I am now guiding a couple from Spain. We are now on Day 7. We still have 3 days to complete the trip.
In the first day of the tour, we visited the mangrove park of Sorong city. There we saw Orange-fronted Fruit Dove, Common Sandpiper, and Sahul Sunbird. So far, we have seen a lot of species of birds including King Bird of Paradise, Lesser Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Red-cheeked Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, Black Lory, Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Large Fig Parrot, Black Lory, Coconut Lorikeet, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Forest Bittern, Gray-headed Goshawk, Brahminy Kite, Variable Goshawk, Brahminy Kite, Papuan Frogmouth, Shining Flycatcher, Yellow-faced Myna, Golden Myna, Hooded Pitta, Papuan Pitta, Sooty-thicket Fantail, Frilled Monarch, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher, Dusky Scrubfowl, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Western-crowned Pigeon, Zoe Imperial Pigeon, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Dwarf Fruit Dove, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Frilled Monarch, Olive-backed Sunbird, Black Sunbird, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, and etc.
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| Birds in Klasow valley |
We also saw Ringed-tailed Possum, Cuscus, Dorcopsis, snakes, a lot of butterflies.
Yesterday, I had to return to Sorong city to buy more food supply. The tropical rainforest of Klasow valley stretches from Sorong Regency to Tambrauw Regency. It has now become a favorite destinations among tourists who want to enjoy wildlife watching in Southwest Papua Province of Indonesia.
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| Papuan Frogmouth |
If you are interested in taking a rainforest tour in Sorong regency, Raja Ampat, or Tambrauw and want me to organize your trip, you could contact me by WhatsApp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com
BIRDING IN SONDER OF MINAHASA HIGHLAND
Sonder is a small subdistrict town in Minahasa highland of Indonesia. It is surrounded by hill forest, farmland and rice fields. Some small rivers flow through Sonder too. This is a good destination for birding visitors.
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| Birding sites in Sonder of Minahasa highland |
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| Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove |
Various species of birds could be seen there. They include: Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Ashy Woodpecker, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Crimson Sunbird, Sahul Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Turquoise Flycatcher, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Pale Blue Monarch, Brush Cuckoo, Sulawesi Malkoha (also known as Yellow-billed Malkoha), Lesser Fish Eagle, Collared Kingfisher, Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, White-breasted Swallow, Blue-taled Bee-eater, Zebra Dove, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Purple Heron, White-browed Crake, Cinnamon Bittern, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, White-faced Cuckoo-dove, Green Imperial Pigeon, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon, Gray-rumped Treeswift, Sulawesi Swiftlet, Black-naped Oriole, Bay Coucal, Sulawesi-crested Myna, Hair-crested (White-eyed) Drongo, Sulawesi Drongo, Finch-billed Myna, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Black-faced Munia, and etc.
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| Sooty-headed Bulbul |
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| Black-naped Oriole |
Visitors who want to enjoy birding tour in Sonder can spend around 3 days/ 2 nights exploring the forest, farmland and paddy fields to see the birds that are mentioned above.
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| White-eyed Drongo, Collared Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Malkoha, Warbling White-eye |
A good pair of binoculars, a camera with telephoto lens will be needed to watch and photograph them. I personally use a pair of 10×50 binoculars and an old bridge camera the Fujifilm HS50EXR. This camera is not manufactured anymore.
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| Sulawesi Hanging Parrot |
Flights
Sonder town is approximately a 1-hour drive from Manado city which is the capital of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. Therefore, visitors who want to visit Sonder need to fly to Manado city. There are regular daily flights between Manado city and some major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, and Sorong. They are served by Garuda, Citilink, Lion Air, Batik Air and TransNusa.
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| Flight route to Manado city |
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| Car route from Manado city to Sonder town in Minahasa highland |
Accommodation
Visitors could stay in hotels in Tomohon town which can be booked online. There are also homestays in Sonder that offer rooms in more affordable prices.
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| Sonder town in Minahasa regency is surrounded by hill forest, farmland and paddy fields |
Minahasan people are agricultural community, they grow rice, fruits and vegetables. They also run pig and poultry farm. Tour participants will see farmland everywhere in Minahasa both in lowland and highland.
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| Farmland and agricultural crops in Minahasa highland |
If you are interested in taking a birding and sightseeing tour in Sonder town of Minahasa regency and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.
Also read:
- Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
- Birding in the Paddy Fields of Subdistrict Sonder
- Birdwatching in the Farmland of Sonder Town
- Walking Tour, Birdwatching and Butterflywatching in District Sonder of Minahasa Highland
- Birds in North Sulawesi
- Birdwatching Tour in the Farmland and Forest of Minahasa Highland
- Manado City Tour: Birdwatching and Sightseeing
- Birding in North Sulawesi
- Birdwatching in Sulawesi
- Birdwatching in Minahasa Highland
- Collared Kingfisher
- Birding in Minahasa of North Sulawesi
- Birding in Higher Elevation Forest of Minahasa
- https://wildlifeminahasa.blogspot.com
