Birding and wildlife watching tour in Sulawesi. This can be combined with culture and nature tours in Minahasa Highland of Indonesia. For guiding service, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 and by email: peace4wp@gmail.com
Here are some photos of birds that I took while doing birding walk in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency.
Barred Rail in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency
The first picture is Barred Rail. This is a ground walking bird. When I took picture of this bird, it was walking on the branches of a small tree at a roadside. It was an unusual scene for the Barred Rail.
Sulawesi Hanging Parrot
The second picture is Sulawesi Hanging-parrot (Loriculusstigmatus). The bird was perhaps feeding on lichens of a tree in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency. I was standing on the frontyard of a villager's house that is on a hill. This allowed me to take some pictures of the bird on trees that stood at the frontyard of the house.
White-browed Crake
White-browed Crake is a very shy bird. I frequently see them walking through paddy fields in search of food. Yesterday, I tried to walk closer to take pictures of them. Unfortunately, they moved into denser rice plants.
Scaly-breasted Munia
These three small birds that were sitting on a twig of a tree were Scaly-breasted Munia. They were considered as pests by farmers who cultivate rice in paddy fields.
There are more birds that we can watch in Minahasa highland. I will continue to update this blog with more articles of birding in this region.
Finch-billed Myna
If you are interested in visiting Minahasa regency in Indonesia for sightseeing, birdwatching, butterflywatching and farm tour, and want a guide to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.
The highland of Minahasa has got beautiful landscape. Visitors who spend their holiday here can take a tour to see the villages, farmland, and forest.
Most of the inhabitants of Minahasa land are farmers. They grow rice, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, chilli, spring onion, cabbage, kangkung, pineapple, pangi, lemon grass, orange, rambutan, durian, and etc.
Vanilla, clove, coconut, road through farmland, traditional market
While walking through the villages and farmland, tour participants can meet with the farmers and talk with them. Farmers can explain the food crops which they grow and how long they have to cultivate the plants until they could harvest them.
Industrial agricultural crops such as coconut, vanilla, clove and nutmeg could also be seen in Minahasa. They are harvested in certain period of time. For instance coconuts are usually picked every three months, and clove every two years. During the waiting time, farmers can do other jobs or cultivate short term food crops such as chilli, tomatoes, and other vegetable plants. Mos of the food crops are available in local markets.
Farmers dry their harvest around their houses. That's why front-yard of a lot of farmers' houses in Minahasa are covered with concrete floor.
For coconut, farmers use other method for drying it. The meat of coconut is put on a shelf and is heated from below using fire.
Birds and Butterflies
There are birds and butterflies which visitors can watch during the farmland tour in Minahasa land. Some of them are Sooty-headed Bulbul, Sahul Sunbird, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Crimson Sunbird, Hair-crested Drongo, Black-naped Oriole, Finch-billed Myna, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, and a lot more.
Some of the birds in the farmland of Minahasa
Butterflies that occur in Minahasa include The Clipper, Common Birdwing, Minahasa Yellow Tiger, Blanchard's Wood Nymph, Blanchard's Tree Nymph, Meyer's Jay, Sacred Tabby and etc.
Butterfly watching in Minahasa highland
If you are interested in traveling to Minahasa and want to tour guide to organize your trip and accompany you, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.
Most tourists who travel to Manado city want to enjoy their holiday in Bunaken or Lembeh Strait. As a matter of fact, they can also take a farmland tour in the highland of Minahasa.
In Minahasa, papaya flower is harvested as vegetables and papaya fruit is consumed as fruit
Villagers who live in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency work as farmers. They grow rice, corn, banana, papaya, tomato, chilli, spring onion, aubergine, kangkung, cabbage, peanut, kidney bean, durian, duku, rambutan, mango; and industrial crops such as clove and vanilla. Those who live near water streams run fish, poultry and pig farming.
Paddy fields and coconut trees in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency
Visitors who take the farm tour in Minahasa can explore the agricultural land to see plants and animals which the local people have and how local farmers cultivate their food crops.
Palm sugar from Rambunan village in Subdistrict Sonder is processed from the sap of aren tree
Minahasa is an important supplier of agricultural produce to towns and cities in eastern region of Indonesia. Vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish, meat are exported to Sorong, Manokwari, Jayapura, Ternate, Ambon, and Balikpapan.
Villagers in Tincep village grow flowers which they sell to various towns and villages in North Sulawesi province of Indonesia
Birdwatching
Walking through the trees and shrubs in the dry agricultural land, tour participants can enjoy watching various species of birds and butterflies. Some of the birds that can be seen include :
Crimson Sunbird, Sahul Sunbird, Chestnut Munia, Cattle Egret, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove
Sahul Sunbird, Crimson Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit Dove, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Black-faced Munia, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Cinnamon Bittern, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-naped Oriole, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, White-eyed Drongo, Zebra Dove, Rock Pigeon, and etc.
The secretive White-browed Crakes were walking through rice plants in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency
Flight Routes
The capital of North Sulawesi Province is Manado city. It is the main gate for visitors who want to travel to Minahasa highland. There are daily flights between Manado and some major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Denpasar, Makassar and Sorong. Visitors could fly to these cities and continue their trip to Manado by taking one of the domestic flights served by Garuda, Citilink, Batik Air, Lion Air, TransNusa.
For direct international flights, Scoot Air fly between Manado city and Singapore several times a week. There are also direct flights between Manado city and Guangzhou served by China Southern Airlines.
Trip from Manado to Minahasa highland can be done by car. There are hotels, resorts and guesthouses in Tomohon.
Flights from Singapore and major cities in Indonesia to Manado city
Land route from Manado city to Tomohon town and Subdistrict town of Sonder
If you are interested in taking a farmland tour in the highland of Minahasa and want a guide to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.
The forest, agricultural land and paddy fields of Subdistrict Sonder in Minahasa regency is the habitat of various species of birds. They are beautiful subjects for visitors who like photography.
Turquoise Flycatcher in Sonder of Minahasa Highland
Bird Photography Trip in Sonder of Minahasa Highland
In higher elevation forest of Sonder, photographers can take pictures of such birds as Warbling White-eye, Sulawesi Myzomela, Crimson Sunbird, Black-faced Munia, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Sulawesi Drongo and etc.
Crimson Sunbird
Inside the Sonder town, there is a small forest. It is located at Tounelet slope behind Siloam Hospital. Birds are active in this forest especially in the mornings and in the afternoons. Some of them are Sooty-headed Bulbul, Sahul Sunbird, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Black-naped Oriole, Brown-throated Sunbird, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Slender-billed Crow, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, Brush Cuckoo, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, White-rumped Triller, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, and Black-crowned White-eye.
If we explore further to the outskirts of Sonder town and its agricultural land and paddy fields, we will be able to see more birds such as Zebra Dove, Finch-billed Myna, White-eyed Drongo, Collared Kingfisher, Cinnamon Bittern, White-browed Crake, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, White-breasted Woodswallow, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Barred Rail and etc.
Birds in the farmland of Sonder: Purple Heron, Collared Kingfisher, Brown-throated Sunbird, Zebra Dove, White-eye Drongo, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Finch-billed Myna
Taking pictures in the farmland is easy because photographers can put their cameras on tripods and stand on the roadside.
There are also Barn Swallow, White-nest Swiftlet, Purple Needletail, Gray-rumped Treeswift, Sunda Teal, Purple Heron, Sulawesi Swiftlet, can be seen in open area such as in paddy fields of Tincep village, and Lake Linow.
Subdistrict town of Sonder in Minahasa highland
The entry point for visitors to Minahasa regency is Manado city. It is the capital of North Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. So, visitors need to fly from their country to this city and then continue their trip by car to Tomohon town or Subdistrict town of Sonder.
Every day, there are flights between Manado city and some major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, and Sorong. They are served by Garuda, Citilink, Lion Air, Batik Air and TransNusa.
Flight from major cites in Indonesia to Manado city
Accommodation
There are homestays in Sonder and hotels in Tomohon town which visitors can choose to stay while birding in Sonder.
If you are interested in spending your holiday time in Minahasa highland and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.
