Sulawesi and Halmahera
Prelude
Indonesia is a very interesting country. It’s comprised of over 17,000 islands. There are over 288 million people living in Indonesia. For birders Indonesia is an absolute paradise for birding. It has over 550 endemic species, the most of any country in the world. Indonesia is also a challenging place to bird because those 550 endemics, (and the over 1,700 total species), are spread out over those 17,000 islands. For a birder who has ambitions of getting a big life list, (that would be me), Indonesia is a must do. But it also has to be done in bites. It’s not like Ecuador where in about three and a half weeks there were over 600 species of birds. Or NE India where over the same amount of time there were over 500 species of birds. Sulawesi and Halmahera are perfect examples of what I’m trying to say. I will bird them for 16 days and will probably get somewhere in the neighborhood 230 species. This is the first of four trips I have planned for Indonesia during the odyssey. And even those four trips will only scratch the surface of the incredible avifauna of this wonderful country.
Pre-tour Festivities
June 22, 2026
Getting from Seattle to Jakarta was relatively easy. I tried very hard to stay awake most of the 13 hour flight from Seattle to Hong Kong because it was waking hours in Jakarta. When I checked in to Cathay Pacific online in Seattle I also was able to get my visa on arrival for Indonesia.
When I arrived in Indonesia it was about 11:30 PM. Immigration was super easy. I just put my passport on the scanner and they also scanned my face just like at Heathrow and I was done. And it wasn’t 37 degrees Fahrenheit like in Barrow. More like 37 degrees Celsius. I got a taxi to the hotel, called Irina and collapsed into bed. For all the good it did me. I was awake most of the night. And I didn’t sleep today either.
I rolled out of bed at about 8:00 AM. I’m on the top floor, (18th), of the hotel and have a marvelous view. I immediately spied birds flying around the grounds. I got dressed and went down to check it out. I found eight species including four lifers, pink-necked green pigeon, cave swiftlet, Malaysian pied-fantail and sooty-headed bubul, (pictured). I was particularly proud of finding the fantail. I knew from my experience with fantails in NE India that it was a fantail and soon figured out its species.
This evening I went on a food tour with a marvelous young woman named Vera. She had me sample many Indonesian dishes. All tasted different than anything I’d tasted before, but all were very yummy.
Let the serious birding begin.
8 species, 4 lifers
Gunung Gede Pagrango
June 23, 2026
What a day. It started with another toss and turn night. I woke up about midnight and didn’t really go back to sleep. I was kept company by rolling thunder as a storm passed through Jakarta. I decided to have a day of birding and found Jakarta Birding to go with. I got up about 1:45 AM. At 2:45 AM I went outside to wait for my ride. I was delighted to by the company of a Savanna nightjar, a lifer.
At 3:00 AM Ahmad and Danu from Jakarta Birding picked me up. We drove for two and a half hours to Gunung Gede Pagrango. I didn’t know a thing about it because I slept the whole way. We stopped for breakfast. The place made me an omelet and white bread with peanut sauce. I made an egg sandwich. We also had super strong coffee that I know Luda would have loved.
We met Wawan at the park entrance. He was the local guide. We began the arduous hike up the mountain. The path was made from large stones and was moderately steep the whole trip up. As we went we were birding the whole time. I soon learned that birding in west Java is very, very different from Ecuador or NE India. In those countries there were lots and lots of birds you sorted through to see what species you had and see what species were of great interest. Not so on Gunung Gede. The birds there were scarce in comparison but when we did see birds they were very, very special.
Over the course of a long, climbing day we saw a total of only 30 species but what wonderful birds. We heard a Javan owlet and I got a good recording of it but we could never get it to come to us. We saw fire tufted barbet, (pictured), and flame fronted barbet, what wonderful birds barbets are. We had a family of Sunda minivets fly around us several times at one point. Gorgeous bright reddish orange birds. Javan bulbul and orange spotted bulbul were added to the sooty headed bulbul, an old friend from the day before.
One of the best birds of the day for me was a ruhttps://ebird.org/species/whfsun1fous-tailed fantail, (pictured). What a stunning display it is as it flies with its vivid fantail.
We saw numerous Javan fulvetta throughout the day. And a real treat was seeing the white flanked sunbird. Towards the end of our trek upward we got great views of a very cooperative Javan whistling thrush,(pictured).
We ended our upward journey on the trail with a real high. I knew we had to leave so I could get to the airport on time. Just as I was turning around Wawan heard the bird. It took us awhile but we finally found a Javan trogon, (pictured), a key west Javan target.
At the parking lot we picked up the diminutive pygmy tit, (smallest bird in all of Indonesia), Javan munia and the Javan kingfisher. A great way to end a great session of birding. Over the session of the lifers I got 13 were west Javan endemics that I wouldn’t have seen anywhere else, (hence the phrase endemic Evan). These are birds I didn’t have on the 7000to70 masterlist.
The drive to the hotel was brutal, about four hours. But we got there super early. I went to the café for supper. Two birders on the trip, Renee and Peter were there and I had good conversation with them. Eventually Ted wandered down and we greeted each other warmly. John from the trip also joined all of us. Ted and I stayed after everyone else just to catch up. Now I’m in the lobby of the hotel waiting for everyone else so we can catch our flight to Sulawesi. More on that in my next broadcast. For now, I’m glowing, (and aching), from a great day of birding.
31 species, 25 lifers
A Hard Day’s Night
June 24, 2026
“It’s been a hard day’s night,
And I’ve been working like a dog.
It’s been a hard day’s night,
I should be sleeping like a log.”
The Beatles, “A Hard Day’s Night”
Today’s adventure actually began last night at 10:30. That’s when we all met at the hotel and headed to the airport. Glen is the lead birder and he’s fabulous. I can understand why his tours at Rockjumper sell out very quickly. At the airport we waited a little over an hour, (in other words, we were on time). Our flight left a little after 1:00 AM.
We flew to Ternate and had a casual breakfast at a hotel. Then we went to a birding spot. We hiked in about a kilometer to a hide and patiently waited for a a Moluccan dwarf-kingfisher and North Moluccan pitta, (pictured). Our wait was rewarded with stunning views of these two gorgeous birds.
As we hiked out from the hide we birded and got several bonus birds including glossy swiftlet, rainbow bee-eater and many willie-wagtail.
We went from that location to the dock. We took a water taxi from Ternate to Halmahera. In Halmahera we went to a spot for Moluccan starlings and there were many. Then we went to a spot for kingfishers. A collared kingfisher showed almost immediately as well as two beach kingfishers. As we were driving away from that spot Glen spotted a bird that flew to a pylon. After some maneuvering it was determined that it was a spotted kestrel, much more rufous than our old friends in Wanstead Park and Kenilworth.
After lunch we had quite a drive. We stopped once because Glen spotted moustached treeswift, (pictured). These pretty birds are one of four treeswift species in the entire world.
Eventually we got to the spot for an ivory-breasted pitta, (pictured). A short walk brought us to the hide. After some calling the bird came and gave us incredible views. This and the North Moluccan pitta are both stunning birds. We kidded Glen a bit that’s he’s going to have to stop having the bird sessions be so successful.
From the pitta viewing, we drove a bit and stopped along the road to do some birding. Glen’s plan was to walk down the road and bird as we go. We didn’t have to because the birds came to us. The parade of birds included Sultan’s cuckoo dove, gray-headed fruit-dove, cinnamon-bellied imperial-pigeon, a regal Brahminy kite, great-billed parrot, Moluccan eclectus, violet-necked lory, Moluccan-hanging-parrot, Moluccan myzomela, an apply named drab whistler and three small cream-throated white-eye. And these were just the highlights of this very productive stop.
We’re staying at a basic but nice little hotel. Dinner was brief tonight. We all want to go to bed because we’re all beat from literally a sleepless night. And it’s another early one tomorrow morning.
To bed, to bed sleepyhead and don’t wake up until morning…
44 species, 39 lifers.
Bird Karma
June 25, 2026
This morning we started at 4:00 AM to get to the lek we were going to. We got there very early and birded a bit on the road in the dark along the way. We had excellent views of one Moluccan Scops-owl along the way.
The hike to the lek was a little steep. By the time we got there the standardwing bird-of-paradise were already calling. But seeing them was an entirely different story. We waited till after 7:00 AM and just as we were getting ready to leave one suddenly popped into view. What a great surprise.
Glen got a common paradise-kingfisher in the scope twice. The first time as I got ready to look at it, it had flown. The second time Ted and I were the only two birders that hadn’t seen it. Ted looked in the scope but yet again when I looked in the scope it had flown. By then I was laughing at the comedy of the whole situation.
Why do I have that attitude? Because although I’m looking for a lot of birds over a short period of time, I also realize it’s a marathon of sorts and I will miss birds. If I’m upset about birds I miss then I’d be upset a lot because birds are missed. Simple math. As we walked out towards the cars another kingfisher called. I happened to be by Glen and told him it was my buddy calling. He said, “Let’s give it another try.”
He called it and just like a bullet it came in. It was so close I didn’t even need my bins for a really great view. It was sort of like the kingfisher gods were thanking me for having such a positive attitude towards the missed bird. Bird Karma.
After breakfast we birded the road into the lek. Spectacled imperial pigeon, glossy swiftlet, rainbow bee-eater, Moluccan cuckooshrike, (a very large bird), white-naped monarch and shining flycatcher were among some of the highlights.
I remember something Mike I birded with in Alaska told me about my camera. He told me to adjust the diopter to my eye. I did that and my pictures were suddenly much clearer. I got decent pics of the Moluccan cuckooshrike and the white-naped monarch.
We had lunch at the hotel and afterwards we all had a couple hours off. I used my time off wisely. I took a nap.
In the late afternoon we headed out again and birded a mountain pass at about 535 meters. Blyth’s hornbill, many white cockatoo, chattering lory, violet-necked lory, Moluccan flycatcher and Halmahera flowerpecker were among the highlights. An Oriental hobby flew over us as we had our pre-owling snack.
The best part of the whole show was about to happen though. After dusk Glen tracked down two Moluccan owlet-nightjar. It took lots of work but eventually we got unbelievable views of one of them and those new diopter settings were put to the test. What incredible pictures of an incredible bird. What a way to end a very long but very productive day.
45 species, 23 lifers.
Mopping Up
June 26, 2026
Today was our last full day of birding on Halmahera and it was a very full day. We left the hotel at 5:00 AM for a date with a barking owl. We weren’t disappointed. Two showed very well in the light. They were easy to find because their eyes shown pink in the light.
From that adventure we went back to the pass we birded yesterday. It was a mop up day because we’ve found virtually all the important species here on Halmahera.
After the morning session it was back to the hotel for lunch and a siesta. I love naps, especially the groggy feeling that comes with them. Today my nap was interrupted by the sound of thunder. We left the hotel in a rainstorm and birded the pass once again. We were lucky in that the rainstorm was only passing.
Species seen today included Sahul brush cuckoo, Moluccan swiftlet, Moluccan goshawk, (two were flying around this morning and then we got a great view of a perched one this afternoon), a blue-and-white kingfisher in perched and showing well, Halmahera cuckooshrike, North Moluccan cicadabird, and two diminutive but beautiful species in the island leaf warbler and the Sahul sunbird. A white-streaked friarbird, (pictured), showed very well as it fed on some flowers and fruit.
We ended the day unsuccessfully looking for Halmahera boobook. We once again heard it but we will try for it again in the earlies tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a moving day so today I will cut this short. Another full and fulfilling day.
48 species, 10 lifers.
Chillin’
June 27, 2026
Today we headed out from the hotel, bags packed, at 4:00 AM. And just like on so many other occasions we dipped on seeing Halmahera boobook. We heard it in the distance but it never came towards us. That’s birding.
The rest of the morning was spent at a spot we’d been before and just like the time before we had quite a bit of success seeing birds. Most were friends we were already acquainted with from earlier in the trip. We got glorious views of two glorious parrots, the Moluccan eclectus, (the beautiful red female), and the violet-necked lory. Wow is all I have to say about these stunningly gorgeous birds. We got good views of a pair of equally beautiful if tiny in comparison Sahul sunbird.
And although it was a day with friends with regards to birds, (and birders), I still managed two new species. A family Pacific baza cruised over us late morning. Then Renee and Ted simultaneous found the Moluccan brush cuckoo, a much desired bird that had to that point eluded us. Very nice scope views.
And I saw a very special bird flying. It had a pure white head and tail and its wings glowed blue in the sunlight. It was a large bird. I told everyone about it but we didn’t find it again. My guess is it was a white-bellied sea-eagle. We’d seen an unoccupied nest earlier in the day and it’s the one bird that fits the description. Its wings could well have been reflecting the sun at the time. I will give this one more thought and time before I report it. But what a magical moment seeing this bird flying.
Then it was time to move out. We drove for two hours to a port town where we got a water taxi. Along the way we also stopped for incredible views of a blue-and-white kingfisher. The water taxi took us back to Ternate. We had a marvelous late lunch and then chilled a bit before going to an overlook of a small lake and the sea. We basically just chilled there, a needed break before the Sulawesi pandemonium that’s about to begin. (I can hardly wait.)
At the hotel we had another wonderful meal. There has been lots of seafood in the buffets here. Then we went looking for a marsupial, a blue-eyed spotted cuscus. A tree dwelling species endemic to this island. We found it and after a good look I came back to the room for a delicious shower. This phase of the trip was really good, yielding 79 species, of which 74 were lifers.
44 species, 2 lifers
Sulawesi
June 28, 2026
Bright and early this morning we headed to the airport to fly to Sulawesi. We left at 7:00 AM and got to Sulawesi at 7:00 AM because of the time change. We got luggage and then went to a golf resort now owned by Marriot where we had breakfast. It was a buffet and it was yummy. While there we saw a few birds including Java mynas. Transplanted for Java where they are now nearly extinct. They are a thriving pest on Sulawesi.
Renee also found a wonderful black-naped oriole.
We then began the long drive to Sulawesi Utara. Along the way we stopped at a rice paddy/fish pond and it yielded several really great birds. These included pied stilts that looked gorgeous in perfect sunlight. Of course I left my camera in the van. (Note to self, always bring your camera.) Barred rail and Javan pond-heron were also amongst the birds we saw.
At one of our potty breaks Glen introduced me to Silver Queen chocolate. It’s the Indonesian version of Hershey’s chocolate bars. It is super rich and delicious. Much better than Hershey’s.
After a little rest at the hotel when we got there we went to some rice paddies and fields to do some evening birding. Traffic getting there was a horrendous mess. But it was worth the hassle. I actually discovered a zebra dove, a tiny beautifully striped dove. We also saw five wandering whistling-ducks wander over us in flight. We saw Sulawesi crows but I’d seen one earlier as we drove towards the hotel. Buff-banded rail and white-browed crake were the real stars of the show. Skulkers as rail and crake are we still got good views. One rail had its head sticking up through the grass. On the way into the birding we saw a load of chestnut munia, (pictured). Glen pished them and they came flying over wondering where the snake was.
Anie and Albert have been serving up meals for Rockjumper tours in this neck of the woods for years and years. They have joined us as well. I can see why Rockjumper returns to them year after year. The food is spectacular. The beef satay and the pineapple chicken were my two favorites.
It was hot today though most of the heat was avoided because of the long drive. Tomorrow we will be in the field for 12 hours. A hot one but if it’s like today it should be fruitful. Sulawesi feels more birdy at least on the first day.
29 species, 10 lifers
Maleo
June 29, 2026
We saw a lot of great birds today but there was only one star of the show and that’s the maleo, (pictured). We went to the one nesting ground that is available for viewing early this morning. The maleo is a shy bird but we rewarded with incredible views for a long time. And after lunch we each got to hold a baby bird and release it into the wild.
Maleo are very interesting birds. They are megapodes. Megapodes hatch their eggs by burying them. The maleo we saw today bury the eggs in volcanic soil and let the heat emanating from the volcano hatch the eggs. The parents of the maleo leave the egg once its buried and never return to it. When the maleo hatches it digs out of the soil and is ready to fly and fend for itself from the day it is hatched.
At the nesting ground they have nursey. When the maleo lay eggs the workers at the nesting site get the eggs and put them in a nursery to hatch. When the maleo hatch and dig out they are released into the wild just like we did. We actually saw one baby dig out and fly to the edge of the nursery. It was incredible. This bird is, without question, my bird of the trip.
We birded the forest of the national park after breakfast. After the maleo release we went to another spot along a very busy road and birded three spots there. We saw incredible birds all day long. They included two knobbed hornbill,(pictured), Ted found. Huge very unusual looking birds. A little later we saw a group of Sulawesi hornbill. We covered both endemic Sulawesi hornbill. At breakfast we saw the first of many white-shouldered triller seen during the day. We finally saw yellow-sided flowerpecker, gray-sided flowerpecker and brown-throated sunbird. All are tiny, beautiful birds. The pale-blue monarchs we saw were wonderful and reminded me in the a way of blue-gray tanager by their color. We saw a pair of ashy woodpeckers. Wow, why they are called ashy I have no idea. I call them gorgeous. I briefly saw a Sulawesi nightjar fly off the trail. These were just some of the birds we saw today.
And we ended the day with two treats. Nankeen night-heron flew over us as we waited to see a Sulawesi masked-owl that roosts in the church next door to our hotel. The owl did not disappoint. We got great views as did many of the people from the neighborhood who wondered what we were doing as it came out from its perch at the top of the church.
I’m done saying we got up very early because the reality is that if you get up very early every day then it’s really not getting up early. It’s part of the daily program. Our typical day starts at 4:30 AM and we’re typically done by 6:00 to 6:30 PM. Long days but when they’re like this one filled with great birds it is so worth it.
50 species, 29 lifers.
Slow Motion
June 30, 2026
Today was a particularly exhausting day. The reason was the quietness of the forest. We began our day at a new spot in the national forest. We birded around the abandoned lodge where had breakfast. We got good views of a bay coucal, an enormous bird and two Sulawesi hanging parrots, tiny birds. Both wonderfully beautiful birds.
After breakfast we went into the forest. To get to the forest we rode on a raft made of bamboo. We stood with legs spread as a guy guided the raft across a waist deep stream.
Once in the forest we walked until we came to a clearing filled with coconut trees, (A common feature on this island.) Along the way the forest was so quiet. At the clearing Ted actually asked Glen if this was normal. Glen said no and it was clear that no one was more frustrated than Glen. The problem is that it is super dry right now and there hasn’t been any rain. Birds like rain. It livens things up a bit. It’s easier to dig on the ground and it stimulates bug hatches. Things birds really love.
At the clearing Glen tracked down a lesser coucal, an old friend from NE India. And shocker, there were cattle in the field and a cattle egret flew up.
Walking back to the stream things did pick up a bit. We got good views of a vinous-breasted sparrowhawk, (pictured), and heard two calling. A Sulawesi lilac kingfisher alighted on a branch just above us. What a gorgeous bird. An azure-rumped parrot flew over us as we wandered the forest. And just as we were nearing the stream a Sulawesi babbler , (pictured), was discovered sitting calm as a cucumber in the open.
After lunch we went to the busy road we birded the day before and were rewarded with wonderful views of ivory-backed woodswallows, (pictured), our target for that session. They are beautiful birds and their beauty is truly appreciated when they are flying and you can see their dazzling white. Towards the end of the session we also got a glorious view of a green-backed kingfisher.
From the road we headed to the maleo sanctuary. We were in search of a blue-faced rail. As noted earlier it was dry as a popcorn fart so there was little chance of seeing this bird. BTW, a popcorn fart is a kernel of popcorn that didn’t pop because it didn’t have a drop of water inside to explode when heated. Hence the phrase, dry as a popcorn fart.
Although there was no rail joy we got incredible views of the maleo. They were very active and at one point there were eleven of them wandering around.
The exhaustion of this day came from the lack of birds for such a long period this morning. Seeing birds, especially new species, is the joy of bird touring. And those little doses of endorphins that come with each bird seen are what make the long days seem short. Not every day is like that. This long, hot day was a testament to that.
40 species, 4 lifers.
Currently I am in a remote part of Selawesi. Internet is very weak here. I am still writing a daily report but can't post it. I will post all my latest reports when I have a better internet signal. Till then I will be birding every day. I hope you are too.
At long last internet. I will post the text of the past few days adventures and insert pictures later.
The Raptors Have It
July 1, 2026
White rabbit, white rabbit.
No I’m not talking about the trade that brought Kawhi back to Toronto. I’m talking about this morning’s birding.
We birded this morning on the very busy road we’ve twice before on this trip and it was a very birdy morning indeed. We got spectacular views of a yellow-billed malkoha, (pictured). There were many other friends from earlier on this trip we also saw this morning. But the morning belonged to the raptors.
We saw black kite and Brahminy kite, (The Brahminy kite is still in the running as a bingo bird…a bird you see every day of a trip.) But we got spectacular flight views of the Sulawesi honey-buzzard and the Sulawesi hawk-eagle. Ted, as Ted does, he’s a great bird spotter, also saw two Sulawesi serpent-eagles far, far on in the distance. I saw specks in the sky but they could have been swifts or swiftlets or swallows or even two specks of dust on my bins. Glen says we have good chance of seeing serpent eagles again on the trip.
After lunch we took the long, long drive to Tangkoko near the north end of Sulawesi. Sulawesi is just slightly smaller in size than the state of Washington. So imagine driving form say the Tri-cities to Seattle three times and you get a sense of this drive because it’s so busy and so much of the roads are small and congested. (Sulawesi is also home to 22 million people.)
We stopped at one beach along the way and got good views of a little heron. And as we drove I saw Asian glassy starlings. A very common bird but a lifer for me.
We got to Tangkoko a little after 7:00 PM and checked into the very basic but good rooms. The fish tonight at dinner, as has often been the case on this trip, was delicious.
And unbelievably we are halfway through this fun tour.
40 species, 3 lifers
The Night of the Owls
July 2, 2026
We covered a lot of territory today and it was very fruitful. First we walked in the national park. We got great views of several Philippine megapode as they dashed along the forest floor. Two big surprises were Sulawesi goshawk and the stunning spot-tailed goshawk. And we chased and chased after three purple-winged roller and got good views here and there and everywhere. And towards the end of our forest walk we saw our first great-billed kingfisher, a really big kingfisher.
After lunch we went to the coast and to a little stream flowing into the ocean. We took two pontoon boats up the stream. Two golden-bellied gerygone delighted us with their yellow toned beauty. Two superb fruit-dove were seen flying over the horizon. And a Stephan’s dove flew right over our boat. On the way back into shore we saw a Javan plover. Such a petite little bird.
But the main event was yet to come. With dusk came a session of owling. What a great night. The local guides worked really hard and got us Sulawesi scop-owl, speckled boobook and ochre-bellied boobook. In a given night of owling if you see one of these birds it’s considered a good night of owing. To see all three? This is why we bird.
51 species, 14 lifers
Sulawesi Dwarf-kingfisher
July 3, 2026
Our morning started on an overlook of the national park. The birding began slowly but then it picked. We saw many birds we’d already seen, hmm, is it too early to call them old friends? I’ve made a corporate decision. From now on any bird that is already a lifer will be called an old friend no matter when it was first encountered.
Meanwhile, back to the ridge. It was breezy and it afforded us great views of the ocean and other islands. There were loads and loads of pigeons in the valley below us. Amongst them were two white-bellied imperial-pigeon. Two channel-billed cuckoo made a surprise fly by. What massive cuckoos. And five gold-mantled racquet-tail flew by. Basically parrots with rackets. Reminiscent of the racket tailed drongo of NE India. And a pygmy hanging-parrot went zinging through as well.
From there we went to a spot where we hiked deep into the forest. The local guides had found the bird we were looking for but it spooked and flew off. Over the next half an hour or so they searched high and low until they at last found our birds, a Sulawesi dwarf-kingfisher, (pictured). What a gorgeous little bird. Clearly the favorite bird of the day.
In the afternoon we had a three hour break. During the break I slept the sleep of the dead. What a delicious nap.
After we went into the forest again. We got brief views of ornate lorikeet. As we checked one field an Isabelline bush-hen briefly flew up and then down at the back of the field.
Our evening of birding ended with more owling. We got very nice views in flight of two Sulawesi nightjars. We then went back into the forest for a longshot bird but we got no Minahasa masked-owl joy.
49 species, 7 lifers.
Down for Pitta, Down for the Count
July 4, 2026
It must be allergies. These are the most dreaded words on a bird tour. Because whoever says them is coming down with a cold and soon everyone on tour will have a cold. More on that in a bit.
We drove for about two hours to the Gunung Mahawu area. There we had breakfast. Then we went down a steep, steep trail to a Sulawesi pitta hide. It was so steep that they tied ropes for us to hang onto. We were well rewarded for our efforts. Two Sulawesi blue flycatchers were first to visit the hide. Then the star of the show, the Sulawesi pitta, (pictured). Then we waited and waited and finally a rusty-backed thrush came. I got great views of it and I was frustrated that I couldn’t get everyone on the bird. Glen said not to knock myself on that. I did everything I could. It’s just that other folks were blocked. We also heard a Sulawesi pygmy woodpecker but couldn’t get it to come in.
After we went to Gunung Mahawu itself and birded along the roadside. What a parade of birds we saw. We started with a site where the guides found us a scaly-breasted kingfisher. The tiny, beautiful birds we saw included Sulawesi myzomela, sulphur-bellied whistler, citrine canary-flycatcher, Sulawesi heleia, (apparently just at the low end of its range, elevation wise), warbling white-eye, turquoise flycatcher, and crimson-crowned flowerpecker. What a fun morning.
Unfortunately, the afternoon wasn’t so fun for me. I was run down and had flu like symptoms. I actually went to my room after lunch and slept fitfully throughout the night till 2:30 AM when I had to get up. I felt like death warmed over and all I really wanted to do is go home. It will be so easy to just close down the 7000to70 website and forget this crazy adventure. What to do? What to do?
Magic Muffins
July 5, 2026
The reason I slept till 2:30 AM this morning is because at 3:30 we had to leave for the airport to fly to another area of Sulawesi. I was really hurting. I did one round of tai chi but couldn’t do my stretching or core exercises. I do all three every day to keep my back from hurting and it works. Today I was hurting.
But fear not, I had thought strategically about this and came up with several options. I could get a flight to Jakarta at the airport and then fly home. Then I could decide whether this is really worth it. It would be easy enough to pull the plug on the whole 7000to70 idea. Or I could tough out this tour and when I got to Bali/Java in a few days I could go really light on the birding and heavy on the R and R. Or I could heal up at home and then go do Papua New Guinea and Banda Sea. There were lots of options and none of them were off the table.
We made our way to the airport and we got checked in and went through security. We ate at the airport restaurant’s buffet. Nothing looked appetizing so I went for some of their mini spice muffins and their mini meat pasties and some guava juice. I want the recipe for those muffins. When we got up to leave I had broken my fever and felt much, much better.
We flew to our spot and then we birded Rmmang-Rammang in two sessions. In the morning we got great views of a big flock of streaked weaver. A purple heron flew over. In amongst the straked weavers we also saw pale-headed munia. They’re pretty obvious and pretty beautiful because of their white heads. As we began the hike of the trail two gorgeous little black-ringed white-eye were seen. I got a good recording of their beautiful song. But the highlight of the morning was two Sulawesi brown flycatchers. Our local guide did an excellent job of finding them. The most excited person to see them I think was Glen because he’s never seen one before. A lifer for him.
After lunch and checking into the hotel we went back for a late afternoon session at the same spot. White-rumped cuckooshrike was the main target and two of them showed very nicely. We also saw three black-faced munia in amongst the chestnut munia. As we were checking out a swampy wetland a pair of white-shouldered triller flew in and gave brief views.
Now I have diarrhea. I started taking Imodium this evening and hopefully that clears it up. When I talked to Irina this evening she shared a poem that basically is saying stuff happens in life. Lots of it bad stuff. But lots of it good stuff too. Like seeing many gorgeous birds every day.
40 species, 7 lifers
Dipping, Traveling, Reflecting
July 6, 2026
We went to the Karaenta Nature Reserve this morning in search of two birds. Karaenta is limestone forest. It’s forest that has grown up from limestone. The limestone is from ancient coral. The cliffs at the reserve were incredible and really showed the limestone structure of that part of the island.
As we were just entering the reserve Ted found two pied bushchat. Turns out they would be my only lifers for the day.
We found the black headed version of the green-backed kingfisher and got wonderful views.
We spent the rest of the morning looking for piping crow without success. This was a big dip because it’s a Sulawesi endemic. Oh well, dipping is a part of birding.
We went from the birding to the hotel where we packed and ate lunch. I still felt cruddy but I powered through and we all flew to Palu. From there it was a four hour drive to the homestay where we are staying. Through most of our travel time I either slept or thought about what the heck is going on. Am I truly crazy to even be thinking about 7000to70? What I have decided is to not make any decisions until I am well. Wow, my head is spinning and I’m not quite sure where I will land. I did contact the Bali/Java folks and let them know that I only want to bird half days. On the crazy journey I’m on the birding is very extreme when I’m on one of the tours. When I’m not on the tours I’m learning that I need to tone down the birding to give my body and soul a chance to recover some.
22 species, 1 lifer
Ted’s Bird
July 7, 2026
This morning we began birding Lore Lindu National Park. This was the time Ted was waiting for. See Ted is a family guy. He’s on a mission to see at least one species in each bird family. He doesn’t have many more families to go. I know he was a little nervous about Lore Lindu because we’re only birding there about two days.
The new birds came fast and furious in the early morning because we were birding at an elevation we really hadn’t in the past. By breakfast some of the new birds included red-eared fruit-dove, gray-headed imperial-pigieon, purple-bearded bee-eater, yellow-cheeked lorikeet, dark-eared myza, cerulean cuckooshrike, pygmy cuckooshrike, lots of the delightfully colorful Sulawesi fantail, Sulawesi drongo, a Sulawesi bush warbler that literally hopped between the legs of Glen’s spotting scope, fiery-browed myna, two simply gorgeous blue-fronted flycatcher and a very cooperative great shortwing that left Glen speechless because he’d never had such good looks at one for so long. All these species were new. The result of a change in altitude and location. Really incredible.
And there was one very special bird we also found before breakfast, a hylocitrea. It was way up in the canopy but Glen got it in the scope so we got really good views. Ted got good views with his bins. Why is this a special bird? Lots of reasons. It’s endemic to Sulawesi. It’s the only species in its bird family. And…it’s Ted’s bird. I was so happy when we found it because I know how important it was to Ted. Hooray!!!!
The birding continued till lunch. By then I was totally wiped out.
After lunch we took a break and I took a nap. Then we went to some grasslands. I’m so happy I decided to go because we saw some really great birds. On the way Glen noticed short-tailed starling in bare branches we got great views. The grassland birds we saw included Australasian grass-owl. We got incredible views of them because the local guides made the sounds of mice. And from several hundred yards away the owls could hear them. What a mind blower.
Seven Pacific black duck also flew over us.
I wanted to take a picture of a huge flock of munia but they were too far away. But I did manage to get wonderful views of a golden-headed cisticola.
At the end of the evening birding session we saw great views of three great eared-nightjar. What absolutely cool birds, very large for nightjars.
By supper I was wiped out. If I’m not better tomorrow I will reach out to the ground agent in Bali and tell him a doctor is the first order of business when I arrive. Again, I will make no other decisions until I’m well.
69 species, 23 lifers
Diabolical
July 8, 2026
No, I’m not talking about the way I feel. More on that in a minute. I’m talking about this morning’s early morning, predawn birding. It was spectacular and then turned diabolical. First, we had great views of a cinnabar boobook. A beautiful diminutive owl. From there it just got better. Glen called and miraculously a Sulawesi woodcock came flying over our heads. It flew along the road for a long time. I thought Glen was going to jump out of his skin he was so excited. It’s the first time a Rockjumper tour has ever seen this bird. Glen is now only missing the American woodcock in that family. I told him to come to Kenilworth and I’ll show him loads in the season.
We still had a bit of time in the predawn and a very territorial Diabolical nightjar literally came at our heads when Glen called. It put on quite a show for us as it flew around us.
After breakfast we split up. Most of the crew went up a ridge and although they saw a few birds it was quiet. It was quiet for Bill and me at Lore Lindu as well. We left a little before ten in the morning back to the homestay.
At the homestay I slept and ate lunch and slept some more. When not sleeping I was reading one of the Jonathan Grave novel. Perfect mindless reading for time not spent birding.
As we were looking for the boobook something changed in my outlook. I was less gloom and doom and more the go team go person that I normally am. I think I’m slowly healing. And on the TMI front I’ve replaced diarrhea with constipation but that’s actually good news because my intestines are probably just filling up after eating very, very little over the past few days. I still dash to the bathroom at times but all in I’m better. My appetite is back. I now want to bird again.
A few hours of birding tomorrow, then this tour is over. I will do a postmortem after all the checklists are in. I’m so happy that I am getting well.
19 species, 4 lifers
Geomalia
July 9, 2026
Talk about saving the best for last. This morning we packed up and headed to Lore Lindu for one more session of birding. The first bird we tried for was the Sulawesi thrush and we were rewarded with great views of this very large bird.
Next stop was the park headquarters. Bill and I had spent the day there yesterday but it was a quiet day. In the late afternoon the crew that climbed to the top of the trail saw a bird that we came back for to try to see. Bill, John and I were rewarded with magnificent views of not only an adult geomalia, (pictured), but also a juvenile, (pictured). And Glen heard the juvenile begging for food after we saw the adult feed it. I made two recordings of the begging. They are probably the first known recordings of this bird of any kind ever. Wow, wow and wow. This is why we bird.
We birded after breakfast and got great views of superb fruit-dove, malia and at long last, Sulawesi pygmy woodpecker.
We made our way to the Palu airport from there. We made one stop to bird and it was an encore performance with good but passing views of Savanna nightjar and the elusive barred buttonquail as well as lemon-bellied white-eye, a gorgeous little bird that had eluded us to that point.
And here we are at the end of another great tour. The accommodation and the food were both very good. I faced pretty serious illness and toughed it out. Not the last time I suspect. Glen is an amazing guide. He and all the local guides worked very hard to get us on birds. I ended up seeing 225 species with 192 lifers. The 192 lifers is slightly under the 202 expected but part of that might be that I had already seen several species in west Java. That day and a moment of birding netted 37 total birds and 29 lifers. So all in this had been a very fruitful beginning to my Indonesian birding.
42 species, 4 lifers
For the Sulawesi/Maluku tour:
225 species, 192 lifers
