Guided Birding Walk and Sightseeing Tour in Manado City of North Sulawesi

Manado is the capital of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. It has got suburban areas that are still interesting for visitors who want to enjoy birdwatching. Tropical birds that could be watched during the walking tour include: Sooty-headed Bulbul, Glossy Swiftlet, White-nest Swiftlet, Sahul Sunbird, Crimson Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Pale Blue Monarch, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Pale Blue Monarch, Barred Rail, Sulawesi Crow and etc. 

Sooty-headed Bulbul

In addition to birds, we could also butterflies, dragonflies and beetles in the farmland areas outside of Manado city. Some of them include: Celebes-banded Swallowtail (Papilio gigon), The Clipper (Parthenos sylvia), Blanchard's Wood Nymph (Ideopsis vitrea), Common Birwing (Troides helena), Brown Pansy (Junonia hedonia), Pale Blue Tit (Hypolycaena sipylus), Manado Yellow Tiger (Parantica menadensis) and etc.

Dragonflies usually sit on the tip of grass blades or leaves of creeping plants that grow near water. Some that can be seen during the tour are Manado Grasshawk (Neurothemis manadensis), Green Skimmer (Orthetrum serapia), 

Butterflywatching in the Suburb of Manado city

Manado city is the destination for tourists who want to enjoy scuba diving, snorkeling and swimming in Bunaken islands and Lembeh Straight. 

Most of scuba divers cannot fly back to their countries immediately after taking the dive tour. They usually need to stay for 1 day in a hotel in Manado city. This guided birding walk that is added with city tour allows them spend time doing activities that are more interesting than just spending all day in the room of a hotel.

Extended Tour

This birdwatching tour in the suburb of Manado city can be extended to 1 more week to explore birding sites in Minahasa highland and Tangkoko Nature Reserve. 

If you are interested in taking this birdwatching tour in Manado or even throughout North Sulawesi Province, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Also read:

• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa Highland
• Sonder Bird
• Tangkoko Birding
• Tangkoko Bird List
• Tour Around the Farmland of Minahasa
• Birdwatching in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Sulawesi's Minahasa Peninsula

Butterfly watching and Birdwatching in Manado city of North Sulawesi

A few days ago I guided Carolyn, a visitor from the United States on a butterfly watching and birding tour in Manado city of North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. We started at around 10:00 in the morning by walking along the farm forest that was filled with coconut trees, lime trees, aren trees and a lot of other tropical plants that grow along the side of a small stream. We saw various species of butterflies and birds.

Ideopsis vitrea

For butterflies, there were The Clipper (Parthenos sylvia), Lime Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus), Common Birdwing (Troides helena), Blanchard's Ghost (Idea blanchardii), Blanchard's Tree Nymph (Ideopsis vitrea), Celebes-banded Swallowtail (Papilio gigon), Australian Lurcher (Yoma sabina nimbus), Brown Pansy (Junonia hedonia), and Pale Blue Tit (Hypolycaena sipylus). There were some other butterflies which I could not identify. 

Papilio gigon

Birding Walk

We also watched some birds such as: Sulawesi Crow (Corvus celebensis), Sahul Sunbird (Cynniris frenatus), a juvenile Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja), Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica), Pale Blue Monarch (Hyphothymis puella), White-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus), Glossy Swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta), Sulawesi Hanging Parrot (Loriculus stigmatus), Barred Rail (Galliralus torquatus), Hair-crested (White-eyed) Drongo - (Dicrurus hottentottus leucops), Gray-sided Flowerpecker (Dicaeum celebicum), Yellow-sided Flowerpecker (Dicaeum aureolimbatum).

The trees and agricultural crops along the roadside are the habitat of Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis), Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove (Macropygia doreya albicapilla), Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Sooty-headed Bulbul and etc.

Pacific Swallow

Sahul Sunbird

I brought my bridge camera, the Fujifilm HS50EXR. With this old photographic device, I could take some pictures of birds and butterflies. 

Yellow-sided Flowerpecker

At around 13:30, heavy rain started to cover the butterfly watching site. We could not continue our activity and had to return to Sam Ratulangi Airport. There, I said Good Bye to Carolyn. She would fly to Singapore by Scoot Air and then continue her trip to back to the United States. 

Also read:

• Manado City Tour
• Birdwatching Tour At The Outskirts of Manado City
• Nature Tour Around Manado City
• Butterflywatching in Sonder town of Minahasa Highland
• Butterfly watching in Minahasa Highland
• Watching Black-naped Oriole in Sonder town of Minahasa
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BUTTERFLY WATCHING AND BIRDING TOUR IN SONDER TOWN OF MINAHASA HIGHLAND

The Subdistrict town of Sonder in Minahasa highland is a recommended destination for visitors who are interested in watching butterflies, and birds of Sulawesi especially those that live in higher elevation forest. 

Manado Yellow Tiger (Parantica menadensis)

The farmland and forest around Sonder town is the habitat of a lot of species of butterflies and birds. If we walk around the agricultural land, we will be able to see such butterflies as Lime Swallowtail, Common Birdwing, Manado Yellow Tiger, Blanchard's Ghost, The Clipper, Celebes Leafwing, and a lot more. Butterflies like to gather in flowering plants to collect their nectar. Visitors could see a lot of flowering plants in Subdistrict Sonder. 

Yellow-billed Malkoha in the Tounelet slope forest of Sonder town

Birdwatching is another interesting activity which visitors can enjoy while exploring the farmland, rice paddy and forest of Sonder town. A lot of birds could be watched using binoculars and spotting scope. Some of them are listed below.

Crimson Sunbird

• Black-crowned White-eye
• Warbling White-eye (also called Japanese White-eye)
• Hair-crested Drongo
• Sulawesi Drongo
• Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, 
• Sulawesi Hanging Parrot
• Pygmy Hanging Parrot
• Sulawesi Crow
• Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher
• Sulawesi Myzomela
• Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker
• Yellow-sided Flowerpecker
• Gray-sided Flowerpecker
• Green Imperial Pigeon
• Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove
• Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon
• Zebra Dove
• Sooty-headed Bulbul
• Scaly-breasted Munia
• Chestnut Munia
• Black-faced Munia
• Little Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Cinnamon Bittern
• Buff-banded Rail
• Barred Rail
• Isabelline Bush-hen
• White-breasted Woodswallow
• Sulawesi Myna
• Finch-billed Myna
• Sahul Sunbird
• Black Sunbird
• Brown-throated Sunbird
• Crimson Sumbird
• Sulawesi Scops Owl
• Yellow-billed Malkoha
• Black-naped Oriole
• and etc.

Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker in Tounelet Slope Forest of Sonder town

Where is Sonder? And How to go there?

Sonder is a small subdistrict town in Minahasa regency of Indonesia. 

• To reach it, visitors need to fly from their own countries to one of the major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Denpasar, Surabaya, Makassar, Balikpapan, Sorong and Ternate. After that they could continue their trip to Manado city by taking a domestic flight served by Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, SuperAirjet, TransNusa, Wings Air. It takes around 1 hour by car from the Sam Ratulangi International airport of Manado city to Sonder town.
• Visitors could also take a direct flight from Singapore to Manado city by Scoot Air.
• There are direct flights between Guangzhou in China and Manado city served by TransNusa and China Southern Airlines. 

Flight routes between Manado city and some major cities in Indonesia

Car route from Manado city to Tomohon town and Sonder town and from Manado city to Tangkoko Nature Reserve

If you are interested in taking a butterfly watching and birding tour both in the suburb of Manado city and in Sonder town of Minahasa highland, please, contact us by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Also read:

• Sonder Bird
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa Highland
• Hiking and Birdwatching in Sonder of Minahasa Highland

Sooty-headed Bulbul in the Farmland of Minahasa

In Minahasa highland of North Sulawesi, Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster) is one of the most common birds that people can see in cities, towns and villages. 

In Greek, the term Pynonotus is formed from two words, i.e. puknos which means thick or compact; and nōtos meaning backed (nōton back). The term aurigaster consists of two Latin words: aurum meaning gold, and gaster meaning belly.

People in Indonesia call it Kutilang. According to e-bird, Sooty-headed Bulbul is considered as a sensitive bird. As a matter of fact, the bird is not sensitive at all in Minahasa peninsula.  

Sooty-headed Bulbul

The songbird is traded as caged bird in several parts of Indonesia because people like listening to their songs. Sooty-headed Bulbul. This bird helps farmers by feeding on insects in farmland areas. However, it can also be considered as pets because it eats fruit. 

Sooty-headed Bulbul in Sonder town of Minahasa regency

There are also other common birds that we can see in Minahasa highland especially throughout its small towns and villages. They include Eurasian Treesparrow, Sahul Sunbird, Slender-billed Crow, Cattle Egret, and Zebra Dove. 

As a tourist guide in Minahasa regency of North Sulawesi, I offer birdwatching tour for visitors who want to watch the avifauna of this region. 

Birdwatching is an interesting tourism activity for nature lovers. Visitors can watch various species of birds as well as other animals when walking in outdoor environment. 

Sonder town in Minahasa regency

The highland of Minahasa has got a lot of beautiful landscapes. Tour participants can enjoy birdwatching and at the same time seeing the beautiful nature of the highland.

If you are interested in exploring the farmland and forest Minahasa for birdwatching and sightseeing, please, contact me Charles Roring by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read:

• Warbling White-eye
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Sooty-headed Bulbul
• Collared Kingfisher 

Some Photos of Birds from My Birding Walk in Subdistrict Sonder

Here are some photos of birds that I took while doing birding walk in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency. 

Barred Rail in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency

The first picture is Barred Rail. This is a ground walking bird. When I took picture of this bird, it was walking on the branches of a small tree at a roadside. It was an unusual scene for the Barred Rail.

Sulawesi Hanging Parrot

The second picture is Sulawesi Hanging-parrot (Loriculus stigmatus). The bird was perhaps feeding on lichens of a tree in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency. I was standing on the frontyard of a villager's house that is on a hill. This allowed me to take some pictures of the bird on trees that stood at the frontyard of the house.

White-browed Crake

White-browed Crake is a very shy bird. I frequently see them walking through paddy fields in search of food. Yesterday, I tried to walk closer to take pictures of them. Unfortunately, they moved into denser rice plants. 

Scaly-breasted Munia

These three small birds that were sitting on a twig of a tree were Scaly-breasted Munia. They were considered as pests by farmers who cultivate rice in paddy fields. 

There are more birds that we can watch in Minahasa highland. I will continue to update this blog with more articles of birding in this region. 

Finch-billed Myna

If you are interested in visiting Minahasa regency in Indonesia for sightseeing, birdwatching, butterflywatching and farm tour, and want a guide to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Also read:

• Birdwatching and Photography Trip in Sonder of Minahasa Highland
• Hiking Tour and Birdwatching in Minahasa
• Birds of Sulawesi
• Birding and Photography Tour in North Sulawesi

Tour Around the Farmland of Minahasa

The highland of Minahasa has got beautiful landscape. Visitors who spend their holiday here can take a tour to see the villages, farmland, and forest. 

Most of the inhabitants of Minahasa land are farmers. They grow rice, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, chilli, spring onion, cabbage, kangkung, pineapple, pangi, lemon grass, orange, rambutan, durian, and etc. 

Vanilla, clove, coconut, road through farmland, traditional market

While walking through the villages and farmland, tour participants can meet with the farmers and talk with them. Farmers can explain the food crops which they grow and how long they have to cultivate the plants until they could harvest them. 

Industrial agricultural crops such as coconut, vanilla, clove and nutmeg could also be seen in Minahasa. They are harvested in certain period of time. For instance coconuts are usually picked every three months, and clove every two years. During the waiting time, farmers can do other jobs or cultivate short term food crops such as chilli, tomatoes, and other vegetable plants. Mos of the food crops are available in local markets. 

Farmers dry their harvest around their houses. That's why front-yard of a lot of farmers' houses in Minahasa are covered with concrete floor.

For coconut, farmers use other method for drying it. The meat of coconut is put on a shelf and is heated from below using fire.

Birds and Butterflies

There are birds and butterflies which visitors can watch during the farmland tour in Minahasa land. Some of them are Sooty-headed Bulbul, Sahul Sunbird, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Crimson Sunbird, Hair-crested Drongo, Black-naped Oriole, Finch-billed Myna, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia,  and a lot more. 

Some of the birds in the farmland of Minahasa 

Butterflies that occur in Minahasa include The Clipper, Common Birdwing, Minahasa Yellow Tiger, Blanchard's Wood Nymph, Blanchard's Tree Nymph, Meyer's Jay, Sacred Tabby and etc.

Butterfly watching in Minahasa highland

If you are interested in traveling to Minahasa and want to tour guide to organize your trip and accompany you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

• Farm tour to Minahasa Highland of Indonesia
• Farmland Tour in Minahasa Highland
• Trip to Minahasa Highland
• Farmland Tours in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa
• Flower Tour in Minahasa Highland

Farmland Tour in Minahasa Highland

Most tourists who travel to Manado city want to enjoy their holiday in Bunaken or Lembeh Strait. As a matter of fact, they can also take a farmland tour in the highland of Minahasa. 

In Minahasa, papaya flower is harvested as vegetables and papaya fruit is consumed as fruit

Villagers who live in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency work as farmers. They grow rice, corn, banana, papaya, tomato, chilli, spring onion, aubergine, kangkung, cabbage, peanut, kidney bean, durian, duku, rambutan, mango; and industrial crops such as clove and vanilla. Those who live near water streams run fish, poultry and pig farming. 

Paddy fields and coconut trees in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency

Visitors who take the farm tour in Minahasa can explore the agricultural land to see plants and animals which the local people have and how local farmers cultivate their food crops. 

Palm sugar from Rambunan village in Subdistrict Sonder is processed from the sap of aren tree

Minahasa is an important supplier of agricultural produce to towns and cities in eastern region of Indonesia. Vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish, meat are exported to Sorong, Manokwari, Jayapura, Ternate, Ambon, and Balikpapan. 

Villagers in Tincep village grow flowers which they sell to various towns and villages in North Sulawesi province of Indonesia

Birdwatching

Walking through the trees and shrubs in the dry agricultural land, tour participants can enjoy watching various species of birds and butterflies. Some of the birds that can be seen include :

Crimson Sunbird, Sahul Sunbird, Chestnut Munia, Cattle Egret, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove

Sahul Sunbird, Crimson Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit Dove, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Black-faced Munia, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Cinnamon Bittern, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-naped Oriole, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, White-eyed Drongo, Zebra Dove, Rock Pigeon, and etc. 

The secretive White-browed Crakes were walking through rice plants in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency 

Flight Routes

The capital of North Sulawesi Province is Manado city. It is the main gate for visitors who want to travel to Minahasa highland. There are daily flights between Manado and some major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Denpasar, Makassar and Sorong. Visitors could fly to these cities and continue their trip to Manado by taking one of the domestic flights served by Garuda, Citilink, Batik Air, Lion Air, TransNusa.

For direct international flights, Scoot Air fly between Manado city and Singapore several times a week. There are also direct flights between Manado city and Guangzhou served by China Southern Airlines.

Trip from Manado to Minahasa highland can be done by car. There are hotels, resorts and guesthouses in Tomohon. 

Flights from Singapore and major cities in Indonesia to Manado city

Land route from Manado city to Tomohon town and Subdistrict town of Sonder

If you are interested in taking a farmland tour in the highland of Minahasa and want a guide to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read:

• Farm Tour to Minahasa Highland of Indonesia
• Tour around the farmland of Minahasa
• Trip to Minahasa Highland
• The many uses of Aren Palm Tree
• Sightseeing and Birdwatching Tour in the farmland of Subdistrict Sonder
• Farmland Tour in Sonder Town of Minahasa, Indonesia

Farmland Tours in Sonder Town of Minahasa, Indonesia

The Subdistrict town of Sonder in Minahasa highland of Indonesia is a beautiful destination for farmland tours. Visitors who travel to this small town could enjoy walking tours to explore its villages, forest, agricultural lands, and paddy fields.  

The walking tours in these areas allows visitors to see various kinds of agricultural crops that are grown by local farmers and at the same time watch birds and butterflies. The hills that surround subdistrict town of Sonder are planted with various kinds of fruit trees such as duku, durian, rambutan, papaya, banana, mango, and coconut. Villagers grow other agricultural commodities such as nutmeg, clove and vanilla. 

Walking Tour in the farmland of Sonder town

Local farmers grow aubergine, tomato, chilli, banana, sweet potatoes, papaya, rambutan, kidney bean, cabbage, spring onion, peanut, green bean, and a lot of other agricultural produce in their farmlands. In wetland, they grow rice, corn and vegetables. They run pig, poultry, and fish farm.

Visitors who are interested in taking farm tour with me can buy some of the produce and try cooking Minahasan cuisines at the homestay.

Some of the agricultural commodities that villagers grow in Sonder

These agricultural produce are sold in towns and cities in North Sulawesi and throughout eastern region of Indonesia including Manado, Tomohon, Tondado, Bitung,  Ambon, Sorong, Ternate, Balikpapan.

Palm Sugar is one of the agricultural products from Minahasa that is widely sold in villages, towns and cities in eastern region of Indonesia

Dodol is a traditional sweet rice cake made of glutinous rice, coconut milk, palm sugar and peanuts wrapped in palm leaf

The combination of terraces of paddy fields with clove, coconut and other tropical trees along the Lalek slope creates a very beautiful landscape which tourists will like when they do nature walk around the outskirts of Subdistrict town of Sonder.

Sonder town in Minahasa regency of Indonesia

Because I bring my old camera - the Fujifilm HS50EXR, I could take some pictures of the landscapes, the terraces of rice fields, the birds and butterflies.

Flowers in Tincep of Subdistrict Sonder, Minahasa regency, Indonesia

If you are interested in traveling to Sonder town in Minahasa regency of Indonesia to do walking tour, sightseeing and animal watching, and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com

Also read:

• Farm Tour to Minahasa Highland of Indonesia
• Snorkeling in Bunaken: Exploring the Underwater Wonders of North Sulawesi
• Wildlife Tour in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland
• Hiking Tour and Birdwatching in Minahasa
• Nature Tour in North Sulawesi
• Sightseeing and Birdwatching Tour in the Ricefield of Sonder