Short Day Birding Tour Near Sorong City
In the past few weeks I guided tourists on various birding, sightseeing and snorkeling tours in Sorong. Most of participants have just returned from their snorkeling and scuba diving trip in Raja Ampat. There are also visitors who have just arrived in Sorong city. After taking this short tour, they will continue their trip to Raja Ampat.
I usually pick up the participants of the tour from such hotels as Swissbel, Aston, or Rylich Panorama. Sometimes, I meet the participants of the tour at DEO Airport of Sorong city. They arrive in the mornings by Garuda, or Batik Air.
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| Rainforest Tour in Sorong city |
The tour at the outskirts of Sorong city allows visitors to explore forest to watch birds, butterflies and flower plants as well as see the magnificent beauty of the coastal area of Sorong. In my recent trip, I and the participants of the tour watch various species of birds such as Gray-headed Goshawk, Lesser Bird of Paradise, Papuan Pitta, Red-billed Brush Turkey, Blyth's Hornbill, Red-cheeked Parrot, Black-browed Triller, Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Yellow-faced Myna, Sahul Sunbird, Variable Goshawk, Papuan Eclectus, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Orange-bellied Fruit-dove, Whimbrel, Pacific Reef Heron, Common Sandpiper, Gray Crow and etc.
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| Beach Kingfisher |
The short birding tour is conducted in the mornings or in the afternoons depending on the time and interest of the participant. For general birding, we usually start at 05:00 in the morning and finish at around 09:00. We usually go by chartered car. The number of participants is between 1 person and 10 people. to For afternoon birding, we start at 14:00 and finish at 18:00. Bringing camera and binoculars will greatly enhance this wildlife tour.
A few days ago, I and some tour participants from South Africa saw dugong at a beach in Sorong city.
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| Papuan Eclectus |
Birding and Snorkeling in Raja Ampat
The island of Waigeo is a great destination for visitors who are interested in both birdwatching and snorkeling. There are a lot of tropical avifauna that we could see in Raja Ampat. Some of them are Papuan Eclectus, Claret-breasted Fruit Dove, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Yellow-faced Myna, Red-cheeked Parrot, Beach Kingfisher, and etc. Most tourists like to watch Red Bird of Paradise, and Wilson's Bird of Paradise.
This rainforest birding can be combined with snorkeling and sightseeing tours to a lot of coral reef sites in Raja Ampat such as Friwen, Mioskon, Yenbuba Strait, Arborek, Piaynemo and etc. A lot of reef fish could be seen in the coral reef. They include Striped Surgeonfish, Parrotfish, Anemonefish, Butterflyfish, Moorish Idol, Wobbegong, Carpet Shark and etc.
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| Snorkeling photo from Waigeo of Raja Ampat |
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| Coral reef in Raja Ampat |
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| Piaynemo Karst in Raja Ampat |
