Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Tangkoko is a magnet for bird photographers and bird watchers. More than 150 species of birds have been recorded, including at least 47 Sulawesi endemics. Birding Tangkoko North Sulawesi, Indonesia

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30 Years ago Birding in Tangkoko, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

We explored Tangkoko 30 years ago. There were tarsiers, bear cuscus, Sulawesi macaque, and not forgetting the Red Knobbed Hornbill. There was no electricity in the homestay. Firewood was the fuel for cooking. I paid 10,000 IDR per person per day for my homestay.

Over the years, more homestays and guides have sprouted in the village with more visitors. When I showed the guide the pictures of the children at their Sunday’s best, going to church 30 years ago, they recognized the faces as it is a small and closely knitted community. Mensur, my local Tangkoko guide, commented that he was only five years old.

Mensur took me on a 6-days 5-nights bird tour of Tangkoko and Tomohon. He picked us up from Cocotinos Dive Resort in Manado. It was good that we broke the journey after our birding trip to Halmahera and Ternate with Irawan prior to Tangkoko.

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Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Day 01. Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia

I encountered the familiar Red Knobbed Hornbill on a windy hill outside Tangkoko. The appearance of the Sulawesi Hornbills nesting in the tree hole excites us. It was a sunny afternoon with a blue-sky Sulawesi Roller dashing in and out of our view. Then, after some persistence, we nailed down the elusive White-faced Cuckoo Dove. See images below. (E) signifies endemic.

Day 2. Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia

We went to Tangkoko at 6 am. We parked the car at the entrance. I must have walked 13,000 steps on that day. We were happy to see Lilac Kingfisher, Sulawesi Babbler, Pale-blue Monarch, Tabon Scrubfowl, Ashy Woodpecker, Green-backed Kingfisher, Azure-rumpled Parrot, Sulawesi Hawk-eagle, Sulawesi Spangled Drongo, Ochre-bellied Boobook. We closed the day with Sulawesi Scops Owl at 7 pm. See pictures below.

Day 3. Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia

We started the day with a male Black-naped Fruit Dove. Then white-necked Myna came into view after a call. We had lunch in the forest. Spot-tailed Sparrow Hawk was calling and took a shot. Ochre-bellied Boobook was perching on its usual spot. We left the forest and went to a nearby fruiting tree at a super market. We spotted Grey-sided flowerpeckers and Yellow-sided flowerpeckers. Both birds are endemic to Sulawesi. We ended the day with a Silver-tip Imperial Pigeon, Sulawesi Bush-hen, and Lesser Coucal around 7 pm.

Day 4. Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia

We were looking for Great-billed Kingfisher near the river mouth at the Batu Putin beach. It responded to a call but flew away. We slowly traced the bird and nailed it at a different perch on a tree. We saw a White-rumped Cuckoo Shrike, Green Cheeked Green Pigeon. Finally, we had to locate the Sulawesi Dwarf-kingfisher not seen in the last two days in the forest. We saw the Sulawesi Thriller and ended the day with the Sulawesi Nightjar

Day 5 Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia

We left Tangkoko for Tomohon. We bird along the main road. We spotted Short-crested Myna, Grosbeak Mynas, Bay Coucal, and Sulawesi Hanging Parrot. We saw the Sulawesi Pitta and Citrine Canary-flycatcher at the Pitta Hide in Tomohon. It was a slippery climb to the pitta hide that I slipped 4 times.

Day 6. Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia

On the last day, we spotted the only other woodpecker in Sulawesi, the Sulawesi Pygmy-woodpecker, endemic to Sulawesi. Another endemic bird we saw was the Sulawesi Myzomela at the Gardenia Country Inn. Finally, the Superb Fruit Dove taken by Mensur.

I have 30-40 endemic birds of Sulawesi and many are lifers. The trip is for sure different from 30 years ago. I lost 4 kg during the trips after getting up at 4-5 am every morning looking for birds. Most important we all come home safely. Special thanks to Mensur and Irawan for showing us the endemic birds of Sulawesi. Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Birding Tangkoko. North Sulawesi, Indonesia.