The Second Group of Rockjumper Birding Tours to Sulawesi And Halmahera (8 pax + 1 RBT Leader)

Birding Period : July 26^th - August 12^th , 2012

 The Vacation Indonesia Tours organise and guided a  Rockjumper Senior Tour Leader, David Hoddinott this year lead a bitding tours to Sulawesi and Halmahera starting ponit in Makassar and Ending Point in Manado. The group coming to Makassar as the starting pont for this tour. Nurlin Djuni also coming with group  as long as the trip. After 8 pax arrived  then overnight in Pantai Gapura Hotel Makassar on night of 26^th, Dinner together with David Hoddinott. The early morning of July 27 all participants drive to Karaenta forest for seeing the black-ring white eye only seen on Karaenta forest. Here they saw sulawesi-dwarf hornbill and the other birds of Sulawesi. After visiting Karaenta then fly to Palu then drive about 3 hours to Lore Lindu National park. On the way to Lore Lindu they birded on Dongi-dongi for the purple winged rollers, white neck myna, lesser coucal, sulawesi drongo, red-knobbed hornbill, yellow-billed malkoha  Arround 7 PM  they arrived in Shendy Lodge. Birding here in Lore Lindu they saw scally-breasted king fisher, olive flanked whistler, sombre pigeon, malia, purple-bearded bee eater, etc. After a few days in Lore Lindu then return to Palu. The next day fly to Manado via Makassar then directly drive to Bogani Nani Wartabone NP about 5 hours and overnight in Senator Hotel and Resort. The highlight of birds here are maleo, red-back thrush, red-bellied pitta

After few days here then return to Manado and proceed to go to Tangkoko Nature Reserve for the lorekeets, Sulawesi large hanging parrot, lilac cheeked kingfisher,great-billed kingfisher on the mangrove, Sulawesi nightjar, great eared nightjar. After visiting Tangkoko then fly to Ternate for about 7 days on Halmahera for the wallacean-standardwings, purple-dollar bird, moustache-tree swift, paradise king fisher, molucan-owletnightjar, sombre kingfisher, etc.

After  doing birding here then fly to Manado then directly visiting the Gunung Mahawu near the crater.

The Participants :

1. David Hoddinott  (Tour Leader)
2. John Hanna
3. Garry Starr
4. Kathlene Starr
5. Anthon Menart
6. Frank O’Connor
7. Thomas Heatley
8. Dalle Manor
9. Stefan Williams