The


Skogsøy Webshop Home Travel Gullfjell Contact
Tjeldstø Galleries Offshore Equipment U.K. Links

Øygarden Services Articles Accommodation Books


Birding Indonesia - White-bellied Sea Eagle - Padang padang beach

(Not) Birding Bali
06-17 November 2019

This trip report covers a few weeks spent in Indonesia. As usual for my holidays this was in no way a full-on birding vacation and was more a "Lonely Planet" type bucket list trip with incidental birding wherever we happened to be. We kicked off on Bali where we stayed at a few locations before moving on to Raja Ampat where we stayed at two different diving lodge resorts. The birding priority for me was the Birds of Paradise, just about everything else was incidental.

In short Bali was way too busy, overdelveloped and crowded; Raja Ampat was paradise. One of the highlights of Bali, apart from the birds, was the food - especially at the coast where the seafood was incredible.

This page covers the time spent on Bali. Birding Raja Ampat is covered on this page.


In flight preparations,business class to Indonesia
The extent of my preparations for the trip - the field guide came out on the flight....
Things had already gone wrong at this stage - although this did not become apparent until much later in the trip!


We used the Lonely Planet guides extensively for planning and during the trip:


Also as usual I played a very small role indeed in planning this trip; my girlfriend put the trip together as a combination of birding, a Lonely Planet bucket list and hiking. My contribution was minimal.


As someone who doesn't like too much heat Indonesia was a bit of a killer with high temperatures and high humidity. During our time there even the locals said that it was unusually hot and that the rains should have started.


I took the Lynx Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea with me - the fact that it did not in fact cover the whole of Indonesia and was clearly lacking in the coverage of Raja Ampat was something that did not become apparrent until too late - altough this is clearly stated in the book itself. I really need to improve my preparations! This field guide worked very well on Bali and Nusa Lembongan and pretty well on Raja Ampat despite missing a number of species at the latter location.





With hindsight I would have done Bali differently. As for Raja Ampat, which is paradise,
I would definitely like to get back to do some more serious birding....


We saw a total of at least XX  species during our stay. 

For an annotated species list see this link.

Itinery in Indonesia:
06-09 November 2019: Jimbaran, Bali
09-10 November 2019: Bingin, Bali
10-13 November 2019: Nusa Lembongan
13-17 November 2019: Ubud
18-22 November 2019: Urai Island, Raja Ampat
22-27 November 2019: Gam Island, Raja Ampat
28 November 2019: Jakarta







Jimbaran 06-09 November
We used Jimbaran to settle in, doing little else than walking on the beach and stuffing ourselves with the most amazing seafood - this latter activity also on the beach
. Incredible sunsets here too - a subject that came up later in the holiday -

Jimbaran FIsh Market, Bali, Indonesia
.
Jimbaran FIsh Market, Bali, Indonesia Jimbaran FIsh Market, Bali, Indonesia Jimbaran FIsh Market, Bali, Indonesia Jimbaran FIsh Market, Bali, Indonesia


The fish market at the airport end of the beach was amazing - the sheer variety of fish and other seafood was as fascinating as the colours.

Another very pleasant surprise about the beach here was that it was not crowded at all and there was little in the way of pushy guides or people trying to sell souvenirs.

Birding here was limited to the hotel garden and the beach. Ornate Sunbird, Spotted Dove and Sunda Yellow-vented bulbul were the commonest species around. Other species in the garden were Pied Fantail and Collared Kingfisher. Overhead Linchi Swiflets were everyhwere along with smaller numbers of Pacific Swallows and White-breasted Woodswallows.

Dead fish on the beach, Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia

Dead fish on the beach, Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia
Remora (sucker fish) spp - found dead on the beach at Jimbaran

Romora (sucker fish) on the beach, Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia
Close up of the head showing the "sucker" it uses to attach to its host


Along the beach a few species of terns were regular with the commonest being Greater Crested Tern, followed by the longipennis race of Common Tern (Eastern Common Tern) and one Little Tern. A freshly dead White-tailed Tropicbird lay on the tideline one morning. Another feature of the beach were the numbers of dead fish on the tideline - probably unwanted by-catch discarded by fishermen.

We also took a trip to Uluwatu via Padang padang beach. The cliffs and the monastary at Uluwatu were spectacular but almost birdless - I later read that this can be a good place to seawatch but I saw no seabirds of any kind here. The only bird sighting of note at Uluwatu was the first of only a few Pacific Swifts seen during the trip.




The beach at Padang padang was also virtually birdless although the first White-bellied Sea Eagle of the trip flew in off the sea with a fish.



Jimbaran Beach, Bali, Indonesia
Jimbaran Beach, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019


Greater Crested Tern, Jimbaran Beach, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Greater Crested Tern, Jimbaran Beach, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019

Sunda Pied Fantail, Bingin, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Sunda Pied Fantail in the hotel garden.
As is so often the case I end up using ISO values I never knew existed when photographing in the tropics. The light levels seem to make a dull Norwegian winter day seem positively bright!

Ornate Sunbird
Ornate Sunbird was one of the common "garden" birds wherever we went on Bali - this one photographed on Nusa Lembongan



A nice start to the trip, although nothing to write home about bird-wise with less than 20 species seen.

Bingin 09-10 November
An amazing room on the cliffs above the beach was the highlight here - although we were glad we took the advice about not leaving things outside as monkeys raided the terrace repeatedly.
Being in a rather less developed area it was obvious that there were more birds about here and the cliffs seemed popular for birds to soar along. The ever present swiftlets fed constantly and were joined by hirundines, at least one Pacific Swift and the first Lesser Frigatebird of the trip.

The Temple Lodge, Bingin, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
The view from the terrace.....


Long tailed macaque, Temple Lodge, Bingin, Indonesia

White and dark phase Pacific Reef Herons fed on the shore here, Javan Myna put in an appearance and a small party of Javan Tailorbirds fed in the foliage around the terrace. A confusing sighting which is either a misidentification or an indication of the immense scale of the Indonesian wild bird trade was a Triller that showed itsellf as we moved into the room.

Yellow-vented Bulbul and Collared Kingfisher were common again here.

Pods of Dolphins and schools of tuna attacking smaller fish were seen from the terrace early in the mornings - before the crowds of surfers turned up.
 

Male Lesser Frigatebird, Bingin, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Male Lesser Frigatebird, Bingin, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019


Triller, Bingin, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
White-shouldered Triller, Bingin, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
HBW states that the supercillium is sometimes poorly marked. Thanks to the good people at BirdForum for helping out on this one!

Linchi Swiftlet, Bingin, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Above and below: Linchi Swiftlet, Bingin, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
These swiflets were as widespread as they were difficult to photograph!




Linchi Swiftlet, Bingin, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Linchi Swiftlet, Bingin, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
















Lembongan / Ceningan 11-13 November
We took the ferry over to Lembongan and installed ourselves in a beach resort - for the first time ever. The use of bicycles was included here so we cycled around a fair bit, taking in the neighbouring island of Ceningan which involved crossing the famous "Yellow Bridge". We also cycled around most of Lembongan looking at the mangroves and other sights.  Each morning I took a short walk before breakfast.

Red-necked Phalarope, Devil's Tear, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia
Red-necked Phalarope escaping a wave, Devil's Tear, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia

Cerulean Kingfisher, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
Cerulean Kingfisher, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019

Bird highlights here for me were a Red-necked Phalarope at the very touristy Devil's Tear where massive waves pounded the cliffs and best of all - Cerulean Kingfisher - a cracking little bird seen very well as it perched on small boats to fish in the channels on the exposed mudflats near the Yellow Bridge.

These two islands added a lot more species to the trip list including Long-tailed Shrike, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Zebra Dove, White-breasted Waterhen, Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Black-naped Oriole, Purple Heron, Grey-tailed Tattler, Black-faced Munia, Pied Cormorant and more.

An Olive-headed Lorikeet was a presumed escape. This may also have been the identity of a small but noisy flock of parrots/lorikeets that I saw briefly around the village a few times but never managed to clinch.

Whimbrels, Nusa Lemongang, Indonesia, November 2019
Whimbrels, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
Photo taken with a compact superzoom
This was far and away the commonest wader in the area


In many ways a depressing stay considering the total development of the area, the amount of rubbish and destruction of mangrove areas. Even my favourite area - the mudflats separating the islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningag are hugely disturbed, with people collecting shells, cultivatig seaweed and so on.  However, the same kind of thing goes on everywhere and is by no means just an Indonesian issue.



Sooty-headed Bulbul, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
Sooty-headed Bulbul, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019

Spotted Dove, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
Spotted Dove, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
One of the commonest, widespread and tamest species we encountered

Collared Kingfisher, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
Collared Kingfisher, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
"Point and pray" superzoom

Black-faced Munia, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
Black-faced Munia, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
"Point and pray" superzoom

Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
"Point and pray" superzoom

White-breasted Waterhen, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
White-breasted Waterhen, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
DSLR with 400mm telephoto lens

White-breasted Woodswallow, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
White-breasted Woodswallow, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
One of the commoner species encountered around Bali and Nusa Lembongang
"Point and pray" superzoom



Pacific Swallow, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
Pacific Swallow, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia, November 2019
DSLR with 400mm telephoto lens

"sunset" beach, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia
Evening view from the room

Seaweed Farm, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia
Seaweed Farm, Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia


Ubud, Bali, 13-17 November
Ubud revealled itself to be a crowded and noisy place and not quite what we had expected / hoped for. 

However, the hotel we stayed in was probably one of the better ones and the garden and surrounding rice paddies produced some birds and gave good photo opportunities. Plaintive Cuckoo, Golden headed Cisticola, Javan Munia, Scaly breasted Munia, Wood Sandpipers and more were present here.

We spent our time in Ubud doing some walks in the immediate vicinity and doing some of the touristy bucket list things like the Ubud Monkey Forest, the Tegalalang rice paddies (thankflully doing this early in the morning before the area actually opened), visiting temples and so on.

The undoubted highlight of Ubud was taking the Bali Bird Walk where Su, the guide, led a few of us on a walk through the rice paddies. We saw XX species during the walk which was good for the birds and at least as good for all the "incidental" information about the operation of the rice paddies, the plants and more. Su is an excellent and enthusiatic guide and makes sure everyone gets onto the birds, animals, insects, butterflies and plants she spots. See link further down on this page for contact details. The bird walk alone produced a number of new species for the trip including Intermediate Egret, Greater Coucal, Common Iora, Brown-throated Sunbird, Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo, Brown-backed Needletail, Sunda Cuckoo and Chineese Sparrowhawk.





Cattle Egret, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Cattle Egret, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Here swalllowing a grasshopper and protecting its eyes as it did so, this photograph was taken from a restaurant where we were eating breakfast
Click on the image above for more Cattle Egret pictures.

Javan Pond Heron, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Javan Pond Heron, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
This is one of the signature species in Ubud and the surrounding area, here photographed in the hotel grounds

Plaintive Cuckoo, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Plaintive Cuckoo, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019




Upwelling spring at the Tirta Empul Temple


Balinese dancing, Ubud

Jakarta, 28 November
This was just a transfer day on the last day of the trip but I tried to make the best out of things and took a walk to the National Monument park as recommended by Nick Upton (see link further down this page). Although it was rather late morning by the time I arrived Coppersmith Barbets were easy to find and common around the edge of the park. Sooty-headed Bulbul were also numerous here.

Coppersmith Barbet, Jakarta, Indonesia, November 2019
Coppersmith Barbet, Jakarta, Indonesia, November 2019

National Monumnet, Jakarta
National Monument, Jakarta

Other animals

Crabs, Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Crabs on the rocks on Jimbaran beach

Crabs, Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Another type of crab, also on Jimbaran beach

Monkey, Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Monkeys (Long-tailed Macaque otherwise known as Crab eating Macaque) were everywhere and very tame in the tourist traps. This picture was taken at Uluwatu.

Crab, Nusa Lemongan, Indonesia, November 2019

Fiddler(?) crab, Nusa Lemongang, Indonesia, November 2019
Just one of some extrordinary crabs living on the mudflats of the mangroves on Nusa Lembongan - this is a type of fiddler crab

Gliding Lizard, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019
Gliding Lizard, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, November 2019




Books for Bali:




Links:

Bali Bird Walk.



Avibase

Burung Nusantara - Birding Indonesia

Birding Jakarta






All content on this site, including Natural Born Birder logo, is copyright © 2005-2020
High resolution versions of most images on this website are available. Please contact me regarding image use or other enquiries.


Birding Top 500 Counter