Wonderful Merapi Mt. landscape

Mount Merapi is the most active volcano in the world. it is about 30 km from Yogyakarta. The volcano is one of the nature riches which have a lot of mystery. Arriving here, we will immediately be welcome and refreshed by the cool breeze. And the green, sloping hill with its vast array of trees will entice even the demanding trekkers.

Merapi Mt. always eruptive volcano, stands boldly at the back of the hill. Because of the activities it has recently been declared "The Mountain of the decade" by the International Natural Disaster Reduction, a body under the United Nations. We can see a breathtaking view of this fire Mountain from Plawangan Seismological Station, a 2,5 km hike up the hill, which observes its activity year long. The smoking summit, which can be seen on a bright clear day, is a real challenger for climbers who dare.

Nature Tourism Exploration 2008 Turgo-Merapi Mt. Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta Tourism Board

Terms And Conditions

Nature Tourism Exploration 2008 Turgo-Merapi Mt. Yogyakarta

Time and Venue:
Day, date : Sunday, August 3rd 2008
Starting Time : 08.00 am
Start Venue : Tritis Squre, Dusun Turgo, Desa Purbowinangun
Finish Venue : Tritis Square, Dusun Turgo, Desa Purbowinangun
Distance : +/- 8 Km myjourneys-tommo.blogspot.com

Rules :
1. Must be in good health.
2. Must arrive in 1 hour before starting time.
3. Bring the registration form on the day of event.
4. Wearing sport wear is a must.
5. Wearing any political attribute is strictly prohibted.
6. All participants will be departed together at the same time.
7. Must follow the map/ route provided by the comittee.
8. Have to keep the cleanliness, safety and discipline.
9. The rule of the event will be read before starting time.

Others:
1. All participants will get T-shirt, insurance, health facility, consumption card and door prize card.
2. Tax of prize is charged to the winner
3. Contribution IDR 20,000
4. For further information please contact to BAPARDA DAERAH ISTIMEWA YOGYAKARTA Jl. Malioboro

Birdwatching in Way Kambas National Park, Lampung Province, Sumatra


Along the Look Trail
Storm’s Stork is less wary than the duck, but more difficult to find. You may strike lucky at any of the above-mentioned sites. This swampy lake is only accessible (with a guide) in October when the water is at its lowest. Ironically, a 10-min walk from the guest-house, is where most bird-watchers finally see this Little-known stork, whose nest was first described for science as recently as 1987.

The 2-km, circular Look Trail enters the forest on the right, 150 m back along the track out of Way Kanan, and exits directly behind the guest-house. It passes through an area of stunted, secondary forest. The open undergrowth makes it a great place to get good views of galliformes, which are usually such difficult birds to see well. It is a real delight to watch a male Crested Fireback quietly scraping amongst the leaf litter, its blue eye-wattles, navy-blue, slightly iridescent body plumage and white outer tail feathers contrasting subtly with the browns and greens of the forest.
With luck, a band of Crested Partridge will cross your path. Their spiky, red crests and energetic tramping give these little birds a rather wacky appearance. But the really memorable bird to be found along this trail is the Great Argus, a pheasant which, with its 75-cm long tail, is one of the world’s more extraordinary birds. A few slow circuits of the trail may be required before you finally cross paths with this magnificent creature.

The main track leading out of Way Kanan is the most productive in terms of amassing a long list of birds, including seven or eight species of woodpeckers and up to ten species of babbler. Hill Myna frequently flies overhead, and two either common and distinctive birds are black-bellied Malkoha and- a great favourite-scarlet rumped Trogon. Strangely enough, despite its intense scarlet-and-black body plumage, the trogon’s blue eyelids are its really distinctive feature.

The Way Kanan clearing is a good place to watch at dawn or dusk for hornbills and pigeons flying over, and a bat hawk occasionally puts in an appearance.
taken from Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore

Birdwatching in Way Kambas National Park, Lampung, Sumatra Island

Searching for White-winged Duck
With a world population of only about individuals spread across India, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Sumatra, White-winged Ducks are decidedly thin on the ground. However, they are birds of lowland swamp forest, and a few of the 30 or so that live in Way Kambas are always to be found in tha vicinity of Way Kanan. It is just a matter of catching up with them-something which is much easier during the dry season between June and November, when water levels recede, leaving a few small pools, and you do not have to wade through waterlogged forest.


Rawa Gajah (elephant swamp), a 20-min paddle up the river from Way Kanan, is usually the first place to try. On the river you will have no trouble getting acquainted with the impressive Stork-billed Kingfisher-unmistakable, thanks to its large size and yellow head-and you will probably also see Grey-headed Fish-eagle perched on an over hanging bough. Rawa Gajah is a wetland of about 1 ha that dries out to grass and mud at the height of the dry season (October) but which, when flooded, is a regular spot for the ducks as wel as Lesser Adjutant.

Rawa Pasir (sand marsh) and the forest pond of Ulung-ulung Satu are also good areas for ducks: both are located 3-4 km from Way Kanan, along (for the first part) a well-maintained trail that starts behind the Tiger project building at Way Kanan. There are plenty of exciting birds to see on the way-so it is worth taking your lunch and making a day of it. The forest edge around Rawa Pasir can be particularly productive for leafbirds, bulbuls, flowerpeckers and sunbirds.

The ducks are incredibly wary, so getting good views before fly away is something of an art. The problem lies in the abrupt juxtaposition of forest and water; scanning the whole of the river at Rawa Pasir or the large pond at Ulung-ulung Satu without stepping into full view is almost impossible. Moreover, many birders can tell of how, after assuring themselves that no ducks were present, they stepped out into the open only for a group of ducks to explode in a blaze of black-and-white wing flashes from behind a semi submerged log.
taken from Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore

Birdwatching in Way Kambas National Park, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia

Looking for White-winged ducks and Frogmouth in Way Kambas National Park
Famed as the easiest locality in Sumatra to find White-winged Duck and Storm’s Stork (both endangered and both very elusive), the 130,000-ha Way Kambas National Park is also an excellent place to see other lowland forest species. The availability of overnight accommodation at Way Kanan, a small forest clearing on the banks of the scenic Way Kambas river, 13 km inside the park, means that you are right on the spot to search at dawn and dusk for shy forest species such as pheasants and frogmouths.


Sadly, Way Kambas is not a place where the magnificence of pristine Sumatran rain forest can be experienced. The area was logged out prior to its annexation for conservation in 1972 and the trees are still stunted in appearance. Luckily the birds and an impressively large number of animals have survived, and many of the 300 birds species can be seen during a 3-4 day visit. The park accessibility-under 8 hrs by road and ferry from Jakarta and by road and ferry from Jakarta and 1,5 hrs from Bandar Lampung airport-adds to its popularity.

source Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore

Birdwatching with Trawas for Environmental Education

Trawas’s Centre for Environmental Education
The Centre for Environmental Education (PPLH Seloliman) above Trawas, a 1, 5-hr drive inland from Surabaya, is a great place to combine fruitful birding with comfortable stay in the hills. You can see rare Thick-billed Flowerpeckers and Violet Cuckoos in the forest on the hill above the centre, and during the wet season, listen for the chirruping calls of Forest Wagtails. The Centre is planted with nectar rich Calliandra shrubs, which attract numerous flowerpeckers and sunbirds. It is delightful to watch splendid Javan, endemic Violet-tailed and Purple-throated Sunbirds from the breakfast table.

The walk below the centre to where tall forest drapes the river banks makes a pleasant 2-hr excursion, especially if you have so far missed Javan Kingfisher, Blue Whistling-thrush or the distinct Javan race of Greater Goldenback, all of which are quite common here. Some authorities consider the latter a full species on account of the female’s having a yellowish crown rather than the normal white-on-black pattern. In any event, walk the short distance from the Centre’s entrance to the main road, and at this junction follow a path leading down to the river, to check them out.

The more adventurous may wish to climb to mt Pananggungan (1,653 m), where there are good vantage points for eagle watching (Javan Hawk-eagle has been recorded here) and rewarding views of the surrounding area. The trail for the 3,5-hr climb starts from the Hindu temple a 15-min walk uphill (on the right0 from the Centre.

source Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore