Sumba 2014 - Pantai Cemara

Our last two days on Sumba were spent at Pondok Wisata at Pantai Cemara (Cemara Beach). Mainly because we wanted to enjoy the beach and relax a bit. This hotel can be easily reached from Waingapu. The hotel arranges pick-up from Waingapu (or the airport) and drop off. Both are included in the hotel price. We paid IDR 585.000 for a standard room including breakfast which was quite fair as this is a fancy place.

We still did some birding around the hotel, next to relaxing. This turned up some noteworthy things. Of main interest were the two tame Malaysian Plovers that could be observed at close range just in front of the hotel. We also did a bit of sea watching, but this produced little, just some Greater Crested Terns and a Green Turtle. On the hotel grounds itself we found Pied Bush-chat, White-shouldered Triller, Timor Zebra Finch, Scaly-breasted Munia and Lemon-bellied White-eye to be common. Behind the hotel there were some mangroves, in which we found several Sunda Teals, Common Sandpiper, Barred Dove, Common Kingfisher (ssp. floresiana), Rainbow Bee-eater and Indonesian Honeyeater. We also put some time in searching for Tailorbirds, as Birdquest has found some weird looking Tailorbirds (possibly escapees, but who knows...) a bit closer towards Waingapu. Unfortunately we did not find any.

Male Malaysian Plover (Charadrius peronii) just in front of the Pondok Wisata hotel.

We did enjoy this place a lot as the beach is nice, the food is good and the rooms are beautiful and comfy. It is a good place to have a small break from birding, but not completely as some interesting things can be found around the hotel.

Sumba September 2014, Manapeu-Tanah Daru national park

This is the largest national park of the island (it goes from km 63 to km 97 and all the way down to the South coast) and holds several patches good quality forest and all endemic bird species (and subspecies) can be seen here. From several trip reports I read and Burung Nusantara it appears that access to this national park is a bit complicated as there office is located in Kupang and so some birders enter the park “illegally”. We had no problems at all, for we asked Mama Kati (006285239910745) from our homestay to help us with this matter and within 15 minutes a young guard of the national park was standing before us. He introduced himself as Sam (006281238943833) and turned out to be very friendly and with a lot of knowledge, both about the local avifauna and the sites were to find him. We arranged everything through him: 100.000 IDR for the ojeks (for the whole day, so a good price in my opinion), 100.000 IDR guiding fees, 10.000 IDR entrance fees (per person per day) and 25.000 IDR camera fee (per camera per day). Currently the entrance fees are still cheap, but most likely they will change in 2015. Like in Kelimutu national park the fees are going to be 150.000 IDR per person per day on a weekday and 225.000 IDR per person per day on a Sunday, making the birding here a lot more expensive…

We visited several sites within the national park. We started at 05:00 and drove all the way to km 88 (an area also known as Lokuhuma). Exactly at the km 88 marker there was a path leading to a viewing point (there is even a yellow sign stating this), where one has a good view on several patches of forest. We walked the path for 15 or 20 minutes and arrived at the hill. Within five minutes we had distant but decent views of three Yellow-crested Cockatoos of the distinct citrinocristata subspecies. Later it turned out that there were not three but seven Cockatoos! After this success we moved a little further to scan for Parrots, Hornbills and Pigeons. We scanned the trees for some time and got good views of several Great-billed Parrots, Red-cheeked Parrots and Green Imperial Pigeons as wells as some distant views of two Marigold Lorikeets. Unfortunately we found no hornbills so we moved back to the hill where we had seen the Cockatoos. After a while we heard a single Sumba Hornbill, but it stayed in the valley and we did not manage to see it. A Green Junglefowl that flew up into a tree in front of us and started calling was very entertaining on the other hand. On the way back we flushed a Brown Quail, saw several Broad-billed Flycatchers and got more looks at Great-billed Parrots. Furthermore we got charged by an angry free ranging steed, which was fended off by Sam. Consequently we were glad we had visited this site the official way and had a national park guard on our side who knew how to deal with this!

Male Red-cheeked Parrot (Geoffroyus geoffroyi)

Two Citron-crested (Yellow-crested) Cockatoos (Cacatua (sulphurea) citrinocristata) flying over a valley

Broad-billed Flycatcher (Myiagra ruficollis)

After our early morning visit to km 88 we drove to an area called Langgaliru, which is more commonly referred to as km 68-72. Birding here is done simply from the roadside, which means a lot of honking from passing vehicles, a feature I still cannot appreciate. There are some tracks that lead into the forest but these are generally scarce. We hoped to find the Hornbills we had missed earlier here as well as Sumba Myzomela, Sumba Brown and Sumba Flycatcher. We did not find these targets, but saw several other good species including Short-toed Eagle, Black-naped Fruit-dove, Marigold Lorikeet and Spectacled Monarch. As soon as it got hot we returned to the homestay for a delicious lunch.

Adult Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)

We visited Langgaliru (km 68-72) again in the afternoon to give our diurnal target species another try. After a 10 minute drive we arrived at the forest and found it very silent. In the end we failed again to find our targets, but on the other hand I got ridiculous good views of an Elegant Pitta and my girlfriend even found two! We didn’t even use playback to find them as they betrayed their presence by the sound of rustling leaves while they hopped and foraged on the forest floor. All individuals were incredibly tame and did not mind our presence at all. We also got some views of Ashy-bellied White-eye and Eclectus Parrot along the road together with some more common forest species.

Elegant Pitta (Pitta elegans maria)

At dusk we decided to give the Hornbill a last try and so we moved to km 65 were some scrubby forest is left. Before we even got of the ojek a Sumba Hornbill was flying over the road! In the end we saw four individuals here, of which two allowed rather close views. We again enjoyed ridiculously good views of Elegant Pittas here, by tracing them in the same fashion as before.

Sumba Hornbill (Rhyticeros everetti)

Male Sumba Hornbill (Rhyticeros everetti) in flight

The next day we returned to Langgaliru (km 68-72) to search for our remaining diurnal targets: Sumba Myzomela, Sumba Brown and Sumba Flycatcher. We left at 05:30 and at km 65 I realised that I forgot my binoculars. I left my girlfriend at the scrubby forest, where we had seen the Sumba Hornbills the day before and went to the homestay to collect my bins. When I returned I found out she already had had a pretty good morning in which she saw a male Green Junglefowl, a Black Kite, a Sumba Hornbill, two Elegant Pittas and an unidentifiable Flycatcher! We continued our way to km 69 and started searching for the remaining targets. Luckily the day turned out to be a pretty good one for me as well. A Sumba Flycatcher was found quickly inside the forest as it was singing. Later we found three more! After a bit of searching the brightly coloured Sumba Myzomela was seen several times at a flowering tree. We went to a tree with a large hole in it, were normally Sumba (Australasian) Barn Owl can be seen roosting. As Short-tailed Starlings entered the hole it was clear to us the Owl was currently not at home. However it was no shame that we waited half an hour at near this tree as two Sumba Brown Flycatchers showed perfectly in a tree in front of it! All diurnal targets were seen by now and we birded a bit further along the road enjoying views of Variable Goshawk, Orange-footed Scrubfowl (found in the same fashion as we found all those Elegant Pittas), Metallic Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit-dove, Eclectus Parrot, Elegant Pitta, Pale-shouldered Cicadabird, Sumba (Russet-backed) Jungle-flycatcher and Spectacled Monarch amongst others.
 

Black-naped Fruit-dove (Ptilinopus melanospilos)

Sumba Flycatcher (Ficedula harterti)

Sumba Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa segregata)

In the evening we returned to km 65 to do some owling. When we arrived we noticed that a considerable part of the scrubby forest was on fire… It turned out that a farmer wanted to burn his grassland to stimulate the growth of fresh grass started a fire nearby and that got out of hand due to strong winds. We heard later that these fires are currently the biggest threat to wildlife on Flores as hunting and wildlife trade has been put to an end here by the national park guards. We drove to the far western edge of the scrubby forest, as far away from the fire as possible, and started to search for night birds. While we waited for the darkness to set in we found some more Elegant Pittas here! Our main target however was Sumba Boobook. We tried at several sites along the road and inside the forest but we never got more than a short series of coughs as a response. Little Sumba Boobook was equally unwilling to play. We also heard a Sumba (Australasian) Barn Owl and noticed a Savannah Nightjar flying over. A bit disappointed we returned to our homestay. Perhaps the owls were a bit skittish due to the fire close by…

We enjoyed birding in this national park a lot, although I still can’t get used to birding next to a busy road. We did not have any trouble with the national park and in fact, I think the national park guards are doing great work. I also think that it is a bit silly to try to enter the national park “illegally” just to avoid paying the fees. It is in the advantage of the national park and the birds if money gets generated by visiting birders, even if the money you pay does not go to the national park itself.

 Find the Elegant Pitta (Pitta elegans)! (video made by Anna van der Kaaden)

Sumba September 2014, Km 51

This decent patch of forest, which is named after the kilometre marker on the trans-Sumba road, is famous for being a good spot to locate some of the forest endemics of Sumba, with the advantage of being outside of the national park. This means it comes with no extra costs, just the ojek from Lewa to get you there. Lewa is a good place to base yourself in while birding the interior of the island and can be easily reached from Waingapu (1.5 hour drive) or Tambolaka. We stayed at the birder-friendly homestay that is being run by Mama Kati (006285239910745), which we can highly recommend. It currently costs 300.000 IDR per person per night including three massive and delicious meals. Mama Kati can arrange everything from busses and ojeks to access to the national park, so basically everything to make the birding you are dying to do so actually happen. Also her guestbook holds a lot of information about the birding sites. Furthermore her garden holds Indonesian Honeyeater, Apricot-breasted Sunbird, Yellow-spectacled White-eye and Pale-headed Munia. Just make sure to call her in advance when staying here.

Apricot-breasted Sunbird (Cinnyris buettikoferi) showing it's apricot breast at Mama Kati's Homestay

We arranged ojeks through Mama Kati to get from Lewa to km 51 for 50.000 IDR during the day and 75.000 IDR at night for the drop-off and pick-up. The ride takes 15 to 20 minutes and the ojek drivers that Mama Rewu arranges know the track that leads from the trans-Sumba road through grasslands to the forest patch. If you use another ojek driver look for a single house around km 51 on the Southside of the road (the right side when coming from Lewa). Behind that house (to the East) is a dirt track that leads to a patch of forest clearly visible in the south. Keep to the left on the track and within 15 minutes you will find yourself in a patch of degraded, but bird-wise interesting forest.

We birded this patch of forest twice, one morning and one evening, and saw a lot of interesting species including some endemics. After arriving at 6:45 at the track we birded this area until 11:00. After this it got very hot here and consequently the bird activity dropped considerably. When arriving at the edge of the forest we kept further to the left and followed the track through the forest, where we flushed an Elegant Pitta. This track leads to a big clearing where we spent quite a lot of time as it is a strategic place to search for perching pigeons in the morning as you can scan the treetops all around you at ease. We waited but 30 minutes and found a Red-naped Fruit-dove perched in one of the trees. What a beauty! A bit later we also found a second individual and two Sumba Green-pigeons that bolted out of the trees as soon as I raised my binoculars. Other interesting species observed at the clearing included Brown Goshawk, Black-naped Fruit-dove, Rainbow Bee-eater, Sumba (Russet-backed) Jungle-flycatcher Blood-breasted Flowerpecker of the distinct wilhelminae subspecies and Apricot-breasted Sunbird. We also heard many Cinnamon-banded Kingfishers calling, but did not find any at the clearing. We also found two Australian Koels here.

Adult Brown Goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus)

One of the two stunning Red-naped Fruit-doves (Ptilinopus dohertyi) seen

Male Australian Koel (Eudynamys orientalis)

After we had our share at the clearing we entered the forest on several sides of the clearing, mainly searching for flycatchers and Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher. Of the latter we got some fairly decent flight views. More interestingly however, my girlfriend actually managed to find three or four Red-backed Buttonquails on the ground and after waiting a short while they showed themselves brilliantly foraging just a few meters away from us completely in the open! If only it was possible to see Sumba Buttonquail in this fashion! Furthermore we also saw an Orange-footed Scrubfowl running through the forest, what luck! Other species of interest that were observed in the surrounding forests included Sumba (Wallacean) Drongo, Wallacean Cuckooshrike (which we found by following the begging calls of juvenile), Yellow-spectacled White-eye and Arafura Fantail (one individual actually tried to land on my head!).

Female Red-backed Buttonquail (Turnix maculosus) foraging out in the open!

Female and Juvenile Wallacean Cuckooshrikes (Coracina personata) (video made by Anna van der Kaaden)

In the evening we returned to this site again and walked straight to the clearing to search for nightbirds. We waited until it was properly dark and while doing so Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher, Elegant Pitta and Helmeted Friarbird where calling from everywhere. After a short wait a Mees’s Nightjar flew past without calling (the complete opposite of the birds we observed in Kisol, Flores, who did not want to shut up at all) and most unexpectedly: a Sumba (Australasian) Barn Owl glided past. When it was completely dark three or four Little Sumba Boobooks started calling, but none of them wanted to play. The actually more or less all fell silent as soon as we started the playback… We tried within the forest and at the forest edge again, but no response, from either Little Sumba or Sumba Boobook.

We enjoyed birding this patch of forest a lot, as it is easy to reach on your own and the birding is interesting and entertaining. Furthermore, it appears to be most reliable site to see the stunning Red-naped Fruit-dove.

Sumba September 2014, Yumbu Grasslands

The grasslands beyond the village of Yumbu are a well-known site for the only endemic on Sumba that cannot be found within the forests, Sumba Buttonquail. The site is located roughly 15 km East of Waingapu and can easily be reached from here. We arranged ojeks from Waingapu to the Yumbu bridge (jembatan Yumbu in Bahasa Indonesia) for 100.000 IDR including waiting time, which was a fair price I think.

We arrived at the bridge around 07:00 and decided that the grasslands East of the bridge (beyond the bridge when coming from Waingapu) looked more promising than the grasslands West of the bridge (before the bridge when coming from Waingapu) and started our searches on the North side (the left side of the road when coming from Waingapu). It took a while before we flushed the first Buttonquail here but at least it allowed some fairly decent views, showing a greyish face and rusty-brown flanks enabling us to positively identify it as a Sumba Buttonquail. We also found a big family group of Brown Quails in this area that allowed absolutely stunning views while standing completely in the open.

Brown Quails (Coturnix ypsilophora)

After an hour we crossed the road and decided to check the South side (the right side of the road when coming from Waingapu) for another hour, as I had read in trip reports that Sumba Buttonquail is more common on ridge on this side of the road, even though the grasslands look not so good. We flushed two buttonquails here rather quickly and later another two. My girlfriend even saw one on the ground for a few seconds. Of those four, three could be identified positively as Sumba Buttonquail, while one looked rather pale. It seems to me that Sumba Buttonquail prefers grasslands mixed with bare rock, but perhaps this side is less disturbed than the North side… We also saw a Spotted Harrier in the area, next to some more common species like Timor Zebra Finch, Barred dove, Red Avadavat, Australasian Bush lark and White-shouldered Triller.

Spotted Harrier (Circus assimilis)

Timor Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

Barred Doves (Geopelia maugei)

Australasian Bushlark (Mirafra javanica)

We enjoyed searching for Sumba Buttonquail at this site a lot, not just because we found them but also because the view from the ridge on the South side is quite nice and it was not as hot as we had expected. However I think it might also be a good idea to search for the buttonquails in the afternoon, as you are likely to get dropped at the bridge and then walk towards the East. This means that during the morning the light is not so great at first, but better during the return journey to the bridge. During the afternoon this situation would be the opposite.

A flock of Timor Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata) flying over the Yumbu Grasslands (video made by Anna van der Kaaden)

Flores August – September 2014, Tambak Koliaduk Fishponds

This little known birding site is located just East of Maumere and after receiving an email from Mark Schellekens (a Dutch birder who lives in Moni) recommending it, we decided to pay it a visit. The site is composed of some fishponds and a lot of mangroves and is apparently a good site for waders and migrants and Indonesian rarities as the second Lesser Yellowlegs for Indonesia was found here. For a species list of this site see here LINK.

We drove there by car from Maumere, for which we paid 150.000 IDR including waiting time, which was a bit too much… We went there in the afternoon and as soon as we arrived at the little village we could see the fish ponds and it was also clear that it was low tide. At first we walked along the main road looking for some mudflats that could be checked, but we only saw mangroves and no birds at all. Later we entered the area of the fishponds after having asked permission to the local people. At the fishponds we did see little birds as well. Eventually I entered the mangroves together with a small local boy who tried very hard to show me some birds but in the end we found little to write home about. The only waders were a single Whimbrel and Greenshank which were heard only. We did find some Eastern Yellow Wagtails, proving that the Palearctic passerine migration had started.

The little boy told me that the birds were only here during the morning and when it was high tide. I guess during those times birding here can be productive, but during an afternoon with low tide I found it rather disappointing. Perhaps a little later in the year might also prove this site to be more productive. Be prepared to get wet and dirty feet in this area when entering the mangroves.

Flores August – September 2014, Kelimutu national park

This national park is after Komodo national park probably the most famous tourist attraction as the three differently coloured lakes of the Kelimutu volcano apparently are a sight to behold. For us Kelimutu was a sort of back-up for species we missed on the “standard” Flores birding circuit. Besides it is known to be a good spot to see Flores Green-pigeon. Next to the pigeon I only missed Five-coloured Munia, so we thought that it should definitely be possible to clean up at this site. Furthermore we hoped to get some (better) looks at species that we only heard or had seen rather briefly like Wallace’s Scops-owl and White-rumped Kingfisher. How wrong we were…

We based ourselves, just like all other tourists who want to visit the National Park, in Moni. The first day we walked a bit around in the area and managed to find some Five-coloured Munia between some Black-faced Munias in the rice fields and a Green Junglefowl calling from some scrub, but nothing else worth mentioning. We tried to meet up with Mark Schellekens (a Dutch birder who lives in Woloara, the next town), but he was currently in the Netherlands and therefore could not provide some inside information on the birds. The next morning we headed up the volcano with a private car (300.000 IDR) at 04:00 to see the sunset above the volcano as well as to try for Wallace’s Scops-owl. Unfortunately as soon as we got to the office of the national park it turned out that the entrance fees had been changed in September. Instead of 20.000 IDR foreigners had to pay 150.000 IDR on weekdays and 225.000 IDR on Sundays! Obviously we were unlucky enough to be there on a Sunday and on top of that we did not have enough money with us to pay these high fees. We tried to talk our way in, but this was of little use as the national park guards were already annoyed, as all car drivers stood there screaming that they were going to die, for they saw their businesses collapsing with these new high fees. We went back down the volcano and made a couple of stops here and there at the ridiculously tiny patches of scrubby forest that remain outside of the national park to try for Wallace’s Scops-owl. None was found obviously. Defeated we returned to our hotel and went to bed.

We cannot say if the new high fees are worth it, as we never entered the national park. Furthermore we heard that these new fees are going to apply for all national parks in the country. If the money (or at least a part of it) truly goes towards the national park and the maintenance of it, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to pay more, in my opinion…

Flores August – September 2014, Kisol

Kisol is The spot in Flores to visit lowland and hill forests, as these appear hard to find at other sites, at least in West Flores. The tiny village of Kisol lies at trans-Flores road and is therefore easy to reach from either Ende (five hours) or Ruteng (three hours). There seems to be only one option for accommodation in this village, which is the catholic seminary. Everybody knows the seminary; including taxi and bus drivers and they will definitely be able to drop you off here. We got there by private transport from Ruteng, for which we paid 500.000 IDR. Normally the seminary has some sort of small homestay were guest can stay, but the owner was away so we stayed at the seminary itself. When staying here you could join the three communal meals (at 06:30, 13:00 and 19:00), which we did and the food as well as the company of the teachers and priests was excellent. However the eating times don’t really match with the schedules of a birder so we skipped one or two. It would be better if the seminary is contacted before arriving as at first the teachers and priests didn’t really know what to do with us, but nobody could give me any phone numbers, so perhaps asking a driver or hotel owner if they could give you a phone number of the seminary might be a good idea. There are no fixed prices for the stay at the seminary, but you will be asked to pay a donation for your stay. We donated Morten Strange’s bird book (it’s a shitty bird book anyways) and 300.000 IDR, which we found more than fair for two nights and several meals. Furthermore, unmarried couples should consider sleeping in separate rooms here.

The birding site at Kisol can easily be reached on foot (45 minutes), but most people choose to take an ojek. If you choose to walk, these are the directions when leaving the seminary behind you, go to the right on the main road (Trans-Flores road) and cross a small bridge. The next road head to the South (left). Follow this road and take the first large track to the right after the football field. Follow this track for some time through plantations and after a Teak plantation the good quality forest starts (see sketch) where we found most specialities of the area. I think this is the area where most people go birding here, but I am not sure.

We birded the area three times, one afternoon, one morning and one evening and this yielded most of the interesting birds of the area. The first afternoon was mainly dedicated to finding the way to the good forests around Bukit Pacandeki (the hill you can see to the South-west from the seminary). In the end we found the way using the directions from Burung Nusantara and by asking for the way to the “hutan alam”. Once there Helmeted Friarbird proved to be abundant and  Elegant Pitta’s and White-rumped Kingfishers where calling everywhere, but both remained out of sight as did the sneaky Thick-billed White-eye. However we got some good views of two Flores Crows, pumping their rather longish tails while calling. We saw some pigeons too, but only Black-naped Fruit-doves and Green Imperial Pigeons.

A sketch of the Kisol/Bukit Pacandeki area. It is not to scale

Flores Crow (Corvus florensis) flying a little to soon of its perch

The next morning we were back on the track around 7:00 (we started at 6:00 from the seminary) and got some brilliant views of an Elegant Pitta of the concinna subspecies in which the supercilium turns bluish behind the eye. Alas the White-rumped Kingfishers, although calling fanatically, managed to stay out of sight again… Several Flores Crows were calling in the area we had seen them the day before, as well as quite a lot of Orange-footed Scrubfowl and a single Green Junglefowl. Around 08:00 we saw a raptor flying over, which turned out to be an Oriental Honey-buzzard, but still we hasted us to a spot where we could view the southern slopes of Bukit Pacandeki properly. As soon as we were in position we noticed a raptor flying above the slopes and it turned out to be a Flores Hawk-eagle! I had expected to wait for hours for this species, but no it showed up immediately! We stayed an hour more, as this rare raptor flew rather quickly out of sight and during this hour we saw another Oriental Honey-buzzard, a Variable/Brown Goshawk as a very distant raptor that might have been a second Flores Hawk-eagle. After this success we made our way back to the seminary.

Elegant Pitta (Pitta elegans concinna)

A very distant raptor flying above the slopes of Bukit Pacandeki, which could have been a Flores Hawk-eagle (Spizaetus floris)

In the evening we returned to the forest for some owling. We left the seminary at 17:00 and arrived 17:45 at the forest edge and Mees’s Nightjars showed up immediately and set down three meters in front of us calling and allowing absolutely stunning views. Why did I leave my camera at the seminary? Moluccan Scops-owls started calling as well and in no-time we had good flight views of two individuals. The next two hours were spent searching for Wallace’s Scops-owl, which we missed in the Ruteng area. We had a little more luck here as we heard two individuals responding from a distance to the tape, but they never came close. The next morning we left Kisol by simply standing next to the Trans-Flores road and boarding the first car that stopped.

We enjoyed birding at Kisol a lot, especially because it was nice to be able to walk to a birding spot, which was also not located along a busy road. A nice contrast to the birding spots in the Ruteng area! We also enjoyed our stay at the seminary, but if you do not feel comfortable staying here, Borong, the next village towards Ruteng, provides more accommodation, but it also means that Bukit Pacandeki is further away and an ojek will be necessary to get you there. 

Flores August – September 2014, Danau Ranamese

This is the most famous birding spot in the Ruteng area, but we almost skipped it as we found almost all specialities of the Ruteng area at Golo Lusang or Pagal. However as we had hired private transport to Kisol, we made a short stop here, as it was on the way anyway.

Even while driving through the forests around Danau Ranamese we could here Bare-throated Whistlers everywhere. We got out of the car and had a look at the freshwater lake. It proved good for several Pacific Black Ducks and a surprise in the form of a Dusky Moorhen, which allowed good comparison with a Common Moorhen, which was also present. We walked a bit along the main road to check the forest here out. During the short walk we found some Bare-throated Whistlers, A single Banded Fruit-dove, many Mountain White-eyes, a male Little Pied Flycatcher and some Golden-rumped Flowerpeckers.

The road along Danau Ranamese is indeed a bit busier than the Golo Lusang road, but it is much wider with a big strip of grass, making walking along the road a bit more pleasant. I think it is a more pleasant spot to search for owls than Golo Lusang, but if I would be in Ruteng again I would try Poco Ranaka first as there seems to be barely any traffic along that road.

Danau Ranamese from the viewpoint (picture made by Anna van der Kaaden)

Flores August – September 2014, Pagal

Next to the Potawangka Road, Pagal is the only more or less reliable place to see Wallace’s Hanging Parrot on the “standard” Flores birding circuit. The area is actually the patch of decent forest behind the village Pagal, which is located north of Ruteng. We got there by ojek from Ruteng in 45 minutes and paid 200.000 IDR per person for the drop and pick-up.

We arrived around 7:30 and noticed that here, as in so many places in Flores, the road was being widened and a lot of road repairs were being done as well. We birded the area mainly by walking the road up and down. As soon as we started birding a Bonelli’s Eagle of the endemic renschi subspecies flew over. Very nice! A bit further in a bend of the road there was a small stream were we heard a thrush singing. We played the tape and a Chestnut-backed Thrush flew over the stream a couple of times but always perched out of sight. We walked further along the road and sat down near some flowering trees, but unfortunately only common species came by such as Variable Goshawk, Oriental White eye (ssp. unicus), Rusty-breasted Whistler, Crested White-eye, Flores Minivet, Flame-breasted Sunbird, Black-fronted and Golden-backed Flowerpecker. However a single male Blood-breasted Flowerpecker of the local rhodopygiale subspecies was much appreciated.

Male Flores Minivet (Pericrocotus lansbergei)

1st cy male Black-fronted Flowerpecker (Dicaeum ingiferum)

Juvenile Variable Goshawk (Accipiter hiogaster) in flight

Then the road workers had started and the pounding of rock made so much noise we couldn’t hear a single bird, so walked back along the road and checked more flowering trees and some fruiting figs but no sign of the Hanging-parrot (or Flores Green-pigeon). Suddenly a small green torpedo shot over the road and disappeared in the forest. A Hanging-parrot? No, a Tawny-breasted Parrotfinch! I don't think I have ever been so dissapointed in seeing a Parrotfinch... Later we entered the forest near the forest stream where we had seen the Chestnut-backed Thrush, but we did not find it again. However we heard a Wallace’s Hanging-parrot screeching while flying over the canopy, but we did not manage to see it. We did not see any Leaf Lorikeets (another speciality of this site) during our visit here, but luckily we already had found them in a patch of Eucalyptus forest between Labuanbajo and Ruteng, but I have no clue were this patch is located exactly.

Around 11:00 we left the area as it got quite hot by now. This site seems a nicer spot to search for the Hanging-parrot than the Potawangka road to me, as there is much less traffic and if there are no road works it must be nice and quiet. Although I don’t know if the traffic will increase when the road has been widened and finished…

Flores August – September 2014, Golo Lusang

There are several areas around the city of Ruteng that have proven to be productive. Danau Ranamese is probably the most famous one, as the rare Flores Scops-owl has been rediscovered here. Golo Lusang is also famous, but mainly for having a nice view and loads of Bare-throated Whistlers singing their air-sacks out at dawn. As the forest at Golo Lusang apparently also hosts the same species as Danau Ranamese, we decided to try this site first, for it is much closer to Ruteng, it lies on a smaller road and people were less afraid of hantu’s at this site. We birded Golo Lusang one morning and one evening and got there by ojek, for which we paid 100.000 IDR per motorcycle.

We got dropped off around 8:00, so quite some time after dawn, but the Bare-throated Whistlers still gave it their best. After some while we managed to find two and got good views of their bright red throats bulging out while they were singing. Walking down and back up the windy road we also got good views of several other interesting species including Scaly-crowned Honeyeater, Russet-backed (Flores) Jungle-flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Warbler, Timor (Flores) Leaf-warbler, White-browed and Thick-billed White-eye. Unfortunately even though the area lies along a smaller road, there is still plenty of honking traffic to be sufficiently annoying.

Male Bare-throated Whistler (Pachycephala nudigula)

White-browed White-eye (Lophozosterops superciliaris)

Flores (Timor) Leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus (presbytes) floris)

Scaly-crowned Honey-eater (Lichmeria lombokia)

Brown-capped Fantail (Rhiphidura diluta)

Around 17:15 we returned to this site and after asking the hantu’s for permission to enter the forest (as is the custom here) walked down the road in search for a proper spot to start owling. While walking down the road we got brief views of a male Little Pied Flycatcher and two perched Dark-backed Imperial Pigeon, but Pygmy Cupwing and the local form of White-browed Shortwing managed to stay out of sight and therefore remained heard-only. As soon as it got dark we gave both Wallace’s and Flores Scops-owl a try, but no response at first. While walking further down the road and trying again and again for both species we eventually got a response from a Flores Scops-owl! We manoeuvred to a good spot and after a while this little owl got very close. The moment we knew where it was sitting and wanted to turn the light on four very kind motorcyclists treated us with a nice, proper honking and the owl bailed… However frustrating, we decided that since it is an endangered species it is probably better if we don’t start the play-back again, here or at another territory. Although we had have some success with the Flores Scops-owl, the Wallace’s Scops-owl remained silent.

Even though the forest here is good as well as the species and the road smaller than the road at Danau Ranamese, the traffic here is still annoying as hell. I think it is better to invest most of your birding time in the Poco Ranaka area, as there it seems the species composition there is similar to Golo Lusang and Danau Ranamese and the traffic there is apparently almost non-existent. 

Flores August - September 2014, Puarlolo

Puarlolo is famous among birders for being the only reliable site for a bird that has been discovered only recently: Flores Monarch. It is a small patch of good quality forest located around (mostly South) to the Puarlolo Telecom Tower, which can be reached within an hour driving from Labuanbajo. We went there by car for (500.000 IDR including three hours waiting time), but any form of transport should do, ojek, public bus, bemo etc. Just state that you want to go to menara telekom Puarlolo and than they will know where you want to go.

Once we got to the tower (8:30) we took the small tarmac road leading to the South, which has a big sign stating it goes to Wae Lolos just opposite of the tower. Normally people go a few hundred meter back toward Labuanbajo to enter the forest, but the forest around the entrance looked pretty good, so we gave it a try. The patch of forest turned out to be rather small, but in the end that turned out to be not the worst idea to check it out. We birded mainly on that small tarmac road, but also entered the forest through some small paths. After we birded the patch for an hour or so we heard the call of a monarch and slowly it came closer to show itself. In the end we had decent views even of it fighting with a female Black-naped Monarch. Another Flores endemic can be seen in this area as well: Flores Crow. We enjoyed rather fleeting flight views of two, but heard them most of the time we were in the area. Other interesting species recorded at Puarlolo included Russet-capped Tesia (very common here), Crested White-eye (common here), White-rumped Kingfisher (heard only distantly), Pink-headed Imperial Pigeon (surprisingly many heard and one seen perched briefly along the main road), Golden-rumped Flowerpecker, Flores Minivet, White-shouldered Cicadabird and Oriental White-eye of the unicus subspecies (which is sometimes split as Flores White-eye).

Flores Monarch (Symposiachrus sacerdotum)

Crested White-eye (Lophozosterops dohertyi)

Oriental (or Flores) White-eye (Zosterops (palpebrosus) unicus)

Female Flores Minivet (Pericrocotus lansbergei)

Golden-rumped Flowerpecker (Dicaeum annae)

We enjoyed the birding here a lot as a many Lesser Sunda (and Flores) specialties can be viewed here with reasonable ease and why would you skip this site as Flores Monarch can be viewed only here!

Komodo August 2014, Komodo National Park

Komodo, being probably the single most famous national park of the entire Indonesian country, it needs no introduction. The national park consists of the larger part of the sea between Flores and Sumbawa, dozens of small islets and two larger islands, Komodo and Rinca. Both of the larger and two smaller islands host the main attraction of this national park: Komodo Dragons. Most tourist go to Rinca on a one day trip, as this is by far the cheapest option as Rinca is much closer to Flores (two hours by boat) than Komodo(four hours by boat). Unfortunately Komodo is much more interesting bird-wise than Rinca, as the forest on Rinca is almost gone, while it still remains on Komodo. Furthermore the viewing of Komodo Dragons on Rinca appears to be rather staged, compared to Komodo.

As most tourist go to Rinca it was difficult for us to find a payable option to go to Komodo. The cheapest option (around 1.200.000 IDR per person) is probably to join a two day Rinca-Komodo tour, however this includes numerous other stops. So in the tried to find a boat ourselves, but turned out to even more expensive (4.000.000 IDR for a two day tour to Komodo). In the end we found a boat for 2.500.000 IDR at Wanua Adventures, which would bring us very early in the morning to Komodo and would return in the afternoon. Some tourists were interested in sharing the costs, but as soon as they found out that our trip would not include snorkelling, they turned away. Later we found out that all prices are probably rigged and a fair price for a one day tour to Komodo should be around 1.500.000 IDR for the boat…

We left Labuanbajo at 6:15 and arrived at Komodo around 9:00, which was earlier than we had anticipated. On the way we saw few species to write home about. Only a single Lesser Frigatebird next to some Black-naped and Greater Crested Terns. Once we were on the island and paid our entrance fees (20.000 IDR per person), camera fees (50.000 IDR per camera) and guide fees (80.000 IDR per guide) and got started. You can do several treks on Komodo: short, medium, long and adventure treks. We opted for a long trek to enjoy the islands nature properly, but unfortunately as soon as we started our guide explained to us that if a trek takes longer than two hours one has to pay the guide again! In the end we just trekked two hours over the island, but fortunately we still managed to see almost all the species we wanted to see. However in hindsight the guide probably was just grumpy because he might miss his lunch, so I suppose that it is better for the guides (as for the birds) it might be better to do long treks in the early morning. 

When we finally started walking I soon heard Yellow-crested Cockatoos and not much later we enjoyed sights of a perched individual munching away on tamarinds! I worried a bit about this species as several people state that this species can be difficult here as soon as it gets hot, but luckily we had no trouble with them. Not much later we bumped into three adult Komodo Dragons and two juveniles as well! We could enjoy good views of all of them, drinking and sun bathing. While we viewed these giants many Green Junglefowls ran about, a species that later proved to be incredibly common and easy to view here. We enjoyed crippling views of many colourful cocks and some drab hens. The introduced Timor Deer and Wild boars are equally common and approachable, which is nice but also creates a zoo-like atmosphere...

Adult female Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis)

Juvenile Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis)

A Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulpurea) enjoying tamarind fruits

Chickens can be so stunning! Here a male Green Junglefowl (Gallus varius)

We walked further into the forest and the amount of other tourist became less and less as did the zoo like atmosphere as the animals started to behave more naturally. We enjoyed good views of Wallacaen Cuckooshrike, Barred Dove and Wallacaen Drongo here as well as several flocks consisting of Rusty-breasted Whistler, Black-naped Monarch, Yellow-spectacled and Lemon-bellied White-eye. A Beach Thick-knee that flew over remained heard only. We also got brilliant views of a pair of Orange-footed Scrubfowl, a species I was looking forward to see a lot. A Flying Dragon (Draco boschmai) was caught and this enabled us to see its “wings” properly. After this our “long” trek was almost finished but first we checked an Acacia in front of the guest house, where Mollucan Scops-owls roost normally, but unfortunately many branches of this tree have been cut and the owls have not returned ever since. We checked some other trees but no owls were to be found.

A pair of Orange-footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reinwardt)

Male Wallacean Cuckooshrike (Coracina personata)

We started our return journey around 11:30, much earlier than anticipated, but luckily the journey turned out to be the most entertaining part of the day! Our boat trip became a proper pelagic with at least six Bulwer’s Petrels and a single Red-necked Phalarope. However it was not the birds that made our journey worthwhile. It was the Cetaceans as two Common Bottlenose Dolphins, two pods of Spinner Dolphins and a single Risso’s Dolphin showed around our boat! Two Green Turtles were also enjoyed a lot and thanks to our lovely boat man who stopped the boat at the moment the finger pointed in some direction we managed to photograph some of these animals as well!

Bulwer's Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii)

Two individuals of a larger pod of Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris)

I definitely would recommend visiting Komodo, as the wildlife watching on the way to and on the island can be exceptional. However it surely should be possible to get to the island in a cheaper way than we did. Perhaps avoiding the tourist agents and just walking into the harbour and asking boat captains themselves might be fairer (both for you and the boat captain). We suggest to use our lovely and very capable captain Ary (006281239583111), who normally works for Sunset tours (a different organisation than the one we booked this trip through, therefore I unfortunately don’t know their prices).

Flores August - September 2014, Potawangka Road

The Potawangka Road is one of the easily accessible birding sites close to Labuanbajo. It offers some roadside birding with chances of good (or very good) species like Flores Green Pigeon, Flores Crow and Wallace's Hanging-parrot, so we tried our luck here. We reached the site by bemo (50.000 one way per person). The best way if you ask me. Just tell the bemo driver to drop you at the Potawangka Road (but mostly they don't know this name, so ask for the road leading to Terang) and walk 2 km on the road. There the road enters scrubby forest, that gets better and better the further you walk.

We arrived quite late (8:30) at the road and kept birding just along the road, for no path looked very promising. Not surprisingly we did not encounter any of the goodies mentioned above, but we had a good time anyways with some Lesser Sunda specialties like (Lesser) Wallacaen Drongo (common here), Yellow-spectacled White-eye (common here as well), Flame-breasted Sunbird (very, very common here), Black-fronted and Golden-rumped Flowerpecker, Ararufa Fantail, Russet-capped Tesia and Black-faced Munia. A juvenile Variable Goshawk was much appreciated as well. We birded along this road until 11:30. After this it was way too hot to continue and the bird activity had dropped a lot too.

Male Flame-breasted Sunbird (Cinnyris solaris)

(Lesser) Wallacaen Drongo (Dicrurus (densus) bimaensis)

Yellow-spectacled White-eye (Zosterops wallacei)

Juvenile Variable Goshawk (Accipiter hiogaster)

I do not really recommend this site to anyone, unless you have some spare time or you missed some specializes and want to give them another try. Simay (2009) describes the road as very deteriorated, but it appears that the road has been fixed and there is quite a lot of traffic here now, so unless you find yourself a good looking track leading in better forest, it is not particularly pleasant birding here. On the other hand the new road might enable you to get further up the Potawangka road by bemo or ojek, making better quality forest easier accessible...