Birdwatching in Ujung Pangkah, Surabaya, (East Java)

Ujung Pangkah’s Herons
Java’s largest heronry, however, is found in the more natural setting of the Ujung Pangkah area on the delta of the Bengawan Solo; this huge river, popular in nostalgic Javan songs, is just a 2-hr drive from Surabaya’s hustle and bustle. An entrepreneurial local fishpond keeper decided to protect the colony as it produced a cheap source of fertilizer which he used to raise Javan tilapia (a cichlid fish) in his pond. A careful scan through the breeding colony will reveal 13 waterbird species, including Oriental Darter, Black-headed Ibis and the odd Rufous Night Heron. This colony 25,000 or more birds has become a popular destination for day trippers and has earned the pond-keeper the prestigious kalpataru award, presented by the government to individuals who have worked to benefit the environment.

Ujung Pangkah’s offers a glimpse of how the whole of Java’s north coast used to look; today it has largely been converted to sterile shrimp pond. The patchwork of ponds, avenues of trees, swamps, mangrove bushes and undisturbed shores here, however, support a full complement of the island’s water and shorebirds.

After enjoying the heronry, walk around the fish ponds and to the nearby estuaries for more good birding. The neat, yellow Javan White-eye and the endangered Javan Coucal, which reveals its presence with a loud “booping” call. Are two speciality species that inhabit the bushes and trees edging the ponds. Swampy areas along the coast are good for Sunda Teal-easily recognized by its strange, bulging forehead, the rare Bronze-winged Jacana and flocks of Asian Golden Weaver.

source Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore

Birdwatching in Around Surabaya (East Java)

Surabaya
Around Surabaya
Herons and Dowitchers on the Solo Delta
At first glance the industrialized region of Surabaya may not seem very promising for birding, but marveling at spectacular heronries, watching Asian Dowitchers on the Solo Delta, or relaxing at the hill retreat of Trawas are just some of the highlights this area has to offer.

Sadly, the abundant egrets and herons that once enlivened Java’s rice fields are becoming a sight of the past; pesticides, persecution and the destruction of suitable nesting trees have all taken their toll. Today, heronries are generally restricted to remote reserves and off-shore islands, but nesting herons also find safe havens in some of Java’s big cities. In Surabaya, a large colony of night herons has taken up residence in the zoo, where their droppings try the patience of zoo-keepers and visitors alike.

taken from Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore