Early in October, I guided some birder and photographers in a farmland outside Manado city. We went there to enjoy general birding. We started at 05:00 and finished at 10:00. Beyond our expectation, we saw Minahasa Hooded Pitta (Pitta forsteni) and Sulawesi Pitta (Erythropitta celebensis). Here are the recorded videos of them.
Minahasa Hooded Pitta
Sulawesi Pitta
The first collection of Minahasa Hooded Pitta that reached Europe was the one from Eltio Alegondus Forsten - a Dutch naturalist who studied animals and plants and did collecting works in Manado and Tondano of North Sulawesi from March 20, 1840 to June 19, 1841.
We did not watch these pittas from an observation hut or a bird hide. We watched them directly in the open area of the farmland. The birds were not afraid of human because they were not hunted in the area.
We also saw a lot of interesting birds of Sulawesi including Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, Yellow-billed Malkoha, Bay Coucal, Pale Blue Monarch, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Finch-billed Myna, Barred Rail, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sulawesi Brush Cuckoo, and Sulawesi Crow.
We also saw various species of birds along the edge of farmland area including Zebra Dove, Pacific Swallow, Green Imperial Pigeon, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon, and Collared Kingfisher.
As a birding guide, I usually play the recorded sound of birds to attract birds to come out of their hiding places in the forest closer to where we are. However, during the morning general birding walk, I only played the bird sounds several times.
Tour participants were very happy to see all these birds. We returned to Manado city at around 10:30.
Where is Manado city and how to get there?
Manado is the capital of North Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. It is the main gate for visitors who want to go diving in Bunaken islands, Lembeh Strait. Visitors who want to visit Manado need to fly to Singapore and the continue their trip by Scoot Air to Manado city. There are also regular daily flights between Manado and major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, Sorong and Ternate.
Where to stay in Manado city?
There are a lot of hotels which visitors could choose to stay. Visitors could find them through booking.com or traveloka.com.
If you are interested in taking this short birding tour in Manado city and want me to organize your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.
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