Visit your favourite destinations |
A Report from birdtours.co.uk |
Sumba, Indonesia 27/8 - 1/9/04,
Brisbane, Australia Email: pitta@gil.com.au
The objective of the trip was to see the potential new birds of Sumba. We had the 'Birding Indonesia', book and several previous trip reports. While we did not know whether we would find accommodation outside of Waingapu, and in reasonable proximity to forest, we did end up staying at Waikabubak. Our driver made the suggestion and it seemed a practical thing to do. Also our driver did have knowledge of the sites to look for birds and this was helpful. We were pleased with our views of the Elegant Pitta and Sumba Hornbill, both of which we were keen to see.
Itinerary
27/8/04 Arrived Waingapu, Sumba from Denpasar, Bali at 11.30 am, arranged to go to Merlin Hotel, which has free pick-up. 88,000 Rp/night for room with fan, located on main road, so tends to be noisy, includes free breakfast. Went to mud flats, about 20 minute walk to north-east. Arranged car hire plus driver from hotel for the next four days RP 35,000/day including fuel.
28/8/04 Left at 5.30 am to drive towards Lewa. Driver (Agus Hati) knew some English and knew to look for birds. Stopped along the way at fruiting trees where we say Black-napped Fruit-dove and Green Imperial Pigeon. Arrived at Km 51 about 7 am. Looked for birds around the patches of degraded forest until 11.30 am. Had lunch at warung in Lewa. Went to a patch of forest about 8 km west of Lewa, saw a Russet-backed Jungle Flycatcher. Continued on to Langgaliru National Park, about another 5 km. Walked along tracks on the left at a down-hill right hand crash barrier. Tracks went steeply up hill to clearing. Left at 5.15 pm to drive to Waikabubak, arrived at about 7 pm. Stayed overnight at Hotel Artha, Rp110,000/night for fan room.
29/8/04 Left at 5.30 am, 1 hour drive back to Manupeu-Tanadaru National Park. Stopped at first suspension bridge across river at the western edge of the park and walked up stream along the southern bank of river then having heard the call of the Elegant Pitta crossed the river and up to road. Birded eastwards along the road, then took a vehicular track on right (south side) to river where we saw the Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher. Walked up river for 2 km until came to a fence on track about 10 am. Turned back to return to car at 11.00 am. Drove to top of hill and birded the last section of forest and the start of the plantation. Drove back to Lewa for lunch. Arrived back at Merlin Hotel at 3 pm. Drove to Yumbu at 3.30 pm to look for Button-quail, arrived 4 pm and birded until 5.30 pm, returned to Merlin Hotel.
30/8/04 Left at 5.30 am drove west to Km 49 and turned south to Tarimbung. Birded along road in forest from 8.30 am to 10.00, Elegant Pitta near village. Drove to Laputi (waterfall) arrived at 12.15, near Praingkareha. Walked to base of falls about 15 minute-walk. Drove on to the top of falls and continued on to Langgaliru-Wangameti National Park. Birded a section of road (2 km) of primary forest along stream. Drove on a short way and saw Yellow-crested Cockatoo. Went back to forest and walked the road again. Got back to car at 3.30 pm and drove to Tarimbung, arrived about 5.30 pm. Stayed at Martin's Place for Rp 50,000/person/night including dinner and breakfast. Looked for owls in beach forest, only say a couple of bats.
31/8/04 Birded the coastal beach forest from 6-7 am and relaxed on beach for morning. After lunch left at 12.45 to drive back to Waingapu. Birded the forest at the Tarimbung junction for about an hour. Arrived back at Waingapu and drove straight to Kadumbul wetland, south-east of Yumbu on Melolo Road. Left at 6 pm and drove to Merlin Hotel.
1/9/04 Went back to the mud flats for an hour from 9.30 to 11.00. Check-in was at 2 pm for a 3.30 flight to Denpasar, Bali.
Bird List for Sumba trip 27/8 - 1/9/04
For species that were only seen on one occasion, I have given that site.
Red-throated Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Kadumbul
Great-crested Grebe Podiceps crisatus Kadumbul
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus Kadumbul
Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos Kadumbul
Great Cormorant Phalacro carba Kadumbul
Darter Anhinga melanogaster Kadumbul
Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel Tarimbung
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Kadumbul
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea Kadumbul
Great Egret Ardea alba
Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia Kadumbul
White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Javan Pond-Heron Ardeola speciosa
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Kadumbul
Wandering Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna arcuata Kadumbul
Sunda Teal Anas gibberifrons Waingupu
Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Kadumbul
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster Tarimbung
Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus
Spotted Kestrel Falco moluccensis
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Yumba
Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt
Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora Yumba
Green Junglefowl Gallus varius
Red-backed Buttonquail Turnix maculosa Yumba
Sumba Buttonquail Turnix everetti Yumba
Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio Kadumbul
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Laputi & Kadumbul
Common Coot Fulica atra Kadumbul
White-headed Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus Kadumbul
Beach Thick-knee Burhinus magnirostris Tarimbung
Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Waingupu
Malaysian Plover Charadrius peronii Tarimbung
Lesser Sandplover Charadrius mongolus
Greater Sandplover Charadrius leschenaultii
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Waingupu
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Kadumbul
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Waingupu
Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis
Great Crested Tern Sterna bergii
Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
Ruddy Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia emiliana
Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
Zebra Dove Geopelia striata
Sumba Green-Pigeon Treron teysmannii Manupeu-Tanadaru NP
Red-naped Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus dohertyi
Black-naped Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus melanospila
Green Imperial-Pigeon Ducula aenea
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Yellow-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea Langgaliru-Wangameti NP
Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus
Red-cheeked Parrot Geoffroyus geoffroyi
Great-billed Parrot Tanygnathus megalorynchos
Eclectus Parrot Eclectus roratus
Rusty-breasted Cuckoo Cacomantis sepulcralis
Australian Koel Eudynamys cyanocephala
Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis
Glossy Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta
Edible-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Manupeu-Tanadaru NP
Rufous-backed Kingfisher Ceyx rufidorsa Manupeu-Tanadaru NP
Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chloris
Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher Todirhamphus australasia Manupeu-Tanadaru NP
Sacred Kingfisher Todirhamphus sanctus
Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus
Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus
Sumba Hornbill Aceros everetti
Elegant Pitta Pitta elegans
Australasian Bushlark Mirafra javanica
Wallacean Cuckoo-shrike Coracina personata
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Coracina novaehollandiae
Sumba Cuckoo-shrike (Pale-shouldered cicadabird) Coracina dohertyi
White-shouldered Triller Lalage sueurii
Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis
Flores Jungle-Flycatcher (Russett-backed) Rhinomyias oscillans
Sumba Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa segregata
Sumba Flycatcher Ficedula harterti
Gray-headed Canary-flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis
Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata
Rufous Fantail Rhipidura rufifrons
Spectacled Monarch Monarcha trivirgatus
Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis
Plain-throated Sunbird Anthreptes malacensis
Apricot-breasted Sunbird Cinnyris buettikoferi
Blood-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum sanguinolentum
Ashy-bellied White-eye Zosterops citrinellus
Yellow-spectacled White-eye Zosterops wallacei
Indonesian Honeyeater Lichmera limbata
Sumba Myzomela Myzomela dammermani Pine plantation eastern end of Manupeu-Tanadaru NP
Helmeted Friarbird Philemon buceroides
Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis
Wallacean Drongo Dicrurus densus
Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos
Short-tailed Starling Aplonis minor
Red Avadavat Amandava amandava
Black-faced Munia Lonchura molucca
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
Why not send us a report, or an update to one of your current reports?