Birdwatching in Sulawesi Peninsula Ujung Pandang

Ujung Pandang

Ujung Pandang is the capital and administrative centre of the province of south Sulawesi. It is the main point of entry for the south of the island and the base for a trip to Lake Tempe and the very popular Tana Toraja area. Ujung Pandang’s hasanuddin (international) airport, the gateway to eastern Indonesia, is well connected to the rest of the archipelago.

Sultan Hasanudin International Airport

Getting there

By air the airport is 25 km north of town on the road to Maros, 30 min’s drive. The half hour taxi ride into town costs $6 or $8 AC, or you can walk 500 m to the main road and catch a bemo for $1 including luggage.

By sea five pelni ships call at Ujung pandang on fixed schedules of 14 days.

By bus there is a daily bus service to and from all the major towns in South Sulawesi, however getting out of Ujung Pandang can be a hassle. Coaches and minibuses to other towns leave from terminal Pasar Daya at km 15. allow at least a half hor for the journey. First take a bemo (IDR 1,000) or becak (IDR 2,000-IDR 4,000) to Sentral (the central bemo terminus) and from there a second bemo to Panaikan. From here, buses leave regularly throughout the day up to 7 pm.

Accommodation/Dining

Ujung Pandang is expensive by Indonesian standars. At the lower end of the scale there are many cheap penginapan around the part area, but these are not recommended. Most of the larger hotels add 21% service and tax; smaller ones may add 10%.

The main attraction of eating out in Ujung Pandang is the seafood: huge shrimps and lobsters, dark-skinned fish with delicate white flesh, and giant, jucy crabs. There is an enormous range of restaurants as wel as several hundred metres of warung along the seafront.

source Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore

Surrounding Bali: landscape, Religion

The southern slopes of Bali’s central volcanoes are heavely cultivated and rice terraces extend high up the mountain sides. This area is the cradle of Bali’s rich and ancient civilization. It is virtually the only region of Indonesia that remains Hindu today, left to go its own way during the wave of Islamization that swept through the archipelago in the 15th century, they were so fascinated by what they found that they made a concerted effort to conserve and foster Bali’s traditional culture.

As traditional Balinese art commonly features birds, a painting would features birds, a painting would seem to make the ideal souvenir. It is quite a challenge, however to find a piece depicting only native species American Cardinals. Australian Rossellas and south American toucans regularly pop up among the lotus pools and nymphs-just one example of the ease with which Balinese culture accepts new and foreign elements. Perhaps the growing popularity of bird-watching will help the Balinese to appreciate the beuty and variety of their own native birds.

Nowhere matches Bali for such a fusion of birds, landscapes and cultures-for birders with eclectic interests it is an island not to be missed.

Moluccas Birding: Into the interior deep forest

Into the interior
Park ranger will act as your guides for longer treks into the park; supplies can be bought in Wahai. The best birding route is a circular, 7-10 day trek from Wahai to kanikeh and Selumena in the Manusela valley, returning to Wahai via the Kobipoto ridge and the Mual plains. However, many people like to trek across the island, continuing on from Selumena to Manusela and then crossing the Binaya ridge to Mosso on the south coast. A third option is to return from Selumena to Pasahari by a less interesting, 3- day hike down the Isal valley, which forms the eastern border of the park. The village of Kanikeh, at the entrance to the cultivated Manusela valley, is a 4-day walk from Wahai (3 days if you relly move).

Spend the first two days on the trail that leads to the village of Roho; it passes through a logging concession where the forest is disturbed, but this does not detract from the birding. Raucous screeches will alert you to groups of Salmon-crested Cockatoos, either flying overhead or collecting in a roosting tree. Listen also for the strident call of the Lazuli Kingfisher, sitting high on an exposed vantage point. Other notable species on this part of the walk are likely to be Forsten’s Megapode (recently split off from orange-footed Scrubfowl as a separate species), Pale Cicada bird, Moluccan Cuckoo-shrike, Spectacled Monarch, Streak-breasted Fantail and Long-crested Myna.

After Roho, the trail enters uncut forest and steadly climbs a ridge. The forest here is stunted and bird densities are relatively low. However, views of Moluccan King Parrot, Blyth’s Hornbill, White bibbed Fruit-dove, Golden Bulbul and Rufous Fantail will maintain your interest until, after 3-4 hrs, the trail drops down to the Wasa Mata river and an overnight shelter.

If your time is limited you may wish to press on to Kanikeh, a further 4- to 5-hr walk. But this section of the trail passes through a beautiful mosaic of bamboo and mid-montane forest which is worth giving time to, especially as it is the habitat of the fabulous Purple-naped Lory. Which feeds on flowering rattan or the red fruits of a climbing pandan.

The inhabitantsof Kanikeh, a village of 60 houses on a ridge above the Wae Ule river, have supplemented their meager incomes for at least 50 years by catching Purple-naped Lories and trading them on the coast. Using a decoy lorry, villagers attract wild lories to nylon snares wrapped around exposed branches. A good decoy lorry is a treasured family possession. Around Kanikeh look out for Drab Myzomela in the tree tops. Bicoloured Darkeye is common in the area and there is a good chance of Nicobar Pigeon, Cinnamon-chested Flycatcher and Black-fronted White-eye.
Source: Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore