran’ Owlet twice high-up the trail. This taxon, peritum, is vocally distinct from the rest of the Collared Owlets across Asia and is probably best treated as a distinct species.

Rajah Scops-Owl, Gunung Kerinci Rufous-chested Flycatcher, Bukit Tapan
© Tour participant Peter Los © Tour participant Peter Los

A side-trip one afternoon took us to a nearby waterfall where we didn’t have to wait long for our targets to arrive. First the little-known Giant Swiftlet, shortly followed by a cute Sunda Forktail along with another male Sumatran Whistling-thrush. A brief stop heading back to Kerinci produced our first White-headed Munia of the tour. Other species recorded on Kerinci included Blyth’s and Changeable Hawk-Eagles, Wedge-tailed Green-Pigeon, Rusty-breasted Cuckoo, Barn Owl, Wreathed Hornbill, confiding Lesser and White-browed Shortwings (the latter of yet another vocally distinct taxon), Sunda Bush-Warbler, Mountain Leaf-Warbler (watch out for this species being split-up!), Indigo Flycatcher, Large Niltava, Blue Nuthatch, Eye-browed and Pygmy Wren-babblers, Temminck’s Sunbird and Mountain White-eye.
Moving to the bustling town of Sungai Penuh, our base for the next three-nights, we were able to bird along the road that bisects the forested hillside on Bukit Tapan. Our 2 ½ days birding here was highly enjoyable as we walked down from the pass at 1250m to 450m a.s.l., noticing the change in avifauna as we descended the mountain. Starting off near the top, Sumatran Treepie appeared at regular intervals, usually betrayed by their distinctive amusing vocalisations. Our next endemic was Cream-striped Bulbul, then a beautiful pair of Blue-masked Leafbirds in a busy feeding flock that contained the equally stunning Long-tailed Broadbill. A flock of confiding Sumatran Bulbuls (distinct from Javan Bulbul previously under the collective name of ‘Sunda Bulbul’) were followed by Sumatran Drongo, Sumatran Leafbirds (previously lumped with Golden-fronted), Spot-necked Bulbul and, having crept into a damp, dark gulley, a pair of Graceful Pitta - easily spotted by their dazzling red bellies seemingly glowing in the dense undergrowth. One bird put on a particularly fine performance as it fed literally under our noses, running towards us and picking at the worms before singing from nearby perches, superb! We would later observe a recently-fledged juvenile in another gulley while looking for Marbled Wren-babblers. The general number of birds is a joy to behold. Walking further down the slope a large feeding flock contained Crested Jay (here of the distinctive brown plumaged, shorter, crested taxon shared with Borneo), a species we would obtain stunning views of as it performed its ‘machine-gun’ call directly at us, Common Green-Magpie, numbers of Black and Chestnut-capped Laughingthrushes with Fire-tufted Barbets again proving numerous. Frustratingly despite hearing Marbled Wren-babblers on three occasions they would only show themselves to some of us in a damp gulley. Sharing the gullies were a confiding male Rufous-chested and a pair of Rufous-browed Flycatchers along with Fulvous-chested Jungle-Flycatchers.
As we ventured further and further down the hill a variety of sundaic bulbuls became more conspicuous. Grey-bellied being noticeably common and eventually so did Scaly-breasted; one of the few bulbul species adding a splash of colour to the flowering trees! The flowering and fruiting trees lower down provided most of the birdlife and not just bulbuls. Flowerpeckers were represented by Crimson-breasted and aggressive Orange-bellied. Plain Sunbirds were common and a fine male Red-throated Sunbird was a surprise, with its green mantle and red wings glowing in the mid-morning sunshine. To round off the tour in style we came across a huge fruiting tree across the valley, packed full of hornbills. Over 80 individuals must have been present, predominately Rhinoceros, though this included fine close views of the more impressive Helmeted. A whole range of other species worth highlighting were recorded along this single stretch of road; including Whiskered Treeswift, Sumatran Trogon, Bushy-crested and Wreathed Hornbills, comic Long-tailed Broadbills, Sunda Cuckoo-shrike, Streaked and Cinereous Bulbuls, Hill Prinia, Horsfield’s and Rufous-fronted Babblers, Brown Fulvetta and both Grey-breasted and Thick-billed Spiderhunters.

West Java extension

4th - 11th August 2007

Javan Cochoa, Gunung Gede © Tour participant Peter Los

A total of 168 species were recorded on this week-long extension of West Java. Birding the coastal lowlands of Carita produced all the hoped-for endemics including Black-banded Barbet and Javan Banded Pitta, before moving onto the mid-altitude forest at Gunung Halimun with Javan Trogon, White-breasted Babbler and Spotted Crocia just some of the highlights. The forested slopes of Gunung Gede produced Javan Cochoa, Javan Scops-Owl and Pink-headed Fruit-Dove. Finally a short tour of the coastal wetlands produced both Javan Plover and the endangered Javan Coucal.
After arriving in the late morning from Padang we bid farewell to those not joining us for this post-tour extension to West Java and attempted to make our way to the west coast. After a few hiccups (weekend traffic, broken air-con unit, corrupt policemen and change of vehicle) we arrived shortly before dusk in preparation for the following mornings birding, though we had just enough time for our first Javan (and Bali) endemic, Olive-backed Tailorbird, followed by a vocal Large-tailed Nightjar overhead.
We allowed ourselves just one morning at Carita to connect with several sort after species, as the tiny forested patch doesn’t allow for much more. Starting pre-dawn two Javan Frogmouths (split from mainland SE Asia and Palawan, Philippines forms) showed themselves but they were wary of the spotlight and more prolonged views would have been welcome. Moving swiftly onto the ‘better’ forest a perched Grey-cheeked Green-Pigeon was a welcome addition and a tree full of Black-naped Fruit-Doves frustrated as these little bullets flew in and out but largely remained concealed behind the leaves above us. Our primary target was soon heard and after a bit of searching for a suitable viewing point the flashes of yellow in the undergrowth soon presented itself as a splendid male Javan Banded Pitta (a distinct split from ripleyi and schwaneri forms in morphology and preferred habitat preference) hopping along a cleared bank. After a brief Fulvous-chested Jungle-Flycatcher, a Black-banded Barbet - a Javan endemic - was found perched nicely in the ‘scope after flying over back-and-forth in response to its invisible intruder. Heading back into the degraded forest a small feeding flock contained Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike and Common Iora, before rounding a bend to discover a flock of Javan Tit-babblers feeding above and beside the trail, (noting the bright buffish diffusion on the breast, grey ear-coverts and rufous upperparts on this subtle endemic). On our way back to the vehicle our final target of the morning, the purple-tailed Javan Sunbird finally made an appearance, darting around and singing in a near-by tree.

Common Palm-Civet, Gunung Halimun Javan Trogon, Gunung Gede
© Tour participant Peter Los © Tour participant Peter Los

A long drive north, east, south and finally west saw us arrive at Gunung Halimun National Park as dusk began to settle. We had two nights to enjoy the wonderful forest that still remains inside this large national park. Our first morning provided us with a large feeding flock early-on containing an array of endemics, from the common and subtle Javan Fulvetta to the rare and vocal canopy dwelling Spotted Crocia, and inconspicuous Javan Trogon in the understory. Two welcome early additions to our list, and we would continue to regularly encounter small parties of crocia and a further 3 trogons. Searching through the feeding flocks would provide us with the bulk of our hoped-for endemics. Carefully picking our way through them we encountered both White-bellied Fantail and White-breasted Babblers twice in the same flock. Other endemics included Javan Dark-eye, more Javan Sunbirds, Crescent-chested Babbler, Pygmy Tit, Javan Bulbul (previously considered the same species as Sumatran under the collective name Sunda Bulbul) and ‘Javan’ Leafbird (split from the markedly different Blue-winged from Southeast Asia). It wasn’t just the flocks that kept us busy. Keeping our eyes to the skies soon revealed the rare Javan Hawk-Eagle, a pair of Oriental Honey-Buzzard, a single brief Dark-backed Imperial-Pigeon and Giant Swiftlet. While the dense understory held a pair of striking, though ever elusive, White-bibbed Babbler, the canopy revealed both Brown-throated and Flame-fronted Barbets. As dusk approached a Salvadori’s Nightjar sallied for insects from a favoured perch, and Common Palm Civets feeding on fruit from our veranda and dawn the next day produced two co-operative Javan Frogmouths. Other species recorded during our wonderful stay here included Sunda Cuckoo, Wreathed Hornbill, Grey-and-buff Woodpecker, Malaysian Cuckoo-shrike, Javan and Blue Whistling-thrushes, prolonged views of Pale-blue Flycatcher, Sunda Forktail, Chestnut-fronted Shrike-babblers, Eye-browed Wren-babbler, Horsfield’s Babbler, Blood-breasted Flowerpecker and male Pin-tailed Parrotfinch. Mammals are often a feature of Halimun and this was no exception. Along with the Common Palm Civets described previously we also had beautiful view of the endangered Javan Gibbon and both Grizzled and Ebony Leaf-Monkeys.

Javan Scops-Owl, Gunung Gede Sunda Thrush, Gunung Gede
© Tour participant Peter Los © Tour participant Peter Los

As always the main focal point of a Java tour is Gunung Gede, a beautiful forested mountain usually packed full of noisy weekenders and students. Fortunately our stay coincided with the parks annual month-long closure. With just over two-full days at our disposal we knew our time was short, but hard-work and a little bit of good fortune actually allowed us to depart earlier than expected! Our first day allowed us to get to grips with the more common endemics and enjoy the huge feeding flocks, predominately including wacky Blue Nuthatches and not so spectacular Javan Dark-eyes. Endemic Rufous-tailed Fantail, White-flanked Sunbird, montanus Chestnut-backed Scimitar-babbler, cute and confiding Pygmy Tits and yet more Javan Bulbuls also made up the feeding flocks. Due to the lack of disturbance Javan Trogons were surprisingly conspicuous, including a fledged youngster being fed by the male, and Chestnut-bellied Partridges fed close to the trail. On one occasion, upon hearing the partridges scratch in the leaf-litter in a small ravine below us, we all lined-up and by peering over at the same time startled the birds as they raucously flapped about before scuttling off! Bird of the day was a tough one, the immensely cute Javan Tesia put on a fine show, though the double showing of Sunda Thrush, including one feeding on the trail for 5 minutes in front of us, really stole the show. Other species recorded during the day included Sunda Blue-Robin, White-browed Shortwing of yet another vocally distinct taxon), a pair of vocal Spotted Kestrels, singing Orange-spotted Bulbuls, Fire-tufted and Brown-throated Barbets and another Javan Hawk-Eagle.
Our second day on the mountain proved a real red-letter day. The day started brightly pre-dawn as a screech in the distance soon yielded the rarely seen fiery-eyed Javan Scops-Owl, shining in our spotlight and perched just feet away. This species is regularly reported from the nearby Cibodas Botanical Gardens, but those birds are without doubt just Sunda Scops-Owls. Javan Scops-Owl, being a strict forest dweller, and identified by its distinctive vocalisations, bright orange-eyes, gleaming ear-tufts and thick black breast and belly streaking. A slog up the mountain to catch the early morning sunlight paid dividends as we heard the distant whistle of perhaps the most-wanted endemic, Javan Cochoa. After a tape-dual and game of cat-and-mouse the cochoa perched singing from an exposed branch and continued to sing one-and-off for the next 30 minutes before joining a feeding flock and disappearing. Following on from this the underwhelming, tail-wagging Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush put in an appearance as three birds moved through the mid-story with another amusing party of Chestnut-backed Scimitar-babblers. Feeling luck was on our side we ventured a little further higher encountering a typically flighty Scaly Thrush (this sedentary form, horsfieldi, restricted to Sumatra, Java and Bali is split by some authorities as Horsfield’s Thrush). Making our way back down the mountain our final big target was encountered as a group of gaudy Pink-headed Fruit-Doves fed and rested overhead.
Not resting on our laurels we were back out pre-dawn the following morning, though the briefly calling Javan Owlet remained just that. Moving out of the forest (enjoying another showy Sunda Thrush) the Javan Kingfisher flying across us, before perching on a strategic viewpoint, was much more satisfying. Moving swiftly on for our final target species we visited a flowering tree in the surroundings of our guesthouse to watch large numbers of Yellow-throated Hanging-Parrots dazzle in the morning sunshine. Watching them bullet past, glistening emerald and scarlet, a nice final touch to proceedings. With a few hours to spare we ventured to the northwest coast for yet another rare endemic. This time it was the Javan Plover, which we enjoyed in numbers along with migrant Long-toed Stints and Wood Sandpipers. Small Blue Kingfishers patrolled the waterside, while Savanna Nightjars did a similar job in the skies, despite the heat of the afternoon! Passerines were numerous, especially compared to the desert of the west Java countryside. White-headed, Javan and Scaly-breasted Munia were present along with Red Avadavats as the constant ticks, tacks and zits revealed Bar-winged and Plain Prinia, Zitting Cisticola and Golden-bellied Gerygone.
Braving the stench we spent our final few hours on the final morning at the tiny marsh left at Muara Angke on the outskirts of Jakarta. Our main target here, the endangered Javan Coucal, was quickly encountered shortly after sunrise with a total of three perched out enjoying the early sun. The dawn chorus of Bar-winged Prinia was joined by the odd Ashy Tailorbird, Golden-bellied Gerygone and Common Iora. Other notable species included numerous Sunda and Fulvous-chested Woodpeckers, Javan Munia, Small Blue and Blue-eared Kingfisher, Oriental Darter, Sunda Teal and our final near-endemic, Javan Myna, highlighting the plight of these species previously common throughout the Javan countryside.

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