Watching New Guinea Vulturine Parrot

Vulturine Parrot

This is the picture of New Guinea Vulturine Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) that I saw in Sakofsiah mountain range of West Papua. There were three of them that stayed in the fig tree for quite long. They ate the fruits and took a rest for several hours there. Because of continuous hunting, road construction and conversion of rainforest into monoculture palm oil and cacao plantations, the population of the bird decreases rapidly. IUCN has put the bird into the Status of Vulnerable. A different approach has to be done to preserve the natural habitat of this parrot, other tropical birds and wild animals.

Andaer ridge forest in Vogelkop region of West Papua

Ecotourism is one of the solutions to protect them. Local villagers could work as guides, cooks, and porters when tourists come to their village to watch Vulturine Parrot and other birds.
To watch tropical birds in the forest, visitors need to make some preparation and bring suitable birding devices. A good pair of 10×42 or 12×50 binoculars is needed to see birds and animals. For taking pictures, I highly recommend a bridge camera such as the Nikon P900 or Nikon P1000. Users of D-SLR camera can buy telephoto lens Sigma 150-600 mm or Tamron 150-600mm G2.
Visitors need to fly to Manokwari or Sorong city if they want to go hiking and birdwatching in the forest of Mount Sakofsiah. I suggest that visitors travel in a group of 4 people so that they can share the cost. Birds that can also be seen in the region are Wompoo Fruit Dove, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Mountain Peltop, Long-tailed Buzzard, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, and Magnificent Bird of Paradise, Lesser Birds of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-faced Myna, Oriental Dollarbird, Blyth's hornbill, and at lot more.
The duration of the tour to Andaer ridge forest should be at least 4 days. If the trip to Mount Sakofsiah is included, we need at least 6 days in total to accomplish the tour.
Bringing raincoat, sleeping bag, and plastic bags to cover camera and other electronic devices in case of raining is highly recommended. When visitors participate in this tour, they have to be physically fit because the trip may involve long walk along mountain ridge and camping in the forest to see more wildlife and birds.
If you are interested in watching Vulturine Parrot, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or whatsapp: +6281332245180.

Olive-backed Sunbird

Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis)

I like walking in the morning to see beautiful scenery and watch birds that like to perch on the branches of trees. When I was traveling in Sonder town of Minahasa regency of North Sulawesi, I saw a lot of species of birds. Some of them were small such as the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Scaly-breasted Munia, and Chestnut Munia.

But there was another beautiful bird that attracted my attention. It was the Olive-backed Sunbird (Cynniris jugularis). The male one had yellow bellied feather and blue throat. His wings were olive green. I was standing still in front of my parents' house when I saw it landing on the branch of a Papaya tree to lick the nectar of its flowers.

Sulawesi Scops Owl

Sulawesi Scops Owl

I did a short night birding in the forest of Minahasa a few hours ago. My main target was Sulawesi Scops Owl (Otus manadensis). It was around 18.00 local time when I heard the call of owl. So, I immitated it by making similar call. The bird was calling from the forest in a distance of approximately 50 meters away from me. I was standing at the side of a road. After replying its calls for around 15 minutes, I heard that the calls from the bird were getting closer. There was a small forest at the roadside. The bird was sitting on the lower branch of a tree around 5 meters above the ground.

Pale Blue Monarch

Pale Blue Monarch

Here is the picture of Pale-Blue Monarch (Hypotimis puella) that I saw when I guided several Taiwanese tourists in the rainforest of North Sulawesi. It was around 10.00 morning time. We were about to leave the forest where we were birding in. Suddenly a small blue bird landed on the lower branch of a tree on the right of us. He stayed for a few seconds and then jumped to other branches of another tree. The feather of the bird was blue. It was a beautiful bird. I immediately aimed my camera to the bird and began shooting him several times. In addition to the bird, we also watched other species such as  Great-billed Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Green-backed Kingfisher, White-necked Myna (Streptocitta albicollis), Large-billed Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Malkoha, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove, Sunda Teal, Spotted Whistling-Duck, Barred Rail, and etc.
If you are interested in birding in North Sulawesi, and want me to be your guide, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by e-mail to: leororing@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Azure Kingfisher in Halmahera

Azure Kingfisher

This morning, I accompanied the Taiwanese tourists on a birding trip to the coastal area of Halmahera island. Our main target was Azure Kingfisher and Beach Kingfisher. We focused our birding activity in the harbor area of Sidangoli across from the old ruins of the former plywood making factory.
There, we saw a couple of Beach Kingfisher, Willie Wagtail, Sunbird, and Plover. After that we moved to the bank of the river that was located across from the lodge where we stayed. There was an elementary school near the place where we enjoyed birding. We were waiting for the Azure Kingfisher when suddenly we heard that there were a lot of school children coming out of the school to meet us.

Farmland in North Sulawesi

Farmland in Minahasa

I was in North Sulawesi last week. I guided some Taiwanese tourists on a birding and wildlife watching tour across Kotamobagu and Minahasa. In Kotamobagu we watched Maleo whereas in Minahasa, we watched Scaly Kingfisher and various other species of birds. We spent several days in Tangkoko to watch monkeys, cuscus possum, and various species of birds.
While traveling in this region, I saw beautiful landscape of farmland both in lowland and in highland areas. For lowland, most of the farmland consisted on ricefield whereas for highland, the slopes were covered by vegetables such as cabbage, carrot, and fruits. This agricultural produce is sold not only to Manado, Tomohon, and Bitung but also to towns and cities in eastern region of Indonesia such as Sorong, Manokwari and Jayapura as well as Ternate, Ambon. North Sulawesi also exports palm sugar to these cities.

Great-billed Kingfisher

Great-billed Kingfisher

This is the picture of Great-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis melanorhyncha) that I saw when in the mangrove forest of North Sulawesi. The bird was bigger than most other kingfishers. I was traveling with 4 Taiwanese tourists in Tangkoko region when we decided to do a trip to a river in North Minahasa to watch the bird. We went there by car. It took around 1 hour to reach the birding site. We had to continue our trip by a motorized boat through a river where mangrove trees and other coastal plants grow on its both sides.

Eruption of Mount Soputan

Mount Soputan

I am now traveling with several tourists from Taiwan on a birding tour across Sulawesi and Halmahera islands. This trip has been an extraordinary adventure for us because we experienced huge earthquake in Palu city of Central Sulawesi and saw the eruption of Mount Soputan in Minahasa.
For me earthquake, tsunami, volcano eruption are processes of nature that have happened millions of years before the introduction of concepts of religions into mankind. These natural phenomenons are not the punishment from God to human being so that they will repent from their sins. People may think that these natural disasters are bad things to ever happen to us. For me, personally, it is the best time to learn, understand, appreciate and respect nature.
Most of the time, it is not easy for us to live in harmony with nature. Men often exploit natural resources irresponsibly. Illegal logging, the use of trawl net at the bottom of the sea, or the excessive use of toxic materials to control pest in farmland are some of the many examples that occur every day.
Visiting Minahasa is an exciting moment for me. I can see mountains, and valleys. I begin to fall in love with this land. I hope that I can return very soon to Minahasa.

Also read:

• Minahasa Highland Tour: Hiking, Birding and Sightseeing
• Wildlife Trip in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa Regency
• Birdwatching Tour in Minahasa Highland
• Birding in Sonder's Forest and Farmland
• Birding and Butterfly watching Tour from Manado City
• Birding and Butterflywatching in Sonder of Minahasa Highland
• Discover Bunaken: Indonesia's Underwater Snorkeling Paradise

Flying Lizard

Celebes Flying Lizard

I am traveling with four Taiwanese tourists in North Sulawesi now. We explore the rainforest of Minahasa peninsula to watch birds and other wild animals that live in tropical rainforest. This morning, I saw Maleo, Ashy Woodpecker, Blue Roller, Hanging Parrot, White-bellied Imperial Pigeon, Pale-Blue Monarch.
Before that, we were traveling in South Sulawesi and Lore Lindu Natuonal Park in Central Sulawesi  where we saw Black-ringed White Eye, Lesser Myza, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Turquoise Flycatcher, Knobbed Hornbill, Pygmy Hornbill, Collared Kingfisher, and a lot more.
I also saw some flying lizards. I like the color of this reptile. So, I took a picture of the lizard. It is a very beautiful animal.
In addition to watching birds, insects and reptiles, I also saw a lot of species of wild flowers. As a tourist guide, I offer birding and wildlife watching tour to visitors who are interested in traveling to North Sulawesi. Please, contact me (Leo Roring) by email to: leororing@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Wild Flowers in the forest of Sulawesi island

Birding in Ramang-Ramang

Ramang-ramang

Ramang-Ramang is the name of a karst area in Maros of South Sulawesi. I went birding with several Taiwanese tourists today. We saw Yellow-billed Malkoha, Sulawesi pygmy woodpecker, Sulawesi Serpent Eagle, and various other interesting birds.
The karst formation is beautiful and also good for sightseeing.

Birding in Sulawesi

Sulawesi Hornbill

I am on a trip now exploring tropical rainforest of Indonesia with several Taiwanese visitors. We are doing birdwatching to find Sulawesi birds. So far, we have seen Black-ringed White Eye, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Red-backed Thrush, Sulawesi Hornbill, Red-knobbed Hornbill, Black Sunbird, Olive-backed Sunbird, Sulawesi Babbler, White-necked Myna, Glossy Swift, Uniform Swiftlet, Gray-rump Treewift, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Hawk Eagle, Hair-crested Drongo.
I hope that we will see more interesting birds as we travel to other regions of Sulawesi. This is also the first time I use a D-SLR camera with a Tamron 150-600mm G2 telephoto lens. Honestly this is my first birding trip with foreign visitors across Sulawesi.

Red-backed Thrush

Sulawesi is a large tropical island located between Asia and Australia Avifauna region. It has got a lot of endemic birds that attract the attention of thousands of birdwatchers from around the world.
After birding in the morning, we continued our exploration of South Sulawesi birds in Patene of Makassar sub-urban area. We left Dalton hotel at 16.00 local time. It was not a forest that we visited but an open area with some trees, and wide grass land. There were big buildings in the vicinity. The first bird that we saw that day was Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris). He was sitting on a branch of a shrub approximately 10 meters from me. Seeing the bird I immediately took out my camera and aimed it at the bird. I pressed my shutter button several times. We saw Lemon-bellied White Eye, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Chestnut Munia, Javan Pond Heron, female Olive-backed Sunbird, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, and various other birds that I can't mention all of them in this post.

A fenale Olive-backed Sunbird

Hundreds of youth from the city were busy with their motorcycle racing near the site where we enjoyed our late afternoon birding walk. Although we were tired, we were satisfied with what we saw. Our clients were having dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I, Idris, and the drivers ate Coto Makassar for our dinner. Now, I am sitting in my room in Dalton hotel writing this post. I hope that our birding adventure tomorrow will be more exciting and interesting. As I see more birds in the coming days, I will update this blog with more stories and pictures. Written by Leo Roring
Also read:

• Great-billed Kingfisher
• Pale Blue Monarch
• Sulawesi Scops Owl

Ikan dan Terumbu Karang

Saya sering melakukan kegiatan snorkeling dan menyelam-bebas (freediving) di kawasan terumbu karang. Ada berbagai spesies ikan yang bisa dilihat di sana. Beberapa di antaranya adalah: Striped Surgeonfish dan Convict Surgeonfish. Ikan ini memiliki ornamen bergaris di tumbuh mereka sehingga menjadikannya menarik.
Untuk melihat ini saya harus berenang agak jauh dari pasir pantai hingga ke kawasan terumbu karang yang berair jernih. Kemudian dengan memakai snorkeling mask, snorkel serta flipper (kaki bebek), saya menyelam bebas ke ke kedalaman 2 sampai 5 meter. Kadang, saya memotret ikan menggunakan kamera bawah air Fujifilm XQ2 atau Brica B-Pro5 Alpha Edition. Foto-foto tersebut bisa dijadikan sebagai referens jika saya ingin menggambar ikan.

Surgeonfish hidup di terumbu-karang

Oleh karena itu, saya berkeputusan untuk menggambarnya. Saya menggunakan Tablet Samsung Tab A dan aplikasi Autodesk Sketchbook untuk menggambar ikan-ikan tersebut. Agar terlihat lebih menarik, saya menambah beberapa terumbu karang di sekitarnya.
Ada banyak sekali spesies ikan di perairan terumbu karang terutama pada kedalaman antara 1 meter hingga 20 meter. Saya akan mencoba menggambarnya di lain waktu dan menguploadnya di blog ini. Anda bisa melihat berbagai produk cetak yang tersedia dengan berkunjung ke halaman: Dompet Bergambar Ikan

Surgeonfish and Coral Reef

Tonight I upload another drawing again into my Redbubble account. It is the picture of Surgeonfish in the coral reef. I only added another species of fish to the previous illustration. The new fish is Convict Surgeonfish. There are some hard corals and water-plants in the new artwork. So, there are now two fish in the picture, i.e.: Striped-Surgeonfish and Convict Surgeonfish.

Surgeonfish in Coral Reef

I frequently see these fish and hundreds of other species when I guide tourists on sightseeing, and snorkeling tours in Raja Ampat, Tambrauw and Manokwari. To take pictures of the marine life, I bring a small action camera. It is a Brica B-Pro5 Alpha edition. The camera is not for professional underwater photographer. But it is good enough to show how an underwater coral reef environment looks like. I will buy a better camera such as Fujifilm XQ2 and its waterproof housing. I hope it will give higher quality photographs which I could study as my reference for creating more artworks.l
If you are interested in taking a snorkeling, birding, and sightseeing tour with me in West Papua, you could contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

• If you just want to enjoy my artworks, please, support this blog by buying some products in the form of t-shirt, mugs, spiral notebook, or iPhone/ Samsung cases, please, visit my online artshop in Redbubble under this name: Tropical Art