Sumba Day 2

Had a lie-in today with a 5.45am departure. Woohoo..!! Then spent the morning birding along the road into the National Park, which turned out to be quite productive. It took no time at all to get one of the most desired birds of the tour, so when an Elegant Pitta began calling a quick burst from the ipod and a great spot by Freddie, our local guide, resulted in wonderful views of the bird perched on a horizontal branch at head height. Wow! Even better was to come when on our second attempt, we all got Chestnut-backed Thrush on our life lists – what a bird that is.  

Chestnut-backed Thrush

Our first attempt only resulted in flight views for some of us, but when we walked into the forest along a trail and one began singing from the slope below, we slipped and skidded down closer and sat in the leaf litter and waited. Eventually it flew onto an open horizontal vine and began to sing back and we were able to study it  for several minutes, marvelling at its striped face, white belly and orange flanks – oh and the chestnut back of course! In fact we were treated to repeated views over the course of an hour. There were also a few more Elegant Pittas that kept flying around us, but only once did it perch up and that was right over our heads. So with Sumba Jungle-flycatcher showing well, Marigold Lorikeets flying around and perching briefly and a few previously seen species it was a good morning’s birding.

Sumba Jungle-Flycatcher

 In the afternoon we returned to the same forest and a few of us quickly got on a skulking Sumba Flycatcher that soon disappeared. The next couple of hours were slow going, although we did get a pair of Sumba Myzomela in a big tree that were with a bunch of commoner birds mobbing an unseen predator. Apart from that there was the distinctive Grey-headed (Canary) Flycatcher that looks and sounds very different to mainland Asian forms, more Marigold Lorikeets screeched overhead, and we heard Little Sumba Boobook after dark. But our night birding didn’t produce anything else so we returned to the homestay for dinner around 8pm.

Sumba

We left the hotel at 4.30am and drove just over two hours to the local airport and checked in for our flight to Sumba. Whilst waiting in the small departure lounge, David picked up a cracking Zebra Finch just outside the window. And then we were off on the hour long flight to Waingapu on Sumba island where we had a quick look outside the tiny terminal building at a small puddle where Pale-headed Munias and several Zebra Finches were coming down to drink and bathe. 

Zebra Finches

Pale-headed Munias

Another lengthy baggage reclaim followed but it was a short drive to Yumba grasslands where we walked across the rocky fields in a line and flushed a few endemic Sumba Buttonquail, along with some Australasian Bushlarks, and flocks of Zebra Finches. 

Zebra Finch

A nice lunch then followed back in the town before we drove to a nice open forest near Lewa. No sooner had we jumped out of the cars than a Blood-breasted or Sumba Flowerpecker flew in and perched on top of a bush – and through the scope it certainly looked a stunner. We then spent the rest of the day and into the evening here, enjoying the sunshine and dry weather, notching up several new birds. The path crossed an open ridge with views of the forest in front of us from where we scoped a couple Brown Goshawks, Brahminy Kite and a distant Spotted Harrier. As we walked through the grass a flock of Rainbow Bee-eaters showed nicely, along with a Black-faced Cuckooshrike, followed by a little flurry of activity around a fruiting tree. 

Rainbow Bee-eater

A Sumba Brown Flycatcher was a good way to start, and we also had Common Dollarbird, Cinereous Tit, a white-morph Asian Paradise-flycatcher with a superb long tail, a couple of Black-naped Orioles, Yellow-spectacled White-eyes, a flyover Helmeted Friarbird, more flowerpeckers, and finally a superb Apricot-breasted Sunbird. Overhead were some Edible-nest Swiftlets and some  Linchi Swiftlets. Continuing further down into the forest, I played the call of Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher and amazingly one flew in, giving us the most superb views of this beautiful endemic. 

Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher

Further along we heard the first of many Elegant Pittas, a Chestnut-backed Thrush sang in the distance and at a clearing a Rusty-breasted Cuckoo called from the treetops, and we had a nice look at it through the scope. A Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo was also found here and was a nice bonus. Once the light began to fade we walked up to the edge of the forest and waited for dark, when a Mees’s Nightjar called a few times, but never materialised from out of the woodland. A Sumba Boobook also called some distance away but didn’t respond, but a pair of Little Sumba Boobooks a little later were spotlighted high up in a tall tree. 

Gunung Mutis

So if we thought yesterday’s birding was hard, then I tell you that spending the day on Mount Mutis in dense low cloud and fog, a howling wind and steady rain would beat it hands down. There were spells when it didn’t rain and these very short interludes were just long enough to lull us into thinking the weather was clearing up – but oh no! Anyway, we made the best of it as we always do but our time on Timor does seem to have been jinxed. Even so we kept at it and dug out some quality birds with endemics such as Timor Imperial-pigeon, Timor Friarbird, Timor Leaf-warbler, and more views of Timor Blue Flycatcher. There was also Golden Whistler, Paddyfield Pipit, lots of Island Thrushes (and can you tell me why there are 50+ races of this species and no mention of splits forthcoming at all?), but I just couldn’t call in a Pygmy Wren-babbler which were particularly non-responsive to the ipod – as everything else seems to be on this island. In the afternoon we birded at a lower elevation and notched up tickable views of the endemic Olive-headed Lorikeet, several of which were seen perched in the Eucalyptus trees, a few Metallic Pigeons, a noisy flock of Spot-breasted Dark-eyes, Arafura Fantail, Plain Gerygone, Little Pied Flycatcher, Derek had a Black-backed Fruit-dove, and we also had Tricoloured Parrotfinch as well, which was a bonus. We eventually arrived back at the hotel at 8pm…

Still no photos.......

Timor

It was actually 4 hours sleep in the end and at 4am bags were outside the rooms and we left soon after for the hour or so drive to Camplong. It was a long, slow, hot day where we had to work for every single bird and dig them out one by one – certainly the toughest day I can remember in a long while. When we reached our hotel at Soe at the end of the day, everyone was totally knackered. 

Anyway, we began with a flock of Ashy-bellied White-eyes not long after walking into the forest. It was then a slog along an old dry stream-bed in search of Orange-sided Thrush, not a Zoothera any more but a Geokichla, which eventually turned up trumps but not for everyone I’m afraid. We walked a little way into the dry forest and found it to be some of the toughest birding imaginable with very little reward for maximum effort for most of the day. Yet a few Rose-crowned Fruit-doves showed a few times, and we also had Brown Goshawk, Red-chested Flowerpecker, Sunda Bush-warbler, Common Cicadabird, Greater Wallacean Drongo, Arafura Fantail, White-bellied Chat and Plain Gerygone. We’d been hearing Buff-banded Thicketbird several times but we were always on the hunt for something else when they were calling, but eventually after a protracted effort everyone had very good views of this distinctive and totally unusual looking species. Shortly after we’d all seen this a Timor Stubtail put on a good show for most of the group as well. The best birding of the day was late in the morning when we were stood underneath a canopy of huge trees and had Streak-breasted, Yellow-eared and Indonesian Honeyeaters, Helmeted Friarbird and Flame-breasted Sunbird all in a very short space of time. And as we were walking back to the bus a Gould’s Bronze Cuckoo was seen.

The afternoon was even slower as we walked to a few clearings where we had Tree Martins flying over, a pair of Timor Figbirds and Timor Oriole. In the forest there was a group of Spot-breasted Dark-eyes that took a little getting on, but we did eventually and it’s a potentially tricky bird to find at the best of times. The walk also gave us Spectacled Monarch, Fawn-breasted Whistler, and more Rose-crowned Fruit-doves before we arrived back at the bus at dusk. No photos today as the birding was so tough.....

Timor

Great start to the day with Linchi Swiftlet, Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker and Sunda Woodpecker around the hotel gardens – a nice way to get the ball rolling. So here we are on the tropical paradise island of Bali (love saying that!) and not for us the palm-fringed beaches, oh no. It’s the local sewage ponds that hold more allure as we find Small Blue Kingfisher to be very common, with maybe a dozen or more individuals present. What a little beauty this bird is. 

Small Blue Kingfisher

We also have lots of egrets including Pacific Reef, Little Pied Cormorant, a flock of Sunda Teal, Zebra Dove, Pink-necked Green-pigeon, White-breasted Woodswallow, White-bellied Sea-eagle, flocks of Little Terns, Collared and Sacred Kingfishers, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Pied Fantail, Olive-backed Sunbird, White-shouldered Triller and Golden-bellied Gerygone. 

Sacred Kingfisher

A quick stop en-route to the airport gives us several Great Crested Terns out in the bay.

Little Pied Cormorant

 Our already delayed flight to Timor eventually leaves around 1.30pm and an hour and a half later we arrive at our destination– greeted by several Australian Pratincoles along the runway. A ridiculously lengthy baggage reclaim delays us even more until we finally board our lovely bright blue and red bus for the hour long drive to Bipolo forest. So it is already late in the day by the time we arrive but pretty quickly we start picking up our first endemics with Black-chested Myzomela, Fawn-breasted Whistler, Timor Blue Flycatcher, Pale-shouldered Cuckooshrike (Cicadabird), whilst a nice Northern Fantail was also appreciated. After a cup of coffee, conveniently supplied by our ground crew, we follow a trail away from the noisy main road and enter the forest in darkness. After a little while of playing the call, I eventually get a response from a Timor (or Streaked) Boobook which eventually gives very nice views – although once again I fail to et a decent owl photo. But a point of note, if you are an avid Clements list follower then this is just a Southern Boobook and not a lifer – but if you are IOC orientated then you are quids in. Not rocket science as to which authority you follow is it…..

Timor or Streaked Boobook

Anyway, we drive an hour back to Kupang and another fine hotel and evening meal, and now watching Mr Murray in the Wimbledon final. But just around 5 hours sleep before we get up…..