My Ride and Bird Life: November 2012

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Birding at Baluran National Park, 05-07 October 2012

Introduction: Baluran National Park is one of the best birding hot spot located at East Java. It takes around 8 hours drive from Surabaya. Highlight from this trip is the critically endangered Black-winged Starling (tricolor race), the endangered Green Peafowl, Green Junglefowl, Island Collared Dove, Spotted Kestrel, and Woolly-necked Stork.

It was a fruitful photography trip although I got no lifers and I missed the Java Sparrow. I'm so happy because finally I have a chance to take some pictures of Green Junglefowl, Green Peafowl, Black-winged Starling, and Island Collared Dove at a close range. I went there with some of my friends from Go Wild Indonesia. But, at the park I separate myself from the others and focusing on my target. That's why we're yielding different kind of birds, my friends saw some nice species, like Lesser Adjutant, Oriental Pied Hornbill, White-bellied Woodpecker, Red Junglefowl, Javan Plover, etc but I saw the main attraction of Baluran National Park the courtship display of male Green Peafowl in the wild. It is one of the stunning moment I've ever seen in my life.

When I show the pictures to my friends, they ask me how to get close to that Peafowl. I answer them, I just woke up early morning just like them, sat near the waterhole, and pray to GOD that your target will come to drink. Because I sat close enough to the waterhole, I cover myself with double-layered camouflage net so the animals will not be afraid and they can do their things naturally while I took their pictures.

For Black-winged Starling I do something that I've never been experienced before, climbing the tree with my camera hanging down on my shoulder. And one thing that I don't expected to see is the Black-winged Starling itself. Actually I climb the tree to take the Island Collared Dove, but they never perched on the open branch like the Black-winged Starling did.

A couple of Black-winged Starling perched on Acacia nilotica.

A couple of Black-winged Starling perched on Acacia nilotica with Island Collared Dove group.

Spotted Dove perched on Acacia nilotica.

Island Collared Dove perched on Acacia nilotica.

Male Green Peafowl Habitat.

Male Green Peafowl with its long tail.

Timor Deer is one of the easiest to see animal at Baluran National Park.

Timor Deer is easy to be photographed if you sit lower than its height.

Female Green Peafowl dust bathing.

Female Green Peafowls during mid day roost.

Female Green Peafowl during mid day roost.

Female Green Peafowls foraging at Bekol Savanna.

Female Green Peafowl has shorter tail than the male.

Female Green Peafowl at the waterhole at Bekol Savanna.

Male Green Peafowl at Savanna prefers to drink from the food trough than from the waterhole. Maybe because from there he has a wider view to watch its surrounding.

Male Green Junglefowl at the waterhole near Bekol Guesthouse.

Male and Female Green Junglefowl.

Male Green Peafowl prefers to attract the female rather than have a drink from the waterhole.

Island Collared Dove group at the waterhole near Bekol Guesthouse.

Male Green Junglefowl drinking at the same waterhole.

When drinking, the Male Green Junglefowl still watching its surrounding.

Male Green Peafowl fanning its tail to attract the females.

Female Green Peafowl drinking from the waterhole while the male dancing not far from her position.

Each Male Green Peafowl has different "eyes" number on its tail.

Female Green Peafowl with dancing male in background.

Female Green Peafowl at the waterhole near Bekol Guesthouse.

Green Peafowl typical habitat at Baluran National Park.

Record Shot of Spotted Kestrel.

Record shot of Spotted Kestrel.

Female Green Peafowl were looking for seeds.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Birding at Muara Angke Wildlife Sanctuary, 27 October 2012

Observer: Boas Emmanuel, Khaleb Yordan, and Andi Hartanto.

We began our observation at 06.30PM, our main purpose is to find and count the Black-winged Starling, and Javan Coucal numbers there. Both of them is a endemic species to Indonesia, and threatened by habitat loss. Muara Angke Wildlife Sanctuary is their last stronghold in Jakarta.

Now, there’s only few Water Hyacinth left at the main lake so it attracts the White-winged Terns, Lesser Whistling Ducks, and a pair of Sunda Teal. White-winged Tern usually sighted at the end of Angke River, and never been recorded inside Muara Angke Wildlife Sanctuary. While we observe them, the Black-winged Starling group were flying around the lake which make our counting easier.

A couple of Lesser Whistling Duck.

Lesser Whistling with a Water Hyacinth.


A couple of Lesser Whistling Duck.

A pair of Sunda Teal.

Small group of Lesser Whistling Duck.

A couple of Lesser Whistling Duck.

A big group of Lesser Whistling Duck.

Lesser Whistling Duck Habitat.


A couple of Black-winged Starling in flight. PS: Sorry for the HALO effect.

At the water edges, we saw the Ruddy-breasted and White-browed Crake. Surprisingly, the White-browed is more territorial than its cousin. At the beginning it always drive the Ruddy to forage inside the grass which make us a little bit “desperate” because we afraid we won’t get any pictures of the Ruddy. But, that feel is gone when in the afternoon the White-browed finally share its feeding ground with its cousin. We learned that both of them feed on the same prey, I think that’s why the White-browed always chase the Ruddy. At the end of our observation, we don’t find any Javan Coucal but one of my friend saw it twice near the front office. Other highlight from this visit is Male Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Purple-backed Starling, Black and Cinnamon Bittern..