BIRDING TRIP: Way Kambas, the best place for birdwatching in lowland

sayonara to the guides, homestay owners, drivers in Way Kambas

Aloha, I am back! Here we go, I am gonna tell you my last experiences in Way Kambas National Park. I got 2 times to that lowland forest of Lampung, Sumatra. First, on Saturday-Sunday (12-13 March 2016). Second, on Friday-Sunday (22-24 April 2016). I went there with Indonesia Birding Photography crew and ALeRT (Aliansi Lestari Rimba Terpadu, alliance of integrated forest conservation). Lucky me, I was free of charge! Hehe. Thanks a lot to Mas Kristiadi Nugroho, Mas Daniel, and Mas Rhama. Mas means elder brother in Javanese.

closing photo in the end of birding at Way Kambas NP

First time we went there by ferry through sunda strait in the night of Friday (11/3). Arrived in the early morning of Saturday, 1 AM. But we had to wait for sun rising, safety first. We continued the journey and stopped in Mas Rhama's house near Way Kambas NP at 7 AM. Bird watching started at 8 AM on the way to Way Kanan, a part of Way Kambas np.

doing wefie on the boat in Way Kanan river, by Mas Hari

The second time, we went to Way Kambas NP by plane in the morning about 10 AM and arrived in the national park at 1 PM. After dropping our luggages in home stay, we started the birding. Yihaaa, what a big chance to start in Way Kanan river! The most fantastic moment in that river is, I fell asleep on our boat when a big crocodile jumped into the water next to me HAHAHAHA my friends thought I was unconscious. In fact, I slept peacefully.

red-naped trogon (Harpactes kasumba) in Way Kambas NP

Okay, I have to tell you that Way Kambas NP is a great place for birding! About 82 birds we got, thank God for the opportunity to see the beauty of your flying creature. Hari Yono is the best birding guide in that lowland area, thanks mas Hari for letting us see a number of lifers. A good start on my big year 2016. Here it is, the birds list in our trip: 5 raptors (brahminy kite, grey-headed fish-eagle, crested serpent-eagle, sunda scops-owl, reddish scops-owl*), 7 kingfishers (rufous-collared kf, rufous-backed kf, cerulean kf, stork-billed kf, blue-eared kf, collared kf, white-throated kf), 2 broadbills (black-and-red broadbill, dusky broadbill), 3 trogons (red-naped trogon, scarlet-rumped trogon, diard's trogon), 4 frogmouths (large frogmouth, sunda frogmouth, javan frogmouth*, gould's frogmouth*), 7 woodpeckers (rufous piculet, banded wp, checker-throated wp, crimson-winged wp, buff-necked wp, buff-rumped wp, white-bellied wp), 1 hornbill (black hornbill), 2 malkohas (black-bellied malkoha, red-billed malkoha), 2 bee-eaters (red-bearded be, blue-tailed be), 3 flycatchers (malaysian blue fc, asian brown fc, asian paradise fc),  1 monarch (black-naped monarch), 1 flycatchershrike (black-winged fcs), 1 philentoma (rufous-winged philentoma), 2 barbets (malay brown barbet, red-crowned barbet), 2 pittas (hooded pitta, banded pitta*), 4 babblers (sooty-capped babbler, rufous-crowned babbler, chestnut-rumped babbler, horsfield's babbler), 1 tit-babbler (fluffy-backed tb), 1 tailorbird (dark-necked tb),1 warbler (arctic warbler), 6 bulbuls (hairy-backed bulbul, yellow-bellied bulbul, cream-vented bulbul, olive-winged bulbul, yellow-vented bulbul, sooty-headed bulbul), 1 fireback (crested fb), 1 oriole (dark-throated oriole), 2 drongo (sumatran drongo, greater racket-tailed drongo), 1 green pigeon (cinnamon-headed gp), 2 flowerpeckers (yellow-vented fp, crimson-breasted fp), 2 doves (emerald dove, spotted dove), 1 hanging-parrot (blue-crowned hp*), 1 pipit (paddyfield pipit), 1 leafbird (blue-winged lb), 1 cuckoo (banded bay cuckoo), 1 coucal (1 great coucal), 1 prinia (yellow-bellied prinia), 1 nightjar (large-tailed nj), 1 triller (pied triller), 1 crow (slender-billed crow), 1 sunbird (rubby-cheeked sb), 1 iora (common iora), 1 shrike (long-tailed shrike), 1 tree sparrow (eurasian ts), 1 swiftlet (cave swiftlet), 1 whistling duck (lesser wd), 1 egret (cattle egret), and 1 heron (purple heron). These are only the birds we can identified well, seen and heard. Mark of (*) means we listened to its call.

on the safari car for exploring Way Kambas NP, snapshot by Uda Bungdor 

Hemm, it should be easy to find the endangered species: white-winged duck in Way Kambas. But, we were not lucky to see it. The ALeRT crew said, it was bacause of flood. In dry season, there is only one spot for water supply to be used by wildlife, they named it Rawa (swamp) and te white-winged duck is always there. Unfortunately, we did this trip in wet season. Gloomy and rainy days accompanied us. Yeah, at least, we tried to go to the spot. Here it is..

in the spot of white-winged duck in Way Kambas NP

I can not upload all the bird photos in here, but I have posted them on my instagram. For more photos, please kindly check @datriana. My favorites are banded woodpecker gawking from its nest, large frogmouth in the dark night, rufous piculet with its prey, and for sure the trogon and dusky broadbill! Going to upload another photos soon.

I was pointing toward  the position of rufous piculet, snapshot by Kang Dedi

No wonder, I will come back to this national park. Contact me whenever you want to try birdwatching in this lowland forest hahahahaha! With no doubt, I will join you. Way Kambas National Park is such as a paradise for birders.

dusky broadbill (Corydon sumatranus) in Way Kambas NP

For bonus, we got the view of red muntjac a.k.a barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), sunda slow loris (Nycticebus coucang), and wild sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus ssp. sumatranus). I did not really see the small group of wild elephants because I was sleeping in the car again hahaha and the dusk already came. The barking deer, I saw it clearly for several times but did not take any good photo. I got a video of sunda slow loris and that was my pleasure. So, thanks a bunch for people in this trip and the services by ALerT. See ya later, my best experience!

birding in Way Kambas, snapshot by Rizki ALeRT