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Day 1
International evening arrivals in Manado (Sam Ratulangi Airport Manado, North-Sulawesi) and transfer to our hotel in the city for dinner.
Day 2
After an early breakfast we leave Manado for the drive to Gunung Ambang. A couple birding stops en-route should get us our first endemics before we have lunch in the homestay close the the mountain.
The afternoon on Gunung Ambang will be spend mostly at the forest edge with some easier birding to start with. That this is due to give us plenty lifers and some very nice species is sure. Expect birds as White-bellied Imperial Pigeon, Ornate Lorikeet, Sulawesi Woodpecker, Superb Fruit Dove and with some more luck Golden-mantled Raquet-tail. As dusk approaches, we move to the forest interior to start looking for the recently described Cinnabar Boobook. In fact, it’s fairly common here and we have a good chance to get one in the spotlight with the right effort put in. Other owls present are Speckled Boobook, Sulawesi Masked Owl, Ochre-bellied Boobook and Sulawesi Scops Owl.
Day 3
A full day on Gunung Ambang where we concentrate on some of the more difficult species in the forest interior and we should always keep an eye out on those species not generally found in the lowlands we’ll visit later on in this tour. Purple-bearded Bee-eater, Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, Matinan Flycatcher, Yellow-vented Whistler, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Rusty-bellied Fantail, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker and Chestnut-backed Bush-Warbler are some of those to look out for.
In the evening we have the chance to catch up on any owls missed yesterday and especially Cinnabar Boobook should be ticked ‘off’ as there’s no other chance later on.
Day 4
Another morning on Gunung Ambang to catch up on any species missed previously. We should head down for an early lunch today though, as we are due to visit Tambun in the afternoon, a 2 hour drive away.
Maleo come down from the hill forest to roost at the breeding grounds at Tambun and this is why we plan our first visit to this superb birding site in the afternoon. Other birds at the site might include our first Knobbed Hornbill, Green-backed Kingfisher, White-necked Myna, Maroon-chinned Fruit Dove, Ivory-backed Woodswallow and Ashy Woodpecker. At dusk we try to glimpse the resident Sulawesi Nightjar.
Day 5
This morning we visit the reserve at Tambun a bit more thoroughly. As well as being a safe back-up for Maleo, a second visit to this interesting area should give us opportunities to find any species missed yesterday and to search for others including Red-bellied Pitta.
After an early lunch, we head for Torout where the tall forest remnant holds such highlights as Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, Yellow-breasted Raquet-tail and Sulawesi Hawk Eagle. It’s a good spot for Owls again with Speckled Boobook on a day roost and in the evening Sulawesi Masked Owl, Sulawesi Scops Owl and Ochre-bellied Boobook are possibilities.
Day 6
Our last morning and third site to visit within the Dumoga-Bone (Bogani Nani Wartabone) National Park. Easy but excellent roadside birding awaits us at Tapak Kolintang where the more humid hill forest are home to decent densities of Knobbed Hornbill. Other prices to look for are Black-naped Fruit Dove, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Bay Coucal and Purple-winged Roller.
After lunch comes the time to transfer back to Manado where some modern comfort awaits us in the comfortable hotel.
Day 7
After breakfast transfer to the airport for a morning flight to Ternate and from there we take a speed boat to Sidangoli on Halmahera. We might well see some Lesser Frigatebirds and a few other new species en-route and after check-in at our accommodation we’ll have the time for some initial birding on the island.
Day 8 - 11
Following a 04.00 am start on our first day on Halmahera, we drive to Kali Batu Putih, and then walk to the Wallace’s Standardwing lek site for a first unforgettable birding experience on Halmahera. On the way back from the Standardwing lek, we will search for Ivory-breasted pitta, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Sombre Kingfisher, Goliath Coucal and Blyth’s Hornbill.
We will return to the homestay for lunch and in the afternoon get out again for birding at Kali Batu Putih logging road.
On the next day we will be birding another logging road 12 km from Sidangoli which is good for Ivory-breasted pitta, white-streaked Friarbird, Dusky Scrubfowl, Nicobar Pigeon, Chattering Lory, Moluccan King Parrot, Wallace’s Standardwing, Paradise Crow, Mollucan Owlet Nightjar, Mollucan Scops Owl etc.
Another site to visit on our Halmahera leg is the Tabanalow Logging road. Birds possible to see here include; Mollucan Starling, Purple Dollarbird, Gurney’s Eagle, Variable Goshowk, White Cockatoo, Red-Flanked Lorikeet, Great-billed Parrot, Violet-necked Lory, Cinnamon-bellied Imperial Pigeon, Spectacled Imperial Pigeon, Red-bellied Pitta, Ivory-breasted Pitta, Grey-headed Fruit-Dove, Blue-capped Fruit-Dove, Eclectus Parrot, Blue-and-white Kingfisher, Moluccan Cuckoo-Shrike, Pale Cicadabird, Metallic Starling, Golden Bulbul…
Day 12
Our last morning on Halmahera is followed by the boat ride back to Ternate where we catch our flight to Manado for dinner and another night to be spend in luxury.
Day 13
An early start and less than 2 hours drive will see us at the fantastic TangkokoNational Park. It is good to have this diverse place last to visit as it provides the opportunity to catch up on any species missed at Dumoga-Bone while it is certain to still give us a number of lifers not likely seen earlier on this tour. These include Lilac Kingfisher, Red-backed Thrush, Black-billed Kingfisher, Tabon Scrubfowl, Pied Cuckoo-Shrike, Isabelline Bush-Hen, Sulawesi Black Pigeon and Stephan’s Dove. Additionally, a few species are more easy to come by at Tangkoko, count on Red-bellied Pitta, Green-backed Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Ashy Woodpecker and Silver-tipped Imperial Pigeon.
Tangkoko is a good place to see some amazing mammals too. We will certainly visit the Spectral Tarsiers coming out of roost in the evening and the critically endangered and impressive Sulawesi Crested Macaque has its stronghold here.
Day 14
Another full day at Tangkoko where our local guide is likely to show us yet another couple excellent stake-out birds. These might include daytime roosts of Sulawesi Nightjar, Ochre-bellied Boobook and Sulawesi Masked Owl.
In the afternoon we set out on the enjoyable boat trip in a quest to see the Black-billed Kingfisher in a mangrove line channel. It’s an opportunity to add quite a few species to our list too, several Tern species frequent the bay as well as Osprey, White-bellied Sea-Eagle and Lesser Frigatebird.
Day 15
A last full morning in Tangkoko that, with Birding2asia is most likely going to be a relaxed one as there won’t be much species to catch up with still…
After lunch and on our drive out of the National Park towards Manado, we might stop however for 1 last endemic. While possible at Tangkoko proper, this isn’t an easy one so it’s good to have this last stake-out handy for Sulawesi Crested Myna before our international departures in the evening from Manado.
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