Flores and the 5,000....

Another early start (and I won’t tell you what time..!) saw us on the 6.20am flight to Ruteng on the lovely island of Flores. On approach over the mountains we could see the short runway and we certainly hit the runway with a loud bang when we touched down! However, we were met upon arrival by our trusty ground crew and a convoy of four cars and were soon heading up to the pass at Golo Lusang in search of our first island endemics. The scenery was very nice with forest cloaked mountains all around but some low cloud and rain dampened the bird activity and our enthusiasm at the same time. In fact it was very slow going with brief views of several birds and everything seemed to be extremely shy, a direct reflection on the hunting culture that was apparent here with guys driving past us on mopeds with guns over their backs. We walked down the road a few kilometres and eventually things improved as the weather cleared and we saw Yellow-browed Dark-eye and Brown-capped Fantail – the commonest endemics here. 

Rusty-capped Tesia

A loud, jumbly call off to our left proved to be a Rusty-capped Tesia which showed amazingly well on numerous occasions and we all got great views of it. A little further down amongst the moss-cloaked roadside trees we had a Flores Leaf-warbler flitting above us in the canopy of a large tree. Then a Scaly-crowned Honeyeater showed well and shortly after a male Flores Minivet appeared – my 5,000^th species. Woohoo..!!! After handshakes all round we hopped into the cars and returned to Ruteng for a leisurely lunch. 

Afterwards we set off to Danau Rana Mese and walked down to the lake where a flock of Pacific Black Ducks were loafing on the far side, and also on the lake was a Coot and a Tricoloured Grebe (an IOC split from Little Grebe). In the surrounding area we had another showy tesia, Golden Whistler, Sunda Woodpecker and Christian found yet another Pale-shouldered Cicadabird. A calling White-rumped Kingfisher failed to respond and would have to wait for another day, so we drove off to a new ‘hotel’ near Kisol for a two-night stay.

Back to Timor

Left the homestay at 5.30am which was a little bit of a lie in after our early finish last night – and much appreciated. Headed off to the coast near Waingapu, stopping to flush a few Brown Quail along the way in a roadside field. After a bit of phaffing around the town for fuel we quickly got Broad-billed Monarch in the mangroves before reaching the Yumba wetlands and had an hour to find a few goodies before our morning flight back to Timor. Yes our crazy schedule, thanks to the local airlines has really cocked up our time on Timor, means that we have lost a day there and thus a few endemics. Not a happy chappy this evening! Anyway, around the pools we had several Javan Plovers, Australasian Swamphens, some close Australian Pratincoles, and some Wandering Whistling-ducks, whilst a perched Lesser Fish-eagle was a surprise. 

Australian Pratincole

Leaving here it was just a short drive to the airport and our flight took off on time and after an hours flight we touched down in Timor - once again. The luggage arrived in double-quick time and we set off back to Bipolo Forest, but this time drove out into the ricefields. Several new birds were found quickly, including Barred Dove, Black-faced Woodswallow, White-faced Heron, and a flyby Australian Pelican. Our search for Timor Sparrow only resulted in a couple of the group seeing it, but Five-coloured Munia, Blue-breasted Quail, Black-winged Kite, Spotted Kestrel and a bunch of other birds were seen to make it quite a profitable session. Once again we ended up at a lovely hotel and had a wonderful meal and cold beers – so lovely to have a hot shower after 3 nights of cold bucket washes at the homestay in Sumba. 

Sumba Day 3

Another early departure this morning as we had to try and claw back Sumba Boobook having missed it on our previous two attempts. So you can imagine what a relief it was to have a bird calling back at us form a bare branch of a huge roadside tree within minutes of firing up the ipod. Shame I didn’t have the camera with me!! A quick try for Mees’s Nightjar once again drew a blank so we then drove some two hours to another patch of forest, parked the cars up and walked across some fields to a small hill where we stood for a coupe of hours scanning the forest edge. We had a nice view of several forested ridges with huge trees that looked particularly inviting for hornbills, but initially there was no sign of them. Instead we enjoyed great scope views of Eclectus Parrots, plenty of Great-billed Parrots, Green Imperial-pigeons, Wallacean Cuckooshrike, Black-faced Mynas, Rusty-breasted Cuckoo and others. 

Sumba Hornbill

After some time Tracy and Chris both had brief views of a Sumba Hornbill in the distance, but it was an anxious wait for the rest of us until four more were seen flying into a huge tree. After the initial frantic directions everyone had nice scope views, but we needn’t have worried as a pair flew up onto the ridge in front of us and flew across the clear blue sky into another bare tree where they gave stonking views. Amazing! 

Spotted Harrier

So elated with this we decided to leave and walk to the vehicles, getting superb views of this Spotted Harrier along the way. On the way back to the homestay we had brief views of the ever-elusive Sumba Flycatcher and quite a few Indonesian Honeyeaters at another spot. After lunch and a siesta we headed along the road and birded the same patch of forest as yesterday, trying really hard to find a stationary Sumba Flycatcher, but we only ended up hearing two birds at different locations and neither responded to the ipod or a recording of their call. The birding was generally slow but we spent ages sat down at the top of a slope inside the forest listening to Chestnut-backed Thrush singing below us and waiting for that damn flycatcher to show. A few Golden Whistlers, Spectacled Monarch, a Pale-shouldered Cicadabird for Christian, and an Orange-footed Scrubfowl for Brian were also seen here. The forest resounded to the songs of Elegant Pittas as we walked along the road, a quite amazing experience although we couldn’t locate a perched bird as the light began to fade way too quickly for our liking! Then we drove to a new spot at dusk and within minutes of walking found ourselves being circled by a pair of the endemic Mees’s Nightjar (at last!) and they performed absolutely brilliantly for us, and it wasn’t even dark yet. So we had the bonus of an early return to the homestay, an early dinner and several extra hours sleep before our departure to Waingapu tomorrow.

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.