Birding and wildlife watching tour in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Sonder and Mount Mahawu of Tomohon in North Sulawesi as well as marine tour in Bunaken National Park, culture and nature trips to other parts of Indonesia. For guiding service, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 and by email: peace4wp@gmail.com
Sonder is a small subdistrict town in Minahasa highland of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. It is a beautiful destination for visiting birders.
Birding in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa Highland of Indonesia
Sulawesi Myzomela in Sonder's hill farmland
It is surrounded by rivers, rice fields, farmland and forest. Most of its inhabitants work as Farmers. They grow such crops as kangkung, cabbage, carrot, corn, rice, peanuts, papaya, banana, tomato, chilli, coconut, clove and vannila. They run fish, pig and poultry farming. These agricultural and rainforest environments are good places for visiting birders to explore the diversity of the avifauna of Sulawesi island.
Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker in Tounelet forest of Sonder town
Black-naped Oriole
Pale Blue Monarch
In my recent birding tour with a British tourist in higher elevation forest of Sonder, we saw various species of birds including Crimson Sunbird, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Sulawesi Myzomela, Warbling White-eye, Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Turquoise Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Malkoha, Sulawesi Drongo, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Gray-cheeked Green-pigeon, Sulawesi Bush Warbler, Black-faced Munia, Black-naped Oriole, and etc.
Crimson Sunbird
There was also a call of Bay Coucal but we could not see it.
Gray-cheeked Green-pigeon
Night birding could be conducted along the edge of the forest of farmland to find birds such as Sulawesi Scops Owl and Speckled Boobook.
Sulawesi Scops Owl at the farmland of Sonder town of Minahasa highland
Various kinds of butterflies could be seen in this high elevation forest of Sonder. There were Blanchard's Wood Nymph, Blanchard's Tree Nymph, The Clipper Butterfly, and Common Birdwing.
The Clipper Butterfly
The small forest of Tounelet was also an interesting site for watching birds. We saw Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Chestnut Munia, Sahul Sunbird, Zebra Dove, Hair-crested (White-eyed) Drongo, Gray-sided Flowerpecker and Pale Blue Monarch.
Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove
Another interesting birding site was the waterfall at the outskirts of Tincep village. We saw Sulawesi-crested Myna, Green Imperial Pigeon, White-rumped Thriller, Gray-rumped Treeswift and Black-naped Oriole. The scenery of the Kengkang waterfall was beautiful.
Hair-crested (White-eyed) Drongo
Another interesting site for birding was the paddy field areas of Talikuran village. It was the habitat of Barred Rail, Buff-banded Rail, White-browed Crake, Little Egret, Cinnamon Bittern, Cattle Egret and Purple Heron.
Barred Rail
White-breasted Woodswallow
Other birds such as Collared Kingfisher, Scaly-breasted Munia, White-breasted Woodswallow, Rock Pigeon, Zebra Dove could also be seen in the area.
Collared Kingfisher
As we explored more wooded areas of Sonder, we were able to see more interesting avifauna. When we were at the road that connected Sonder and Kiawa village, we saw Lessert Fish Eagle. At that time, we were looking for Brown-throated Sunbird, and Finch-billed Myna.
Finch-billed Myna
Villagers in Sonder grew corn, peanuts, aubergine, tomato, spring onion, banana among the durian, coconut and clove trees.
Visitors could also explore the fish ponds and waterfall streams in Sonder. They could find Barn Swallow, Sulawesi Swiftlet, and Collared Kingfisher.
Black-faced Munia in North Sulawesi
Villagers constructed concrete roads into deeper areas of farmlands to allow easier access for farmers to their cultivated lands. These roads could also be used by visitors to enjoy birding. The small town of Sonder is surrounded by farm Lands and rice field. It is a good destination for visitors who are interested in farm tour or just sight sering.
Paddy fields in Sonder is the site for watching water birds
Dutch Photographer was watching bird in Sonder's farmland of Minahasa regency
How to get there?
Manado city is the main gate to enter Sonder town in Minahasa highland. Every day, there are regular flights that connect Manado city with major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makasar, Balikpapan and Sorong. The flights are served by Garuda, Citilink, Batik Air and Lion Air. It takes around 1 hour 30 minutes by car from Sam Ratulangi Airport of Manado city to Sonder town.
This is the small subdistrict town of Sonder in Minahasa regency
Flight Route between Manado cities and some cities in Indonesia
Car route from Manado city to Sonder town
Accommodation
Visitors who do birding, and walking tour in Sonder town can stay in one of the homestays that is available in the area or they can also book rooms in hotels that are located Tomohon town.
Duration of the Tour
The average duration of this birding trip is around 3 to 4 days depending on the request of the visitors. If this is combined with birding tour in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, the duration of the tour is around 7 days.
Booking
If you want me to organize your trip and guide you for tours in North Sulawesi, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.
I guided a British tourist in early October 2024 in Minahasa highland of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. The first site that we visited was Lake Linow. We watched water birds that swam, walked and flew around the lake areas such as: Sunda Teal, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Black-backed Swamphen, White-breasted Waterhen, Barred Rail, Barn Swallow, Whiskered Tern, Javan Pond Heron, Uniform Swiftlet, Common Sandpiper.
Sulawesi Pitta in Minahasa Highland
Crater of Mount Mahawu and birds that could be found in the area
In the afternoon, at 15:00, we continued our trip to Mount Mahawu where we walked up the stairs that led us to its crater. It was raining at that time, the stairs were slippery. Fortunately, when we reached its top, the rain stopped.
We saw Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove, Black Sunbird, Turquoise Flycatcher, Glossy Swiftlet, and a large flock of Warbling White-eye in trees at the edge of the crater.
When we walked down the slope to the parking lot, we saw Sulawesi Malkoha. We continued birding along the road of Mount Mahawu where we saw White-bellied Imperial Pigeon and Gray-sided Flowerpecker.
Warbling White-eye
The next morning, we watched Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, White-eyed Drongo and Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Sulawesi Myzomela still in the slope of Mount Mahawu. There was a Sulawesi Serpent Eagle that was soaring high in the sky above the forest area of the volcano.
Rice field in Minahasa regency
We continued our birding tour to Subdistrict Sonder that late morning. We saw Crimson Sunbird, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Gray-streaked Flycatcher, Sahul Sunbird, Sooty-headed Bulbul, and etc. I saw a Pink-necked Green Pigeon and then a Stephan's Dove that were flying down fast from the forest down the slope of Sonder's hill to the farmland area.
In late afternoon, we went birding again along the slope of Mount Mahawu. This time the bird was relatively the same as this morning and yesterday. Warbling White-eye, Black-crowned White-eye, Turquoise Flycatcher, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker and etc. There were more species that we could later add in our list, i.e. Superb Fruit Dove, Sulphur-bellied Whistler, and Sulawesi Scops Owl.
Crimson Sunbird in Sonder's forest of Minahasa
The last day of our birding trip in North Sulawesi was conducted in Sonder of Minahasa regency. We saw Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Drongo, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Sulawesi Myna, Green Imperial Pigeon, White-rumped Triller, Sulawesi Swiftlet, Lesser Fish Eagle, White-browed Crake, Collared Kingfisher, Crimson Sunbird, and Yellow-billed Malkoha. We heard the call of Bay Coucal and Isabelline Bush Hen. Unfortunately, we could not see them.
North Sulawesi is a highly recommended destination for birdwatching and sightseeing.
Accommodation
Most tourists who travel to the highland of Minahasa chose Tomohon town as their place to stay. There are hotels and homestays that can be booked from the internet.
Booking
If you are interested in traveling to Manado city and doing a walking tour for sightseeing or hiking for birdwatching, and butterfly watching, and want a guide to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.
