Birding in Kabui of Raja Ampat

Kabui is the name of a bay in Raja Ampat islands. It is one of my favorite birding sites. Every time I organize a birding tour in Waigeo, I always try to include a trip by motorized boat to the bay so that visitors could see the beauty of its karst formations and watch such birds as Beach Kingfisher, Spice Imperial Pigeon, Stephan's Emerald Dove, Great-billed Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, Brahminy Kite, Eastern Osprey, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Wimbrel, Sooty Tern, Lesser-crested Tern and a lot more.

Birding by boat in Kabui bay of Raja Ampat

There are hundreds of karst islets in the bay. The waters inside the islets are very calm even during wave season. In my previous trips with an American tourists I saw Little-pied Cormorant, Striated Heron, Eastern Reef Egret, Rainbow Bee Eater, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Olive-backed Sunbird, Blyth's Hornbill.

Field guide book is needed for identifying birds that we see. Birds of New Guinea written by Thane K. Pratt, Bruce Beehleer and their friends is the one that I often use. There is also Birds of New Guinea: including Bismarck Archipelago and Bougainville by Phil Gregory. These books could be ordered online from Amazon. 

Birding devices such as binoculars, spotting scopes, flash lights that will be used during the trip to this regency can be bought from Amazon.

Boat is not a stable platform for birding especially in the waters that are not calm. I ask boat driver to stop the boat or lower its speed. Most often we have to land at a beach to enjoy birding.

I usually bring a spotting scope and tripod and put it on a beach so that tour participants can watch birds that sit on the branches of tall trees in remote islands. Moustached Tree Swift, Eclectus Parrot, Singing Starling, and Violet-necked Lory are some of the birds that we can watch in Kabui bay.

In my last birding trip to the bay with American tourists, we included snorkeling activity. It was a very nice adventure.

If you want to travel to Raja Ampat and want me (Charles Roring) to organize your tour, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Beach Kingfisher

I still guided the Singaporean tourists yesterday. Nurlin Juni from Malia Tours organized their trip. We went into the forest early in the morning to find Papuan Boobook, Western-crowned Pigeon and Red-bellied Pitta. We watched Red Bird of Paradise until 09.00 and continued our birding walk until 13.00. The activity of birds was much reduced during mid-day time. So, we returned to Putras Resort for having lunch.

Beach Kingfisher

I had lunch with Nurlin, Melkhi, and the drivers at the beach. Facing the blue sea, I saw a Beach Kingfisher sitting and calling from a hanging branch at the left cliff of some 50 meters from us. I immediately stood and walked to my camera. I grabbed it and walked to the beach. I carefully approached the bird and positition myself behind wave barrier of the resort. After that I aimed my camera at the bird. With several shots, I got the pictures of the Beach Kingfisher. The above photograph is one of them.

Watching Birds with Singaporean Tourists in Waigeo Island

Today I guided six Singaporean tourists on a birdwatching trip in southern region of Waigeo island. We visited the rainforest of South Waigeo, the ring-road area of Marinda airport and the Warduwer beach. We watched Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Common Paradise Kingfisher, and Frilled Monarch in the forest. Because the vegetation in the forest was dense, it was not easy to see birds.

Singaporean birdwatchers at Warduwer beach of Waigeo island

After watching birds in the forest, we continued our trip to Warduwer beach. Here, more birds could easily be seen including the Torresian Crow, Claret-breasted Fruit Dove, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Willie Wagtail, Lesser Frigatebird, and Eclectus Parrot and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Claret-breasted Fruit Dive and Hooded Butcherbird. Before lunch time, we still had a short birding trip a long the road in the east and north of Marinda airport where we saw Grey-headed Goshawk, Rainbow Bee-eater, Oriental Dollarbird, Wimbrel, and Eastern Great Egret.
The Singaporean birdwatchers brought binoculars, Swarovski and Kowa spotting scopes. They also brought D-SLR and Nikon P900 bridge cameras for taking pictures of birds. These equipment significantly enhanced their birding experience.
During lunch time at Putras resort, we saw Beach Kingfisher, and Yellow-faced Myna. We took a rest until 15.00 and continued our birding trip to a road in the west of the airpot. There we saw Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Eclectus Parrot, Helmetted Friarbird.

Watching Birds in Waigeo island

At 17.00, we returned to Warduwer beach to enjoy birdwatching until 18.30. Here, we saw more birds including Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Palm Cockatoo, Red-cheeked Parrot, a male Red Bird of Paradise (male), Glossy-mantled Manucode, Rainbow Lorikeet, and a lot of other birds that we saw in the morning.
Warduwer beach is a great place for birdwatching. A resort is being constructed at the beach. It will be an ideal place to stay for birding visitors who plan to take their holiday in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat. It also has got beautiful house reef. Visitors who like swimming and snorkeling can stay at the resort too.
Thick clouds were gathering in the sky. We decided to return to the resort again. Tomorrow, we will go to the forest to see Red Bird of Paradise.
If you are interested in traveling to Raja Ampat and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.