Birdwatching in Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park

Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park
The Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park, formerly Dumoga Bone, is one of the two biggest terrestrial national parks of Sulawesi encompassing 300,000 ha of rainforest from 50-2,000 m above sea level. Almost all of Sulawesi’s 75 endemic species occur in the park.

Endemic birds that are common and conspicuous in the park include: Sulawesi Serpen-eagle, Spot-tailed Goshawk, Isabelline Waterhen, Sulawesi Black Pigeon, Golden-mantled Raquet-tail, Fiery-billed Malkoha, Great-billed Kingfisher, Red-knobbed Hornbill, Ashy Woodpecker, Pied Cockoo-shrike, Sulawesi Babbler, Finch-biled and White-necked Mynas, Yellow-sided and grey-sided Flowerpeckers. Others are more locally distributed but still relatively easy to observe, like Maleo and Purple-winged Roller.

Other Wildlife
Crested Black Macaque, Wild Bear and spectral Tarsier can be found around the guest-house in Duloduo. Try the veranda of the guest house in the evening with the flights on for bats and huge beetles and butterflies,. In the forest keep an eye out for bear and Dwarf Cuscus.

Getting there
The village of Duloduo, some 2 km from the park headquarters can be reached directly by bus from the Malalayang bus station in southwest manado. If requested the bus might stop at Koasinggolan dam, just behind Duloduo, from which it is less then 1 km to the offices (cross the small dam left and continue on this road). The Manado-Dulodou trip takes about 6 to 7 hours and costs about IDR 25,000.

Another entrance of the park with a good access to the forest is Toraut. Small buses (oplets) go from Duloduo to Toraut (12 km; IDR 5,000).

Accommodation/dining
The headquarters in Dulodou include a guest-house with two rooms for two people each. Food is available on request. One night including three meals costs about IDR 90,000. Though more remote, the Toraut area offers sleeping facilities for quite large numbers.

General Information
Visitors have to register at the Dulodou or Toraut offices. A small fee has to be paid for insurances each day (about IDR 5,000).

Entering the forest is allowed only with a park guide, none of whom speak any English. The guide fee is around IDR 50,000 a day. A good birding trip from Dulodou is the track to the Matayangan village and Maleo nesting ground. This trip starts from the guest-house in Dulodou and takes about 8 hours, including transportation to Dulodoou from Matayangan village.

A nice trip in the Dumoga valley is a visit to the Maleo nesting ground of Tambun. Arrange transportation and guide the day before, leave early to the village of Imandi (“market with bats”) and go inland to Mokintop village, total costs between IDR 50,000-80,000). Another possibility is leaving the night before and staying in the small guest-house of Imandi (50 m next to the post office).

Less than two km before Mokintop is the Tambun Maleo nesting ground. Maleos are around between October and May. Be there early to see the birds. In Mokintop village Purple-winged Roller are common.
The road from Imandi to Mokinto gives good opportunities for rails, herons and raptors, while the Dumoga valley in the west, which is not part of the park, is rich in herons, rails and waders.

Rainfall is generally evenly distributed throughout the year with relative wet periods from November to January and from March to May and dry spells from June to Octaober and in February, although local patterns of rainfall show great differences.

An excellent, full-colour guidebook with some superb photographs, north Sulawesi; a Natural History Guide, by Dr Margaret Kinnaird, is available from the wallacea Development Institute.

source Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore

Birdwatching in Tangkoko/Dua Saudara Nature Reserve


Tangkoko/Dua saudara Nature Reserve
Three forested volcanoes form the core of this 8,800 ha reserve on the northernmost tip of Sulawesi. An open forest understorey makes for excellent viewing conditions at all levels in the canopy and on the ground, and an abundance of figs and other fruit trees results in high densities of fruit-eating birds and mammals. It is possible to bird coral flats, lowland forests and cloud forest on volcanic summits all in a day, but you will get more out of the trip if you allow at least 2 days.

Key species
Forty-seven Sulawesi endemics including Red-billed and Sulawesi Hanging-parrots, Yellow-breasted and Golden-matled Racquet-tails, Blue-backed Parrot and Yellow-and-green Lorikeet. Yellow-billed Malkoha, Hair-crested Drongo, Spot-tailed Goshawk, Red-knobbed and Tarictic Hornbills. If you travel by sea watch out for Lesser Frigatebird, Brown and Red-footed Boobies, Sooty Tern and several species of swallow.

Other Wildlife
Spectral Tarsier, a tiny,, nocturnal primate; Bear Cuscus, a pouched mammal related to the kangaroo, that moves slowly through the canopy aided by a prehensile tail; black macaques.

Getting there
Reach Tangkoko by land or sea from Manado
Buses depart hourly from Paal II bus terminal for Bitung and Girian (IDR 5,000). At Girian change to mikrolet or open-backed jeep (IDR 5,000) to the village of Batuputih on the western boundary of the reserve.

Cars may be chartered from hotels, dive resorts or travel agencies, Barracuda Dive Resort in Molas provides a car and driver for $45 for a 1-way drop; more if you want the car to wait overnight. The travel agents on Jl Sam Ratulangi do packages to Tangkoko for about $50 a day.

By sea a more scenic way to visit Tangkoko/Dua Saudara is by boat but this is only advisable from June to September when seas are calm. Boats can be chartered from Murex and Barracuda dive resorts ($60 or more) or from Bitung Port ($38 but it is best to negotiate).

Accommodation/dining
There are few losmen/homestay in the village of Batuputih. All homestays charge $8-10 a night, including 3 spicy meals.

General information
The best time to visit is May-October, it is hottest and most crowded in July and August. Plan on spending at least 2 full days in the reserve; one to climb to the top of Mt Tangkoko and 1 to explore the lowland forest and forest edges.

No permit is required, but you must report to PHPA at the reserve entrance. The entrance fee costs IDR 2,000 a day, and you have to hire one guide ($5-8 per day) per group of 4 visitors (tips appreciated).
There are many interesting walks in the Nature Reserve. These include a 6-km trail from the beach to the cloud forest on the rim of Tangkoko volcano. The trail climbs 1,100 m through all major habitats and provides opportunities to glimpse montane birds such as Fiery-browed Myna, Sulawesi Woodpecker, Sulawesi Drongo and Scaly-breasted Kingfisher. Pack a lunch and spend a full day on this trail.

There is a 4-km loop trail on gentle slopes that passes through secondary and primary forest. Along this trail are fruiting strangle figs that attract mynas, fruit doves and other fruit eating birds. The trail passes through several well known Red-knobbed Hornbill nest areas and kingfisher and chestnut-backed Thrush territories.

A 12-km trail parallels the beach although only the first 4 km are well maintained. The trail passes through grasslands, a good area for bee-eaters, White-shouldered Trillers and coucals; beach forest, where one frequently spots Slender-billed Cuckoo-dove, Sulawesi Black Pigeon and several kingfisher species; and secondary and primary forest, where White-bellied sea-eagles and Sulawesi Hawk-eagles are known to nest.

taken from Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore