Birding and butterflywatching in Sonder of Minahasa Highland

In this article, I am still talking about birding and butterflywatching in District Sonder of Minahasa regency. For visitors who have just arrived in Manado city, they can go by car to Tounelet village of Sonder town. It takes around 45 minutes to 1 hour reach it depending on the traffic. The small forest in Tounelet slope should be the first place to see. It is the habitat of Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Black-naped Oriole, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-crowned Sunbird, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Cattle Egret, Finch-billed Myna, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Sahul Sunbird, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, and etc. 

Some birds in District Sonder of Minahasa regency

Visitors could watch birds along the roadside near Siloam hospital to look for the birds and butterflies that sit on the branches of trees and flowering plants. 

Crimson Sunbird

The next sites to explore are the terraces of ricefields in Talikuran village and the hill forest behind it. White-breasted Woodswallow, Grey Wagtail, Rock Pigeon, Sulawesi Drongo, Cattle Egret, Collared Kingfisher White-browed Crake, Barred Rail and etc. The area is also suitable for butterflywatching. Clipper, Blanchard's Ghost, Blanchard's Wood Nymph and a lot of other butterflies could be seen here. The farmlands on the hills above the rice fields have got flowering shrub plants and trees that attract various species butterflies. 

Some butterflies in Sonder's forest of Minahasa Highland

More areas in North Sulawesi can be explored including Tangkoko National Park, Tambun Maleo Conservation Area, and Tapak Kulintang Forest. We could watch more birds including Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher, Sulawesi Pygmy Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher and Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Pygmy Hornbill, Maleo, Great-billed Kingfisher, Sulawesi Scops Owl, and etc.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Extended Trip

This birdwatching and butterflywatching trip in the highland of Minahasa can be extended to other areas such as to Tunan waterfall, Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Tambun Maleo Sanctuary where more birds and butterflies could be seen. During this extended trips, birds such as Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Pygmy Hornbill, Green-backed Kingfisher, Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher, Green Imperial Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit Dove, and etc. could be watched. 

Wildlife Watching Devices

Most wildlife watchers bring binoculars. I personally use 2 SVBONY 10×50. One is mounted on a tripod while the other is hanged on my neck. To take picture of birds, butterflies and wildlife in general, I use Fujifilm HS50EXR. It is a bridge camera that is light and fast enough to focus on birds and butterflies. The quality of pictures that it produces is quite good for my writing works in the internet. Most birdwatchers use 10×42 binoculars, point and shoot or D-SLR cameras with telephoto lens.

Where to fly

To travel to Minahasa highland, visitors need to fly to Sam Ratulangi airport in Manado city. 

• It can easily be reached by flying from Singapore or other cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, Balikpapan and Sorong. Garuda, Citilink, TransNusa, Lion Air, Batik Air fly between major cities in Indonesia and Manado city.
• Scoot Air has got direct flight between Manado and Singapore. 

Manado city, the capital of North Sulawesi Province in Indonesia

Sam Ratulangi Airport of Manado city

If you are interested in taking a birdwatching and butterflywaching trip in Minahasa highland of Sulawesi and want me to organize your trip, please, contact: Charles Roring by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Also read:

• Birds in Minahasa
• Birding and Photography Tour in North Sulawesi
• Sightseeing and Birdwatching Tour in the Rice Field of Sonder

Wildlife Watching Trip in Minahasa

Minahasa land both in coastal and highland areas has got a lot of unique flora and fauna that are attractive for wildlife photographers. 

As a tourist guide, I have organize and accompany tourists to various parts of Indonesian islands including North Sulawesi. We travel from the highland forest of Minahasa to the coastal rainforest of Tangkoko to photograph birds, butterflies, and other animals of the region. 

Finch-billed Myna from Sulawesi Island of Indonesia

For butterflies and dragonflies, my favorite places to visit include the hill forest and terraces of ricefields in Kecamatan Sonder. I could easily see various colorful butterflies there. The best time to explore the forest for taking picture of birds is in the mornings and late afternoon before sunset. 

Mountain White-eye (Zosterops montanus) in Sonder's forest of Minahasa highland

In Mount Mahawu of Tomohon, and Tounelet forest of Sonder, we could take pictures of Crimson Sunbird, Mountain White, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Sultan's Cuckoo Dove, Black-naped Oriole and Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker whereas in Tangkoko, we could take photographs of Green-backed Kingfisher, Knobbed Hornbill and Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher. 

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

I usually wear darker colour clothing. I have got dark-grey and dark-green t-shirts as well as dark-brown long pants. These natural colours greatly enhance my wildlife watching experience while walking in the forest. 

Butterflies in Sonder's forest of Minahasa

Crimson Sunbird in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa Highland

Most tourists who travel to North Sulawesi want to enjoy their holiday by diving and snorkeling in Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen, and Lembeh Strait. This tour land tour in Minahasa can be done before or after the marine trips.

If you are interested in taking wildlife photography and sightseeing tour in Minahasa highland of Indonesia and want me to organize your tour and accompany you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

• Wildlife Watching Tour in Tangkoko Nature Reserve
• Butterflywatching in Minahasa
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Scaly-breasted Kingfisher

Wooden Furniture from Leilem Village of Minahasa Regency

Wooden furniture is always attractive. The natural color of wood with beautiful grains is always the most sought after material in furniture industry. There is a village in Indonesia that is famous for its furniture products. It is a home industry. Its name is Leilem. Located in the province of North Sulawesi, Leilem can easily be reached by car from Manado city. When entering the village, visitors will be able to see boards that are arranged in inclined position in front of the villagers houses. These wooden planks, and blocks, facing the sun, are being dried before undergoing further treatment.

Leilem Village in Minahasa regency of Indonesia

When the wooden planks have reached the desirable dryness, they will be planed and sewn into particular sizes. Then they will be assembled and nailed or pinned to form a cabinet or table. Majority of the buyers come from the surrounding towns and villages in Minahasa but in recent years, through the promotion on the internet, the number of national customers is increasing. Here, people can buy tables, beds, desk and bookshelves. The furniture can be sent overseas using containers. The same thing also happen to wooden houses in the nearby Woloan village that are sold to foreign buyers. The types of wood that the carpenters like to use are linggua, and nangka (jackfruit). Customers from such countries as the United States and the Netherlands prefer knock-down tables or chairs that are made of teakwood.

Wooden Furniture in Leilem village

The manufacturers in Leilem village realize that they cannot rely on wood that is directly cut from forests in Minahasa. The supply of wood is dwindling now. Most of them are going to the southern region of Minahasa to find wood. With the price of teak and linggua wood is extremely high, farmers in Minahasa are now considering of planting trees to meet the market demand. It will take at least 25 years before trees can reach a minimum diameter for cutting.

Butterfly Watching in Minahasa Highland

I have just explored the highland of Minahasa especially the forest and flower garden areas in Sonder town to see its wildlife. I saw a lot of interesting animals including butterflies. I took pictures of some of them. 

A big butterfly that I saw in the Sonder forest of Minahasa was Blanchard's Ghost Butterfly (Idea blanchardii). It was a big butterfly whose wingspan was around 12 to 14 centimeters. According to Wikipedia, the butterfly was named Idea blandchardii, after a French zoologist and entomologist, Charles Émile Blanchard (1819-1900). 

Blanchard's Ghost Butterfly in the Highland of Minahasa

One that attracts my attention was a big butterfly whose wings were larger than other butterflies. The main colors of the butterfly were black and bright yellow. Later, when I did searches on the internets for identifying the butterfly, I found that its name was Troides helena. The wingspan of this Helena Birdwing Butterfly was around 12 centimeters. It was difficult for me to take pictures of the butterfly because it hopped from one flower to another when taking their nectar. 

In Greek mythology, Helena or Helen was the daughter of Zeus (the god of sky and thunder). She was said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. 

Helena Birdwing Butterfly

Another butterfly whose colour patterns on the wings are unique was Clipper Butterfly (Parthenos sylvia salentia). It could easily be found among the flowers of trees and shrub plants in the mornings when I did walking tours. 

Sulawesi Clipper Butterfly

The Clipper

Sulawesi Leafwing Butterfly

There was also Sulawesi Leafwing Butterfly (Doleschallia polibete celebensis), Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly (Parantica menadensis). The butterfly could easily be seen hanging on flowers of tall grass along the roadside of Minahasa highland. This butterfly was not shy when I took picture of it.

Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly

The next photographs below are the Blanchard's Wood Nymp butterfly (Ideopsis vitrea), the Neptis ida celebensis, Lime Swallowtail (Papilio demoleos), Sacred Tabby (Pseudergolis avesta) and Gigon Swallowtail (Papilio gigon). 

Blanchard's Wood Nymph

Neptis ida

Lime Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus)

Sacred Tabby

Gigon Swallowtail

Where is Sonder and how to get there?

Sonder is a small town in Minahasa regency of North Sulawesi Province in the Republic of Indonesia. It can easily be reached by car or motorcycle from Manado city which is the capital of Indonesia. To visit Sonder town, see the following flight routes:

• International visitors need to fly from their countries to Singapore. After that, take a direct flight by Scoot Air to Manado city.
• International visitors can also fly to Jakarta, Surabaya or Denpasar and then continue their trip by domestic airlines such as Batik Air, Citilink, and Lion Air to Manado city.
• There is also direct flight between Manado city and Sorong city.

Traveling to Manado city

When you arrive in Manado city, I could meet you at the airport and then organize your trip to Sonder town. 

There are a lot of other butterflies that we can see in Minahasa if we explore its rainforest and farmland areas. If you are interested in traveling to Indonesia and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com. 

Also read:

• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birding Walk in Sonder Town of North Sulawesi

Watching Black-naped Oriole in Sonder Town of Minahasa

Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) is a beautiful bird. It can be seen in many parts of Asia. Because of its beautiful bright yellow and black colours, and unique sounds, it has become an important target among poachers. In certain parts of Sulawesi, it has become a difficult target to see for birdwatchers and photographers. 

Bird in Tounelet Forest of Sonder town, Minahasa highland

There is a small forest in Minahasa highland where I could watch and photograph this Black-naped Oriole relatively easily. Its name is Tounelet Forest in Sonder town. It is located in front of my parents' house. I visited the forest last week and had the chance to photograph the bird several times from the balcony. 

As a matter of fact, Black-naped Oriole (Oriolis chinensis celebensis) is becoming less common due to habitat loss. In Sulawesi, more and more rainforest is being converted into human settlements and agricultural lands.

Black-naped (Oriolus chinensis)

In addition to Black-naped Oriole, I also saw a lot of other birds in Sonder's forest including Sahul Sunbird, Pale Blue Monarch, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Cattle Egret, Slender-billed Crow, Grey-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Collared Kingfisher, White-browed Crake, White-breasted Woodswallow, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, and a lot more. 

View of Sonder town

If you are interested in taking a birdwatching trips to Minahasa highland in North Sulawesi as well as Sorong regency and Raja Ampat in South-West Papua Province, and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

• Also read:
• Collared Kingfisher in Minahasa Highland
• Sooty-headed Bulbul
• Birding in Tounelet Forest of Sonder Town
• Scaly-breasted Kingfisher in Mount Mahawu

Birding and Photography Tour in North Sulawesi

The Province of North Sulawesi in the Republic of Indonesia is a great destination for visitors who like birding, wildlife watching, and sightseeing. To explore most of the birding sites, visitors need from 4 days to two weeks. The first place that can be visited is waterfall in the suburban area of Manado city. We need to go there by car and walk along slippery concrete path to the waterfall to see its beauty. 

Some Birds in Minahasa

Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Barn Swallow, and Sulawesi Swiftlet are the birds that we can see flying around the open space near the cliff of  the waterfall. 

After that we could walk back to main road and then enjoy watching birds. 

Birds in Minahasa Highland

As we walk along the roadside, we can see more interesting birds such as Oriental Dollardbird, Green Imperial Pigeon, and Black-naped Fuit Dove. There are Sulawesi Spangled Drongo, Sulawesi Crow, Collared-Kingfisher, Little Egret, and Cattle Egret in the farmland of around the waterfall. There are Ruddy-breasted Crake, Isabelline Bush-hen and White-browed Crake too. 

After exploring the waterfall and farmland, we can go to Bunaken island the next day to enjoy snorkeling and watching birds.  

Birding in Sonder town of Minahasa highland - the Province of North Sulawesi - Indonesia

Returning to Manado city, we can continue our trip to Doloduo and stay in a homestay. It is far from Manado and takes a few hours to reach it.

We can also walk along the roadsides, around the rice field and watch birds such as  Rock Pigeon, Red-collared Dove, Sahul Sunbird, Chestnut/ Black-headed Munia, Pacific Swallow near a water dam. Black-faced Munia like to hop around the branches of shrub plants. To shoot the birds, visitors need cameras with telephoto lenses.

Scaly-breasted Kingfisher

After spending a few days in Doloduo, the birding trip could be continued to Tangkoko Nature Reserve for a few days. A lot of birds could be photographed there including Sulawesi Hornbill, Ashy Woodpecker, Ruddy Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Finch-billed Myna, White-eyed Spangled Drongo, Spotted Dove, White-rumped Triller, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Knobbed Hornbill and a lot more. Mammals can also be watched in Tangkoko's forest. Two interesting species are Celebes Crested Macaque and Spectral Tarsier. The trip to Tangkoko will be a prolific birding experience.

Sulawesi Hanging Parrot

The highland of Minahasa is in the list of places to visit. By car, we can go to Tomohon to stay there for a few nights. We will go hiking to the crater of Mount Mahawu, to see the magnificent view of the landscape. We can enjoy drinking tea and watching birds in Lake Linow or Pine Forest in Lahendong. Another attraction is and the Extreme Traditional Market near the bus station. People sell and buy dogs, snake, fruit bats, mouse as meat. 

For the last leg of the tour, we could go to Paal beach in North Minahasa regency. The scenery is beautiful. It has got white sandy beach.

Paal Beach in North Sulawesi

Separate extra birding excursions can be organized to District Sonder where we could watch Sulawesi Scops Owl (Otus manadensis), Speckled Boobook (Ninox punctulata), Turquoise Warbling-flycatcher (Eumyas panayensis), Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster), Grey-sided Flowerpecker (Dicaeum celebicum), Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Malkoha, Black-naped Oriole, Black-crowned White-eye, Barred Rail (Gallirallus torquatus), female Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja), Sulawesi Hanging Parrot (Loriculus stigmatus), and a lot more.

Speckled Boobook

Sulawesi Scops Owl

At the airport, Sultan's Cuckoo Dove, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, Yellow-vented Bulbul, and etc.

Flight Routes to Manado City

There are daily flights from major city in Indonesia to Manado city served by such airlines as Garuda, Citilink, Batik Air and Lion Air. There is direct flight between Singapore and Manado city served by Scoot Air. 

If you are interested in visiting the province of North Sulawesi in Indonesia, and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: -6281332245180.

Also read:

• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birds of Sulawesi
• Birds in Minahasa
• Farmland Tour in Minahasa Highland
• Tour around the Farmland of Minahasa

The Many Uses of Aren Palm Tree in Minahasa

Aren tree in Minahasa highland is an important plant for the livelihood of local people. Its black fiber is used to make broom and water filter. Its sap is sweet and can be drunk by peope both in its pure form or in its fermented one. 

In order to make palm sugar, farmers wash the bamboo that is used as container for the sap. Water will wash away the yeast that is formed on the inside surface of the container. This will prevent the fermentation of the sap. Later the aren sap will be collected from several trees and be boiled or cooked in a large cooking pan until it becomes thick and turns into palm sugar. The thick liquid of the palm sugar will later be poured into coconut shell. When it has cooled, it will become a solid hard palm sugar that looks like caramel. 

Dodol is rice cake that is made of glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, and palm sugar

Palm sugar is an ingredients in various kinds of traditional cakes such as Dodol, Halua Kenari, and Cucur. It is added by some local people as sweetener in coffee or tea. There is a factory in Leilem village where coconut sap is processed to make palm sugar. 

The bones of the leaves are used to make stick broom. 

The sweet sap is the raw material for making palm sugar and its fermented form can be refined to make alcoholic drinks called Cap Tikus or Sopi. 

Aren Tree in Minahasa Highland

Traditional Palm Sugar made of the Sap of Aren Tree in Minahasa regency

Aren tree (arenga pinnata) is the highest in terms of bio-ethanol production compared to other plants such as sugarcane, wheat, rice, cassava, and banana. 

It is also called Saguer tree in Minahasa, the Province of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is a kind of palm which is similar to Sawit and Coconut trees. While I was travelling around Sonder village, I could take a picture of Aren tree between two coconut trees. Aren or Saguer has more leaves. Its color is also darker than coconut. There are approximately two million Aren trees in Minahasa. If all of them are productive, their sap can produce 876,000 kilo litres of bio-ethanol. Traditionally, the sap from Aren has been used in the production of alcoholic drinks by the villagers in Minahasa; Borneo; Java, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Fiji, and other islands in the Pacific. The sapping method is significantly different among tribes.

The sap is tapped from male inflourescence spadix twice a day, usually in the morning and in the afternoon before dark. The highest tapping is obtained during the full-moon period. Villagers don't tap the sap from female spadix due to its inferior quality.

One Aren tree can produce between 1 and 20 liters of sap/day. Ten percent of it, after fermentation and distillation, will be converted into bio-ethanol. According to Indonesian Science Agency - LIPI, one hectare of land can accommodate from 75 to 100 trees. On the average, one hectare of Aren trees produces 1,000 liters of sap a day which is equivalent to 100 liters of bio-ethanol. It means that the amount of bio-ethanol produced from one hectace of land is 36,000 liters/ year. This figure is higher than sugarcane.

A number of companies have constructed bio-ethanol distillaries in Indonesia. One of them is located in Motoling, South Minahasa, Indonesia. Its production capacity is 1.5 metric ton of 99.5% bio-ethanol/day. Indonesia is seriously developing its bio-fuel and renewable energy resources after becoming net-importer of oil. This year alone, Indonesia has quit from its membership in OPEC. The soaring oil price in the world market creates more burden to national budget due to the fuel subsidy. This unfavorable situation forced the government to reduce the subsidy by raising the fuel price. Such policy creates massive street protests nationwide, food price hikes and instability in the country.

It is hoped that the production of bio-ethanol from Aren or Saguer trees, sugarcane, cassava will help poor farmers in getting higher income thus improving their economy.

If you are interested in visiting Manado city, Minahasa highland and other regencies in North Sulawesi and want me (Charles Roring) to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Also read:

• Wooden Furniture from Leilem Village
• Bathing in Hot Spring Pool of Lahendong
• Farmland Tour in Minahasa

Sightseeing and Birdwatching Tour in the Rice Field of Sonder

Sonder is a small town that is surrounded by hill forest, and farmlands. Terrace rice field is one of them and is worth visiting. The atmosphere is peaceful. We could enjoy sightseeing, or birdwatching while walking in this area. 

Rice Terrace in Sonder town of Minahasa Highland

Birds that can be watched in the rice fields include Collared Kingfisher, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, White-browed Crake, Gray Wagtail, Eurasian Treesparrow, White-breasted Woodswallow, Chestnut Munia, Black-faced Munia and etc. There is a hill forest behind the rice fields. 

Cattle Egret at rice field

White-browed Crake at a rice field in Minahasa highland

It is the habitat of a lot of butterflies and birds. Some of the birds that occur in the hill forest include Yellow-billed Malkoha, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Drongo, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-naped Oriole, Yellow-billed Malkoha, and etc.

Birds in Sonder's forest of Minahasa highland, Indonesia

Rice field in Minahasa highland

Device - I usually bring my SVBONY 10×50 binoculars and an old camera Fujifilm HS50EXR. When I guide birdwatchers, I bring a spotting scope too. However, for faster watching of birds, I like to use the binoculars that I attached on a tripod. 

Birds in Tounelet village of Sonder town in Minahasa regency, Indonesia

Where is Sonder?

Sonder is a small town in Minahasa regency of Province of North Sulawesi. The capital of the Province is Manado city. 

Sonder town

Sonder town in Minahasa regency

How to get there?

It is easy to visit Sonder in Minahasan highland. The main gate is Manado city.

• First, you need to fly to Singapore. After that you could continue by Scoot Air to Manado city. 
• There are daily flights from Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar and Sorong city to Manado city 
• I could meet you at the airport and organize your trip to Sonder and enjoy your tour in Minahasa highland. 

Flight Route to Manado city

Visitors who take diving and snorkeling trip in Bunaken, Siladen, Manado Tua and Lembeh Strait can take this land tour in Minahasa highland before or after their marine trips. 

If you are interested in taking a holiday in Sonder town and want me to organize your trip and guide you, please, contact me by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read:

• Hiking Tour and Birdwatching in Minahasa
• Birding in Tounelet Forest of Sonder Town
• Birds in Minahasa
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Sightseeing and Birdwatching Tour in the Ricefield of Sonder