BIRDING TRIP: Makassar, the 1st Wallacea of mine!

Argh, my bad! Too late to post, pardon. But still, hope you can enjoy reading my experiences. Lemme back to 2016, in August ...

me, looking for dragonfly and damselfly at Air Terjun ParangLoe

It's 26th August 2016, a good Friday. Avifauna Photography of Indonesia (AVI) and I were coming to South Sulawesi. Not only for visiting Mas Kristiadi Nugroho, but also birding (FOR SURE!) hahaha. He welcomed us with Rammang-rammang, Bili-bili, Air Terjun Parang Loe, Lakkang, Pantai Losari, and of course - endemic foods! Hahahaha I am going to tell 'bout culinary trip on another post. In this post, lets focus on birding. Sulawesi is a part of Wallacea and I've dreamed of Wallacea since long time. Glad for having Makassar as my debut in exploring Wallaea, the unique region of Indonesia!

me, surrounding by the mountainous karst

1st, Rammang-rammang. It is a part of famous karst area in Sulawesi. Have you ever heard Moros? Even I've read it and I told you in my previous post (only available in bahasa Indonesia). I saw river, smiling people, colourful boats, mountainous karst, blue sky, and birds. Beyond my imagination, many black kite of Sulawesi & Mollucas (Milvus migrans affinis) soaring above us! Another fascinating lifer was cobalt-eared kingfisher (Alcedo atthis hispidoides), a common kingfisher but not the migrant and seems like blue-eared kingfisher at a glance! The others were grey-sided flowerpecker, white-rumped thriller, sunda teal, spotted kestrel, sacred kingfisher, striated heron, purple heron, little egret, javan pond heron, white-breasted waterhen, common sandpiper, cave swiftlet, pacific swift, pacific swallow, white-breasted woodswallow, olive-backed sunbird, and golden-bellied gerygone. So, 20 birds in total. Not bad, because we did just a short and quick birding! 2 PM - 5 PM, waiting for the boat and being trapped in mud included.

AVI and I after birding in the karst area

2nd, Bili-bili. This region is well known for its irrigation. But we did not go to the dam on Saturday morning. It is productive forest and unirrigated agricultural field for our birding spot. At least 16 birds, but maybe I missed some. Yellow-billed malkoha, great hanging parrot, sulawesi pygmy woodpecker, white-rumped cuckooshrike, white-shouldered triller, sulawesi babbler, black-ringed white-eye, grey-sided flowerpecker, yellow-sided flowerpecker, black sunbird, olive-backed sunbird, brown-throated sunbird, hair-crested drongo, rainbow bee-eater, black-naped oriole, and collared kingfisher. Yeayy, some endemic birds in my pocket!

the happy face of us after getting some endemic birds in Bili-bili!

3rd, Air Terjung ParangLoe. Trekking up and down from Bili-bili, going inside the forest, then the waterfall of ParangLoe welcoming us. Mostly, same birds with Bili-bili we saw on the way. Just surprisingly I saw four woolly-necked stork! But I got a confirmation from Mas Bagoes Oetomo as the local people, yes there is stork at this place. Scenic view after a hard trekking, right at the waterfall. No birds seen, maybe because it was 12 PM, but dragonfly and damselflies! Ah, I love that flying insect as I do to birds. I could not handle my willingness to be wetted, as long as I captured those pretty little living things.

family potrait of this birder community at Air Terjun ParangLoe

4th, Lakkang. Village behind Universitas Hasanuddin (university in Makassar) across the river. It used to be Bonto Mallangere, but then named after Dg.Rilakkang - a prince who saved the local people from guerrilla fighters. Lakkang gimme view of peace. Villagers and their livestock, river and its calm stream, boats facing the sun set in twilight, and birds in harmony. Just buff-banded rail, streaked weaver, oriental reed warbler, and white-browed crake were our additional list on that day. The weaver has colony among the grass, noticed by many nest hanging. Rainbow Bee-eater in Lakkang were perching on the wire for some minutes in a flock, a nice view before the sun went down totally.

one of the nest I found

At the end of the day, we just went to Pantai Losari as the landmark of Makassar. No birding because it was already night. Just enjoying the night in Makassar before Sunday comes - time for a flight back to Jakarta. Resume the list, AVI and I got 41 birds in Makassar in our first short trip to this South Sulawesi. Can't wait to redo!

black kite (Milvus migrans affinis) 

cobalt-eared kingfisher (Alcedo atthis hispidoides) 

great hanging parrot (Loriculus stigmatus) 

black-ringed white-eye (Zosterops anomalus) 

white-rumped cuckooshrike (Coracina leucopygia)

sulawesi pygmy woodpecker (Picoides temminckii)

yellow-billed malkoha (Rhamphococcyx calyorhynchus)

Mas Kristiadi has already known the spot for the endemic kingfisher to East, South-East, and South Sulawesi plus Butung island: BLACK-HEADED KINGFISHER (Actenoides capucinus - Near Threatened!). He also just got the endemic flycatcher: LOMPOBATTANG FLYCATCHER (Ficedula bothaina - Endangered!), and 2 of 5 nocturnal birds - one of them: SULAWESI SCOPS-OWL (Otus manadensis). Hey readers, would you like to take me back for birding in Makassar again? XOXO!

Wallacea regions are still my dreamland, the home to many endemic species! This region's named after Alfred Russel Wallacea - the naturalist who noted the biodiversity in Indonesia and he realized the differences. Between Sundaland and Near Oceania: Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, and Mollucas oh please wait for me 'cause I am going to explore you as the phenomenal Wallacea ;)