INDONESIA’S SOUTHERN & CENTRAL MOLUCCAS – Tanimbar, Ambon, Kai, Buru, Seram, Boano, Obi & Bacan

PRICE INFORMATION

Birdquest Inclusions: Our tour prices include surface transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.

We also include all tipping for local guides, drivers, boatmen and accommodation/restaurant staff.

We also include these flights:

Saumlaki-Ambon

Ambon-Tual (Kai)-Ambon

Ambon-Namlea (Buru)-Ambon (or we will travel by ferry if there are no suitable flights).

Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.

TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)

The single supplement will not apply if you indicate on booking that you prefer to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.

This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.

INDONESIA’S SOUTHERN & CENTRAL MOLUCCAS BIRDING TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Day 1  Our tour begins this morning at Ambon, where we will stay overnight.

The small, volcanic island of Ambon is the political centre of the South Maluku (southern Moluccas), and the regional transport ‘hub’ for this region of Indonesia. It lies to the southwest of the much larger island of Seram, which itself is situated between the larger islands of Sulawesi and New Guinea, on the northern fringes of the rich Banda Sea.

Here we will explore some forest patches in search of Ambon’s only near-endemic, the unobtrusive Ambon White-eye.

There are also other species on offer on Ambon, including Australasian Grebe, Variable Goshawk, Rufous-tailed Bush Hen, Common Emerald Dove, Seram Imperial Pigeon, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Uniform Swiftlet, Lazuli Kingfisher, the Ambon form of the Seram Golden Bulbul (a potential split), Seram Drongo, Spectacled Monarch, Metallic Starling, and Ashy Flowerpecker.

This afternoon we will take a speedboat from the east coast of Ambon across to the neighbouring island of Haruku. This will be our opportunity to visit what is perhaps the largest Dusky Megapode (or Dusky Scrubfowl) breeding area that remains. The birds gather at night to lay their eggs in sandy openings amongst the coastal vegetation. The eggs are incubated by the warmth of the sun and from there, the fully independent young hatch. Many of the eggs are dug up by local people for food, but the colony seems to be very well managed. Some of the birds are present in the late afternoon, so it is often not necessary to wait until dark to get good views. The form here was previously treated as a full species: Forsten’s Megapode.

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Day 2  This morning we will fly to Tual, on the island of Kai Kecil, for a two nights stay. Upon arrival, we will begin our exploration of the island.

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Day 3  Kai Kecil and Kai Besar (Little and Great Kai) are two small islands situated far to the southeast of Seram. They are the two largest pieces of land in the Kai archipelago and consist of raised coralline limestone. Large areas of forest on Kai Kecil have been cleared for the timber industry, and what remains is becoming increasingly difficult to access. Hilly Kai Besar on the other hand, is in a much more virginal state and is mostly forested.

Fortunately, even in areas that have previously been cleared of forest, many of the special birds of the islands seem able to survive in patches of secondary forest and even scrub. One of the most obvious endemics is the entirely greenish-black Kai Coucal, which clambers clumsily about in any area of dense growth. The handsome, but rather shy White-tailed Monarch often joins the mixed-species flocks, as does Kai Fantail, whilst Golden-bellied (or Little Kai) White-eyes travel about in family groups. The latter is endemic to Kai Kecil and lacks an obvious white eyering.

To find the Pearl-bellied (or Great Kai) White-eye, we will take a speedboat to the island of Kai Besar. The white-eye is quite common and easily found, but the highly distinctive Kai Leaf Warbler (now sometimes plucked from the taxonomic dustbin that is Island Leaf Warbler) only occurs above 400m elevation, so seeing it will require an uphill walk along a forest trail.

The local form of the Wallacean Drongo is sometimes split as Kai Drongo and there are also distinctive and potentially ‘splitable’ forms of Wallacean Cuckooshrike and Arafura Fantails. Kai Cicadabird, a small island specialist, is restricted to Kai, Tanimbar and a few small islands.

Other species that we will be searching for in the Kai islands include Pacific Reef Heron, Osprey, Pacific Baza, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, White-bibbed Fruit Dove, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Barred Dove, the lovely Eclectus Parrot and tiny Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, the antediluvian-looking Channel-billed Cuckoo, Common Dollarbird, Varied Triller, Island Monarch, Australasian (or Green) Figbird, and Grey-headed and Island Whistlers. The local form of the Barking Owl, remigialis, is uncommon and was previously placed in Australian Boobook, although by voice it is clearly a Barking Owl.

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Day 4  After some final birding on Kai Kecil we will fly back to Ambon and take a short onward flight to Namlea, the capital of the island of Buru, for an overnight stay.

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Day 5  The island of Buru in eastern Indonesia holds at least 22 endemic birds and has been visited by very few ornithologists since Wallace explored it in 1861. Much of the island is mountainous, with peaks reaching an altitude of 2429m. Most of the lowland forest has been logged, but the extensive uplands are still largely clothed in superb forest, much of it primary.

From Namlea we will drive to our accommodation at Waspait, mid-way along the north coast, which for three nights will be our base for forays southwards into the forested highlands.

In the Waspait area, we will visit some lowland forest. Here we should find Buru White-eye along with other endemics like Buru Golden Bulbul, Buru Drongo, Buru (or Black-faced) Friarbird, Buru Fantail (sometimes lumped in Northern) and Buru Flowerpecker.

We should also find the restricted-range Amboyna Cuckoo-Dove, Superb Fruit Dove, Buru Green Pigeon, Buru (or Spectacled) Imperial Pigeon, Red-cheeked Parrot, Moluccan Cuckoo, Lesser Coucal, Seram Swiftlet, Moustached Treeswift, Collared Kingfisher, Pale Cicadabird (a Moluccan endemic), Drab Whistler (endemic to the Moluccas and Sula island), Black Sunbird, the regionally-endemic South Moluccan Sunbird and Black-faced Munia.

Palearctic migrants are few, but there may be White-throated Needletails around as well as the more expected Barn Swallow, Grey Wagtail, Arctic Warbler and Grey-streaked Flycatcher.

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Days 6-7  With 4×4 vehicles at our disposal, we will explore the Wamlana logging road and a side road to Danau Rana, reaching as high as 1420m (4659ft) elevation. At the highest levels, we should find the endemic Buru Mountain Pigeon, Buru Cuckooshrike, Buru Bush Warbler (or Buru Grasshopper Warbler), Buru Leaf Warbler and the neat Tawny-backed Fantail with its highly distinctive voice. Buru Oriole and Buru (or Streak-breasted) Jungle Flycatcher require a bit more effort but should give themselves up, and we have a good chance of bumping into the tricky Cinnamon-chested Flycatcher, a scarce regional endemic.

Wallacea is a great place for parrots of course, and here we have a very good chance of seeing the highly vocal Buru Racket-tail, as well as the more widespread Red (or Moluccan Red) Lory (endemic to the southern Moluccas), Great-billed Parrot, the weird Moluccan King Parrot and the amazing little Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot.

Other species that we should find along the logging road are the Buru form of the South Moluccan Pitta, as well as Brahminy Kite, Black Eagle, Spotted Kestrel, Oriental Hobby, White-bibbed and Claret-breasted Fruit-Doves, Large-tailed Nightjar, Glossy Swiftlet, Gray’s Grasshopper-Warbler, Mountain Tailorbird, Common Golden Whistler, the dazzling Wakolo Myzomela, Moluccan Starling, and Mountain White-eye. There is also a slim chance for Moluccan Masked Owl.

There will be a fair chance of finding Buru Thrush and Buru Honeyeater, but we would be more than fortunate to find Black-lored Parrot, Blue-fronted Lorikeet or the strange Madanga (or Madanga Pipit, formerly known as Rufous-throated Darkeye), which has now been reclassified as a pipit rather than a white-eye! We have, however, seen all three species on previous Birdquest tours so we must live in hope.

Nocturnal excursions will give us a good chance of the endemic Buru Boobook, Lesser Masked Owl and Moluccan Scops Owl.

At Bara on the northwest coast of Buru we can look for lowland specialities such as the endemic Black-tipped Monarch and Buru Green Pigeon and the Moluccan-endemic White-naped Monarch and Moluccan (or Slaty) Flycatcher, as well as the more widespread Coconut Lorikeet and Pacific (or Australian) Koel.

During our journeys on Buru, and when scanning offshore, we are also likely to see Lesser Frigatebird, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Grebe, Australasian Darter, Brown and Red-footed Boobies, Great, Little and Eastern Cattle Egrets, Peregrine Falcon, White-browed Crake, Buff-banded Rail, White-breasted Waterhen, Common Sandpiper, Greater Crested Tern, Spotted Dove, Pacific Swallow, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Willie Wagtail, White-breasted Woodswallow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, and Black-faced and Chestnut Munias.

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Day 8  After some final birding on Buru we will drive back to Namlea and return by air to Ambon for an overnight stay.

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Day 9  This morning we will travel by passenger ferry from Ambon to Masohi, a short distance away on the south coast of Seram. Seram is the largest island in the Moluccas (marginally larger than the well-known island of Halmahera, situated further to the north). It is elongated and very mountainous, with its tallest peak, Gunung Binaia (3027m or 9932ft), being the highest mountain in the whole of the Moluccan Archipelago. A narrow coastal plain, where most of the population lives, surrounds the jagged limestone formations of the central mountain chain.

Seram is still largely cloaked in fairly pristine rainforests, but recently the extraction of oil and timber has started on an industrial scale. An area of 1860 square kilometres (718 square miles) in the centre of Seram has been put aside as a protected area: Manusela National Park. The park covers altitudes between sea level and 2490m (8170ft) and contains a rich variety of habitats. Seram has at least 15 strictly endemic bird species and shares a number of Moluccan specialities with the nearby islands of Buru and Ambon, and the northern Moluccan islands of Halmahera, Bacan and Obi.

Upon arrival at Masohi, we will travel to the tiny village of Sawai, tucked away in a secluded cove on the north coast, for a three nights stay.

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Days 10-11  As we explore the wonderful forest in and around Manusela National Park, one of our main targets will be the rare Salmon-crested (or Seram) Cockatoo, a species that has suffered immensely from excessive trapping for the thriving cagebird trade in Indonesia (even being trapped inside the park!) but can still quite easily be found in small numbers. This delicately pink-hued cockatoo with its bright pinkish-red, backwards-curving crest is endemic to Seram, Ambon, Haruku and Saparua, but apparently only now survives on the former island.

Liquid fluty calls betray the presence of the rather dull-coloured Seram Oriole, which looks remarkably similar to Seram Friarbird (even several of their calls are indistinguishable). This striking visual and vocal mimicry of orioles and friarbirds occurs on a number of islands in the Moluccas, the eastern Lesser Sundas and also in New Guinea. One of the more conspicuous birds of the forest and a member of the mixed-species foraging flocks is the lovely endemic Streak-breasted Fantail. Bizarre-looking Long-crested Mynas often perch on high exposed branches along the forest edge. These conspicuous and noisy fruit eaters, with their amazing laterally-compressed, filamentous crests are also endemic to Seram.

It is always a good idea to spend a bit of time at fruiting trees as Seram Imperial Pigeon (split from Buru or Spectacled), and the spectacular Blyth’s Hornbills can easily be found there. The arresting Red Lory is still common despite trapping for the evil cagebird trade, and we will also find numerous Coconut Lorikeets and the fetching Moluccan King-Parrot. Red-flanked Lorikeet is rather scarce but we should find a few.

With the construction of the Trans-Seram Highway, we can now search for almost all of the highland specialities without the need for a trek. The highest pass on the road is situated at about 1270m and gives us easy access to the lower montane and submontane forest zones within the national park. Ericaceous shrubs and trees are a major component of the forest at these altitudes and, when they are flowering, attract the subtly-plumaged endemic Seram Honeyeater, Drab Myzomela and the bright Wakolo Myzomela. Rufescent Darkeye is an aberrant endemic white-eye that is so distinctive that it has been placed in its own genus (Tephrozosterops), while endemic Grey-hooded White-eyes show a peculiar white front and forage in the canopy.

Flocks of Seram Mountain Pigeons fly across the clearings and open areas. The near-endemic Purple-naped Lory is very rare in this region of the island (partly due to intensive trapping), so we will need a fair amount of luck if we are to observe this lovely parrot. Even rarer is Blue-eared Lory, which can sometimes be found at the highest point on the road.

Other highland species that we will be on the lookout for include Rufous-necked Sparrowhawk (a little-known Moluccan endemic), Black Eagle, the enigmatic Pygmy Eagle (the World’s smallest eagle), Great Cuckoo-Dove, the minute Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot, Seram Leaf Warbler, the skulking Seram Bush Warbler (or Seram Grasshopper Warbler) and Turquoise (or Island Verditer) Flycatcher.

In the lowlands, we will also be seeking out the endemic Seram (or Hantu) Boobook, the scarce Moluccan Dwarf Kingfisher, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Moluccan Cuckooshrike and the endemic Seram Fantail (sometimes lumped in Northern) Seram Golden Bulbul.

From our accommodation at Sawai, we will also visit the varied coastal habitats and small islands off the northern coast of Seram in search of Australian White Ibis, Great-billed Heron, Spotted Whistling Duck, Dusky Megapode, Little Kingfisher and the little-known, range-restricted Olive Honeyeater.

There may also be a good range of wintering and migrating shorebirds, such as Grey (or Black-bellied), Siberian (or Mongolian) and Greater Sand Plovers, Eurasian Whimbrel, (Far) Eastern Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Terek Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler and Red-necked Stint.

With luck, we will encounter the Critically Endangered Chinese Crested Tern, a species we have seen here on some previous visits.

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Day 12  After some final birding at Manusela National Park, we will travel to Piru in western Seram for an overnight stay.

Indonesia’s Southern & Central Moluccas: Day 13  Early this morning we will take a boat across to the neighbouring island of Boano in order to see the Critically Endangered endemic Boano (or Black-chinned) Monarch. Even though Boano is not a large island, it holds endemic races of Common Paradise Kingfisher and Seram Fantail.

Later, after some birding around Piru, we will travel to Kairatu and catch the afternoon ferry to Ambon, where our main tour ends.

TANIMBAR EXTENSION

Tanimbar: Day 1 The extension begins this morning at Saumlaki Airport on the island of Yamdena in the Tanimbar archipelago.

(Flights into Saumlaki are generally only from the island of Ambon, which is served by frequent flights from Jakarta and Makassar (formerly Ujung Pandang). We will be pleased to assist with domestic flights in Indonesia on request.)

This afternoon we will begin our exploration of endemic-rich Yamdena.

Tanimbar: Days 2-4  The Tanimbar Islands form the easternmost group of the Lesser Sundas (Nusa Tenggara) and, from a zoogeographical standpoint, are not part of the Moluccas, although politically they are considered part of Maluku. Currently, 15 species of birds are strictly endemic to the archipelago, and there are a number of near-endemics shared with the Kai Islands or with Babar and/or Damar.

In the past, there were some violent clashes between logging companies and local villagers over the irresponsible destruction (i.e. absolute clearing) of the forests on Yamdena, but luckily the situation has long since calmed down, and the locals concentrate once again on farming, fishing, ikat weaving and the carving of ‘patongs’ or wooden figures.

We will explore patches of forest along the main road that runs along the east coast of the island. Logging trails provide access to some good stands of forest and the mosaic of scrub, grassland and secondary growth will also provide us with some exciting birding.

Tanimbar Corella (or Tanimbar Cockatoo) is one of the most wanted endemics in this part of Indonesia, and can still be found easily, although the two endemic thrushes are much more dramatic in appearance. Diligent searching of the tracks and watercourses should reveal the presence of the Fawn-breasted Thrush, whilst the strikingly-patterned and more obvious Slaty-backed Thrush prefers the subcanopy.

The endemic Tanimbar Stubtail (or Tanimbar Bush Warbler) is a skulker that will need the right amount of careful coaxing before good views will be obtained. This species was only described as recently as 1987.

Bird flocks often hold the endemic Cinnamon-tailed and Long-tailed (or Charming) Fantails, together with the endemic fulviventris form of the Broad-billed Flycatcher (or Broad-billed Monarch) and the endemic Tanimbar (or Loetoe) Monarch. In the understorey, we will encounter the endemic Tanimbar Flycatcher, while the brightly-coloured endemic Golden-bellied Flyrobin tends to sit in the open.

Flowering trees often attract flocks of unobtrusive endemic Tanimbar Starlings and gaudy endemic Blue-streaked Lories. Range-restricted species such as Elegant (or Yellow-eyed) and Pink-headed Imperial Pigeons, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove (of the modestly-hued xanthogaster race,), the superb Wallace’s Fruit-Dove and the endemic Tanimbar Cuckoo-Dove gather in fruiting trees, while the splendid, near-endemic Pied Bronze Cuckoo (often lumped in Little Bronze) leads a quiet life hiding in the canopy. The endemic White-browed (or Tanimbar) Triller often poses in the treetops and the dainty, regionally endemic Rufous-sided (or Banda Sea) Gerygone flits about in the mid-storey.

We will go out at night, armed with a spotlight to try for the more straightforward endemic Tanimbar Boobook and, with persistence and just a bit of luck, we will also encounter the endemic nominate form of the Moluccan Masked Owl. Eastern Barn Owl is also possible.

Other special birds we can expect to encounter on Yamdena include the endemic Tanimbar Oriole, the near-endemic Tanimbar Friarbird (shared with Kai), the near-endemic Tanimbar Myzomela (shared with Babar and lumped in Banda Myzomela by IOC), the near-endemic Black-bibbed (or Banda Sea) Monarch, the near-endemic Violet-hooded Starling (shared with Damar) and the endemic Pink-breasted (or Salvadori’s) Flowerpecker.

The shy endemic Tanimbar Megapode (or Tanimbar Scrubfowl) inhabits the dark forest interior and can be heard duetting in the vicinity of its huge nest mounds, It is definitely the hardest Tanimbar endemic to see on Yamdena itself and is much easier on the offshore islets where hunting is absent or reduced. We will travel by boat to one or two such small islands where we have a very good chance of success. Other birds on these islets include Pacific Reef Heron, Australian Pelican, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Island Monarch and (if visiting from mid-Septembeer onwards) Pacific Golden Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Common Sandpiper and, with luck, Little Curlew.

A spectacular rock is home to breeding Greater Crested, Bridled and Black-naped Terns, Great and Lesser Frigatebirds, Brown Booobies and Little Black Cormorants.

Other species of note include Bonelli’s Eagle (of the form renschi, known as Rensch’s Eagle), the eye-catching Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher, Spotted (or Indonesian) Kestrel, Wallacean Cuckooshrike (of the endemic form unimoda, a potential split as Tanimbar Cuckooshrike), the restricted-range Yellow-throated and Wallacean Whistlers, Arafura (or Supertramp) Fantail, the endemic ‘Tanimbar Spangled’ Drongo (sometimes split from Wallacean), Scaly-breasted (or Banda) Honeyeater, Ashy-bellied White-eye, Five-coloured Munia and the gorgeous Tricoloured Parrotfinch. At this time of year, migrant Oriental Plovers are fairly regular on Yamdena, but we could encounter this special bird anywhere on the tour.

More widespread species include Australasian Grebe, Little Pied Cormorant, Nankeen (or Rufous) Night Heron, Pied and Striated Herons, Eastern Cattle, Little and Great Egrets, Glossy and Uniform Swiftlets, Australian Pratincole, Variable Goshawk, Brahminy Kite, Pacific Baza, Whiskered Tern, Pacific Emerald and Barred Doves, Lesser Coucal, Brush Cuckoo, Collared and Sacred Kingfishers, Oriental Dollarbird, Australian Hobby, Eclectus, Red-cheeked and Great-billed Parrots, Pacific and Barn Swallows, Shining Flycatcher (or Shining Monarch), White-breasted Woodswallow, Tawny Grassbird, Golden-headed Cisticola, Metallic Starling, Scaly-breasted Munia and Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

Uncommon possibilities include Radjah Shelduck, Great-billed Heron, Brown and King Quails, the impressive Channel-billed Cuckoo, the attractive Azure Kingfisher and the surprisingly scarce Torresian Crow.

Tanimbar: Day 5  We will take a morning flight to Ambon where we meet up with those arriving for the main tour.

OBI & BACAN EXTENSION

Obi & Bacan: Day 1  This evening we will depart by overnight ferry from Ambon to the large but little-visited island of Obi, which lies in the central Moluccas to the north of Ambon, Buru and Seram.

Obi & Bacan: Days 2-4  During our explorations on Obi, a very rarely birded part of Indonesia where we will stay for three nights, we will want to see the six endemics currently recognized by the IOC: Moluccan (or Obi) Woodcock (a species known also from a single record from Bacan, situated to the southwest of Halmahera), Carunculated Fruit Dove, Obi Paradise-crow, Red-tinged Myzomela, Cinnamon-breasted (or Obi) Whistler and Obi Golden Bulbul, all of which we should see.

In addition, Obi has a series of distinctive forms, a number of which are likely to be recognized as full species by the IOC in the future. These include the Obi forms of Cinnamon-bellied Imperial Pigeon (obiensis), Common Paradise Kingfisher (obiensis), Violet-necked Lory (obiensis), Chattering Lory (flavopalliatus, also found on Bacan and other islands), Spangled Drongo (guillemardi), Northern Fantail (obiensis) and Island Leaf Warbler (waterstradti, also occurring on Bacan). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago already treats ‘Obi Spangled Drongo’ and ‘Obi Fantail’ and as endemic species and includes the local leaf warbler in North Moluccan Leaf Warbler. In addition, there is an as-yet-undescribed myzomela (‘Obi Myzomela’) which is surely a distinct species and an undescribed form of white-eye known as ‘Obi White-eye’.

Obi & Bacan: Day 5  Today we will cross over to the island of Bacan, situated not far to the north of Obi, for an overnight stay. Bacan holds the endemic Bacan Myzomela as well as ‘Bacan Spangled Drongo’ (an undescribed form) and ‘Bacan White-eye’ (lumped by IOC in Cream-throated White-eye), both of which are already split in Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago. The endemic margarethae form of the Common Paradise Kingfisher may also merit species status.

Obi & Bacan: Day 6  After some final birding on Bacan we will return by overnight ferry to Ternate.

Obi & Bacan: Day 7  The extensioin ends this morning at Ternate airport.