Birding Tour in Manokwari

Manokwari regency has been famous as a birding tour destination for years. There are several places that I promote on the internet as recommended sites for birdwatchers.

• Lower Montane Forest of Susnguakti - Although this birding site is considered as lower montane forest, the trekking routes to the dancing ground of Lesser Birds of Paradise are very steep. Birdwatchers have to be fit to walk for 1.5 hours if they want to watch paradise birds in this area. It is located on the eastern slopes of Arfak mountains.
• Upper Montane Forest -  Arfak mountains have been the most popular birding tour destination for visitors who want to watch Western Parotia, Vogelkop Bowerbird, Magnificent Birds of Paradise, Cinnamon Fruit Dove, Hooded Pitohui, Papua Mountain Pigeon, Brown sicklebill, Black sicklebill, Flame bowerbird and a lot more. The birding site that I highly recommend is Mupi Gunung.

• Mesirrokow river - This is one of the best birdwatching sites in Manokwari! I am serious about this. It is a highly recommended site for keen birders.

For more information about itinerary and prices, please contact me by email to peace4wp@gmail.com. You could also send text message to my number: +62 813322 451 80

Watching Pigeons and Doves in the jungle Manokwari

Great Cuckoo Dove (Reinwardtoena reinwartii)

The tropical rainforest in Manokwari are very nice place to watch pigeons and doves. I have guided a lot of birdwatchers on birding trips in both lowland and highland forest in the region. Today I will write a little bit about pigeons. The common name for pigeons in local language is Kumkum. The indigenous Papuan people hunt pigeons for their delicious meat. I introduce trekking and birdwatching trips in such areas as lowland forest of Arfak mountains and north coast of Manokwari to empower the local people in protecting the birds. During my birdwatching trips with international birders, we saw Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Western Crowned Pigeon, Great Cuckoo Dove, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Pink-spotted Fruit Dove.
Doves have got similar appearances with pigeons. They usually find food near fruit trees or on clear grounds. When I accompanied visitors in the jungle of Arfak mountains, we saw Cinnamon Ground Dove in the slope of Mt. Soyti.
Birdwatchers usually bring binoculars and spotting scope to magnify the image of distant birds. For taking pictures, or making videos of the birds, professional birdwatchers use D-SLR camera with telephoto lens. For budget travelers, an affordable but powerful compact camera that is equipped with super zoom lenses will be a perfect choice. I highly recommend Sony HX300, Canon SX50, Nikon Coolpix P520, and Fujifilm Finepix SL1000.
Don't forget to bring extra batteries when traveling in the jungle of Manokwari. For more information about birding and traveling in the rainforest of West Papua, please contact me by email to peace4wp@gmail.com

Western Parotia

Male Western Parotia Dancing

Western Parotia (Parotia sefilata) is a species of paradise birds that people can watch when traveling to Manokwari. I guided Prof. Richard Ebright - an American biologist on a birding tour to Arfak mountains from 18 to 20 July 2013. In the last day of the tour, we entered a blind that was especially built for watching Western Parotia. The male bird has got black color all over his body with 6 antennas at his head. We had to wait for 5 hours inside the blind that was wet, dark and full of mosquitoes.
In order to seduce his partner, male Western Parotia had to perform a beautiful courtship dance where female Western Parotia perched on a small branch of a tree just above the dancing ground. Before dancing, the male bird cleaned the "stage" from fallen twigs and leaves.

Juvenile Western Parotia

Then he would dance to impress his lover. The style of the dance was similar to ballet.
The Young Western Parotia also Danced!
When we were waiting for an adult male Western Parotia to land on the ground and performed, suddenly, we saw a young Western Parotia landed on the ground. He performed a courtship dance without the presence of a female bird. He was doing a rehearsal. We were very surprised to see that scene. At first we thought that it was another species but later after opening our field guide book, Birds of New Guinea, we determined that it was a young or a juvenile Western Parotia.

During our stay in the blind, we were able to see Spotted Catbird (now it is called Arfak Catbird) and Cinnamon Ground Dove. It was a fleeting moment for the cat bird. Cinnamon Ground Dove was at the dancing site quite long. I think he was there for more than 30 minutes finding grains on the ground. I could make some videos and photographs of this bird. The bird stayed still with her eyes staring at the "peep hole" where I put my camera. I guessed the auto focus lamp of my camera attracted her attention. We also saw two other smaller birds that we could not shoot by my camera.

We returned to Manokwari city again at 12.00. During the birdwatching tour we saw vogelkop bower bird, blyth's hornbill, cinnamon ground dove, spotted catbird, magnificent birds of paradise and two smaller birds that I could not identify. They flew away in seconds before I could take pictures of them.
As a birdwatching destination, Manokwari has got plenty of places where birdwatchers can explore to see tropical birds.
For lowland and coastal birding, Western Crowned Pigeon, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Sandpiper, and Kingfishers are some of the birds that can be seen in Manokwari.
Now I spend more of my time organizing snorkeling, birding and sightseeing tours in Raja Ampat,  please contact me: Charles Roring by email: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Lesser Paradise birds in Arfak mountains

A lot of birdwatchers and rainforest lovers go to Arfak mountains to watch paradise birds. There are several species that can be seen both in the lower and upper montane forests.
Lesser Birds of Paradise
 
One of the most famous species of paradise birds is the Lesser Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea minor). The birds can mostly be seen in lower montane forest. They like to gather in trees whose branches overlook sunrise. Early in the morning when the weather is clear, male Lesser BOPs fly to the trees to call their female counterparts. Morning sunlight makes their feather looks bright and colorful. The male birds of paradise will perform courtship dance to attract female lesser birds of paradise for mating. They jump from one branches to another. The branches that are used for the courtship dance have been cleared from twigs, leaves and moss. A recommended site for tourists who want to watch these paradise birds is Susnguakti forest. It is located in the south of Manokwari city approximately 1 hour ride and another 1 hour hiking into the jungle.

To watch the paradise birds in Susnguakti forest, birdwatchers have to wake up early in the morning at around 4.30 a.m. After eating some food and drinking coffee or tea, they need to leave the their camp for the birding site. Crossing a small stream of cool water in a narrow ravine, they will slowly walk up steep slopes of the Arfak range. When the sun rises in the east from the horizon of the Pacific Ocean, the male lesser birds of paradise perch on the branches of the trees and begin calling their females. The "courtship dance show" lasts for about 3 hours from 6 to 9 a.m. They can also be seen in the afternoons at around 13.00 to 15.00. Birdwatchers need to bring a good pair of binoculars or a D-SLR camera that is powered with telephoto lens. The camera that I highly recommend for birdwathers is Canon PowerShot SX50 HS or Nikon Coolpix P600. It is a compact point and shoot camera that is powerful and affordable. If you understand Indonesian language, please, contact Yunus Sayori (cell phone: 081343316087).
Other birds of paradise in Arfak mountains
In addition to the Lesser BOP, visitors can also see such species as Western Parotia, Magnificent birds of paradise, magnificent rifle bird, Arfak astrapia.

Interested in visiting Arfak mountains?
If you want to visit Warmarway village of Arfak mountains, and need an English speaking guide, please, contact Alice Auri by sending text message to her cell phone: +6281248525116.

Birdwatching in Manokwari

Blyth's hornbill

Manokwari is a nice destination for visitors who are interested in hiking and watching birds in the rainforest. There are regular flights between Manokwari and Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia served by such airlines as Sriwijaya, Lion/Wings, Batik Air and Garuda. Birders usually go to Arfak mountains to watch paradise birds or do night walk to see fireflies, glowing mushrooms and cuscus possum.

Susnguakti Forest

King Bird of Paradise in Arfak mountains

There is a forest in the eastern region of Arfak mountains where visitors can enjoy hiking to watch several species of tropical birds such as Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor), King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius), Magnificent Riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus), Common Paradise Kingfisher (Tanysiptera galatea), Great Cuckoo Dove, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Brown Oriole, and Coconut Lorikeet and a lot of other birds that are endemic to Arfak range.  Lesser Birds of Paradise usually dance in the mornings and in the afternoons in the rainforest near basecamp that we have built for tourists. Birders need to walk up steep slopes to reach it. So, only birders who are physically fit that can go to the place. They must wear good sport shoes or trekking boots and bring binoculars. We have prepared mattrasses, pillows, cooking and eating utensils for tourists who want to spend several days exploring the bio-diversity of animals and plants in this forest. Besides watching birds of paradise, other interesting attraction is watching cuscus and exploring the jungle itself at night. The tropical rainforest is home to various species of plants, and animals, including mushrooms that glow at nights, orchids, bamboos and a lot of insects.

Mesirrokow Forest

Birding and riverwalk in Mesirrokow forest in Manokwari

In addition to Mesirrokow as one of the best birding sites in the bird's head region of West Papua, the most recommended site for hiking and birdwatching in Vogelkop region is Mesirrokow forest. Located in lowland region, Mesirrokow is only one hour car trip from Manokwari. In addition to hiking and birdwatching, another activity that tourists can enjoy in Mesirrokow is swimming in the river.

Miyah forest

Another important birdwatching destination in West Papua is Miyah forest. Located in Tambrauw mountains, it is considered one of the most important birding sites in the world. This may sound subjective but Miyah forest is a must see place for birdwatchers who really want to see a lot of birds that are endemic to New Guinea.
As a tourist guide, I offer birding tours for nature lovers who want to watch birds in Miyah. From my previous trips, I saw Lesser Birds of Paradise, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Blyth's Hornbill, Palm Cockatoo, and many other birds that I cannot mention their names one by one in this post.
Visitors can go by 4WD pick up truck and continue their trip on foot to the forest. It will take a half day to reach Miyah. Tents and camping gear are needed if they want to stay in the jungle for a few nights. Since electricity is not always available in the forest, visitors need to bring some extra batteries for their cameras.
Please, contact me by email to peace4wp@gmail.com if you want to go hiking and birding in Manokwari. by Charles Roring