Maura Angke

A relatively small area of marsh and ponds situated on the outskirts of Jakarta is the home of Sunda Coucal and we pretty quickly found a couple of birds sat on some distant bushes which looked quite good through the scope. The meandering boardwalk here provided a good view across the marshes where Black-crowned Night-herons, both Grey and Purple Heron and lots of Oriental Darters were sat on the surrounding trees and bushes. A Chestnut-winged Cuckoo showed surprisingly well in the scope and several flocks of flyby Daurian Starlings were also something of a surprise. But it took a while before we got to grips with the sites other speciality, Black-winged Myna. However it was worth waiting for as we enjoyed several great looks through the scope. A few Olive-backed Tailorbirds were present, and a Bar-winged Prinia eventually gave itself up before we set off by 8am on another tedious drive of some 4 hours to Carita.

A Pitstop at Pamunakan

A series of fish ponds, rice fields and mangroves provide ideal habitat for a few goodies and an early start saw us ticking off White-capped Munia on the drive in. Excellent views were obtained of these beautiful little birds, and at our first stop we also had Small Blue Kingfisher, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Slaty-breasted Rail, Yellow Bittern and some other common birds. Amongst the ponds we quickly picked up a Javan Plover and had a further 3 more later in the morning. But with the temperature already rising we walked quite a way to some mangroves bordering a canal and were quite fortunate to get really good views of the endemic Javan White-eye, a few of which were feeding close by. 

Golden-bellied Gerygone

Also present in the same area were Whiskered Tern, Little Black Cormorant, Oriental Darter, Golden-bellied Gerygone, Pied Fantail, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Striated Heron, Sunda Teal and Island Collared Dove. Leaving here we drove to a great hotel on the outskirts of Jakarta and enjoyed the a/c and cold beers very much!!!

Gunung Halimun

After a long nights rest and late breakfast we set off towards Gunung Halimun at 9am and it took a full 7 hours to drive to this wonderful site. As we neared the end of our long journey the road became narrow and cobbled as we slowly drove higher up into the hills and our final destination of the Research Station. With over an hour of daylight left we had just enough time to take a short walk along the road, which passed though fantastic forest and one of the first birds seen was Spotted Crocias, a species we had missed over the last few days. After our first vehicle had stopped and seen a small flock of them, everyone then had superb views of a group of four birds that came closer and closer and eventually settled in the canopy right over our heads. A pair of Javan Leafbirds, Blue Nuthatch, Asian Paradise-Flycatcher and Dark-backed Imperial-Pigeon were also seen before the light became too dim for us to bird anymore. Our base for the next 3 nights turned out to be better than expected, although the cold water we showered in was bracing to say the least! Over the next couple of days we walked the Loop Trail and a higher trail several times and birded the road on a number of occasions but we never found Javan Trogon, however we found numerous large mixed species feeding flocks and had further views of Spotted Crocias, eventually great views of a perched Javan Hawk-Eagle, Brown Prinia, Sunda Minivet, two sightings of the rare White-bellied Fantail, Brown-throated Barbet, Javan Sunbird, a brief Chestnut-bellied Partridge and a rather extraordinary sighting of Javan Cochoa much lower down the mountain than expected.

Brown-throated Barbet - Endemic

Javan Hawk-Eagle - Endemic

White-bellied Fantail - endemic

Other birds seen here included Black-thighed Falconet, Oriental Honey-Buzzard, Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, Grey-rumped Treeswift, Orange-breasted Trogon, Crimson-winged Woodpecker, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, Eye-browed Wren-babbler, Fulvous-chested Jungle-Flycatcher, Pale Blue Flycatcher, and Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker amongst others.

Gunung Gede Part 2

Other more common but no less exciting species were numerous here and we also saw Fire-tufted Barbet, Blue Nuthatch, Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, Olive-backed Tailorbird, Sunda and Yellow-bellied Warbler, Mountain Leaf-warbler, and even more Eye-browed Wren-babblers, Pygmy Cupwing and Lesser Shortwings. 

Sunda Warbler is a common bird of higher elevations

Later in the day we also had a few more widely recorded species such as Black Eagle, Black-naped Fruit-Dove, Cinereous Tit, Grey-cheeked Bulbul, Ashy Drongo, Mountain Tailorbird, Siberian Thrush, and a trio of Snowy-browed, Pale Blue and Little Pied Flycatchers.

Mountain Leaf-warbler is another common species

Sunda Whistling-thrush

Our last full day saw us heading out into the lovely sunshine later than normal and we birded the Cibodas Botanical Gardens in pursuit of another couple of endemics. We did well with a flock of Yellow-throated Hanging-Parrots feeding on a flowering tree and as we were watching them a flock of Pygmy Tits passed by right in front of us. Our first decent look at Indigo Flycatchers were also much appreciated, and we also had Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, another Javan Kingfisher and lots of previously seen species. We then spent the rest of the day on the mountain, taking lunch at the waterfall and getting nice views of many preciously seen species. A Rusty-breasted Cuckoo looked nice in the scope, and we heard a Brown-throated Barbet but that would have to wait for a day or two….. An early finish to rest our aching limbs after walking up and down the rocky path was much appreciated this evening I can tell you....!

Gunung Gede, West Java Part 1

Am currently half way through a West Java and Sumatra tour and this is the first internet connection we have had so far. Things have gone well so far and the bonus is there has hardly been any rain at all! So here's the first report from the first birding site at Gunung Gede.......

Following a long flight via Dubai we eventually arrived in Jakarta on the evening of the second day and stayed at a very nice airport hotel for the night. The following morning we had a leisurely breakfast before setting out on the 3 hour drive to Gunung Gede, stopping at a rest area along the highway where Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker, Javan Munia, Oriental White-eye and Spot-breasted Woodpecker were seen. After lunch at the hotel we drove the short distance into the hills and had decent scope views of the endemic Javan Kingfisher after a bit of a run-around. 

Javan Kingfisher - distant record shot

A short distance along one of the many trails here resulted in close Lesser Shortwing, Pygmy Cupwing and cracking close-ups of an Eye-browed Wren-babbler. As it became dark we had a pair of Salvadori’s Nightjars perching on a bare branch overhead, but rather disappointingly Javan Frogmouth and Sunda Scops-owl were only heard – but we’d see those soon enough!

Pygmy Cupwing

Our first full day here began with a Javan Frogmouth in the spotlight as we headed back up the mountain. The trail is rocky and uneven all the way but it was dry and sunny again which made things easier. 

Trilling Shrike-Babbler

Javan Tesia - endemic of the mountains in Java

Pied Shrike-babbler (female)

Pied Shrike-babbler (male)

Rufous-tailed Fantail - endemic of higher elevations

In fact it was a great day with numerous flocks encountered and we found most of the key endemics and other goodies starting with Sunda Whistling-thrush, followed by Javan Owlet, Flame-fronted Barbet, Orange-spotted and Javan Bulbuls, Javan Tesia, Javan (Chestnut-backed) Scimitar-babbler, Crescent-chested and White-bibbed Babbler, Pied and Trilling Shrike-babblers, Javan Fulvetta, Sunda Blue Robin, White-flanked Sunbird, Blood-breasted Flowerpecker, Javan Grey-throated White-eye, and a heard only Javan Cochoa.