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trip to Indonesia June/July 2018 (1 Viewer)

ammadoux

Registered doux
Hello all.
started the trip form Jeddah to Jakarta about 8 hours flight, took off at 12:50 am on Friday 22nd. way passed my bed time but i did get to sleep for about 4/5 hours and spend the rest studying "Birds of Indonesia" a photographic guide. it doesn't take a genies to realize that for only few species, most of there birds will be very different form what i see in Jeddah. which means that every bird will be a lifer, but then from my experience in Sri Lanka, spotting birds and taking decent shots will not be as easy as it is in Jeddah where its all open perches and not very dense trees.


Arrived in Jakarta and while i was waiting for checking in in the hotel, i saw what i immediately realize to be a Bulbul. very similar to ours, and it was the sooty headed bulbul. that day was the shortest day probably in my life as i was travelling against the sun. My two aunts and me decided to stay close by the hotel and have an early dinner and go to sleep early specially that one of them did not sleep the whole flight.

very early in the morning form the room window i saw many swifts and the are all over everywhere we go and all day, not like those here who you can see after sunrise and before sunset. it was a day for the city port and the museum, i soon realized that the Eurasian tree sparrow is as common as our house sparrow Just like in the Philippine which i visited 6 years ago. and they have a common dove that make sounds similar to our laughing doves. looked hard for birds in the trees but i could only hear them.

what is so sad that every where you find birds on cages, was shocked to see the fabulous long tailed shrike caged also. did not enjoy my lunch, although it was so fabulous, and remind me of my childhood days in my home town in Mecca when we use to have many Indonesian as pligrems and they use to invites us little kids to join there lovely meals they use to cook themselves. at the end of the meal i decided to buy the shrike and set it free. that i could not do because they have plucked his long tail, so my aunt told me that it might not be a good idea to let him go free he might not survive. i just listing to her but i know there are good chances for him to survive. i have seen a tail less black bush robin doing so well without his gorgeous tail.

one of my Indonesian friends, thought as a bird lover i might be interested to go to Jakarta bird market, or even bird park. that was completely shocking to me but then one should show respect to other countries traditions even if they contradict with his believes :eek!:

as the next day we were heading to Bali, i decided to leave my aunts to look for the famous Batik work, and go to the near by Taman Suropati public park, i really wanted to get some nice shots of the tree sparrow a thing i could not do when i was in Manila. the weather was fine with nice sunshine, i did get the sparrow, doves, bulbul and this amazing bird.

was so happy with the few shots, a bit sad i did not get a video for it. then on my was back to meet my aunts in a streets of a residential area, i saw the very hyper active Zitting cisticola, or it could be a pirina, it moved so fast and sending out there famous loud trilling.

as soon as i arrived the hotel in Bali, it was approaching sunset, i heard the lovely musical songs of a bulbul, went to see it, and it was the famous yellow vented bulbul, gave me a chance for some nice shots but only at iso 2000 as the light was very low. while we were having our dinner in the hotel garden i kept on hearing them and some lovely calls a bit different.

so it was an early start for me next day, in such a beautiful park possibilities are so promising. I enjoyed some nice bird watching but no great shots. Went for breakfast, my aunts wanted to have a walk by the beach, no thanks, I will stay in the hotel. And join them in the afternoon trip. I soon discoved a pair of Javan munia building a nest right in fornt of anutie Laila room.

Soon I hear the familiar call, that I know very well not the same but very close to the NV sunbirds, sure no NV here but one of the many other sunbirds they have here, so exciting, now I have to use what I know about sunbirds to predict where I can find it in such a big park, by 11 am, I heard a loud call indicating one to be close, I ran to the near tree with red flowers and LOL the gorgeous male with his fabulous blue throat and breast. Easy also to ID as the olive backed sunbirds. Tip. Easy to get sunbirds by 11 am and before 12 am, at any flowers either red, orange or yellow.

So starting form 6 am use to spend about 90 mints between rooms overlooking the back garden, there were I found also the scaly breasted munia having little ones and many pairs of the Javan munia with little ones here is a video ( the spotted dove calls in the back ground). Found also the the sooty headed bulbul but not as common as in Jakarta, could be originated form cage and so with the two munia I mentioned before one cannot mistake the barred winged pirina but so difficult to nail with the camera. Got some nice shots for the female olive backed sunbird, but I could not get any shot for the gorgeous black naped oriole that dropped in font of me at the branch, but soon he was attacked but he yellow vented bulbul. (the shot here is taken form the Bali bird park). seeing it solved the mystery of the gorgeous songs that we use to hear after sunset.
The swifts always flying, yes all are lifers and made me so excited but frankly I thought they are much less than what is excepted in such beautiful and lush garden. Nothing around a beach, maybe a couple of terns. No waders. Walking along the beach between gardens of the resort I heard a wood pecker my aunt saw it quickly hiding between high branches.

My visit to the mangroves was really disappointing, they cover a vast area, when you get there you will be stunned with the bird calls and songs you would think you came to a bird heaven and you really did, lots of herons and bitterns and big birds with long legs I never saw before, but they take off as soon as I appeared I was walking along only with my camera, well maybe this is normal but here in Jeddah they seem to be more friendly, a black and white bird came out of the dense branches with its long tail moving right and left, but I could not get a good shot, I am thinking it maybe a Willie wagtail. Thought I would spend half a day there but the smell was horrible clearly they are dumping sewage water there beside the massive amount of plastic waste. I just had to leave after only 40 mint. Feeling sad why would such a place don’t get the proper attention.
I was rewarded next day at our trip to the Tegenungan water fall, with a shot of the Ashy tailor bird, and the Horse-field bronze cuckoo, did not find it in the book I have, the nice people in the ID forum here helped, as they always do.

On the 1st of July we left Bali to Yog Jakarta, which is the old capital of Java the time of the Sultanates. Our main target is to visit the old places of the Sultans, and the very important Bloodiest temple of Borobudur. And a nearby Prambanan Hindu temple. Was not very excited about those two days as I am not really a fan of history and visiting religious places, but I have to admit I had a super day of the 3rd of July, the gardens around Borobudur were so gorgeous, (did ignore the fact that they were made after chopping the forests that use to surround that wonderful temple), trust me it worth visiting, my aunts decided to climb all the way up to the last level the Nervana, I decided to stay down the look for birds and butterflies, was more lucky with the butterflies as I photographed about six, found a friendly Zebra dove, black sunbird, and a crimson berated little chat who I got a poor shot for it. My aunts came down one (auntie Salma) with an injured knee and auntie Laila scolded me for being so lazy not up with them :-C :-O. Both were starving so off to the Lunch, there in the resultant garden also I found many butterflies and lots of lizards a flying one which I saw for the first time. Another gorgeous dish of Nasi gorenge with fairy hot sambal. And off to Prambanan Hindu temple. Passing by the Paddy fields I spotted the gorgeous Javan king fisher along with many other birds. Asked the driver Yoga to go back and got some shots and a video.
One hour before sunset we arrived Prambanan temple, there the sooty headed bulbuls made gorgeous show for me, I just had to stay with them, what a way to avoid more stair climbing, LOL.
Finally three days in Jakarta between shopping and family and friends, but a trip to Bogor botanical garden, both my aunts are great gardeners, had a super day with them there no chance for the so many birds up in the long trees to come down, why should they? everything they need is up there.

Here are some images form my trip. Hope you like it.
 

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more images

here are more from the trip.
left to right.

the hotel garden in bali
the black naped oriole.
the Tegenungan water fall
lizards
 

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more images

more images.
left to right.

me trying to be creative with my cell phone shots.
my two grgoeus aunts Salma with gray hair, and Laila, yours truly in the back standing on the tree trunk trying to look taller.
my cell phone image i took.
Uncle Ali who arranged this super trip, thanks a million for every thing he did.
 

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Great pics and it looks like you had a great time Doux and looks like Ali was having a great time as well ;)
 
Great pics and it looks like you had a great time Doux and looks like Ali was having a great time as well ;)

yes he was happy with us, but he never showed it, and he never liked the idea that he had to listen to his older sister Salma. and not to use foul words and all the other tantrums. but you know he is the best.
 
Love the oriole shot, Ammadoux. It's not often you see them other than looking up at them.

But you should have climbed Borubudur like your aunts said. It really is quite peaceful at the top. Not quite nirvana, but still very pleasant. o:)
 
Oooh!!! I'm saving this tab to read at leisure Doux.

Really looking forward to this lass.
 
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