Parrot Conservation Indonesia Part 2 – Ecotourism

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Tara

In yesterday’s post, I introduced you to Mehd Halouate and his work with the World Parrot Trust. Today, I will show you some of the eco-tours he and his wife, Lena are operating throughout Indonesia. First, have a look at his website and see the tours organized for 2014-2016.

Use your miles to get to Indonesia and save your money for the tour and to spend locally!

Tours for 2014
Tours for 2015
Tours for 2016

If you enjoyed my series on West Papua from March 2013 but were afraid to go on your own, the good news is that Mehd & Lena are offering all the same destinations with more time at each one on this tour.

Parrot Conservation Indonesia Part 1 – Podcast

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Tara

Mehd & Lena Halouate are friends of mine whom I originally met via Facebook and last year in person. Mehd is the Indonesia Project Manager for the World Parrot Trust and his biography can be found on their website.

Conservation efforts in Indonesia are extremely challenging yet incredibly important, as many species there exist nowhere else in the world. Indonesia’s size, tropical climate, and island chain geography support the world’s second highest level of biodiversity, a unique mixture of flora and fauna.

In this podcast, Mehd Halaouate sheds light on the status of conservation efforts in Indonesia – the challenges and their solutions for moving forward to save some of the world’s rarest parrots.

Related reading (excerpts from PsittaScene Magazine, Spring 2014):
– Island Hopping – Search for the Red-and-blue Lory
– Where the Lories Landed

The heartbreaking photos of the captured Lories highlight why conservation projects and ecotourism are so important. I highly recommend joining the World Parrot Trust to get their quarterly magazine and keep up to date with their projects.

Help WPT protect these Lories!

Support the Red-and-blue Lory Project
– Donate to save the Red-and-blue Lories

My Top Twenty-Five Bird Sightings Of 2013

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Tara

Following on from last year’s post in which I highlighted only parrot sightings, this year I have expanded to all bird species. There were just so many birds who made a major impression on me! I have also increased the number to 25 since we did 3 birding trips this year. I didn’t always get good shots so I will put my own photo when I got one. Some of them were pretty quick! They are being presented in chronological order.

1. Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) – seen at Nimbokrang & Waigeo, Indonesia; March 2013

2. Lesser Bird-of-paradise, (Paradisaea minor) – seen at Nimbokrang, Indonesia; March 2013

I couldn’t get a photo as he stayed in the trees so here’s one taken in Jurong Bird park, Singapore.

3. Victoria Crowned Pigeon (Goura victoria) – seen at Nimbokrang, Indonesia; March 2013

Victoria Crowned Pigeons, Nimbokrang

4. Western or Arfak Parotia (Parotia sefilata) – seen at Siyoubring, Indonesia, March 2013 I’ll never forget this feathered Lord of the Dance trying so hard to woo 3 aloof females!

One female Western Parotia comes in for a closer look while the male shows his best moves. There were a couple other females higher up in the branches.

5. Vogelkop Bowerbird (Amblyornis inornata) – seen at Siyoubring, Indonesia, March 2013

OK lady Bowerbirds, come and check out my awesome bower!

6. Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus) – seen near Nimbokrang and on Waigeo Island, Indonesia, March 2013

7. Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise, (Cicinnurus respublica) – seen on Waigeo Island, Indonesia in March 2013. This little guy played hard-to-get with the camera.

Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise, Cicinnurus respublica

8. Red Bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea rubra) – seen on Waigeo Island, Indonesia , March 2013.

Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra), Waigeo- dancing in the trees

9. Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis) – seen at Crooked Tree, Belize, Tikal, Laguna del Lagarto, Carara, Soberania, August 2013. This was the first parrot we saw after arriving in Central America so I chose him to represent all the Amazon species seen all over Central America.

Red-lored Amazon or Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis)

10. Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) – seen at Crooked Tree, Belize, Tikal, Selva Verde, Laguna del Lagarto, Soberania, August 2013

11. Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) – seen at Selva Verde & Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013

12. Golden-hooded Tanager (Tangara larvata) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013.

13. Brown-hooded Parrot (Pyrilia haematotis) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013.

14. Collared Araçari (Pteroglossus torquatus) – seen at Selva Verde, Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, Soberania. August 2013.

15. Hummingbirds (all of them) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Monteverde, Savegre, Soberania. There is no way I can single out one species, they are all spectacular!

16. Chestnut-coloured Woodpecker (Celeus castaneus) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013

17. Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) – seen at Monteverde (Curi Cancha) & Savegre. I will never forget both sightings of this stunning bird! The first one because I found him by myself and the 2nd one because there were several of them and they hung around a while so I could watch them.

18. Sulphur-winged Parakeet (Pyrrhura hoffmanni) – seen at Savegre, Costa Rica, August 2013

I haven’t started the India & Sri Lanka series yet, we only got back a few weeks ago and I have been playing catch-up. These birds will be covered first thing in the New Year. The photos are a sneak-peek!

19. Malabar Parakeet (Psittacula columboides) – seen in Coorg, India; Nov. 2013. This time there were only fleeting glimpses of a flock flying overhead so the photo is one I took in 2011 in Kerala.

20. White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) – seen at Kithulgala, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013.

21. Layard’s Parakeet (Psittacula calthropae) – seen at Kithulgala & Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013. They were swift flyers and refused to perch & pose.

22. Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot (Loriculus beryllinus) – seen at Kithulgala, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013. At least he posed, albeit with the sun behind him!

23. Alexandrine Parakeet – (Psittacula eupatria) – seen at Kithulgala & Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013.

24. Malabar Trogon (Harpactes fasciatus) – seen at Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013. He only let me get one shot before turning his back.

25. Sri Lanka Blue Magpie or Ceylon Magpie (Urocissa ornata) – seen at Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013.

I didn’t get a photo of them since they stayed in the trees so here’s one from Wikipedia.

Indonesia Travel Tips

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Tara

Over the past few weeks, I have been blogging about our big West Papua adventure and the relaxing stay in Bali afterwards. Here are some general tips to make your trip in Indonesia more rewarding and some tips especially for eco-tourists.

BEFORE YOU GO

1. Get in touch with all the birding guides by email or text message and make sure they are available at the time of your visit. You may be able to wing it in low season but in high season (May-Aug) the best guides will be booked up by birding tour operators.

2. If you don’t like carrying a lot of cash, prebook as many hotels as possible online and pay by credit card, preferably one that earns miles. In our trip, we were able to prebook Aerotel in Biak, Aston Niu Manokwari, Cendana Resort and Holiday Inn Baruna Bali (points). It is not possible at time of writing to prebook the hotels in Sentani and Sorong, though this could change at any time as more hotels get savvy to online booking. We booked HamuEco Resort by Facebook and paid cash when we got there.

3. Very few places take credit cards in West Papua but some hotels and large stores do. Notify your issuers that you will be using your cards in Indonesia and especially West Papua so they don’t cut you off. Credit cards are widely accepted in Bali. Use a credit card with no forex fee.

4. Scan your documents such as passport, driver’s license, travel insurance, etc and email it to yourself.

5. Join Trip It and send your flight and hotel bookings. You can use it from a smart phone even if you aren’t online at the time to track your confirmation and PNR numbers.

6. Make a few photocopies of your passport and bring some extra passport photos. You will need them for your Surat Jalan.

7. Start collecting old clothes that you can wear for birding and then discard later. Trust me, they will be tattered even more while birding and you don’t want to be doing laundry. Plan on treating yourself to new clothes in Bali, local t-shirts are also available in the alrger cities of Papua.

8. Order a copy of the Photographic Guide to Birds of Indonesia, I really wish I had done this before leaving although to be fair it was only published a few weeks before we left. It’s an excellent book!

9. Use an Indonesian travel agent such as Mau Ke Mana to book the flights you can’t book since you are a foreigner. Don’t risk being stranded with full flights.

10. Don’t forget to buy travel insurance. If my usually hardy husband can get malaria and dengue; anyone can, don’t think it won’t happen to you. We were lucky that it didn’t hit him until we were back in Australia, it would have been a disaster if it had hit him in West Papua.

11. Visit your doctor to get malaria pills and any other vaccinations you need. If you have a long flight, ask your doctor if you are a suitable candidate for mild sleeping pills such as Ambien/Zolpidem.

12. The day before you go, make sure all your batteries are charged-cameras, laptops, phones, tablets.

WHILE YOU ARE THERE

1. Most people reading this blog will be able to get a visa on arrival at Bali or Jakarta. Check the list of countries which qualify. Make sure you have $25 cash for each person ready. It is OK to give a $50 bill for 2 people. If your passport expires in less than 6 months, get a new one before you travel.

2. You will need a lot of cash as the birding guides I have been blogging about don’t take credit cards. Once you land in your gateway airport, go to one of the international bank ATMs such as Citibank or HBSC as they will let you withdraw more money at one go. I’m not sure but I think $500 or $600 is the max. Once you are in West Papua, the local bank ATMs will only give you a max of $200 in rupiahs. You can do more than one transaction at a time up to your home bank’s limits but you will pay your usual ATM fee each time. This was a major annoyance to me.

3. If you use Bali as a gateway, there are money changers everywhere but be careful. Many of them are scammers and will quote you a very good rate, then try to stick you with a wad of small bills. They will short change you a few hundred thousand rupiah on purpose. Then when you complain, they will take the wad back from you, hold it near the edge of their desk/kiosk and while they top it up with bills, they will slide a few bills out the bottom so you end up short changed even worse. I knew about this scam so I insisted on pinching the corner of the wad of bills at a few money changers and once they realized I was holding it too tight for them to slide bills out the bottom, they refused to do business with me. I finally found a travel agent who was giving a good rate and let me count the money on a table in front of him and didn’t try to sneak any of it back.

4. Most hotels in Bali will pick you up free at the airport, if yours does, take advantage of it. If you are going direct to Ubud or your hotel doesn’t provide transfers, use the prepaid taxi service at the airport. These drivers are honest and will take you where you want to go with no mucking around.

5. In Bali, use metered taxis such as Bluebird. Elsewhere, you will have to negotiate with taxis, bemos or ojeks (motorcycle taxis). Ask your hotel what the going rate is, then confirm it with the driver.

6. If Bali is your gateway, this is a great chance to have clothes tailor-made. Order them the day you arrive, then take off on your trip to West Papua or elsewhere in Indonesia. They will be ready when you return (and you will probably be a bit slimmer as well)!

7. Schedule a few days R&R in Bali after your birding trip and plan to do your shopping then so you aren’t lugging stuff all over Papua.

8. If you have special birds you want to see, tell your guide so he knows which places to take you to.

9. If you travel in high season, be prepared to share the hides for Birds of Paradise and even take turns. If you go in low season and there aren’t any other tourists, you can take your time and stay in the hide as long as you want.

10. Your shoes will probably get all muddy and yucky and you won’t want to take them home. Consider leaving them behind for your guide, if he doesn’t want them someone in the village will.

11. In some remote places, you will be expected to bring enough food from town for both yourselves and your guides. Make sure you know of any religious restrictions (Muslims don’t eat pork) and shop accordingly.

12. Don’t bargain with birding guides. Their rates are very reasonable and they will earn them. If you deal direct with the guide, just pay what he asks. If you are on a tour, ask the tour leader if you are expected to tip, most of them will have already built this into the price they charge you. Remember, you are supporting them so they don’t have to earn a living trapping birds.

Bali As An Eco-Tourism Gateway

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Tara

Bali is a major world tourist destination and there are many forums and blogs dedicated to making the most of your trip to Bali. I am just going to briefly describe some activities which may interest eco-tourists and bird lovers in general. I have already done reviews on the two hotels we stayed in: Cendana Resort and Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Beach and I can recommend them for a stay in Ubud and Kuta respectively. Trip Advisor has hundreds of reviews so I would advise taking a look there to find something that suits you.

SIGHTSEEING

I had originally planned to do Bali Bird Walks but we got rained out. Not to worry as I know we will be back in Bali someday.

I would also like to visit Bali Barat National Park sometime when we aren’t totally exhausted.

The Monkey Forest in Ubud is extremely popular and very touristy but it’s still a lot of fun! There is a nominal charge of around $4 to enter and you can buy bananas outside to tempt the monkeys. They don’t require much tempting, they are more like New York muggers and will aggressively jump on you and rummage through your pockets if they see anything banana-shaped (men take care)! Don’t wear glasses or jewelry as they have been known to snatch them off tourists. Here’s some pics.

Balinese Temples are everywhere and some will allow tourists inside if they are properly dressed in a sarong (no shorts or beachy outfits). Otherwise you can still admire them from the outside.

SHOPPING

Ubud Area Arts, Crafts and Furniture Markets are on the road between Ubud and Bali Bird Park and a major stop for tourist groups as well. If you go with a guide or driver, they will get a commission on whatever you buy so try to go alone or get dropped off if you are after the best prices. You can even buy thatching to bring home and make a cabana in your backyard! I loved those fancy doors but didn’t want to try shipping one.

Back in Ubud town, there are shops along the main tourist drag-Monkey Forest Road and a small art market at the top of the road near the palace. I loved the paintings of birds and really wanted that one with the cockatoos but it cost over $100 and was huge! I asked for smaller ones but they didn’t have small cockatoo paintings.

There are tailors everywhere and we both had some outfits made. My husband got a suit and I got an evening dress and a few tops for a cruise we have planned next year. This is Sanggar Tailoring in Kuta near the Kuta Art Market. This suit (first fitting shown here) cost $135 including fabric.

RESTAURANTS

Needless to say, there are hundreds of restaurants with all kinds of cuisines. We had pretty much OD’d on nasi goreng and satay in West Papua so by the time we got to Bali we wanted a change. We did get a bit lazy and took several meals in our hotels for most breakfasts and dinners but went out for lunch. Ubud has a great Mexican place-Taco Casa.

And being an expat American, I was craving typical diner type food such as Flapjaks in Kuta and Johnny Rockets in the Beachwalk Mall.

RELAXATION

Massage parlours and day spas are everywhere and very cheap! This spa pictured is in Cendana Resort and it was really good. We were getting massages every day and I got a facial, body scrub, hair treaments and French braiding. Great way to spoil our aching muscles after the birding expedition!

There are modern shopping malls such as Discovery Centre and Beachwalk which are air conditioned fi you want to escape the afternoon heat. We saw “Oz the Great and Powerful” for only $5 each at the Beachwalk cinema and it was cool and comfy inside!

Review: Cendana Resort In Ubud, Bali

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Tara

As I mentioned in my Eco-Lite post on the Bali Bird Park, it can be easily accessed from Ubud. When I was planning this part of the trip, 5 days of R&R in Bali after the challenging birding adventure in West Papua I had to decide whether to stay in the pleasant small town of Ubud in central Bali or at one of the beach resorts. Since I was short on cash and had Priority Club points to burn I ended up splitting the stay between 2 nights in Ubud paid and 3 nights in the Holiday Inn Baruna Beach on points.

I booked this resort on Hotels.com as I was working towards a goal of 10 nights to earn a free night in the Welcome Rewards program and these 2 nights put me over the top, plus I used the Ultimate Rewards mall to click thru.

Cendana Resort is well located in the centre of Ubud on Monkey Forest Road within walking distance of both the Monkey Forest and the Art Market. It’s reasonably priced at around $50-80 depending on room type and season. We arrived in the night so didn’t get to see the gardens at first but the room itself was gorgeous! I love traditional Bali/tropical decor and this place has it in spades! A large bathtub was a welcome sight after roughing it in Papua!

The next morning, we were delighted by the beautiful gardens surrounding the large swimming pool. Our room looked out onto a rice paddy giving a rural feeling even though the hotel is on Monkey Forest Road. There were a few birds flying over the rice paddies.

The room rate includes a delicious buffet breakfast including my favourite pineapple pancakes!

The one criticism I could make was the very small cages the myna birds were kept in. They are beautiful birds, tame and can talk pretty well but I would have preferred to see them in a large aviary where they could at least see each other if they can’t be kept together. Birds are flock creatures and don’t like to be alone.

Eco-Lite: Bali Bird Park More Photos

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Tara

Yesterday I launched my new series designed to help people find mini-trips to appreciate birds closer to home or on more conventional trips to beach resorts such as Bali. All the information on Bali Bird Park is in the first post but I took so many photos, I thought I would follow up with more here so I don’t make the informative post harder to load.

When you first enter, you will see lush gardens and several birds on stands or wandering about the park. They have photographers there if you want to have a photo posing with the birds.

Then you will pass by some large aviaries and habitats featuring various Indonesian birds and a few from Australia. You can also see some baby Eclectus Parrots that are being handreared.

These birds are from Africa.

Then you pass through the Birds of Paradise exhibit.

Next there is a huge walk-in aviary featuring birds from Bali. You can see the highly endangered Bali Starling here but they are kept separate for their security. They are in a breeding program trying to increase the numbers.

Next you will pass a few random bird exhibits including some birds of prey.

Then you will come to a free-flight show that they do around 11am featuring both birds of prey and some dazzling macaws. This was one of the times my camera was fogging up due to the humidity and intermittant rain.

Then you will come to the Papua Rainforest Aviary whose photos I featured yesterday.

As you leave Bali Bird Park, you will see a well-stocked gift shop with bird themed paintings, jewelry and knick-knacks. I bought out the bird bling when we were there but they have probably replenished it by now………they do take credit cards!

A Photographic Guide To The Birds Of Indonesia

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Tara

This is the book I wish I had known about BEFORE my trip! It was only just published in Dec 2012 and we left on 28 Feb so had stopped looking around by then. It’s well laid out with photos of all the birds you can expect to see in Indonesia with the bird’s habitat highlighted on a map. Great planning tool, can also help with communicating with guides who don’t speak English. I found it in a book shop in the Surabaya airport on my way back to Bali for around $35 but you can order it on Amazon (affiliate link) for $23 and have it to study in advance.

Lion Air Passenger Plane Crashes Into Sea Off Coast Of Bali

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Tara

Since I am currently blogging about how to visit West Papua for a birding adventure, it seems appropriate to post about this Lion Air crash since Lion Air is one of the few airlines that serve the main airports in West Papua. Full article and video.

A plane with more than 100 people on board has overshot a runway on the island of Bali and plunged into the sea.

Despite dramatic pictures showing the Lion Air jet with a broken fuselage, officials said everyone on board had survived.

The brand new Boeing 737-800 came to rest in shallow water and bright yellow life jackets could be seen littering the shore.

Passengers spoke of screaming in terror it hit the water and “chaos” erupting amid fears they would drown before escaping.

Preparing To Visit West Papua, Indonesia

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Tara

West Papua is one of the world’s most dazzling locations for eco-tourism and birding. The Indonesian state shares the island with the nation of Papua New Guinea and both are in the top 12 countries to see wild parrots. There are endemic species to both countries and some which can only be found in each individual country, but the crime problem in Papua New Guinea has scared off a lot of potential tourists. Here’s a few facts to know before you go.

West Papua is safe to travel in. There may be petty pickpocketing in markets but violent crime and robberies are extremely rare.
Communication is difficult. Internet speed in the cities, usually accessed from your hotel make dial-up look fast. Most West Papuans communicate with text messages via their cell phones but many remote areas such as the Arfak Mountains don’t even have cell phone coverage.
Getting around can be expensive. There are special deals from time to time like the one on Sriwijaya Airlines but you need to keep looking for them. There are no international airports (except Jayapura to/from PNG) so you need to enter Indonesia via Bali, Jakarta, Manado or Makassar. You can see how to do that with frequent flier miles or shop around for the best fares. I strongly recommend adding a few days in Bali at the end of the trip for R&R and cheap massages because you WILL have sore muscles.
Some of the birding locations are among the most physically challenging you will ever do, especially if you are targeting parrot-rich countries. Trails are non-existant in Arfak and the Nimbokrang swamp forest trail consists of slippery planks. You will be walking through primary rainforest with your guides hacking away bushes as you go. You will get filthier and muddier than you have ever been in your life!
Although West Papua is considered a destination for advanced birders, I would say if it’s on your bucket list just do it! You won’t get any younger and the fitter you are for this destination, the better! I am still amazed that I made it up to the Garden Hut at the Arfaks, took me 4 hours with me collapsing every 20 metres! The guides and porters happily run up and down the same distance in about 30 minutes!
High season is roughly June-August. There will be several large groups there at this time so you will need to have everything booked in advance. If you go outside this time, you should still try to make contact with the guides in advance but in cases like Zeth Wonggor in Mokwam, you can’t contact him directly but if you just show up he will take care of you and assign you a guide if he happens to be busy. If you aren’t with a group, try to avoid going at the same time they will be there as hides to see BOPs are limited.
There are some small home-stays and lodges, but in many other cases you will be camping in the bush with no bathroom facilities.
You will experience extremes of temperatures from the hot, humid lowlands to the chilly nights in Arfak.
Photography is very difficult. The birds blend in well with the trees, many are small like the Pygmy Parrots and Fig Parrots so it will be difficult to focus on them. Expect to get a lot of beautiful shots of leaves! There will be some clearings where you can get good shots of birds flying overhead but you will need to be quick and shoot handheld with at least a 400mm lens. Start working out so you can balance 3kgs of camera/lens and focus that little red dot on the bird flying rapidly overhead!
Don’t bother trying to do laundry. Bring old clothes in muted natural or dark shades as they are going to get trashed anyways and discard them when you can’t stand them anymore. You can always buy new clothes in Bali-cheap! Consider giving your shoes/boots to your guide or porter at your last birding stop, many of them work in thongs and you aren’t going to want to clean them up anyway. The more experienced guides prefer gumboots as they are best for the muddy conditions you will be trekking in so buy a cheap pair and give them away at the end. If you wear large shoes, you won’t be able to buy them in West Papua.

These are the 5 main destinations for birders in West Papua.

West Papua Birding Destinations

A — Raja Ampat (Sorong)

B — Arfak Mountains (Manokwari)

C — Biak/Numfor (Biak)

D — Nimbokrang (Jayapura)

E — Habema Lake (Wamena)

Having said all that-the rewards are great! You will see some of the most spectacular birds in the world like the Birds of Paradise (BOPs), Parotias, Bowerbirds and of course the dazzling array of Parrots!

Over the next several installments of this series I will go into more detail for each location, recommend guides and how to contact them and show you where to stay.

Miles To The Wild

Create unforgettable eco-tourism and birding adventures using miles & points!

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