Wildlife watching in tropical rainforest and marine environment of Indonesia from snorkeling in Raja Ampat to hiking and birding in Manado city, Minahasa highland and Tangkoko Nature Reserve.
My e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com
The farmland and forest in the outskirt areas of Manado city is the natural habitat of a lot of species of tropical birds of Sulawesi.
Sahul Sunbird at a farmland outside Manado city
Some of them include Yellow-billed Malkoha, Bay Coucal, Collared Kingfisher, Green-backed Kingfisher, Lilac Kingfisher, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Crow, Green Imperial Pigeon, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit-dove, Zebra Dove, Hair-crested Drongo, Pale Blue Monarch, Brown-throated Sunbird, Black Sunbird, Sahul Sunbird, Sulawesi (Dwarf) Hornbill, Brahminy Kite, Vinous-breasted Sparrowhawk, White-nest Swiftlet, Pacific Swallow, Glossy Swiftlet, Barred Rail, Isabelline Bush-hen, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, and etc.
Pacific Swallow
In very rare occasion, birds such as Sulawesi Pitta and Minahasa-hooded Pitta can be seen on the cleared walking path near the forest edge.
Sulawesi Pitta
Birding trip usually starts very early in the morning and finishes at 10:00. Birding walk is carried out along the forest edge and roadside. Tour participants who are birdwatchers usually bring 8×42, 10×42 or 10×50 binoculars. There are also photographers who bring D-SLR cameras with 150 to 600 mm telephoto lens.
As a birding guide, I usually bring a spotting scope that is mounted on a tripod. To attract birds to come out of their hiding places deep in the forest, I usually play the recorded sounds of birds. Tour participants who only bring cell phones can also take pictures of the birds using adapter that can connect the cell phone and the spotting scope.
Celebes-banded Swallowtail
In addition to birds, butterflies and dragonflies can be watched during the tour. Some butterflies that can be seen during the tour are Sylvia's Clipper (Parthenossylvia), Helen's Birdwing (Troideshelena), Celebes-banded Swallowtail (Papiliogigon), Blanchard's Wood Nymph (Ideopsis vitrea) and Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly (Parantica menadensis).
A dragonfly outside of Manado city
Dragonflies that can be seen in the forest and farmland of Manado city include: Slender Skimmer, Blue Marsh Hawk, Red Percher Dragonflies and etc.
If you are interested in taking this nature tour to watch birds, butterflies, dragonflies and see the natural environment the forest and farmland of Manado city, and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp through this contact link.
The Zebra Dove is a small, gentle bird known for its beautiful feathers and soft, pleasant cooing sound. Its scientific name is Geopelia striata. It belongs to the pigeon and dove family, called Columbidae. This bird is common in many parts of Southeast Asia. It is often seen in gardens, parks, villages, farms, and other places where people live. The Zebra Dove is loved by many people because of its peaceful nature, attractive appearance, and sweet voice.
This picture of Zebra Dove (in the middle) as well as other birds were taken when I was birding in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa Highland
Physical Appearance
The Zebra Dove is a small, slim bird with a long tail. It is usually about 20 to 23 centimetres long. Its feathers are mainly brown, grey, and light beige. The neck, chest, and sides of its body have many thin black and white lines. These lines look like the stripes of a zebra, which is how the bird gets its name.
The bird has a small, grey beak, dark eyes, and pinkish-brown legs. Its long tail has white tips on some of the feathers. Male and female Zebra Doves look very similar, so it can be difficult to tell them apart just by looking at them.
Habitat and Distribution
Zebra Doves prefer open places where they can find food easily. They commonly live in gardens, parks, grasslands, open fields, farms, plantations, and village areas. The species is native to parts of Southeast Asia. It has also been introduced to several other places around the world. In Indonesia, the Zebra Dove is commonly known as perkutut. It can often be seen walking on the ground in search of seeds.
Zebra Dove on a roof in Subdistrict town of Sonder in Minahasa highland of Indonesia
Food and Feeding Habits
The Zebra Dove mainly eats small seeds. Grass seeds, weed seeds, rice, and other grains are important parts of its diet. It may also eat small insects and other tiny invertebrates. The Zebra Dove usually feeds on the ground. It walks slowly across the grass or bare soil, looking for food. It often searches for food alone, in pairs, or in small groups. When food and water are easy to find, several Zebra Doves may gather in the same area.
Behaviour and Voice
The Zebra Dove is known for its calm behaviour and gentle voice. Its call is a series of soft, repeated cooing sounds. These sounds can often be heard in the early morning or during quiet periods of the day.
The bird usually walks rather than hops when looking for food. It may rest in trees or bushes and often stays close to its partner. In Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, many people enjoy the sound of the Zebra Dove. Some people keep these birds because they appreciate their beautiful calls. However, wild birds should be allowed to live freely in their natural habitats.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Zebra Doves reproduce by laying eggs. During courtship, the male may bow its head, coo, and raise its tail to attract a female. The pair builds a simple nest using small twigs, grass, and other plant materials. The nest is usually placed in a tree or bush.
The female usually lays one or two white eggs. Both parents help keep the eggs warm and care for the young birds after they hatch. The young birds grow quickly. They develop feathers, learn to fly, and gradually become able to find food for themselves.
Importance in Nature
The Zebra Dove plays a useful role in its environment. By eating seeds, it forms part of the natural food chain. It may also help move some seeds from one place to another.
The bird is a familiar part of the natural environment in many villages and towns. Its presence adds to the variety of birds found in gardens, fields, and parks. Like other wild birds, the Zebra Dove needs safe places to feed, rest, and build its nest. Protecting green spaces and avoiding harm to wild birds can help support healthy bird populations.
Conservation Status
The Zebra Dove is classified as Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. This means it is not currently considered globally threatened based on that assessment.
However, the bird may face local problems, including the capture of wild birds for the pet trade and the loss of suitable habitat in some areas.
People can help protect Zebra Doves by keeping natural areas clean, planting suitable trees and shrubs, and avoiding the capture of wild birds. Observing them in the wild is a simple way to appreciate their beauty without disturbing them.
Interesting Facts About the Zebra Dove
Its scientific name is Geopelia striata.
It belongs to the pigeon and dove family.
Its name comes from the thin stripes on its feathers.
It mainly eats small seeds and grains.
It often walks on the ground to find food.
It usually lives alone, in pairs, or in small groups.
Both parents help care for their eggs and young.
In Indonesia, it is widely known as perkutut.
Conclusion
The Zebra Dove (Geopeliastriata) is a small and beautiful bird known for its striped feathers and gentle voice. It lives in many open habitats, including gardens, farms, parks, and villages. Although it is a small bird, it plays a part in nature by feeding on seeds and contributing to the balance of its environment. Its calm behaviour and pleasant calls have also made it popular among people in Southeast Asia.
By protecting its habitat and allowing wild birds to live freely, we can help ensure that future generations will continue to enjoy the sight and sound of the Zebra Dove.
Zebra Dove in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia
Do you want to watch Zebra Dove and a lot of other tropical birds of Sulawesi?
If you are interested in watching Zebra Dove as well as a lot of other birds in Minahasa highland, please, contact me by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp through this contact link.
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Sorong city is the main gate for visitors who want to spend their holiday in Raja Ampat by swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. However, Sorong city itself has got interesting tourist attractions. One of them is birdwatching.
Sahul Sunbird
As a birding guide, I run birdwatching tours from Sorong city. The shortest one is morning birding trip that starts at 05:00 and ends at around 10:30. We usually meet our clients at the hotel where they stay. After that we will go by a chartered car to a forest area at the outskirts of Aimas town. It takes around 45 minutes to reach it. We will walk into the forest and then starts watching birds.
If we are lucky, we could see Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise. The male has got yellow feather and black head as well as a long curvy bill. At around 07:00, we will continue our activity by doing general birding. Birds such as Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Golden Myna, Yellow-faced Myna, Metallic Starling, Sahul Sunbird, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Blyth's Hornbill, Papuan Eclectus, Helmeted Friarbird and Olive-crowned Flowerpecker could be watched along the roadside or at the open area of the forest.
To enhance the birding experience of tour participants, I usually bring spotting scope that is mounted on a tripod. We could use an adapter to take pictures or videos of the birds that we observe through the scope.
Pinon Imperial Pigeon
At around 09:00, we will continue our birding tour to a hill that is located at the outskirts of Sorong city. There, we usually watch Pacific Bazza, Black Sunbird, Metallic Starling, Yellow-faced Myna, Palm Cockatoo, Brahminy Kite, Willie Wagtail, Dollarbird, White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Trumpet Manucode, and etc.
Blyth's Hornbill
At 10:00, we will continue our trip to Buddhist Temple that allows us to enjoy the view of Sorong city. Sometimes, we could see Torresian Crow, Willie Wagtail, Sahul Sunbird, and Yellow-vented Bulbul.
At around 10:30, we will bring tour participants back to their hotel.
This short birding tour can also be carried out in the afternoon from 14:30 to 19:00 local time.
If you are interested in taking a birding tour from Sorong city and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp through this contact link.
Nestled in the cool highlands of North Sulawesi, Indonesia, the town of Tomohon serves as an ideal base for birdwatching enthusiasts. Surrounded by volcanic peaks, lush forest slopes, rushing waterfalls, and wetlands, this scenic highland area offers easy access to a rich variety of Sulawesi endemics, forest birds, and waterfowls.
Sulawesi Myzomela
A tailored birding tour starting from Tomohon connects some of the most accessible and rewarding birding sites in the region.
1. Mount Lengkoan in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency
Mount Lengkoan offers cool mountain air and lush, elevated forest edge habitats. The combination of flowering trees and mid-elevation canopy makes it a prime location for spotting nectar-feeders and highland specialists.
* Sultan's Cuckoo-dove (also called Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove)
Warbling White-eye
2. Tounelet Slope in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency
Located nearby in the Sonder district, the Tounelet Slope features easily accessible forest and roadside birding spots. Its mix of open canopy and dense growth attracts colorful canopy dwellers and sub-canopy species.
3. Talikuran Rice Fields in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency
Moving into the agricultural countryside of Minahasa, the flooded paddy fields around Talikuran offer open-country and wetland birdwatching. Here, birders can spot rails, kingfishers, and open-land passeri navigating the muddy tracks and dikes.
Surrounded by riverine forest and humid ravines, Kengkang Waterfall is an excellent location to observe species that thrive near moving water, forest understories, and damp gorges.
Featured Bird Species:
* Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher (Ceyx fallax)
* Green-backed Kingfisher (Actenoides monachus)
* Sulawesi Pitta (Erythropitta celebesensis)
* Rusty-backed Thrush (Geokichla erythronota)
* Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker (Yungipicus temminckii)
5. Lake Linow
Famous for its changing volcanic colors and sulfur vents, Lake Linow provides a unique aquatic stopping point. While enjoying the geothermal scenery, birders can watch for waterbirds, swallows, and edge species foraging along the lake margins and nearby pine trees.
Featured Bird Species:
* Dusky Moorhen
* Sunda Teal (Anas gibberifrons)
* Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
* Eastern Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
* Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
* Grey-rumped Treeswift (Hemiprocne longipennis)
* Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster)
* Oriental Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis)
Booking
If you are interested in taking this early morning general birding tour from Tomohon town, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp through this contact link.
I have been providing snorkeling tours around some tropical islands in the Dorey bay of Manokwari since the beginning of 2010. Tourists who want to enjoy this interesting marine sport come with their own snorkeling gear such as mask, snorkel and fins. The waters in this bay is quite warm. So, the use of wetsuits is optional. There is a lot of tiny animals in the water that can cause skin problems to snorkelers and scuba divers. So, I recommend that visitors wear swimsuit or wetsuits and apply special lotion to protect their skins. I don't provide diving or snorkeling gears because they are not available in this town. The trips that tourists like the most are snorkeling tour around Mansinam and Raimuti islands. Here the coral reef are still in good condition especially in places where no or fewer people around. Coral reef is the tropical rainforest of the sea. Why we name it that way? Because the biodiversity of the coral reef is very high. It is even higher than the tropical rainforest. Various species of fish and marine animals can be found living among these wonderful animals. Animals? Coral reefs are animals. They really are. I don't want to discuss the biology of the coral reef here because I have written a lot of articles about it. You can read them here: coral reef.
In recent years the number of wastes dumped into the sea of the Dorey bay Manokwari is rising significantly. During rainy days, tons of plastic cups, bottles and other domestic and industrial wastes flow to the sea after being swept by the rain from the city. These wastes cover the sea surface and blockade sunlight from hitting the surface of the corals. If single cells algae that live in symbiotic relationship with the corals cannot perform the photosynthesis, the coral will die. The wastes also brings bacteria and other diseases that are harmful to the corals. Soon the corals will die and the whole underwater ecosystem will be effected. As a result, the number of fish will decrease and the fishermen cannot catch fish in the nearby water anymore. They have to go further to the open ocean to catch fish. This means they will need larger boats and machines and huge fishnets. When the fish arrive in the market, the price will be higher because the fishermen have to spend more money to catch fish.
So, the snorkeling trips that I provide to foreign tourists will raise awareness among city dwellers to the preservation of coral reef in Dorey bay of Manokwari. They will realize that it is important to protect or preserve the coral reef and keep the sea clean. In addition, the presence of tourists in the Dorey bay of Manokwari will automatically provide side jobs to the fishermen and villagers living around the islands. The added income which they get will improve their living condition so that they will be more appreciative to the coral reef around them. No coral reef means no snorkeling trips and no snorkeling trips offered on the internet means no tourists would come.
There are still a lot of things that I need to do to preserve this wonderful but fragile environment. Educational materials about the importance of coral reef should also be provided to Manokwari facebook users in Indonesian language so that they will be able to read and understand this matter well. I believe that if there are more people give attention to the cleanliness of our sea in the Dorey bay of Manokwari, the corals will be more protected. Coral reef preservation is not the responsibility of tour operators and ecotourism enthusiasts alone. It is the responsibility of all human being. Coral reef provide food and at the same time catch dissolved carbon dioxide and plays a very important role in reducing global warming. If all the corals and forest around the world are restored, the issue of global warming will not be as serious as what we see today. by Charles Roring
