Tapan Road

A later start today and it was kind of nice actually!  We drove about 2 hours to the Tapan Road and I kid you not, this is one of the best birding roads in Asia as it traverses an altitudinal range from around 1200m to 400m. And there’s a lot of birds to find here! Despite arriving at 10am and it being rather hot and sunny we knocked off 2 endemic bulbuls very quickly with Cream-striped and Spot-necked Bulbuls – and they are quite good looking actually.

Cream-striped Bulbul

Spot-necked Bulbul

The endemic Sumatran Treepie was also relatively abundant, and Sumatran Trogon was seen numerous times.

Sumatran Treepie

Down by a small stream on the slope below us thee were a few Black Laughingthrushes bathing and a Maroon Woodpecker flew in to join them.

Green-billed Malkoha

So the pattern of birding here is to simply keep on walking downhill and we decided to just see whatever was on offer and get a feel for the place. We’d leave the skulkers until tomorrow. And we racked up a nice little list of birds here. Barred and Little Cuckoo-doves were common, as was Green-billed Malkoha, and we also saw Greater Yellownape, a flock of Silver-breasted Broadbills, Ashy (Sunda) Drongo, Black-and-crimson Oriole, Hill Prinia, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Temminck’s Sunbird, and both Orange-bellied and Fire-breasted Flowerpeckers. 

Hill Prinia

Gunung Kerinci (still)

Well it didn’t go so well in the wee small hours as both Salvadori’s Nightjar and Sumatran Frogmouth just called back to the ipod and decided not to show themselves – rather frustrating really as it was a perfectly dry calm morning. But a Dusky Woodcock flew over a few times doing its roding display flight which was quite nice. Nevertheless, once it got light things picked up with a female Schneider’s Pitta present briefly on the trail which was a surprise as I wasn’t really looking for it! 

Blue Nuthatch

A huge flock was mobbing another Sumatran Owlet, including Sunda and Grey-chinned Minivets, Sumatran Drongo, Blue Nuthatch, Sunda Warbler, Blyth’s Shrike-babbler and Mountain White-eyes.

Sumatran Trogon

 Also saw a Black Eagle and had a brief view of what looked like a Booted Eagle soaring over the canopy. Other goodies included Sumatran Trogon, Wreathed Hornbill, the mega common Fire-tufted Barbet, Pygmy Cupwing, Lesser Shortwing, Sunda Blue Robin, Shiny and Sumatran Whistling-thrushes and nice views of Black-capped White-eye.

Then took the afternoon off to rest and have a hot bucket wash back at the homestay.

The pitta patter

Another hike up onto the volcano required a 5.30am departure from the homestay in order to be in the forest at daybreak. Was feeling the pressure as there were no pittas calling at all, so I decided to hang around the lower slope and see what happened. The theory is that you can bump into a pitta by walking the trail quietly, just be patient and hold your nerve – oh and throw in a few days worth of waiting and watching. So I waited and stalked the trail, peering around every corner and scanning the longer, straighter stretches of path. Nothing. So I went higher up and just as the trail gets a little steeper, BANG! Out hops a freakin male Schneider’s Pitta after just 2 hours of trying this morning. It scuttles across the path and away, pauses briefly at the edge for another view and then simply melts away into the forest. No amount of searching could find it again - magic! No photos though as our brief liaison lasted shorter than Luis Suarez manages without making a tit of himself – and that’s saying something.

I couldn’t believe my luck but then had to decide if it was worth yomping up the mountain for another attempt at the cochoa….. My legs were aching after yesterday and the wet boots had given me the first stages of trench foot but I didn’t have to think too long. At ‘Air Minum’, the camp below Camp Cochoa, I needed a rest and during this time was entertained with a search for a calling Sumatran Owlet high in the canopy overhead. It's not a widely recognised split just yet, although it is vocally distinctive from the Collared Owlet call i'm used to. Eventually I found it looking down at me and it seemed to be fascinated with the laser pen dot my local guide Dewie was toying with!

Sumatran Owlet

 The trail from here up to Camp Cochoa gets quite steep but it isn’t too far and we hadn’t even reached our destination when a flurry of activity around a fruiting tree some 200 yards into the forest got my pulse racing. There were several birds acting like crazy amidst the foliage, but never coming out to the side of the tree where I could get a clear view. After a few frustrating minutes one of the birds finally landed in view, and I found myself looking at a Sumatran Cochoa. Holy cow!

Sumatran Cochoa

There were at least 4 birds present (maybe 6) unbelievably and I spent quite some time watching these rare beauties. I was obviously on a run of good luck following the pitta and cochoa, as a stonking Pink-headed Fruit-dove flew in and began to feed on the fruit as well. Wow! A rubbish photo, but it’s the bird!

Pink-headed Fruit-dove

Heading back I finally tracked down a pair of Sunda Blue Robins feeding quietly by the trail and the male made for an obliging subject.

Sunda Blue Robin

There were plenty of other commoner birds around today as the weather was much better than yesterday, with this fine male Snowy-browed Flycatcher showing nicely.

Snowy-browed Flycatcher

So that was it and an early night was called for as we leave at 2.30am for some night birding… 

Sumatra

So I find myself in Sumatra and based at Gunung Kerinci, a still active volcano and at 3805m is the tallest peak in the country. The slopes of the volcano are covered in lush forest and home to some of the most celebrated endemics in the entire island and I got off to a great start within the first half hour of walking up the single track, when a pair of Salvadori’s Pheasants were found.

Salvadori's Pheasant

 Other endemics followed with stunning views of these Rusty-breasted Wren-babblers, which gave crippling views as they sang back at the ipod from point-blank range.

Rusty-breasted Wren-babblers

 Then Shiny Whistling-thrush became increasingly common.

Shiny Whistling-thrush

 There were plenty of other more widespread birds around including showy Lesser and White-browed Shortwings, Grey-throated and Golden Babblers, Sunda Warbler and Pygmy Wren-babbler.

Golden Babbler

Pygmy Wren-babbler

Sunda Warbler

 My search for the near-mythical Sumatran Cochoa turned up a blank and it was quite a tough, muddy walk up to the so-called ‘Cochoa Camp’. But it was worth it for the views of Sumatran Wren-babbIer – a split from Long-billed Wren-babbler. I think I spent too long up here waiting and searching for the cochoa, as the rain came in around 4pm and was torrential indeed! Not quite up to Mt Kitinglad proportions but very close and the walk down wasn’t pleasant at all. Must remember to bring wellingtons next time as my hiking boots became waterlogged and now face the prospect of spending the next week with wet feet..! 

Still, a successful day and my thoughts are turning to how exactly to find Schneider’s Pitta tomorrow…………