Tropical Birding Tours in West Papua

Arfak mountains in Manokwari

There are several sites in the rainforest of West Papua which I recommend for tourists who are interested in taking tropical birding tours. Some of them are listed below:

• Susnguakti Forest - This lower montane area of Arfak mountains is the natural habitat of Lesser Birds of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, King Bird of Paradise, Hooded Pitta, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher, Hooked Bill Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Black-capped Lory, Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Northern Variable Pitohui, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Superb-Fruit Dove, Great-cuckoo Dove, and etc.
• Mbenti Forest - This higher elevation forest of Arfak range is the usual site for watching Vogelkop Bowerbird, Black Sicklebill, Magnificent Bird of Paradise, Western Parotia, and Long-tailed Paradigalla. There are also a lot of other birds such as Vogelkop Melidectes, Hooded Pitohui, Ornate Melidectes, Black-breasted Boatbill, Mottled Berryhunter, Fan-tailed Berryhunter, Garnett Robin, Varied Sittella, Friendly Fantail, Papuan Flycatcher, Pygmy Drongo, Cinnamon Ground Dove, and a lot more. Most of the trails are steep. Visitors who want to go to this forest have to be physically fit. However, there are places where birding is easy. These places are unpaved roads that connect Mbenti and other villages around the area. Birding along the sides of these roads will open more chances for birders to see Plum-faced Lorikeet, Mountain Mouse Warbler, Vogelkop Whistler, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, Green-backed Robin, Blue Grey Robin, Mountain Fruit Dove and Papua Mountain Pigeon. 
• Ases Valley - This is  a remote but one of the best forests in Tambrauw mountains and a very nice place to watch birds that usually live in lower montane forest of West Papua. Some of them include New Guinea Vulturine Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, Coconut Lorikeet, Brown Cuckoo Dove, Little-pied Cormorant, Hooded Butcherbird, Spangled Drongo, Black-browed Triller, Papua Mountain Pigeon, Golden Monarch, Dollarbird, Grey Wagtail, Blyth's Hornbill, various species of paradise birds, and etc. Ases valley, located in the middle of Tambrauw mountains, is also a highly recommended site for watching wild animals such as Cuscus Possum, deer, wildboar, tree kangaroo, snake, soa-soa lizard, and even cassowary.
• Syugrar Forest - This is another rainforest of Tambrauw that is very good for birding. Grey Crow, Moluccan King Parrot, King Bird of Paradise, Lesser Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Red-cheeked Parrot, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Rusty Pitohui, New Guinea Harpy Eagle, Papuan Blyth's Hornbill, Black Sunbird, Masked Bowerbird.
• Sorong regency - There are a lot of birding sites in Sorong. A lot of lowland birds can be seen here including Blue-black Kingfisher, King Bird of Paradise, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Shovel-billed Kingfisher, Lowland Peltop and a lot more.
• Sarembon Forest - This forest is located in north-east region of Waigeo island. It is a nice place to watch Papuan Black Myzomela, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Hooded Butcherbird, Eclectus Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, Amboyna Cuckoo Dove, Shining Flycatcher. The coastal area is the place for watching Olive-backed Sunbird, Coconut Lorikeet, Beach-stone Curlew, Striated Heron, Wimbrel, Beach Kingfisher, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Bridled Tern, Lesser-crested Tern, Lesser Frigate Bird, Eastern Osprey, Radjah Shelduck and a lot more. 
• Southern Waigeo has got a lot of birding sites too including Saporkren, Warduwer beach, Kabui bay and Gam karst. There, we could see Great-billed Parrot, White-breasted Woodswallow, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Claret-breasted Fruit Dove, Spice Imperial Pigeon, Pied Imperial Pigeon, White- bellied Sea Eagle, Red-bird of Paradise, Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Eastern Reef Egret, Pacific Swallow, Stephans Emerald Dove, Moustached Treeswift, Sooty Tern, Mimic Meliphaga, Puff-back Meliphaga, and Dusky Scrubfowl.

Because I spend most of my guiding works in Raja Ampat and Sorong, I can guide tourists to these regencies. If you are interested in traveling to Raja Ampat and Sorong for birding, and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read:

Birdwatching West Papua

Watching Birds of Paradise in West Papua

Beautiful Fruit Dove

The first time I saw Beautiful Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus pulchellus) was in lowland forest of Manokwari in 2011. I was guiding 2 Dutch tourists - Thomas (father) and Sandra (daughter) at that time. A trap set-up by local hunters caught the bird. I asked them to release the bird after taking some pictures of the bird and checking its species name in field guide book Birds of New Guinea. 

My first picture of Beautiful Fruit Dove

Beautiful Fruit Dove in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat

Since then I have seen the bird in a lot of my birding trips from Manokwari to Tambrauw, Sorong and Raja Ampat. It is a small but very beautiful dove that likes to eat berry fruits. The first picture was taken from very close range using Nikon Coolpix P500 and the second one was made in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat using Canon 200D and Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens. The dove was in a branch of a tree several meters above my head.

Although point and shoot camera such as the Nikon P500 has got much smaller sensor, its zoom lens often can easily reach birds in distant branch of a tree. For a D-SLR cameras, they need expensive lens to reach the target bird. D-SLR cameras produce high quality photographs but if they cannot reach birds or other wild animals that are far from the photographers, they can be considered as useless.
The newest products of the super zoom camera at the moment are Nikon Coolpix P900, P1000 and Canon SX70HS. These are the types of cameras that are used by birdwatchers who do not want to carry heavy photographic devices.

Also read:

• Birdwatching and Wildlife Watching in Wondama Regency
• Beautiful Fruit Dove from the Rainforest of Manokwari
• Beautiful Fruit Dove in Raja Ampat
• Pinon Imperial Pigeon
• Rainforest Birds

Birding in Susnguakti Forest with 2 French Tourists

I have just returned from Susnguakti forest this afternoon. I and some local villagers guided two French tourists on a 4 day/ 3 night hiking, camping, bird and wildlife tour. They were Geoffrey and Jessica. Susnguakti forest is a lower montane forest in the south of Manokwari city. We went hiking in the mornings and in the afternoons to find birds of paradise. They were able to watch Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, and Magnificent Riflebird.

Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor)

Tropical Birding Tours in Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat islands are important destinations for tourists who like birdwatching. There are a lot of species of rainforest and sea birds that birdwatchers can see in the regency. From the most popular Wilson's Bird of Paradise and Red Bird Paradise to the beautiful singer Hooded Butcherbird, visitors can watch them when they travel across the big and small islands of Raja Ampat.

Wilson's Bird of Paradise

Mambruk Bird

Burung Mambruk is the common name of bird that people in West Papua use to refer to Crowned-Pigeon. In field guide book Birds of New Guinea by Thane K. Pratt and Bruce Beehler, there are 3 species of them, i.e. Western-crowned Pigeon, Victoria-crowned Pigeon and Southern-crowned Pigeon.

Western-crowned Pigeon shot by a friend of mine Kostan Magablo

Birding in Sonder of Minahasa

Sonder is a highland subdistrict town in Minahasa regency of Indonesia. It has got forest, farmland and paddy field sites that are suitable for birdwatching. I offer walking tour and birdwatching for tourists who are interested in seeing this beautiful landscape of Minahasa highland as well as watching various species of tropical birds of Sulawesi. The level of difficulty for the walking tour is easy. So, it is suitable for anyone.

Black-naped Oriole

In the rice field, river banks, and ponds, we can see such birds as:

• Little Egret
• White-browed Crake
• Cattle Egret
• Little Egret
• Cinnamon Bittern
• Purple Heron
• Sunda Teal
• Slender-billed Crow
• Chestnut Munia
• Scaly-breasted Munia
• Black-faced Munia
• White-breasted Woodswallow
• Collared Kingfisher
• Eastern Yellow Wagtail
• and etc.

Sahul Sunbird in Sonder of Minahasa Highland

If visitors walk through the alleyways of the small town that have got trees on both of their sides, they could see:

• Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster)
• Sahul Sunbird (Cynniris frenatus)
• Brown-throated Sunbird
• Grey-headed Imperial Pigeon (Ducula radiata)
• Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon (Treron Griseicauda)
• White-eyed Spangled Drongo (Dicrurus leucops)
• Sulawesi Spangled Drongo (Dicrurus montanus)
• Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja)
• Grey-sided Flowerpecker
• Black-crowned White-eye (Zosterops atrifrons)
• and a lot more.

Sulawesi Scops Owl in Sonder of Minahasa highland

The farmland and secondary forest of Sonder are not dense. There, visitors could see:

• Yellow-billed Malkoha (Rhamphococcyx calyorhynchus)
• Sulawesi Scops Owl (Otus manadensis)
• Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis)
• Zebra Dove
• Finch-billed Myna
• Pale Blue Monarch (Hypothymis puella)

Sulawesi Hanging Parrot in Sonder of Minahasa Highland

In the mountains, more interesting birds could be watched such as:

• Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker
• Warbling White-eye
• Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove
• White-faced Cuckoo Dove
• Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher
• Scaly-breasted Kingfisher
• Crimson Sunbird
• Warbling White-eye
• and etc.

Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher

More birds can be seen in Kecamatan Sonder of Minahasa regency if we spend around 3 to 4 days there. The easiest birdwatching site in Sonder is the forest of Tounelet. Its name is Tounelet village. Various species of birds could be seen there. Visitors can walk down the slope along the roadside from Siloam hospital to the "downtown" of Sonder and then to the market. 

Collared Kingfisher

Internet Connection
Sonder town is covered by 4G internet connection provided by telkomsel. You only need to buy Simpati Simcard and internet quota at the airport or at the nearby supermarket to get access to the internet.
Food
There are eating houses or food stalls in Sonder town. So, it is easy to find food there. Because most of the Minahasan traditional foods are spicy, please inform the food vendors in advance if you do not want chilli souce in the foods that you order.

Sonder town and some of its farmland areas

Where is Sonder town and How to get there?

There are daily flights from major cities in Indonesia to Manado city. Transportation to Sonder town from Manado city can be served by Gocar, Grab or chartered car. It is very easy to reach Sonder. From the bus terminal of Tomohon town, find a public transportation to Kecamatan Sonder. Visitors can stay at the homestays in the town or in hotels in the nearby Tomohon town.

The Sonder town also has got homestays in more affordable prices. Unfortunately, most of them cannot be booked online. Local guides can help the booking for you.

Birding can be done in the small Tounelet forest inside the town to farmlands and forest at the outskirts of Sonder.

Flying Route to Sorong city

Car route between Sonder town and Manado city

Field Guide Book

Birding is a fascinating activity. It brings us closer to nature. Our birding experience can significantly be enhanced if we bring a field guide book. For Indonesia, the recommended book now is Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago - Greater Sundas and Wallacea. The authors of the book were James A. Eaton, Bas van Balen, Nick W. Brickle, and Frank E. Rheindt.
Birding Devices

In addition, visitors need to bring a good pair of binoculars such as Nikon Monarch HG 8×42, Nikon Monarch5 10×42, Nikon Action Extreme 12×50.

Birding camera such as Nikon Coolpix P1000, P900 or Canon SX70 HS will allow birdwatchers to take pictures of birds in high trees for identification purposes.

Because I work as a tourist guide, I often bring a spotting scope. Mine is a Kinglux 20-60×60 mm, a pair of Visionking 10×42mm roof prism binoculars, laser pointer, and sound player and a portable loudspeaker for calling birds.

Clothing
Birding in Sonder is easy. We do not need expensive hiking shoes. I usually spend my time walking in the farmland areas especially in placescwhere there are tall trees. There are unpaved roads, and footpaths which I can follow. They are not steep. I only wear flip-flops or running shoes. Because I often bring complete birding gear, I always wear jeans or trousers that have several big pockets. I put laser pointer, sound player and loudspeaker as well as a pen and a small note book in them.

Further Explorations of Minahasa Highlands

From Sonder, visitors could explore more villages, and towns in Minahasa highland.

Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon in Tounelet village of Sonder, Minahasa Highland

Warbling White-eye

Other Attractions

Minahasan society are mostly farmers. Visitors who stay in Sonder can go to Rambunan village for birding and also for seeing how local farmers make palm sugar using the sweet sap of aren tree. A visit to Polutan village will give visitors a chance to see how local people make flower vases, big plates using clay as the main raw material. There are also other villages in Minahasa highland which are interesting to be explored. The nearby Leilem village is a famous for its home industry in wooden furniture.

There are waterfalls in Tincep village. Visitors can go there while doing birding along the terraces of rice fields.

Booking

If you are interested in taking a birding tour in North Sulawesi and want me to be your guide, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read: 

• Walking Tour, Birdwatching and Butterflywatching in District Sonder of Minahasa Highland
• Birdwatching in Minahasa Highland
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birdwatching in Sulawesi
• Manado city Tours: Birdwatching and Sightseeing