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
This is the photograph of Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphuschloris) 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.
Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotusaurigaster) can easily be found in Minahasa peninsula. It likes to live in forest edge, in towns and villages of Minahasa. The Indonesia name for this bird is Kutilang.
Sooty-headed Bulbul
The population of the bird is high in Minahasa highland. I took picture of this bird from the window of my house.
If you need a guide for a birdwatching tour in Minahasa, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.
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.
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-billedKingfisher (Pelargopsismelanorhyncha) - The usual site for watching this bird is along the riverside that flows through mangrove forest. This kingfisher eats small fish.
Great-billed Kingfisher
CollaredKingfisher - 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-backedKingfisher (Actenoidesmonachus). 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. InLate Latin, theword monachus means monk (i.e. hooded); in Greek monachos monk > monos > solitary.
Green-backed Kingfisher
Ruddy Kingfisher (Halcyoncoromanda) lives in lowland forest to lower montane forest.
Ruddy Kingfisher
Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher (Ceyxfallax) - 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 (Actenoidesprinceps). 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, bookyourBirdwatchingTour
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.
Minahasa highland is a beautiful destination for visitors who love nature. It can be reached by motorized vehicle from Manado city in 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on what village or place that visitors want to go to. Some of the interesting places which tourists can visit are described below:
The District town of Sonder with its agricultural land
Sonder town - This is a small town that is surrounded by farmlands. Clove trees used to dominate the hills of Sonder. Clove flower was expensive commodity in 1970s to 1980s. Tounelet village has got small forest that is good for birdwatching and butterfly watching. Sonder as a whole is a great destination for birdwatching in North Sulawesi. Birds that can be watched include Sahul Sunbird, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Cattle Egret, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Black-naped Oriole, Sultan's Cuckoo Dove, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Black-faced Munia, Barred Rail, and a lot more. Now local farmers gradually replace them with coconut, corn, vannila, and vegetable plants. Butterflies that can be seen include the Blanchard's Wood Nymph, Blanchard's Tree Nymph, Graphium meyeri, Graphium anthedon, and The Sylvia Clipper. There is a hospital in Tounelet village of Sonder town.
In wetland area, visitors could see terraces of ricefields. Some farmers grow tomatoes, long beans, aubergine and other vegetable plants. The rivers have been devided into many small pools and are used for fish farming. There are restaurants that sell fried and grilled fish that is served with various kinds of stir-fried vegetables and sambal (chilli sauce).
There are farmers in Rambunan village who collect sweet sap of aren tree and heat it using large cooking pans to make palm sugar.
Tomohon town
Tomohon is another important town in Minahasa highland. A lot of schools could be found there. Tomohon is also the transportational hub of Minahasa region. The famous Mount Mahawu could reached by car or motorcycle from Tomohon. There is traditional market that sells unusual meat to Minahasan people, such as dog meat, snake, ricefield rat, and flyingfox meat. Woloan village that exports knocked-down wooden houses could be visited from Tomohon.
Kawangkoan is another distric town that is famous for food. Visitors can buy steam buns filled with pork and boiled eggs or black nut paste.
Tondano - This is the capital of Minahasa regency. It is also the location of the State University of Manado. Lake Tondano is located in the south of the town. Restaurants and lodges could be found along the road that circles the lake. The air temperature of Tondano is cool especially early in the morning.
Lake Tondano in Minahasa regency of North Sulawesi
This tour to Minahasa highland can be combined with trips to Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen and Lembeh Strait.
Please, book your tour
If you are interested in taking a tour to Minahasa highland and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.
Sonder is a small district town in Minahasa regency of North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. It is a recommended destination for visitors who like to watch and take picture of butterflies.
Lime Swallowtail in the highland of Minahasa
A couple of Graphium meyeri meyeri in Sonder town of Minahasa highland
Tourists who go to Sonder can watch butterfly and other insects in general along the roadsides, riversides, ricefields and dry agricultural lands as well as forest areas.
Graphium anthedon in Tounelet village of Sonder town
Some butterflies that could be seen in District Sonder include: The Common Birdwing (Troideshelena), Lime Swallowtail (Papiliodemoleus), Blanchard's Wood Nymph (Ideopsisvitrea), Blanchard's Tree Nymph, Clipper Butterfly (Parthenossylvia), Manado's Yellow Tiger Butterfly, and Neptis Ida Celebensis Butterfly, Celebes Leafwing butterfly (Doleschalliapolibetecelebensis).
Common Birdwing
The recommended times to watch butterflies are early in the morning and late in the afternoons. Flowers that grow at the frontyard, roadsides, farmlands and forest edges always attract butterflies.
Blanchard's Wood Nymph
Visitors who want to take pictures of butterflies can bring pocket cameras with zoom lens of several magnifications or camera with telephoto lenses. Sometimes for closer picture, macro lens is needed.
Bringing binoculars is also recommended. The device will greatly enhance the wildlife watching experience of the visitors while they do nature walk around the forest, garden and wetland of Sonder.
Blanchard's Tree Nymph Butterfly
The Clipper Butterfly in District Sonder of Minahasa regency
Celebes Leafwing
The butterfly watching tour can also be combined with birdwatching trip across the highland of Minahasa as well as snorkeling and sightseeing tour in Bunaken and its surrounding islands.
A caterpilar on the ground of a concrete path in Sonder town of Minahasa highland
The base for this butterfly watching trip is sub-district town of Sonder in Minahasa regency.
Flight routes to Manado city in North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia
Land route between Subdistrict town of Sonder and Manado city
If you are interested in taking butterflywatching tour in Minahasa highland that is combined with sightseeing and birdwatching tour and want me to organize your trip, you could contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.
Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve is a famous destination in the Province of North Sulawesi for wildlife watching tourism. Visitors from all corners of the world go to Tangkoko to watch birds, reptiles, insects and mammals. It is located in the northeastern region of Minahasa peninsula around one and a half ride from Manado city.
Spectral Tarsier in the rainforest of Tangkoko's Nature Reserve
According to Wikipedia, the number of species of animals is listed as follows:
127 mammals
233 birds
104 reptiles and amphibian animals
Knobbed Hornbill
There are a lot of species of birds that visitors can watch while walking under the canopy of the trees of Tangkoko. Tangkoko is famous for its kingfishers. Some of them include Green-backed Kingfisher (Actenoidesmonachus), Ruddy Kingfisher, Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Blue-eared Kingfiher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher and etc. The nearby Kalinaun is the habitat of Great-billed Kingfisher.
Purple-winged Roller
Visitors can also watch Red-backed Thrush, Ochre-bellied Boobok, Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Pygmy Hornbill, Purple-winged Roller, Oriental Dollarbird, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon.
Because Tangkoko Nature Reserve is located in the coastal area of North Sulawesi, visitors who go there can also watch sea birds such as the Pacific Reef Heron, Great-billed Heron, Osprey, Lesser Frigatebird, Greater Frigatebird, Common Tern, Great-crested Tern, Black-naped Tern, and etc.
Birding in Tangkoko Nature Reserve
The activity of watching sea birds could be combined with a boat trip to Kalinaun where visitors could watch Great-billed Kingfisher, Pied, Little-pied Cormorant, Little-black Cormorant and etc.
The following picture of Great-billed Kingfisher was taken in Kalinaun river. Mangrove trees grow along both banks of the river. They are the natural habitat of various species of coastal birds including this kingfisher.
Great-billed Kingfisher
Another important site for general birding in Tangkoko area is the Temboan Hill. It is the place where visitors could watch a lot of species of birds including Finch-billed Myna, Sulawesi-crested Myna, Silvertip Imperial Pigeon, Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Hornbill, Sulawesi Pitta, and a lot more.
Visitors who go to Tangkoko can stay in the homestays or lodges that are run by local people.
Ashy Woodpecker in the rainforest of Tangkoko Nature Reserve
Other Animals
In addition to birds, we could also see insects, reptiles and mammals.
Celebes-crested Macaque (Macaca nigra)
MINAHASA HIGHLAND
The tropical rainforest and farmland of Minahasa highland is the natural habitat of a lot of colourful species of birds and butterflies. For birds, visitors could find Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove, Warbling White-eye, Sulawesi Myzomela, Crimson Sunbird, Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Turquoise Flycatcher, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Barred Rail, Isabelline Bush-hen, White-browed Crake, Black Sunbird, Black-faced Munia, Pale Blue Monarch, White-breasted Woodswallow, Collared Kingfisher, Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-crowned White-eye, Black-naped Oriole, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker and etc.
Scaly-breasted Kingfisher
Pale Blue Monarch
Birding Sites in Minahasa highland
Mount Mahawu is the recommended site for birdwatching. There are also forest and farmland areas in Subdistrict Sonder which visitors could explore. Sonder also has got rice fields that are suitable for watching and photographing water birds such as Little Egret, Cattle Egret, Javan Pond Heron, White-breasted Waterhen, Barred Rail, White-browed Crake, and etc.
Lakes and waterfalls in Minahasa highland are good choices for birding. Bringing binoculars, spotting scope and camera will greatly enhance the birding experience of tour participants.
For Minahasa highland, there are hotels in Tomohon town and homestay in Sonder town which visitors could choose to stay for a few nights.
Warbling White-eye
Booking
If you are interested in watching birds and other wildlife in Tangkoko Nature Reserve as well as other areas in Sulawesi, you could contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.
Sulawesi is a unique island. It is located in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago in the transitional region from the continent of Asia to the continent of Australia. This zone is often called Wallace region. There are 169 species of birds that are endemic to Sulawesi and its satellite islands. It is 31 percent of Indonesia's endemic birds.
The endemism of birds and other wildlife is very high compared to other islands in Indonesia. I personally have accompanied tourists to a a number of birding sites across Sulawesi.
Birdwatching in Sulawesi
Some Birds from Sulawesi
In South Sulawesi, birding sites that are good for birdwatchers include Karaenta, Ramang-ramang, and Malino highland. There, I saw Black-ringed White-eye, White-necked Myna, Black-headed Kingfisher, Sulawesi Pygmy Hornbill and Red-backed Thrush, and etc.
More tropical birds could be watched if we go birdwatching in higher elevation forest of Sulawesi such as the Minahasa highland. Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Sulawesi Myzomela, Sulawesi Bush Warbler, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Superb Fruit-dove, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove (a subspecies of Sultan's Cuckoo-dove), Black-crowned White-eye, Warbling White-eye, Turquoise Flycatcher, Sulawesi Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Turquoise Flycatcher, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker are some of the many birds that we could watch.
Ashy Woodpecker in North Sulawesi
For North Sulawesi, more birding sites could be explored including Mount Mahawu, Sonder's farm forest, Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Mount Ambang, Maleo Sanctuary in Tambun and Dumoga Bone National Park.
A lot of kingfishers could be found in Tangkoko. They are Great-billed Kingfisher, Lilac Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher. Other birds such as Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Myna, Finch-billed Myna, and Ashy Woodpecker could be seen there.
Sulawesi Hanging Parrot in Sonder of Minahasa Highland
Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove in Sonder of Minahasa Highland
The mountainous region of Minahasa from Tomohon to Sonder is the habitat of various species of birds such as Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-naped Oriole, Sultan's Cuckoo Dove, Pale Blue Monarch, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Crimson Sunbird, Black-crowned White-eye, Mountain White-eye, Sahul Sunbird, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Slender-billed Crow, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher. In general, visitors need to spend at least 2 weeks to explore the birding sites of this island and see birds of Sulawesi.
Lore Lindu National Parkin Central Sulawesi is a famous destination for visitors who want to see Hylocitrea, Dark-eared Myza, White-eared Myza, Yellow-cheeked Lorikeet, Geomalia, Purple-bearded Bee-eater, Diabolic Nightjar, and etc. The birding sites are located along the Anaso Track and Lake Tambing.
Ducula aenea at the outskirts of Manado city
Black-naped Oriole in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa Highland
Marine Tour to Bunaken Islands
The above birdwatching tour can be combined with a 3 day/ 2-night marine tour to Bunaken islands off the coast of Manado city for tour participants to enjoy sightseeing, swimming, and snorkeling over pristine coral reef of the national marine park.
Flying Routes to Manado
The entry point for taking birdwatching tour in Sulawesi can be Manado city first. There are regular daily flights between Manado city and major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, Balikpapan and Sorong city. They are served by domestic airlines such as Garuda, Citylink, Lion Air and Batik Air. There is also direct international flight from Singapore to Manado city served by Scoot Air.
Flying to Manado
Booking
If you are interested in traveling to Indonesia to watch birds and wildlife in North Sulawesi, and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.
