North Sulawesi Part 1 - 24th-27th October - Days 7-10
24th October was a travelling day with no birding. In the morning we flew from Palu to Manado via a return to Makasar. In the afternoon we drove for 5 hours from Manado to the Sutan Raja Hotel in Kotamabagu.
On 25th October we spent the day in the Tambun Maleo Conservation Area - which was a 1 hour drive from our hotel. We soon saw Maleo and spent the morning walking the trails in the forest. After an early lunch Susan announced a 2½ hour break during the heat of the day. I took the opportunity to enjoy some quiet walking and birding along the nearby tracks and added 7 species new for the trip. In the afternoon we set off for a further 1 hour drive (away from the hotel), but Susan soon announced that we did not have time to do what she was planning. I have mixed feelings about this - if there really was a destination with some worthwhile birding to be done we should not have had a 2½ hour siesta - on the other hand I was happy to avoid the extra 3 hours in the minibus and enjoyed the afternoon's birding in the paddy fields around the Maleo reserve.
The maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) is a large megapode and the only member of its genus. It is endemic to Sulawesi and is found in the tropical lowland and hill forests. It nests in open sandy areas, volcanic soils, or beaches. The maleo's egg is large, about five times as large as that of the domestic chicken's and has been harvested as a popular delicacy. The female lays and covers each egg in a deep hole and allows the incubation to take place through solar or volcanic heating - volcanic in the case of the conservation area. After the eggs hatch, the young birds work their way up through the sand unaided and are totally independent from hatching, but they are subject to predation eg from monitor lizards. Females can lay anywhere between 8-12 eggs per year. A large number of former nesting sites have been abandoned as a result of egg poaching and land conversion to agriculture. Of the 142 known nesting grounds, only 4 are currently considered secure. Since 1972, this species has been protected by the Indonesian government. As of 2005, it is estimated that only 4,000-7,000 breeding pairs currently exist in the wild and these numbers are rapidly declining.
At the conservation area the eggs are collected and placed in a secure incubation area and the young are protected from predation for the first few days of life. We witnessed the release of 2 four day old chicks during our visit.
At the conservation area the eggs are collected and placed in a secure incubation area and the young are protected from predation for the first few days of life. We witnessed the release of 2 four day old chicks during our visit.
On 26th October we visited Tapakulintang in the Dumoga-Bone National Park in the morning and drove the 5 hours back to Manado in the afternoon arriving at the Novohotel at dusk.
On 27th October I birded the extensive grounds of the Novohotel with its 18-hole golf course prior to our departure for Ternate and Halmahera.
24th October: 0 species seen, 0 new for me
25th October: 44 species seen, 6 new for me
26th October: 29 species seen, 2 new for me
27th October: 23 species seen, 3 new for me
24th October: 0 species seen, 0 new for me
25th October: 44 species seen, 6 new for me
26th October: 29 species seen, 2 new for me
27th October: 23 species seen, 3 new for me