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

Scaly-breasted Munia in North Sulawesi : The Charming Little Finch of the Grasslands

The Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata), also known as the Spotted Munia or Nutmeg Mannikin, is a small, social bird found across tropical Asia. It has also been introduced to other parts of the world, including the Pacific islands, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Beloved for its gentle nature and striking plumage, this munia thrives in open habitats and is often seen in small flocks.

Scaly-breasted Munia

Physical Characteristics

The Scaly-breasted Munia is a small bird, about 11–12 cm in length. Its most distinctive feature is the scale-like pattern on its breast and belly, formed by dark-edged white feathers, giving the bird its name. The rest of the plumage is typically brown with a slightly reddish tinge on the head and back. Both males and females look similar, making sexing by appearance difficult.

Juvenile munias lack the scaly breast and are mostly dull brown with paler underparts.

Scaly-breasted Munia in Tomohon town

Habitat and Distribution

This species is native to South and Southeast Asia, including India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and southern China. It prefers grasslands, open woodlands, rice fields, and even urban gardens. Thanks to its adaptability, the Scaly-breasted Munia has become a successful colonizer of new areas where it has been introduced.

Behavior and Diet

Scaly-breasted Munias are gregarious, often seen in flocks feeding on seeds and grains. Their diet mainly consists of grass seeds, millets, and occasionally small insects. In agricultural areas, they are considered as pests due to their fondness for rice and other cereal crops.

They forage both on the ground and on grass stalks, often hanging upside-down to reach seeds. Their chirping and twittering are soft but constant when in flocks.

Breeding and Nesting

The breeding season varies depending on the region but often coincides with the monsoon or rainy season. Scaly-breasted Munias build a globular nest using grasses and other fine plant material, usually placed in bushes, trees, or even in man-made structures.

They lay 4 to 6 white eggs, and both parents share incubation and chick-rearing duties. The young fledge in about 3 weeks, but families often stay together for some time afterward.

Conservation Status

The Scaly-breasted Munia is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. It has a wide range, a stable population, and is abundant in many parts of its distribution. However, localized threats include habitat loss and capture for the pet trade.

Cultural and Ecological Importance

In many parts of Asia, the Scaly-breasted Munia is a popular aviary bird due to its calm demeanor and attractive appearance. Ecologically, it plays a role in controlling grass seed populations and serves as prey for birds of prey and small mammals.

If you are interested in taking a birdwatching tour in Minahasa Peninsula of North Sulawesi Province in Indonesia, and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com. 

Also read:

• Sonder Tours
• Sonder Bird
• Minahasa Highland Tour
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa Highland

Japanese White-eye in North Sulawesi

Here is the picture of Japanese White Eye bird that I saw in Minahasa highland of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. It is only a small but beautiful bird.  

The Japanese White-eye, also known by its scientific name Zosterops japonicus, is a small bird native to East Asia. It has a greenish upper body, a yellow throat and chest, and a distinctive white ring around its eyes. This white eye-ring gives the bird its name. The species is also commonly called the Mejiro in Japan.

Japanese White-eye (now called Warbling White-eye)

Japanese White-eyes are small and agile. They typically measure around 10 to 12 centimeters in length. Their diet includes insects, nectar, and various fruits. They use their sharp beaks to feed on soft fruits and to catch small insects. These birds are active and often move quickly through trees and bushes in search of food.

The Japanese White-eye is known for its pleasant and soft calls. It is a social bird that often forms small flocks, especially outside of the breeding season. During breeding, pairs build small cup-shaped nests in trees or shrubs. The female usually lays two to five eggs. Both parents help in feeding the chicks after they hatch.

These birds are adaptable and can live in various habitats. They are found in forests, gardens, and even urban parks. Because of their attractive appearance and singing, they have sometimes been kept as pets in the past.

Warbling White-eye

The Japanese White-eye has been introduced to other parts of the world, including Hawaii and some Pacific islands. In some areas, it has become invasive and may compete with native birds for food and nesting space.

In its native range, the Japanese White-eye plays a role in pollination and seed dispersal, especially in forest ecosystems. It is considered a species of least concern in terms of conservation status. However, changes in habitat and competition with other species can still affect local populations.

If you are interested in watching and photographing Japanese White-eye bird in Minahasa highland as well as a lot of other species of tropical birds of Sulawesi island, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

• Birdwatching and Photo Tour at the Outskirts of Manado city
• Sulawesi Myzomela
• Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher
• Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker
• Bird Photography Tour in Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Minahasa Highland
• Birding Tour from Manado City
• Discovering the Black-naped Oriole: A Tropical Jewel of the Canopy
• Watching Black-naped Oriole in Sonder Town

Minahasa Highland Tour

The highland of Minahasa is located in the Province of North Sulawesi. It is a beautiful destination for tourists who love nature and culture. There are volcanoes, lakes, waterfalls, farmland, rice fields, rivers, valleys and a lot of villages. Most of the inhabitants of Minahasa highland work as farmers. They grow rice, corn, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, chilli, spring onion, rambutan, peanuts, clove, and a lot more. They also run pig fig and fish farming. 

Subdistrict town of Sonder

Visitors who are interested in spending their holiday time in Indonesia can travel to Minahasa highland. They need to fly from their country to Jakarta which is the capital of Indonesia. After that they could continue their trip by taking a domestic flight to Manado city. Airlines that provide regular flights between Manado and major cities include Garuda, Citilink, SuperAir Jet, Lion Air, Batik Air and TransNusa. It is the capital of North Sulawesi Province. After that, the next trip is by car. Most visitors go to Tomohon town. There are hotels and homestays in Tomohon which they can choose to stay. Another destination is Subdistrict Sonder. Visitors can stay in the homestays that are located in that small town. 

Minahasa Highland Tour

Visitors could enjoy hiking and sightseeing in Mount Mahawu. There are concrete stairs that lead visitors to its crater. There are also concrete paths that stretch along the slopes of the volcano. They can be used by visitors to explore plants, birds, insects, reptiles and mammals of Mount Mahawu. For visitors who love birdwatching. They could find Warbling White-eye, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, Turquoise Flycatcher, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Crimson Sunbird, Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, and etc. 

Another interesting site near Tomohon is Pine Forest. It has got pine trees that grow around the slopes of sulphuric pond. Visitors could enjoy soaking their bodies in the hot spring water of the sulphuric pond that, according to local people, is good for curing skin disease.

Flowers along the roadside of Tincep Village

The subdistrict of Sonder is surrounded by farmland. Visitors could enjoy farm tour in Sonder seeing rows of clove trees along the slopes of its hills or walk through paddy fields that look like green carpet in a valley between Sonder town and Tincep village. Visitors could enjoy birdwatching and butterfly watching in Sonder. There are some eating houses or small restaurants that offer grilled pork and tilapia fish with stir fried vegetables.

Sulawesi Hanging Parrot

Crimson Sunbird

Barred Rail

Birds that could be watched in Sonder include the Black-naped Oriole, Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Malkoha, Black Kite, Black-faced Munia, Chestnut Munia, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Green Imperial Pigeon, Pale Blue Monarch, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, and a lot more. 

Lake Tondano

Another attraction of Minahasa highland is Lake Tondano. It is the place where visitors go to enjoy Minahasa spicy culinary at the restaurants that are built along the side of the lakes.

Statue of Ragey in Kawangkoan town of Minahasa regency

Kawangkoan is a small subdistrict town that is surrounded by farmlands. There are shops and restaurants that sell locally made baked cookies, rroasted peanuts, steamed buns, and etc. Restaurant and eating houses in Kawangkoan are also famous for their grilled pork.  In Minahasa the grilled pork skewer is called ragey. This delicious menu is available in most towns of the region.

Farmland in Minahasa highland

Booking

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

Birding Tour from Manado City (3 Days/ 2 Nights)

Manado City

Manado city is the capital of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. It is the destination for visitors who want to go scuba diving in Bunaken, Siladen and Lembeh Strait. It is also the main gate for visitors who want to go to Tangkoko. 

Birding tour organized from Manado city to Minahasa highland

As a tourist guide, I offer birdwatching and sightseeing tour that starts from Manado city. The tour is suitable for anyone who is a beginner in birdwatching or has just taken-up birding as a hobby for 1 or 2 years. It is also good for birders who wants to visit North Sulawesi for the first time.

Turquoise Flycatcher

The duration of the tour is from 1 to 2 days for areas around the outskirts of Manado city and up to 1 week if the tour includes the highland of Minahasa and Tangkoko Nature Reserve. Here is the program for a 4-day/ 3-night birding and sightseeing tour. 

Sulawesi Hanging Parrot

• Day 1. We will meet you at the airport or a hotel in Manado city. We will organize your transfer to Tomohon town in the highland of Minahasa. Check into homestay. Rest. After lunch, We will start our birding activity by visiting Lake Linow which is located outside of Tomohon town. Birds that we could see in this place include Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, White-breasted Waterhen, Sunda Teal, Barn Swallow and etc. Back to Tomohon town, return to hotel. Dinner. Rest. 

Birds in Lake Linow of Minahasa Highland

• Day 2. We will wake up very early in the morning at around 05:30. We will go by car to Mount Mahawu. We will have early breakfast and then go hiking up to slope to look for Warbling White-eye, Black-crowned White-eye, Red Jungle Fowl, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, Yellow-billed Malkoha, Turquoise Flycatcher, Sulawesi Bush Warbler, Sulawesi Myzomela, and etc. We will enjoy birding until around 09:00. After that we will return to Tomohon and visit traditional market. Lunch at 12:00. Back to homestay for rest. At 15:00, we will do birding at Pine Forest to look for Gray-rumped Treeswift, Black-naped Oriole, Collared Kingfisher and Barred Rail. Back to Tomohon before dark. Dinner at 19:00. Back to homestay, rest.

Black Kite

Crimson Sunbird

• Day 3. We will start at 05:00, our destination is Sonder's hill forest. It takes around 40 minutes ride from Tomohon to the hill. We will look for Crimson Sunbird, Black-faced Munia, Sulawesi Bush Warbler, Superb Fruit Dove, Barred Rail, Black Kite, Pygmy Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Malkoha, Superb Fruit Dove, White-bellied Imperial Pigeon, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Turquoise Flycatcher, Collared Kingfisher, Black Kite, Sulawesi Crow, White-breasted Woodswallow, Black-naped Oriole, and etc. A stop at the small forest of Tounelet will allow us to find Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Sahul Sunbird, Black-crowned White-eye, Sulawesi Crow, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, and etc. 

We will continue to paddy field area in Talikuran to look for White-browed Crake, Cinnamon Bittern, Purple Heron, Isabeline Bush-hen, Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Javan Pond Heron, Scaly-breasted Munia, Chestnut Munia, White-breasted Woodswallow, Zebra Dove and Collared Kingfisher. 

We will have lunch in Sonder, take a rest and then continue birding at 15:00 to Tincep village where we will look for Green Imperial Pigeon, Sulawesi Myna, and White-rumped Triller. Back to Tomohon. Dinner, rest. 

Barred Rail

• Day 4. You will wake up early in the morning. We will transfer you to Sam Ratulangi airport of Manado city. End of the trip. 

If you are interested in taking the birding tour, and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Collared Kingfisher in Minahasa Highland

This is the photograph of Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) that I saw in Tomohon town of Minahasa.  This bird can easily be found in paddy fields, dry farmland or forest edge. It eats grasshopper, spider, lizard, snails, frog, small fish, and etc. 

Collared Kingfisher

In agricultural area, this is a natural predator that most farmers like to keep because the bird helps them kill pests from their crops.

Villagers in Minahasa highland grow produce such as rice, corn, aubergine, papaya, coconut, peanut, green bean, kidney bean, carrot, cabbage, chilli, and etc.

Agricultural produce in Minahasa highland

They supply food to various towns, and cities in North Sulawesi, Maluku and West Papua such as Tondano, Tomohon, Langowan Manado, Bitung, Balikpapan, Ternate, Ambon, Sorong, Manokwari and Jayapura.

Agricultural commodities such as clove, nutmeg and mace, vanilla and copra are sent to factories which will further be processed into various kinds of products. 

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

Also read:

• Kingfishers in Minahasa
• Birds of Sulawesi
• Birds in Minahasa
• Hiking Tour and Birdwatching in Minahasa
• Sooty-headed Bulbul

Kingfishers in Minahasa Peninsula

Kingfishers are birds with long pointed, and sharp bills that live at beaches, rivers, small streams and ponds. There are also kingfishers that live in the mountains, deep in tropical rainforest. There are several interesting species of them that can be watched in Minahasa peninsula. 

People think that kingfishers eat fish and small crab. Yes, but there are kingfishers that eat lizards and worms that they find in trees of rainforest.

• Great-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis melanorhyncha) - The usual site for watching this bird is along the riverside that flows through mangrove forest. This kingfisher eats small fish.

Great-billed Kingfisher

• Collared Kingfisher -  This bird could be watched near water pond, rice field and even the dry farmland. The bird likes to sit alone on a dry branch of a tree. 

Collared Kingfisher in a farmland
at the outskirt of Sonder town

• Green-backed Kingfisher (Actenoides monachus). This bird is usually seen in lowland rainforest of central to northern region of Sulawesi. In the southern region of Sulawesi island, his relative Black-headed Kingfisher can be found. 

According to Wikipedia, Genus Actenoides was introduced by Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a French ornithologist in 1850. In Greek, actis or aktinos means beam or brightness; oidēs resembling. In Late Latin, the word monachus means monk (i.e. hooded); in Greek monachos monk > monos > solitary. 

Green-backed Kingfisher

Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda) lives in lowland forest to lower montane forest. 

Ruddy Kingfisher

Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher (Ceyx fallax) - a small bird that is quite difficult to find. Tangkoko Nature Reserve is the usual place which visitors go to find the bird. Actually, there are a lot of other places that visitors could go to find this bird. Some forest areas in Sonder of Minahasa are also the natural habitat of this endemic bird of Sulawesi.

Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher

Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher

Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher

Scaly-breasted Kingfisher (Actenoides princeps). This bird is uncommon. Its habitat is montane forest around 900 to 2100 meters above sea level. Most visitors go to Mount Mahawu to find this rainforest bird. Local guide and tour leader often use the call of the bird to attract the kingfisher to land in the nearby branches. 

Because this practice have been done for years, the Scaly-breasted Kingfishers do not respond the calls anymore. So, I highly recommend that birdwatchers minimize the use of the artificial electronic calls.  Let's leave the bird in peace. If we want to watch the birds, we just do walking tour inside the forest to find them. 

Scaly-breasted Kingfisher

Please, book your Birdwatching Tour

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

Also read:

• Birds in Minahasa
• Birding in Tounelet Forest of Sonder
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birds of Sulawesi

Birding and Photography Tour in North Sulawesi

The Province of North Sulawesi in the Republic of Indonesia is a great destination for visitors who like birding, wildlife watching, and sightseeing. To explore most of the birding sites, visitors need from 4 days to 1 or 2 weeks. The first place that can be visited is waterfall in the suburban area of Manado city. We need to go there by car and walk along slippery concrete path to the waterfall to see its beauty. 

Some Birds in Minahasa

Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Barn Swallow, and Sulawesi Swiftlet are the birds that we can see flying around the open space near the cliff of  the waterfall. 

After that we could walk back to main road and then enjoy watching birds. 

Birds in Minahasa Highland

As we walk along the roadside, we can see more interesting birds such as Oriental Dollardbird, Green Imperial Pigeon, and Black-naped Fuit Dove. There are Sulawesi Spangled Drongo, Sulawesi Crow, Collared-Kingfisher, Little Egret, and Cattle Egret in the farmland of around the waterfall. There are Ruddy-breasted Crake, Isabelline Bush-hen and White-browed Crake too. 

After exploring the waterfall and farmland, we can go to Bunaken island the next day to enjoy snorkeling and watching birds.  

Birding in Sonder town of Minahasa highland - the Province of North Sulawesi - Indonesia

Returning to Manado city, we can continue our trip to Doloduo and stay in a homestay. It is far from Manado and takes a few hours to reach it.

We can also walk along the roadsides, around the rice field and watch birds such as  Rock Pigeon, Red-collared Dove, Sahul Sunbird, Chestnut/ Black-headed Munia, Pacific Swallow near a water dam. Black-faced Munia like to hop around the branches of shrub plants. To shoot the birds, visitors need cameras with telephoto lenses.

Scaly-breasted Kingfisher

After spending a few days in Doloduo, the birding trip could be continued to Tangkoko Nature Reserve for a few days. A lot of birds could be photographed there including Sulawesi Hornbill, Ashy Woodpecker, Ruddy Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Finch-billed Myna, White-eyed Spangled Drongo, Spotted Dove, White-rumped Triller, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Knobbed Hornbill and a lot more. Mammals can also be watched in Tangkoko's forest. Two interesting species are Celebes Crested Macaque and Spectral Tarsier. The trip to Tangkoko will be a prolific birding experience.

Sulawesi Hanging Parrot

The highland of Minahasa is in the list of places to visit. By car, we can go to Tomohon to stay there for a few nights. We will go hiking to the crater of Mount Mahawu, to see the magnificent view of the landscape. We can enjoy drinking tea and watching birds in Lake Linow or Pine Forest in Lahendong. Another attraction is and the Extreme Traditional Market near the bus station. People sell and buy dogs, snake, fruit bats, mouse as meat. 

For the last leg of the tour, we could go to Paal beach in North Minahasa regency. The scenery is beautiful. It has got white sandy beach.

Paal Beach in North Sulawesi

Separate extra birding excursions can be organized to District Sonder where we could watch Sulawesi Scops Owl (Otus manadensis), Speckled Boobook (Ninox punctulata), Turquoise Warbling-flycatcher (Eumyas panayensis), Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster), Grey-sided Flowerpecker (Dicaeum celebicum), Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Malkoha, Black-naped Oriole, Black-crowned White-eye, Barred Rail (Gallirallus torquatus), female Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja), Sulawesi Hanging Parrot (Loriculus stigmatus), and a lot more.

Speckled Boobook

Sulawesi Scops Owl

At the airport, Sultan's Cuckoo Dove, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, Yellow-vented Bulbul, and etc.

Flight Routes to Manado City

There are daily flights from major city in Indonesia to Manado city served by such airlines as Garuda, Citilink, Batik Air and Lion Air. There is direct flight between Singapore and Manado city served by Scoot Air. 

If you are interested in visiting the province of North Sulawesi in Indonesia, and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: -6281332245180.

Also read:

• Wildlife Tour in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland
• Birding in Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Minahasa Highland
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birds of Sulawesi
• Birds in Minahasa
• Farmland Tour in Minahasa Highland
• Tour around the Farmland of Minahasa

BIRDS IN MINAHASA

I like to travel around the lowland forest and highland of Minahasa. I visit Tomohon, Tondano, Sonder, Kawangkoan, and Langowan, the outskirts of Manado city, Tangkoko Nature Reserve to explore their surrounding rainforests. I sometimes guide visitors to this region. During my exploratory birding trips in this part of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, I see a lot of species of birds. Some of them are listed below:

Yellow-billed Malkoha, Knobbed Hornbill, Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher, Black-faced Munia, Red-backed Thrush

• Warbling White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) - This bird could be found in Mount Mahawu near Tomohon or in higher montane forest of District Sonder of Minahasa regency. 

Warbling White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) in District Sonder of Minahasa regency

• Black-crowned White-eye (Zosterops atrifrons)
• Sulawesi Drongo
• Hair-crested Drongo (White-eyed)
• Scaly-breasted Kingfisher
• Collared Kingfisher
• Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher
• Green-backed Kingfisher
• Ruddy Kingfisher
• Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher
• Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) - I saw this bird at the edge of higher montane forest is in the east of District town of Sonder. The bird was sitting on a top branch of a tree when I was walking and looking at the branches of the surrounding trees to photograph birds. 

Crimson Sunbird in Sonder of Minahasa highland

• Olive-backed Sunbird
• Brown-throated Sunbird
• Black Sunbird
• Knobbed Hornbill
• Sulawesi Hornbill
• Grey-sided Flowerpecker
• Yellow-sided Flowerpecker
• Sooty-headed Bulbul
• Slender-billed Crow
• Chestnut Munia
• Scaly-breasted Munia
• Black-faced Munia
• Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon
• Green Imperial Pigeon

Green Imperial Pigeon

• Black-naped Fruit Dove
• White-faced Cuckoo Dove
• Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove
• Brush Cuckoo
• Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis omissus) - This small bird is an endemic species of Sulawesi island. I saw it early in the morning in higher elevation forest of District Sonder. It was sitting on a twig of a shrub plant. 
• Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata). In Indonesia, this bird is called Burung Perkutut. It can easily adapt to live in small villages and towns that are surrounded by agricultural lands that provides food for the bird population. 

Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata) at the outskirts of District Sonder in Minahasa regency of Indonesia

• Speckled Boobook
• Sulawesi Scops Owl
• Little Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Barred Rail
• White-browed Crake
• Cinnamon Bittern
• Purple Heron
• Sulawesi Hanging Parrot
• Purple-winged Roller

Purple-winged Roller

• Ashy Woodpecker
• Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker
• White-browed Crake
• White-breasted Woodswallow
• and a lot more.

Birds in Minahasa Regency

To watch birds, I bring my SVBONY 10×50 binoculars, spotting scope, and to take pictures, I bring my old Fujifilm HS50EXR which I bought from an online electronic store in Indonesia.

I often have the opportunity to speak with local farmers who make palm sugar, plant vegetables, and with ones who own fish, and pig farms. 

Minahasa highland is an interesting destination for visitors who want to see agricultural areas, historical and cultural attractions of local people.

For birding tour that I offer in North Sulawesi, I can include some additional trips to the volcanic crater of Mount Mahawu or to Lake Tondano. I can organize scenic and cultural trips to places where local farmers in North Sulawesi traditionally make palm sugar, farm tools, and earthenware.

Visitors who are interested in taking the tour could come as a solo traveler or as a group of 2, 4 and up to 8 participants to share the cost of traveling. For further info about the trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read: 

• Guided Birding Walk in Manado city
• Scaly-breasted Kingfisher
• Birds of Sulawesi
• Wildlife Watching and Photography Trip in Minahasa
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Tounelet Forest of Sonder