Sulawesi Drongo in Sonder's Farm Forest of Minahasa Highland

This is the photograph of Sulawesi Drongo (Dicrurus montanus) that I saw in the farm forest of Sonder town in the highland of Minahasa regency of Indonesia. I saw this bird when ai was guiding a tourist from United Kingdom. We were walking on a concrete path through a clove plantation when we saw the bird sitting on a small branch of the clove tree.

Sulawesi Drongo in the farm forest of Sonder town in Minahasa highland

Drongo is considered a good friend of farmers because it eats insect for its diet. So, its function in a farm environment is a pest controller.

It did not make a lot of movements but I had to move closer several times and  change my position to get good angle for photographing this drongo. This endemic bird of Sulawesi island lives in mountainous region. It has got black feather with fork tail and dark red eye. 

Sonder is a small subdistrict town in Minahasa regency of Indonesia. It is surrounded by rice paddy, vegetable garden, plantations of clove, coconut, and other fruiting trees. It has got forest in higher elevation area. There are rivers that supports this agricultural land. Local farmers run fish farming, pig farming and poultry farming on the sides of these rivers. 

Sonder has got several interesting birdwatching sites. The farm forest in higher elevation or mountaineous region of Minahasa highland is the habitat of such birds as Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Sulawesi Myzomela, Sulawesi Bush Warbler, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Japanese White-eye, Black-crowned White-eye, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Crimson Sunbird, and etc. 

In the small forest of Tounelet Slope, birdwatchers could see Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Black-naped Oriole, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulaweei Brush Cuckoo, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Chestnut Munia, Sahul Sunbird, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon, and etc.

If you are interested in taking a birdwatching holiday in Sonder town, you need to fly to Manado city which is the capital of North Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. We could meet you at the airport and organize your birdwatching trip to various birding sites in Sonder town and other areas of North Sulawesi.

For more information, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Also read:

• Wildlife Photography Tour in Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Minahasa Highland
• Hiking Tour and Birdwatching in Minahasa
• Butterflywatching in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa
• Birding and Butterflywatching in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birding and Photography Tour in North Sulawesi

Brown-throated Sunbird

This is the picture of Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis celebensis) that was taken in the small forest of Tounelet village in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency.  The bird, according to Wikipedia, has got a thick bill with an average length of 14 cm. It can be found in open forest, along the roadside where there are flowering plants or in coconut plantations. The bird likes the nectar of coconut flower. The male bird is more colourful than the female one. 

Brown-throated Sunbird

The Brown-throated Sunbird looks similar to Sahul Sunbird (Cynniris frenatus) whose habitat is the same. 

Sahul Sunbird

The tropical rainforest and farmland of North Sulawesi from Tangkoko Nature Reserve to Mount Mahawu and Sonder's forest are the habitat of various species of sunbirds such as Sahul Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, Crimson Sunbird, and Black Sunbird.

Crimson Sunbird

There are also a lot of other species of birds in Minahasa Peninsula which visitors could watch including Yellow-billed Malkoha, Sulawesi-crested Myna, Sulawesi Pitta, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Myzomela, Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Ashy Woodpecker, Pygmy Woodpecker, and etc. 

If you are interested in taking a birdwatching tour in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Mount Mahawu, Lake Linow, Sonder's forest, and Tincep's ricefield and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Also read:

• Birds in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland
• Wildlife Watching and Photography Tour in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland 
• Birding in Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Minahasa Highland
• Chestnut Munia

Hiking Tour and Birdwatching in Sonder of Minahasa

Most visitors who travel to North Sulawesi want to spend their holiday doing scuba diving and snorkeling in Bunaken, Siladen and Lembeh Strait. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of other tourist attractions in the region. One of them is the natural landscape, flora and fauna of the mainland Sulawesi. The highland of Minahasa is a beautiful destination for visitors who love hiking, birdwatching, butterflywatching or wildlife watching in general. 

Walking tour in Sonder town of Minahasa Highland

Sonder town in Minahasa regency is a good destination. It is a recommended base for visitors who want to explore the nature, and culture of the Minahasan people. Sonder has got forest, farmlands and rice fields and villages which tourists can visit. 

Terraces of Paddy Fields in District Sonder of Minahasa

The small forest of Tounelet Slope in Sonder is the habitat of various species of birds including Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Black-naped Oriole, Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove, Slender-billed Crow, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sahul Sunbird, Slender-billed Crow, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Grey-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Black-crowned White-eye, Collared Kingfisher, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Eurasian Treesparrow, and etc. 

Farmlands, and villages in District Sonder of Minahasa

In the rice field areas of Sonder, visitors could walk along the road to enjoy the beautiful view of the agricultural land with the background hills and mountains of Minahasa. Birds such as Barred Rail, Cinnamon Bittern, Black Bittern, White-breasted Woodswallow, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Eastern Yellow Wagtail and White-browed Crake are some of the birds that can be watched in the area. 

More birds could be watched in the forest. They include such birds as Crimson Sunbird, Mountain White-eye, White-faced Cuckoo Dove.

Walking Tour Routes

Hiking trails to a lot of directions of Minahasa can be organized for visitors. One that is good for watching birds and butterflies is the route of Sonder to villages of Rambunan - Sawangan - Pinaras - Rambunan and then back to Sonder. Another interesting route for sightseeing is Sonder - Tincep - Kengkang Waterfall - Timbukar (by White Water Rafting) - Tangkuney. After that visitors can return to Sonder by car. 

Tincep is the village of flowers and butterflies

Tincep is a village that is famous for its colourful flowers, butterflies, water birds and and ricefields. Short trails for guided walking tour and birdwatching can be organized around Sonder farmlands. The walking tour route from Tounelet village to Lalek Forest - Talikuran village and back to Tounelet village is good for sightseeing. 

Tincep village, flowers and waterfall

Lalek forest is also suitable for nature lovers who want to see forest and farmland as well as birds and butterflies. Trees in this forest are tall and are the habitat of Black-naped Oriole, Hair-crested Drongo, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Sahul Sunbird, Hair-crested Drongo, Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove Yellow-billed Malkoha, and a lot more.

Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon

If you are interested in taking a tour in Minahasa and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Also read:

• Walking Tour in the Farmland of Sonder Town of Minahasa
• Nature Tour in North Sulawesi
• Manado City Tour
• Tour around the farmland of Minahasa
• Trip to Minahasa Highland