Bali/ East Java
Prelude
Back before I started doing the actual birding and was still very naïve about what mega birding entails I thought I could bird nonstop for long periods of time. I noticed that the Rockjumper Sulawesi tour and the Papua New Guinea tour were very close together with only 11 days separating the two. It really didn’t make sense to go back to Washington, DC for that time. I wondered and wondered. Then I came upon an idea. How about a few days in Bali and east Java birding? I had the good folks at Rockjumper Tailormade design a tour for me. The genesis of this tour.
Bali
July 10, 2026
We got back to the hotel in Jakarta at the end of the Sulawesi tour about 10:00 PM. At 2:00 AM I had to be back to the airport to catch a flight to Bali. I had already let the Rockjumper folks know that I wanted to bird kind of lightly because of illness I had on the Sulawesi tour. (Fortunately I am fully recovered from that.)
I got to Bali about 8:00 AM. Don the driver and Boneng the guide were waiting for me at the entrance of the airport. They are both very friendly, enthusiastic kind of people. I already knew it was going to be lots of fun.
Traffic in Bali is a nightmare. It took us well over an hour to get to our first birding destination, the bus terminal. (I was happy because I took the opportunity to nap.)
We went to the bus terminal to see the Java sparrow, (pictured(. What a sad story. This beautiful bird used to be common throughout Bali and Java. But it was hunted to be caged birds and now in Java and Bali it is nearly extinct. (Though common in many places it has been introduced.) The three birds in the bus depot hang out there because they know they are safe there from being trapped.
We also saw the scarlet-headed flowerpecker, with its gorgeous head and a pair of ornate sunbirds. We saw a mother zebra dove feeding two babies. Those were the highlights of the first stop.
More heavy traffic driving brought us to our next stop, the Handara Golf Club. It also happens to be the place we’re spending the night. Boneng and I birded along the road around a part of the lovely grounds of the country club. We were rewarded with great views of brown honeyeater, olive-backed tailorbird, Javan bush warbler, and mountain leaf warbler. We also saw many old friends along the way including a collared kingfisher that flew across the 3rd hole of the golf courses.
We birded till noon. Then we had lunch. I had a monster salad and stir fried spinach as well as fish. It was just what the doctor ordered. I hadn’t had a good salad for I don’t know how long.
After lunch we checked into the resort. I decided to not bird this afternoon opting instead to relax some and get caught up on a few admin chores. And also do some maintenance to the website. Like switching over to the latest tour on the home page. This tour should be a lot of fun.
Before I close I want to give a big shout out to a dear friend of mine Dan Ruttenberg. Today Dan cashed at the World Series of Poker Main Event. It’s a really big deal. Congratulations Dan on this great accomplishment you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
21 species, 7 lifers
Dribs and Drabs
July 11, 2026
Today was spectacular but it was in dribs and drabs. After breakfast we left the country club. On our way out a green junglefowl cock, (pictured), graced us with wonderful views.
We went to the Bali Botanical Gardens and birded various spots there the entire morning. First thing we were greeted by very cooperative Fulvous-chested jungle flycatcher, (pictured). Our morning encounters also included little cuckoo-dove, black-backed fruit dove, dark-backed imperial-pigeon, two Sunda brush cuckoo skulking in some bamboo, Javan scimitar-babbler and three Javan flowerpeckers, the last of which was a male with its fiery neck.
In the midst of all of this Boneng called in a pair of Javan owlets and we got fabulous views. Towards the end of our morning he tracked down a Tenggara whistler, a stunning gorgeous bird with a yellow chest and white and black head.
We got our luggage and then we headed towards Bali Barat National Park. It was about an hour and a half of driving but we broke it up.
We stopped by the seaside for lunch. The pumpkin soup and grilled fish I had were incredible. As we waited for our meals Boneng and I scanned the sea and the shoreline. I found a white morphed Pacific reef-heron, (pictured), which was really cool.
We made a brief stop at some cliffs and got great views of a spotted kestrel soaring overhead.
About an hour after we checked into our hotel we headed out for another birding adventure. This time we went to a hide a guy had. He put out some worms and the Bali mynas,(pictured), among other birds came flocking in. The last bird to the party was a freckle-breasted woodpecker, (pictured).
Bali mynas are the iconic bird of Bali. And because of conservation efforts they are making a bit of a comeback. Though like so many birds in Java and Bali they are trapped for caging. So sad.
After looking at the mynas and the like I got an incredible view of a sacred kingfisher, (pictured). Made up for the dip in Sulawesi and then some.
The last birds we went looking for were Savannah nightjars, (pictured). Boneng found them on the ground. Nightjars are such odd looking birds.
The guys surprised me with one more stop at the barbershop for a much needed shearing. The barber did a great job. A great end to a dribs and drabs sort of a day.
33 species, 13 lifers
Bali Barat National Park
July 12, 2026
Today we birded in Bali Barat National Park the entire day. West Bali is very dry and dusty. We first stopped at a spot where there were deer. A buck was in heat and forced us to go another path. A group of small minivet flying over were the highlight of the first quiet stop. (In the evening I got magnificent views of these very colorful birds.)
When on Bali if you’re on a coral strewn sandy beach of course you’re going to walk it right? That’s what we did this morning and were rewarded with magnificent views of beach thick-knee, (pictured), (big eyed like most thick-knees) and Malaysian plovers.
As we drove along later Boneng found us a black-thighed falconet perched on a snag.
We were headed to a swampy spot at the time to look for one bird. We were rewarded for the swampy stop by getting great views of not one but two small blue kingfishers. Two old friends from NE India, Asian woolly-necked stork and crested serpent-eagle flew over as we looked for the kingfishers.
Our next stop, a hide, was absolutely special. The owner of the hide put out feed and the parade started. Rufous-backed dwarf-kingfisher, laced woodpecker, Javan banded-pitta and racket-tailed treepie all made appearances. And the light made for incredible photography. (All of the aforementioned birds are pictured.) In fact the light was so good that even our old friend the yellow-vented bulbul, (pictured), looked great. I’m not going too far in stating that this could be the very best hide for photography I’ve ever been in.
We returned to the hotel for an afternoon respite. At 4:00 PM we headed out again. Our first stop was a shoreline in the park and we soon spotted our target bird, a huge great-billed heron.
We ended the day of birding with a walk along the main road in the park in the forest. We saw many old friends including the aforementioned small minivets. As we were nearing the end of our stroll Boneng heard a call and we went crashing into the woods. We located the tree we thought the bird was in and I saw it drop down. Boneng called again and soon we were treated with wonderful views of a female Java flameback. Later we saw the male briefly. I don’t know which of us was more excited to see these birds. This is a mega bird for Bali and Java. Many people come to see just this bird and often they fail to find it. What a wonderful way to end a very good day. This is why we bird.
39 species, 11 lifers
Bali Odds and Ends
July 13, 2026
Today was another day where there were lots of spots hit to track down lots of cool birds. We started at a Tirtha Segara Rupek Temple. Boneng tracked down two yellow-eared barbets there. Then we had breakfast overlooking the shoreline.
The next stop was literally a lady’s yard. Boneng greeted her warmly and we went to the back in search. It was eventually the young woman who found a Sunda scops owl, (pictured), roosting for us. (Wow, I just looked at the picture and there are actually two owls roosting there. Wow, wow and wow!!!) While wandering around her fields a ruddy cuckoo-dove also graced us with its presence.
It was already started to warm up when we stopped for the next search. This time it didn’t take long before Boneng found us a flock of black-winged myna. Beautiful birds with their off setting black and white.
We stopped a couple more times but saw only old friends. Then we went to a most fascinating spot. Its called salt pans because salt is harvested there. Seawater is evaporated and that’s how the salt is harvested. On the same road is a prawn farm. Loads of ponds where prawn are raised for harvesting and export.
The birding was, as expected, kind of shore like. Javan plover, gray-tailed tattler, (our target for the stop), little terns, a little pied cormorant, little egret, little heron, Javan pond-heron and a rookery of about 60 great egrets. As we birded there two white-bellied sea-eagles also flew in from the sea, (what a concept and what a great surprise). It was a very interesting stop in that it was so different from what we’d birded previously.
We then went back to the hotel for lunch and the afternoon break. It’s hot as blazes in the afternoon so why not relax, the birds will be doing the same.
After the break we reconvened at 4:00 PM. We stopped at a spot along the road and Boneng and I went into the woods and fields. We were looking for a bird that had eluded us all day long. No more. Boneng found a common flameback and we got great views. Not the mega bird of last night but still a gorgeous woodpecker. We also saw many old friends including a very regal looking Oriental pied hornbill.
This was my last day of birding with Boneng,(pictured in maroon). What a fabulous birder and guide and a really fun guy to hang out with. Don and I are on to east Java tomorrow.
43 species, 9 lifers
Interminable
July 14, 2026
Interminable, that’s the only word to describe the wait to catch a ferry from Bali to Java. We left the hotel around 7:30 AM and didn’t get to Java till nearly 11:00 AM. The wait in line for the ferry was super long and then the crossing was slow, as to be expected, of a large ferry carrying vehicles. I did manage to salvage the situation a bit by finding great crested tern and brown booby in the channel as we crawled across it.
Once we got to Java we met Heru my guide for Java. Don and I ate meatball soup at a small shop next door to the homestay. It was actually quite yummy. Then we chilled until 1:30 PM.
From the homestay we headed into Baluran National Park. It was literally a five minute drive. Heru knew the location of a very special bird and called it. It responded by flying in. We got great views of a spotted wood-owl, (pictured).
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking the incredibly busy road until we came to a trail that led to a spot where the park is taking care of a very rare species of pig. Along the way we spotted the impressive red-billed malkoha, with its red-bill, (really?) and its long tail. Horsfield’s bronze-cuckoo, two very cooperative pied trillers, two black-winged flycatcher-shrikes and a brown prinia were among the birds we saw as well as many old friends.
Above the pig research station, we saw a green peafowl cock perched up splendidly. Later we saw several fly into the woods.
As we were headed to one more stop in the car Heru told Don to stop. He saw a bird that had eluded us all day long. After a little bit of effort, he located a crimson-winged woodpecker, and we got really nice views. What a way to end a day that started in such an interminable way.
38 species, 10 lifers
2000 Plus One
July 15, 2026
Today’s adventure actually started yesterday evening. The dining options in the little town we’re in, Badjulmati, are so limited that Rohman asked Heru if his wife could cook for birders. So last night Don and I went to Heru’s house and were treated to yummy homecooked Indonesian food. We’ll do the same thing tonight. This plus the fact that we’re staying at a very basic homestay all makes sense because we’re literally five minutes from Balurun National Park.
This morning we started birding on the savanna in Balurun. We saw many green peafowl and green junglefowl. We saw so many black-winged myna that my count of 50 was tagged on eBird as a high amount. Heru explained to me that in other spots it is an endangered bird but not on the savanna of Balurun. My experience proved that point.
The highlight of the first session of birding for me was seeing two Sunda pygmy woodpeckers, (pictured). A cute small woodpecker. We also saw a flock of 20 Java sparrows feeding in the short grass by the road.
Our next stop was for breakfast and as I ate a soft-boiled egg sandwich, we saw a flock of small birds come into a tree. Amongst them was an ashy tailorbird that both Heru and I saw very well. Its orange face made it stand out amongst the other birds. Ebird tagged it as rare, but Heru said he’s had other sightings of it in that location.
As I scanned the palm trees I saw a woodpecker. Turned out to be a checker-throated woodpecker, one of three we saw. They have a very distinctive yellow crest.
From the savanna we went to a mangrove forest along the beach and located olive-winged bulbul and gray-cheeked tit-babbler. Both are drab birds but they are very special birds for me. The gray-cheeked tit-babbler is my 2,000th lifer. Yippee!!!
The plus one bird was a bit of an adventure. We searched and searched and called and called in the mangroves until at long last two mangrove whistlers came and gave us very nice views. It is so satisfying when a bird takes that long to find and is eventually found.
Don had some local women make chicken soup for lunch. It was super yummy.
In the late afternoon we went birding again but dipped on any new species. That’s the way birding is at times.
48 species, 6 lifers
Quiet Until…
July 16, 2026
This morning we drove to the Mt. Ijen area. It was a two hour drive. We dropped our bags at the hotel and then headed up Mt. Ijen. We stopped along the busy road and started birding. It was very quiet. Heru recommended we go down a trail into the forest to get away from the road. Same result, very quiet. Over the course of the next hour and a half or so we saw a Sunda cuckoo, three Sunda cuckooshrike, a white-bellied fantail and a few old friends including great views of a pygmy cupwing.
We then we to a little clearing/pullout. While we searched in the forest for birds there, I found a chestnut-breasted malkoha, (the first of two I discovered today). But there wasn’t a whole lot else going on.
We then headed to a hide set up for a very specific bird. Heru brought along mealworms and put some out. Soon some interesting birds came to feed like Temminck’s babbler, Horsfield’s babbler, lesser shortwing and snowy-browed flycatcher and a very striking scaly thrush. I got good pictures of all of these birds and they are pictured above. But the real bird we were looking for was a no show. We headed to lunch.
After lunch we went back to the hide and Heru put our more mealworms. The same birds as in the morning showed up and we waited over an hour. Suddenly out of the brush popped two gray-breasted partridge. Wow, wow, and wow. These are very, very special birds. There habitat is restricted to three areas in east Java. Their picture is below this report.
We birded a bit more and were treated to a stunning flock of 30 Sunda minivet.
For supper Don pointed me to a western style restaurant. I had soup and salad and a surprisingly good pizza.
23 species, 7 lifers
Chilly Morning
July 17, 2026
We got up the mountain pretty early and it was pretty chilly up there. I was wearing my puffer jacket and glad I was. The morning started sort of slowly though we did see several pink-headed fruit-doves, (pictured), fly by. And we got very good looks and a great recording of an aberrant bush warbler.
We were just about to eat breakfast when a fruit-dove flew in very close. It took some doing but we eventually found it perched high up in a tree. I managed a few pictures. None are great but they clearly show that it’s pink headed. When I was with Forrest in NE India I mentioned my Bali/East Java trip and he said he’d be jealous if I saw a pink-headed fruit dove. I sent him one of my pictures and I’m sure he laughed.
After breakfast we went to the pylon clearing below where we ate. We got magnificent views of soaring Javan hawk-eagle and black eagle.
We also found a couple flocks of birds. Mostly old friends though I did see an orange-bellied flowerpecker and got great views of three blue nuthatches after Heru excitedly called me over to the palm tree they were on, (pictured). They’re called blue for a reason.
After lunch we took an extended break till 4:00 PM. We then went in search of an orange-breasted trogon. We had no trogon joy but I’m not too concerned because it’s a pretty widely distributed bird in southeast Asia.
As dusk settled in on us Heru started calling the Javan frogmouth. At first, we heard two a long ways away. Eventually we heard one pretty close but then it stopped calling. By then it was dark out. Heru heard it calling down the road. We went down there and eventually I found a bird with my little thermal scope. We had a heck of a time finding the bird but eventually as Heru shined his flashlight I saw the glow of a bird’s eye…the frogmouth. What a great way to end a good day of birding.
24 species, 6 lifers
Ugh!
July 18, 2026
Last night I ate something bad and got food poisoning. I’ve had colonoscopy prep diarrhea ever since. If you don’t understand that reference, it might be time for you to visit your doctor.
Heru and Don took me birding to Alas Purwo National Park. It was a slow-motion proposition but I’m glad we went. On the way to the park headquarters Heru spotted a small flock of birds. Black-banded barbet, ruby-throated bulbul, cream-vented bulbul and pin-tail parrotfinch were all part of the flock.
At the headquarters it looked out on a little savannah. Sunda crows were sitting on top of cows.
After a tiny amount of breakfast, we went to a hide and got marvelous views of two Javan black-capped babblers, (pictured).
Heru stopped one more time in the forest and soon found a bird I needed to see. I got out of the car and was afforded excellent views of a female Javan blue flycatcher. This is an ultra, mega bird. Perhaps the most important bird of this whole 124 days. Heru would have found the male I’m sure but by then I was worn out. What a great way to end this part of the journey.
But wait, there was one more bird to see. On the drive home we pulled into a woman’s yard and on the inside of one of her porches white-nest swiftlets, (pictured), were nested.
Today was a tough day of birding but it was worth it.
19 species, 8 lifers
A postscript. When we got back to the hotel I slept from about 2:00 PM to 6:00 AM the next morning with too many trips to the bathroom. The diarrhea finally stopped in the morning. I have no appetite. Don pointed out that’s probably because of the Imodium.
Now Bali/East Java is done. Don dropped me off at the airport in Bali. Oh, the ferry was an absolute breeze. No lines or waiting. I’m headed to Papua New Guinea via Brisbane. It’s going to be a long night of travel. But all in I’m slowly recovering and I should be okay for starting the next birding adventure.
Boneng, Heru and Don were absolutely fabulous. I gave Boneng my bird list the first morning. He immediately sent it to Heru and between the two of them they worked super hard to find as many of my birds as possible. Along the way we also found lifers that weren’t on my list as well. If ever you want to bird in Bali and East Java Boneng and Heru are the guides you want. And Don is more than just a driver. When he found out I was sick he took me to a pharmacy to get meds and tracked down bread because that’s all I wanted to eat. And he stopped at a spot for coconut jellies because coconut water is so refreshing. It sure was for me. Don made sure all of my needs were met throughout the trip.
And I also want to give a shout out to Laverne and Daniel at Rockjumper Tailormade. Thanks for designing this very special bespoke, bridge trip. It far exceeded my expectations.
On to PNG.
For the trip:
160 species, 77 lifers