Olive-backed Sunbird

Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis)

I like walking in the morning to see beautiful scenery and watch birds that like to perch on the branches of trees. When I was traveling in Sonder town of Minahasa regency of North Sulawesi, I saw a lot of species of birds. Some of them were small such as the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Scaly-breasted Munia, and Chestnut Munia.

But there was another beautiful bird that attracted my attention. It was the Olive-backed Sunbird (Cynniris jugularis). The male one had yellow bellied feather and blue throat. His wings were olive green. I was standing still in front of my parents' house when I saw it landing on the branch of a Papaya tree to lick the nectar of its flowers.

Its colors were very beautiful. I already had camera in my hands. So, I decided to shoot him using my Canon 200D and a Tamron 150-600 mm G2 lens. With several shots I was able to take some beautiful pictures of this small bird. The farmland and forest around Sonder town was a great place for birdwatching. I did some birding walks there and I saw Scaly-breasted Munia, Cattle Egret, Black-naped Oriole, Sulawesi Drongo, Pale Blue Monarch, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot. Grey-sided Flowerpecker, Chestnut Munia, and a lot more. 
Birding Binoculars
I brought a good pair Visionking 10×42mm binoculars which I bought from an online store. I bought it from an online store. Although I ordered the binoculars through an online store, I did not pay the products by credit card. There are no banks in the city where I live that allow me to use credit card and a payment gateway system. Fortunately, the online store provided a payment method where I could use ATM.

Olive-backed Sunbird in Waigeo island

Actually I used to see the bird in Sopen village in eastern region of Waigeo island. It was licking nectar of coconut flowers. This bird was unique because it could hover in the air like a humming bird or a helicopter. At that time, I was carrying a small camera Fujifilm HS50EXR. Its 1,000 mm telephoto lens allowed me to reach the bird even though the bird was in a high coconut tree. I was guiding a tourist from India.

On my recent birding trip to Kabui bay of Raja Ampat, I also saw the Olive-backed Sunbird. It was flying out of thick forest into the beach area. I was not ready with my camera so, I did not shoot him.

In the latest field guide book of Birds of Indonesia written by James A. Eaton and his friends, this bird has been renamed. The Olive-backed Sunbird is now called: Sahul Sunbird. However, people still call it Olive-backed Sunbird or Yellow-bellied Sunbird. The book was a gift from Astrid, a tourist from the Netherlands who likes birdwatching.