Photos with this report (click to enlarge) | |||
 Ashy Woodpecker |
 Sombre Kingfisher |
 Purple-bearded Bee-eater |
|
 Red-backed Thrush |
 Sulawesi Dwarf-Kingfisher |
 Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker |
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INTRODUCTION
After my 5 week tour of PNG, I joined my friend Rich Hopf towards the end of his two month trip to Indonesia in order to revisit Halmahera as I had missed some good birds on my original trip in 2004. We spent a week there, followed by 3 days in north Sulawesi. The trip was fairly successful as we saw most of the specialities but did miss some good birds such as Purple Roller, Moluccan Goshawk and Moluccan Scrubfowl.
We spent most of our time on Halmahera at Foli, although there was a potentially better site, Bale Forest, detailed on OB by George Wagner, and subsequently heard of a good Standardwing lek discovered at Labi Labi. I only had two days at Tangkoko in north Sulawesi, an island I visited in 1988 and 2001. We also went to Gunung/Mount Mahawu, a well-known tourist site only an hour from Manado, to look for montane birds.
MISCELLANEOUS
Visas valid for 30 days are available on arrival at Manado airport for US$ 25, 60 days is the maximum visa time. As few people speak English, it is very useful to take a phrase book.
There were showers on half the days, occasionally prolonged, but mostly it was sunny and hot with some clouds.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks for their help to James Eaton, Rob Hutchinson and Jonas Siway, a knowledgeable Mr Fixit jsiwy@indosat.net.id we met at Foli.
ITINERARY
21/8 Fly Manado – Ternate, arriving 16.00. Speedboat to Sidangoli, Halmahera, taxi to Kao, arriving 20.30
22/8 Bus to Daru, boat to Foli 07.30-08.30. Birded Km 3-5
23-25/8 Foli
26/8 Foli till 10.15, boat to Daru, taxi to Tobelo then Simau. 20.00-23.00 Scrubfowl hunt, back to Tobelo at 00.30
27/8 Internet at Tobelo, 10.30-13.30 bus to Sidangoli, 15.00-19.00 birding
28/8 03.30 to Anu’s, there till 06.00, birding till 09.00. Speedboat to Ternate 09.40-10.20, fly to Manado at 13.30, taxi to Tangkoko – night at Mama Roos
29/8 Tangkoko-Dua Saudara NP
30/8 Tangkoko NP, boat trip 15.00-17.30, taxi to Manado
31/8 05.00-06.00 taxi to Mt Mahawu. Birding till 15.00, bus to Manado, drink with Rob Hutchinson
1/9 Fly to Singapore and on to Manila
NOTES ON SITES
A number of birders have posted reports on the net of visits to these islands in recent years so I will not write much here.
HALMAHERA
The standard route is to fly Manado – Ternate and ferry across to Sidangoli, although it is possible to go Manado – Kao, Halmahera on some days. The road from Sidangoli to the north and adjacent logging tracks, is good for birding and used to be the only site visited – commonly known as Kali Batu Putih. It is not so good now, eg Purple Roller appears to have gone, and will get worse soon as mining is about to begin in earnest. Labi Labi across the sea on the eastern arm of Halmahera was visited for a while but Foli, south of Labi Labi was found to be better and more reliable for the Roller. However, it too is due to be mined soon. Bale Forest, found by George Wagner, is c.40km south of Sofifi which is on the west coast south of Sidangoli. Sofifi can be reached by ferry from Ternate or bus from Sidangoli, thereby avoiding the need for another sea-crossing. The tricky bit is the last 40km, which is why we didn’t try it. However, it appears to be potentially the best site.
Moluccan Scrubfowl is rarely seen anywhere other than the beach used for egg-laying, near Tobelo north of Kao, which is well north of Sidangoli. The other rarely seen endemics are Drummer Rail – known from Foli – and Dusky Friarbird, a higher elevation species that has been claimed from Sidangoli.
It may also be worth visiting Lake Toli Besar, only 40 mins drive from Ternate city, as Moluccan Goshawk and Great-billed Parrot occur here.
NORTHEAST SULAWESI
To quote www.birdtourasia.com the wonderful park of Tangkoko with its forest rising from coastal to submontane, supports a large range of the region’s endemic birds. The highly sought-after endemic quartet of kingfishers: Lilac-cheeked, Green-backed, Sulawesi Dwarf and Scaly are all possible, with Black-billed on a boat trip into the mangroves. The park boasts a high density of Knobbed Hornbill and the uncommon Dwarf Hornbill also occurs, sometimes following troops of black Sulawesi Crested Macaques. A variety of other endemics are possible: Ornate Lorikeet, Silver-tipped Imperial Pigeon, Sulawesi Black Pigeon, Yellow-billed Malkoha and Ashy Woodpecker to name just a few. Walking up through the forest, close attention to the forest understorey can produce skulkers such as Red-backed Thrush, Red-bellied and Hooded Pittas and Stephan’s Dove.
3 – 4 days is sufficient for Tangkoko – you have to pay a daily entrance fee of 200K Rp, mostly for the guide while in the forest - several of these are good, eg Bobby (probably the best) or Samuel.
To get to Gunung Mahawu take a taxi from Manado or get a bus to the town below the mountain then walk or hitch up to it. Walk to the crater at the top but spend most time in the good forest patch well below the crater, checking gulleys for Scaly Kingfisher. The rare Sombre Pigeon and Rufous-throated Flycatcher are reputed to occur here.
DIARY
I flew to Manado on 20/8/08 with Silk Air, walked 200m to the main road and took a cheap microlet (minibus) into town as there was no public transport from the airport (lapangas in Indonesian). Met Rich Hopf at the Manado Bersehati Hotel, cheap (115,000Rp = US$1 a room) and convenient for internet and cheap food but rather dingy. He had booked our flight to Ternate at 13.10 the next day, having been unable to book a flight direct to Halmahera. However when we reached the airport we found we had missed a Trigana Air flight direct to Kao on Halmahera at 08.45 – they only fly a few days a week and do cancel some. Our flight was delayed by 45 mins and as there is an hour time difference from Manado, we arrived at 16.00. We took ojeks (motorbikes) to the jetty and paid 50K Rp each for a speedboat to Sidangoli. There we hired a car for 400K Rp to take us to Daru, the starting-point for the crossing to Foli. Arriving at 8pm we found there was nowhere to stay so returned the 16km to Kao (which we could have arrived at 12 hours earlier by flying!) but as this was also devoid of accommodation, we visited the police station and were taken to a house/shop where the owners kindly ejected their 4 children from a big mattress so we could stay. This would have worked well were it not for the TV blasting forth soap programs all night, watched by the two young girls till 2 am! Our offer of payment was refused at first but accepted in the end.
We caught a passing microlet to Daru where we asked about the ferry to Foli that we had been told about, eventually discovering that it only ran twice a week on market days. We negotiated a price of 400K for a boat and set-off for the hour’s crossing at 07.30. The sea was calm, unlike my previous attempt in 2004 which had to be aborted due the high likelihood of sinking in the stormy conditions; sea birds were disappointingly absent. We checked in at the only losmen in town, run by Mrs Meishe Pomboyong, the infamous Anu’s mother-in-law, at 125K for b & b plus supper. The food turned out to be rather basic but OK and large bottles of beer were available in the village for 2000Rp. We took ojeks to Km 3 on the birding road, which was as far as they would take us and started the task of finding the endemics, with some success. The following morning Rich left at 4 am and had good views of all 3 nightbirds: Owlet-nightjar, Boobook and Scops. I left at 6 am and saw Large-tailed Nightjar well, before walking 7-8 km along the road. We mostly birded alone for the 3 full days we were there and eventually saw all the targets except Purple Roller, Moluccan Goshawk, Red-necked Sparrowhawk, Sombre Kingfisher and in Rich’s case Scarlet-breasted Fruit-dove and Moluccan Starling. My views of the night birds were not good, proving Rich’s point that you should always go for them at the first opportunity, especially pre-dawn. We tried hard for the Roller, a disappointing miss. We were shown a good video of a Drummer Rail taken by a lucky Swede a few weeks earlier – at the pond down the trail at c.Km 3, but time spent there was unrewarding for me. We heard Sombre Kingfisher a couple of times and on the first night I “owled”, I twice heard what sounded like the screech of a Tyto, but saw nothing – could it be that Lesser Masked Owl, found on Seram and Buru to the south, occurs here? On the afternoon of 24th I saw a distant kettle of some 20-30 raptors gradually soaring upwards, like migrating birds. They were too far to identify but appeared to be smaller than Aquilas. Subsequent enquiries endorsed what I suspected, that it was too early for northern migrants to be this far south – perhaps they were non-breeders that had either over-wintered in Indonesia or not traveled all the way to their breeding grounds.
We left at 10 on the 26th on a narrow boat with out-riggers (300K Rp) – fortunately the sea was flat, otherwise we could have been soaked from the spray – again there were no seabirds. At Daru we hired a microlet to Tobelo and checked in at the pleasant Wisma Mulia - 165K for an a/c room. In the afternoon we hired a car for 500K for the rest of the day and went to Simau, via Galela, where we met the village headman to arrange to visit the Moluccan Scrubfowl beach. He charged us 500K each for the privilege and said come back at 7 pm. We had to return to Galela to eat then back to the headman’s house at 6.30. Nothing happened till gone 7 when we were taken a few 100m to await the guide. Frustratingly, he did not appear till 8, when we walked for 10 mins to the coast and took a canoe for a short distance to the Scrubfowl beach. During 3 hours of walking and searching we saw nothing, although the guide claimed to have heard or seen 2 singles in flight. Visibility was not helped by the absence of moonlight, although it was a clear, starry night. It was 00.30 by the time we got back to the wisma – very disappointing!
First stop the next day was an internet café, a rare thing in these parts – I had tried it yesterday but the line was too slow. This time it worked, although mobile phones did not. It took some time to find a vehicle to take us to Sidangoli, a 3 hour journey with 2 short birding stops. Took rooms at Handayani Hotel, 80K each, then ojeks back up the road – Rich to the pass, me to Anu’s newish house to find where it was and ask his wife to take me to the Dase Hill Standardwing lek in the morning, hoping not to meet Anu who was bound to demand more money. I eventually found her and she said to return at 3 am! A Goshawk flew off a perch at the forest edge – probably Moluccan but not a definitive view. Continued on up to the pass, meeting Rich – he told me where he’d seen Sombre Kingfisher. Took me some time to find it – excellent view of one perched high up in the open, with another calling nearby, while a Golden Whistler bathed in the stream below. This was the start of the best birding of the trip, with a Rufous-necked Sparrowhawk flying by and continuing down towards the coast for some time, a Gurney’s Eagle gliding over the pass, a Chattering Lory at a nest-hole in a dead tree on the ridge, and 3 Paradise Crows being mobbed by a relatively tiny White-naped Monarch. My ojek driver Abdul picked me up at 18.45 but my good mood was spoilt by meeting Anu at the hotel as he demanded 500K for me to view the lek, plus another 500K to guide me, but eventually conceded that his wife could take me for 250K. Rich elected to try for the Roller, then Beach Kingfisher the next day.
On waking at 3 am, I could hear the ominous noise of heavy rain. I found Abdul and persuaded him with difficulty to take me to Anu’s. He was stopped at a police check-point for having no lights but they eventually let him go and I had to shine my torch for him to see where we were going in the rain. We walked the last stretch to the house, arriving at 4, and then had to call Mrs Anu from her bed. She refused to take me, saying it was too wet but offered me a basic bed in the outhouse. I slept a little until woken by Anu arriving home at 5 – he asked why I wasn’t at the lek! Then said the birds would lek till 8 in the rain and his wife would take me for an extra 100K. I said I would wait till dawn at 6 as Abdul had borrowed my torch to drive home. At 6 I found Mrs Anu cooking but she still refused to take me. I asked her to see Anu about it; she went up to his room but never came back, so I cut my losses and left. The rain stopped but there was little to be seen except for a close Blue-and-white Kingfisher. Abdul picked me up at 08.50, back to the hotel, breakfast, then to the jetty for a 30 min crossing to Ternate. Took an ojek to the airport but the driver went in the wrong direction so I had a grand tour of the town, for what it was worth. The Merpati flight left 30 mins late at 13.30. On arrival at Manado we hired a taxi for 220,000 to take us straight to Tangkoko, stopping a little before it to scan the forested mountain. A distant soaring eagle gave a diving display, probably a Sulawesi Hawk-Eagle. Checked in to an old room at Mama Roos, only 100K a day for full board.
Up at 04.30, left at 05.30 after breakfast, with young guide Samuel who worked part-time at Mama Roos. Concentrated on Red-backed Thrush at first, getting good views of 3, then Red-bellied Pitta, Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher and Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher. Watched a big troop of Crested Black Macaque, accompanied by a flock of Yellow-billed Malkoha. Photo’d Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher, then Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher and a Knobbed Hornbill, and looked for Bare-eyed Rail, seen recently by Samuel, without success. Later we visited the Spectral Tarsier roost fig-tree. Watched a Bear Cuscus moving slowly in a nearby tree with a youngster, then 4 tiny Tarsiers emerged and gave a good show. The finale for me was to look for my only tick of the day, Ochre-bellied Hawk-owl. One started calling at 6 pm but took some tracking down before a good view was had of its ochre belly but not its head, unfortunately. After a filling meal at Roos, had a chat with Untu Baware, a good guide based in Manado, untusb2001@yahoo.com who was co-leading a Swedish tour-group with Goran Pettersson.
I tried for Sulawesi Nightjar at dawn in grassland just inside the NP where Rich had seen it earlier on his trip, but only saw Barred Rail. He spent most of the morning at a Sulawesi Hawk-Eagle nest site – no eagle but he had Sulawesi Crested Myna and his first Sulawesi Triller. I looked for more photo opportunities, bagging Ashy Woodpecker, Stephan’s Dove, White-necked Myna, Green-backed Kingfisher and another lovely Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher. In the afternoon I took the boat trip to the mangroves, a little disappointing as there were no seabirds, the Sulawesi Masked-Owl stake-out was not occupied and Black-billed Kingfisher views were only in flight. A perched Ruddy Kingfisher and a Great-billed Heron were some consolation. We returned to Manado by taxi (250K), to the Manado Bersehati Hotel where I had left my rucksack (though I think the Minahassa Hotel 043186 2559 or 2059 might have been better).
Our final day dawned with heavy rain. We had booked a taxi to take us at 05.00 to Gunung Mahawu, an extinct volcano with some montane forest – the driver Fritz, tel 0813 4005 8642, was on time and reliable. When dropped off, we had to shelter till the rain eased, then walked down the road to explore the patches of forest but saw little except Yellow-sided and Grey-sided Flowerpeckers and Black-faced Munia. I walked back to the track up the mountain, which was being hard-faced so it will be possible to drive nearly to the top before long. After going through farmland, a sizeable area of good forest was reached with some birds new for my trip such as Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Sulawesi (Pygmy) Woodpecker, Sulawesi Leaf-Warbler and Yellow-vented Whistler. There were several small trails into the forest but they were mostly steep and slippery. Further on the densely forested rim of one of the 2 craters could be seen but there was not a good point to view the forest inside it. The track turned into a path upwards through secondary growth to the tree-less crater (1324 m I believe) – the rim can be circumnavigated. The small trees and bushes below the rim held lots of White-eyes and sunbirds, and a single Purple-bearded Bee-eater, while an imm. Black Eagle flew low overhead. On the way down, Rusty-bellied Fantail, Pale-blue Monarch and Crimson Sunbird were new, and two more Bee-eaters were calling from farmland trees. There were some noisy local visitors, and numbers would doubtless have been more had the weather been better (as it was a Sunday). I walked back down to the town, seeing my only Small Hanging-Parrot on the way, and soon caught a bus back to Manado. Met up with Rob at the Formosa Hotel, where he was staying in luxury before leading his Birdtour Asia tour, to claim the drink he owed me, then had a farewell chat with Rich at the Bersehati. At the airport the following morning I noticed the Merpati flights to and from Ternate were canceled, with no reason given. I was upgraded to business class by Silk Air, on my flight to Singapore – a pleasant way to end the trip.
Recorded by JH unless otherwise stated
Great-billed Heron Ardea sumatrana
Single in the mangroves near Tangkoko.
Great Egret Ardea alba
At least one in the mangroves near Tangkoko, others and Little Egrets doubtless overlooked elsewhere.
Pacific Reef-Heron Egretta sacra
One on the coast near Tangkoko.
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Small numbers.
Striated Heron Butorides striata
Two in the mangroves near Tangkoko.
Pacific Baza Aviceda subcristata stenozoma
4 at Foli on 23/8.
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
1 or 2 daily at Foli, 6 at Sidangoli and a few on Sulawesi.
White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
2 singles at Foli.
Grey-throated (Variable) Goshawk Accipiter (hiogaster) griseogularis
At least 2 singles at Foli and 1 at Sidangoli. A large imm. accipiter near Anu’s plot on 27th was either this sp. or Moluccan Goshawk.
Rufous-necked Sparrowhawk Accipiter erythrauchen
1 flying south from the pass above Sidangoli on 27th.
Spot-tailed Goshawk Accipiter trinotatus
1 heard calling at Tangkoko.
Sulawesi Serpent-Eagle Spilornis rufipectus
At least 1 at Tangkoko.
Sulawesi Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus lanceolatus
Heard calling at Tangkoko; an eagle displaying near Tangkoko on 28th was thought to be this sp.
Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis
An imm near the top of Mt Mahawu.
Gurney's Eagle Aquila gurneyi
One over Sidangoli pass.
Spotted Kestrel Falco moluccensis
1 or 2 singles most days at Foli.
Tabon Scrubfowl Megapodius cumingii
Heard at Tangkoko but no effort made to see it
Dusky Scrubfowl Megapodius freycinet
1 on 24th and 2 on 25th at Foli.
Rufous-tailed Bush-hen Amaurornis moluccanus
2 on the roadside while traveling to Daru on 21st, 1 at Foli on 25th and others heard there.
Isabelline Bush-hen Amaurornis isabellinus
Heard at Tangkoko.
White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
1 or 2 at Mt Mahawu.
Barred Rail Gallirallus torquatus
1 at Tangkoko.
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
1 at Tangkoko.
Great Crested Tern Sterna bergii
Only 2 during the ferry crossing from Ternate to Sidangoli.
Common Tern Sterna hirundo longipennis
Two during the ferry crossing from Daru to Foli.
Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
Fairly common non-forest bird.
Slender-billed/Brown Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia amboinensis
Up to 6 daily throughout, the forms on Sulawesi and Halmahera looking very different.
Stephan's Dove Chalcophaps stephani
A few at Tangkoko and Mt Mahawu.
Barred Dove Geopelia maugeus
A few at Mt Mahawu.
Scarlet-breasted Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus bernsteinii
1 in flight at Foli on 23rd.
Superb Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus superbus
1 at Foli on 24th.
Blue-capped Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus monacha
2 daily at Foli.
Grey-headed Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus hyogaster
Common at Foli.
Black-naped Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus melanospila
A few at Tangkoko.
Grey-cheeked Green-Pigeon Treron griseicauda
Fairly common at Tangkoko.
Green Imperial-Pigeon Ducula aenea
Common on Sulawesi.
White-eyed Imperial-Pigeon Ducula perspicillata
One or 2 on 3 days at Foli..
Cinnamon-bellied Imperial-Pigeon Ducula basilica
A few on 3 days at Foli.
Pied Imperial-Pigeon Ducula bicolor
A few most days at Foli and Sidangoli.
Silver-tipped Imperial-Pigeon Ducula luctuosa
A few at Tangkoko.
White Cockatoo Cacatua alba
2 on 22nd and 5 on 23rd at Foli, with 1 Sidangoli.
Violet-necked Lory Eos squamata
Up to 20 most days at Foli and 2 at Sidangoli..
Chattering Lory Lorius garrulus
Two at Foli on 22nd, 4 on 23rd (RH) and 1 at Sidangoli.
Red-flanked Lorikeet Charmosyna placentis
Fairly common at Foli.
Red-cheeked Parrot Geoffroyus geoffroyi
Fairly common throughout Halmahera.
Great-billed Parrot Tanygnathus megalorynchos
Up to 4 on 3 days at Foli.
Eclectus Parrot Eclectus roratus
A few daily at Foli and Sidangoli..
Moluccan King-Parrot Alisterus amboinensis
2 at Foli on 23rd (RH).
Ornate Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
A few at Tangkoko.
Yellowish-breasted Racquet-tail Prioniturus flavicans
A few at Tangkoko.
(Large) Sulawesi Hanging-Parrot Loriculus amabilis
A few at Tangkoko.
Pygmy/ Small Hanging-Parrot Loriculus exilis
One on the lower slopes of Mt Mahawu.
Moluccan Hanging-Parrot Loriculus amabilis
Singles on 22nd and 2 occasions on 25th at Foli.
Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus
One at Foli.
Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus
Heard at Tangkoko.
Yellow-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus calyorhynchus
Fairly common at Tangkoko, including a party of c.20.
Black-billed Koel Eudynamys melanorhyncha
One at Tangkoko.
Goliath Coucal Centropus goliath
Heard daily but I only saw 2 singles at Foli; RH saw 6 on 24th.
Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis
A few singles throughout.
Sulawesi Scops-Owl Otus manadensis
One heard at Tangkoko on 30th.
Moluccan Scops-Owl Otus magicus leucospilus
One seen and 6 heard on 23rd (RH) at Foli with 1 heard on 25-26th.
Moluccan Hawk-Owl Ninox squamipila hypogramma
One seen and 3 heard on 23rd (RH) at Foli with 1 seen on 26th. I missed this on the previous trip but ticked it on the Tanimbars, a worthy split.
Ochre-bellied Hawk-Owl/ Boobook Ninox ochracea
One seen at Tangkoko on 29th.
Moluccan Owlet-Nightjar Aegotheles crinifrons
One seen and 4 heard on 23rd (RH) at Foli with 1 seen on 25th.
Large-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus
3 seen at dawn on 23rd at Foli, and heard daily.
Great Eared-Nightjar Eurostopodus macrotis
Heard at Tangkoko.
Glossy Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta
Fairly common throughout.
Moluccan Swiftlet Aerodramus infuscata
Small numbers on Halmahera but we found it difficult to distinguish from the next species.
Uniform Swiftlet Aerodramus vanikorensis
A few on Halmahera.
Moustached Treeswift Hemiprocne mystacea
Up to 4 daily at Foli.
Grey-rumped Treeswift Hemiprocne longipennis
A few at Tangkoko.
Blue-and-white Kingfisher Todirhamphus diops
A roadside pair near Kao, Halmahera, on 21st, 3 at Foli on 23rd, 2 on 24th and 2 at Sidangoli on 28th.
Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chloris chloris
A few throughout.
Sombre Kingfisher Todirhamphus funebris
Heard at Foli, a pair seen near the pass at Sidangoli.
Sacred Kingfisher Todirhamphus sanctus sanctus
Singles at Foli on 22nd and 27th and a few at Sidangoli.
Common Paradise-Kingfisher Tanysiptera galateai
Heard at Foli on 3 days.
Sulawesi (Dwarf) Kingfisher Ceyx fallax
2 at Tangkoko.
Lilac (-cheeked) Kingfisher Cittura cyanotis
4 at Tangkoko
Black (Great)-billed Kingfisher Pelargopsis melanorhyncha
One in the mangroves near Tangkoko.
Green-backed Kingfisher Actenoides monachus
5 or 6 at Tangkoko.
Common Kingfisher Alcedo athis
One in the mangroves near Tangkoko.
Purple-bearded Bee-eater Meropogon forsteni
One near the top of Mt Mahawu and 2 lower down.
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
A few most days on Sulawesi.
Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis
Up to 3 daily at Foli and Sidangoli.
Purple-winged Roller Coracias temminckii
1 at Tangkoko on 29th.
Sulawesi (Dwarf) Hornbill Penelopides exarhatus
I only heard it at Tangkoko but RH saw a small party.
Blyth's Hornbill Aceros plicatus reficollis
Up to 20 daily at Foli and a few at Sidangoli.
Knobbed Hornbill Aceros cassidix
Fairly common at Tangkoko.
Sulawesi (Pygmy) Woodpecker Dendrocopos temminckii
3 at Mt Mahawu.
Ashy Woodpecker Mulleripicus fulvus
4 or 5 at Tangkoko.
Hooded Pitta Pitta sordida
One heard at Tangkoko.
Ivory-breasted Pitta Pitta maxima
Only 2 singles seen at Foli but fairly commonly heard there and at Sidangoli.
Red-bellied Pitta Pitta erythrogaster
One seen well at Tangkoko and a few heard.
Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica
Fairly common throughout.
Pied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina bicolor
Heard at Tangkoko.
White-rumped Cuckoo-shrike Coracina leucopygia
2 in the mangroves near Tangkoko.
Moluccan Cuckoo-shrike Coracina atriceps
Up to 4 daily at Foli.
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike Coracina papuensis
A few at Foli.
Halmahera Cuckoo-shrike Coracina parvula
One at Foli on 22nd, with 3 on 24th (RH).
Cicadabird Coracina tenuirostris grayi
2 on 3 days at Foli.
Rufous-bellied Triller Lalage aurea
Fairly common at Foli and Sidangoli.
Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster
Fairly common on Sulawesi.
Golden Bulbul Alophoixus affinis chloris
Up to 10 most days at Foli in pairs or small groups, and a few at Sidangoli.
Red-backed Thrush Zoothera erythronota
3 or 4 at Tangkoko on 29th and 1 or 2 on 30th.
Tawny Grassbird Megalurus timoriensis
A few on Mt Mahawu.
Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata
A few in open country on Sulawesi.
Mountain Tailorbird Orthotomus cuculatus
A few on Mt Mahawu.
Sulawesi Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus sarasinorum
A few on Mt Mahawu.
Rusty-bellied Fantail Rhipidura teysmanni
2 on Mt Mahawu.
Willie-wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys
Up to four daily on Halmahera.
Pale-blue (Black-naped) Monarch Hypothymis(azurea) puella
2 on Mt Mahawu.
Island (Verditer) Flycatcher Eumyias panayensis
2 at Tangkoko.
White-naped Monarch Monarcha pileatus
4 on 22nd at Foli, 1 on 23rd and 1 at Sidangoli.
Spectacled Monarch Monarcha trivirgatus
2 at Foli on 22nd and 1 on 25th.
Moluccan/ Slaty Flycatcher Myiagra galeata
Up to 6 daily at Foli and 2 at Sidangoli.
Shining Flycatcher Myiagra alecto
Only 1 seen at Foli, on 25th.
Citrine Canary-flycatcher Culicicapa helianthea
A few on Mt Mahawu..
Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
Singles at Foli on 23rd (RH) and Sidangoli, a few daily on Sulawesi.
Drab Whistler Pachycephala griseonota
Up to 4 most days at Foli.
Sulphur-bellied/ Yellow-vented Whistler Pachycephala sulfuriventer
A few on Mt Mahawu.
Sulawesi Babbler Trichastoma celebense
Common at Tangkoko and a few on Mt Mahawu.
Plain-throated Sunbird Anthreptes malacensis
A few at Tangkoko.
Black Sunbird Leptocoma sericea
Fairly common throughout.
Olive-backed Sunbird Cinnyris jugularis frenatus
Common throughout.
Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja
2 on Mt Mahawu.
Yellow-sided Flowerpecker Dicaeum aureolimbatum
Common on Mt Mahawu.
Flame-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrothorax
One at Foli on 23rd (RH).
Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker Dicaeum nehrkorni
A few on Mt Mahawu.
Grey-sided Flowerpecker Dicaeum celebicum
A few on Mt Mahawu.
Cream-throated White-eye Zosterops atriceps
A few on 3 days at Foli and 2 at Sidangoli.
Mountain White-eye Zosterops montanus
Abundant on Mt Mahawu.
Yellow-/Lemon-bellied White-eye Zosterops chloris
A few at Tangkoko.
Black-crowned/fronted White-eye Zosterops atrifrons
A few daily at Foli.
Streak-headed White/Dark-eye Lophozosterops squamiceps
A few on Mt Mahawu.
Dusky Myzomela Myzomela obscura
One at Foli on 22nd and 5 on 25th.
White-streaked Friarbird Melitograis gilolensis
Up to 5 daily at Foli.
Halmahera Oriole Oriolus phaeochromus
Up to 10 daily at Foli and a few at Sidangoli.
Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis
Two Mt Mahawu and heard at Tangkoko.
Hair-crested Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus
Several at Tangkoko.
Sulawesi Drongo Dicrurus montanus
Two Mt Mahawu.
Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus atrocaeruleus
Fairly common at Foli and Sidangoli.
White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus
Up to 10 most days.
Paradise-crow Lycocorax pyrrhopterus
Up to 6 daily at Foli and 3 at Sidangoli.
Wallace's Standardwing Semioptera wallacii
1 or 2 on 4 days at Foli but only imm. males displaying.
Long-billed Crow Corvus validus
Up to 10 daily at Foli and 3 at Sidangoli.
Torresian Crow Corvus orru
A few on Halmahera and Ternate.
Slender-billed Crow Corvus enca
Fairly common on Sulawesi.
Metallic Starling Aplonis metallica
Common throughout Halmahera..
Asian Glossy Starling Aplonis panayensis
Common at Tangkoko.
Moluccan Starling Aplonis mysolensis
Up to 3 on 3 days at Foli and 1 at Sidangoli.
Sulawesi (Crested) Myna Basilornis celebensis
Heard at Tangkoko, seen by RH.
White-necked Myna Streptocitta albicollis
4 at Tangkoko.
Finch-billed Myna/ Grosbeak Starling Scissirostrum dubium
A few large colonies at Tangkoko.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus malaccensis
Fairly common in towns.
Black-faced Munia Lonchura molucca
5 at Sidangoli and several at Mt Mahawu.
Chestnut Munia Lonchura atricapilla
Common at Mt Mahawu.