Birding N Sulawesi (1 Viewer)

[Hoyden]

I will be in N Sulawesi for two weeks in Nov 2010 on a scuba diving vacation. I will be flying into Manado and spending one week at Tasik Ria near Manado and one week at Kungkungan Bay Resort on the Lembeh Strait. I'd really like to spend one or two of my days birding while there and am guessing that they'd best be spent at Tangkoko Nature Reserve. One of the resorts offers a day trip there, but I much rather hire a local guide and concentrate on birding as opposed to the more general nature of the resort trip. Can anyone recommend someone in that area who might be available for such a short time?

Also, I found copies of Birds of Sulawesi by Holmes and A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia by Strange. Other than A Guide to the Birds of Walacea, what other guide books or resources are available?

Thanks,

Jackie

 

[Chlidonias]

there are several homestays/guesthouses in the village of Batu Putih at Tangkoko. Its easy to get to by buses or by hired car/motorbike from Manado. Each of the accommodations in the village have bird-guides, most of whom are very good birders and they usually have the Birds Of Wallacea book (the Indonesian version, but they know the English names for the birds). There is actually a bird-club in the village, made up of the guides! Most birders stay at Mama Roos but there are other options just as good. Tangkoko Lodge is also very reccommended. Costs are usually around 200,000 -300,000 rupiah for the accommodation including food, and 250,000-odd per day for guiding. The guide fees are set (and include the entry fees for the park), and the money basically goes straight into the village so you are directly supporting local protection of the forest. Black crested macaques and spectral tarsiers are also easy to see at Tangkoko, and you may also be lucky enough to see bear cuscus. Two days at Tangkoko will get you a LOT of lovely endemic birds