Bali Trip Report 3rd to 9th September 2013 Green Junglefowl by David Hoddinott Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: David Hoddinott RBT Bali 2013 Trip Report 2 Some of the top birds seen during this tour: 1. Javan Banded Pitta 6. Oriental Plover 2. Green Junglefowl 7. Sunda Scops Owl 3. Bali Myna 8. Cerulean Kingfisher 4. Yellow-throated Hanging Parrot 9. Sunda Warbler 5. Javan Kingfisher 10. Crescent-chested Babbler Tour Summary Our first comprehensive Bali tour was a resounding success! We recorded a fabulous 169 species including a good number of near-endemics and Bali’s only endemic (and one of the world’s rarest birds to boot), the magnificent Bali Myna! On our first afternoon we all met up at our comfortable ecolodge in the wooded outskirts of Denpasar. Some participants had just arrived in Bali from their international flights and the rest of us had recently flown in from Manado after having completed a fabulous Sulawesi & Halmahera tour. Everyone had arrived in good time and after enjoying a delicious lunch we Bali Myna by David Hoddinott ventured out to the nearby Nusa Dua settling ponds to enjoy some bonus birding. The time we spent there was most enjoyable with some great sightings in the good, late afternoon light. Some of the highlights included several Sunda Teal, smart Nankeen Night Heron, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants, huge White-bellied Sea Eagle, a smashing Little Tern in full breeding plumage, unexpected Island Collared Dove, gorgeous Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Cave Swiftlet hawking insects over the ponds, cracking Cerulean Kingfisher and our only Pied Myna of the trip. What a great start! The following morning before breakfast we then notched up a splendid male Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker and Olive-backed Tailorbird, a really cracking way to commence the day. Before making our way to our next destination, Bedugul of the central highlands, we stopped off at the fabulous Serangan Island. The mudflats, mangroves and surrounding grassland here rewarded us with awesome views of Ruddy-breasted Crake and a myriad of waders including Pacific Golden, Javan, Lesser, Greater and Oriental Plovers, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits, Far Eastern Javan Banded Pitta by David Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Great Knot and vagrant Pied Hoddinott Oystercatcher. RBT Bali 2013 Trip Report 3 After breaking for a welcome lunch, we meandered through some rice paddies and were soon enjoying fabulous views of the gaudy Javan Kingfisher and a flock of Javan Munia. The beautiful climate and lush forests around Bedugul, our next destination, were a welcome change to the hot and humid lowlands. Exploring the network of trails and roads in the Botanical Gardens was most enjoyable as we continued to bolster our ever-growing birdlist. Some notable sightings included flocks of Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, the difficult-to-see Yellow-throated Hanging Parrot (which showed particularly well, giving great scope views!), Rusty-breasted and elusive Sunda Cuckoos, highly elusive Javan Owlet, a cracking Large- tailed Nightjar, Flame-fronted Barbet, Freckle-breasted Woodpecker, Lesser Cuckooshrike, Small Minivet, cute Sunda Warbler, Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler, Western Barn Owl by David Hoddinott Mees’s White-eye, shy Javan Whistling Thrush, Fulvous-chested Jungle Flycatcher and Blood-breasted Flowerpecker. Not a bad tally indeed! Leaving the highlands we next headed for the fabulous Bali Barat NP in far western Bali. A stop at Buyan Lake en route yielded Yellow Bittern, Javan Pond Heron in breeding plumage (what a bird!), White-browed Crake and an exceptional vagrant in the form of Fairy Martin, a new species for Bali! We then enjoyed a fantastic three days in Bali Barat NP, exploring the array of habitats including dry forest around our lodge, the nearby estuary, mangroves and salt works, the peninsula with its impressive woodland and grassland, Menjangan Island and, finally, the fabulous rainforest for which this area is particularly renowned. Highlights of our stay here included the wonderful birding around our very comfortable accommodation, where we also enjoyed the most delicious meals! Some of the species seen included the striking Green Junglefowl, Lesser Adjutant, Pacific Reef Heron, Changeable Hawk-Eagle (several adults and even a chick at the nest), Black-thighed Falconet, sought after Beach Stone-curlew, a flock of close-flying Black-naped Tern, Ruddy Cuckoo-Dove, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon, Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, cryptic Sunda Scops Owl, Savanna Nightjar, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, a splendid pair of Laced Woodpecker, beautiful Javan Banded Pitta, Racket-tailed Treepie, Bar-winged Prinia, Crescent-chested Babbler, endangered Black- winged Starling and Java Sparrow. Bali’s only endemic, the Critically Endangered Bali Myna, has fortunately recovered from a mere 7 wild birds to the current 26, with a further 120 in a captive breeding programme. This spectacular species showed particularly well for us and we even managed Lemon-bellied White-eye by David Hoddinott to find two birds that were unbanded, a great sign that there has been some recent breeding success! A good selection of mammals were also enjoyed on the island including Ebony Leaf Monkey, which is RBT Bali 2013 Trip Report 4 endemic to Java and Bali, impressive Black Giant Squirrel, Asian Palm Civet, Rusa Deer, Wild Boar and a bonus in the form of the shy Leopard Cat. And so ended a wonderful trip to the fabulous island of Bali! After toasting our success with a final (and scrumptious!) celebratory dinner, and enjoying a well-deserved good night’s sleep, the following day some of the participants caught their departure flights home, while for those of us continuing on the Lesser Sundas tour, we hopped on a plane and flew to Waingapu, Sumba. Thanks to a really great group of enthusiastic and fun participants as well as a superb ground operations team. I am greatly looking forward to travelling with you all again in the future! (Personal note: This brief tour works particularly well as an extension to our Sulawesi & Halmahera and/or Lesser Sundas tours and comes highly recommended!) Annotated List of Birds recorded Nomenclature and taxonomy follows the IOC 3.4 list of: Gill, F. and Wright, M. Birds of the World: Recommended English Names. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. Total species recorded: 169 Pheasants & Allies Phasianidae King Quail Excalfactoria chinensis A male was seen by a few participants whilst birding at Grojogan Forest. Green Junglefowl (NE) Gallus varius We had many memorable encounters with this stunning species in Bali Barat NP. This was certainly one of the highlights of the trip! Ducks, Geese & Swans Anatidae Sunda Teal Anas gibberifrons Our first sighting was superb views of ten at Nusa Dua settling ponds followed by further views of six at Serangan Island. Storks Ciconiidae Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanica We had great scope views of two at Gilimanuk bay. Herons, Bitterns Ardeidae Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis We enjoyed superb views of ten at Buyan Lake near Bedugul. Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax We had fantastic views of fifty at Nusa Dua settling ponds. Nankeen (Rufous) Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus At least 4 birds including a superb adult were seen at Nusa Dua settling ponds. RBT Bali 2013 Trip Report 5 Striated (Little) Heron Butorides striata Several birds were seen in the mangroves at Nusa Dua settling ponds. Javan Pond Heron Ardeola speciosa We had many scattered sightings of breeding-plumage birds in paddyfields throughout the tour. Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus This widespread species was commonly encountered throughout the tour in open fields. Great-billed Heron Ardea sumatrana One of these giant birds was seen during our boat trip to the Peninsula in Bali Barat NP and another was seen at Gilimanuk Bay. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea We enjoyed scattered sightings throughout the tour of this widespread species. Great Egret Ardea alba We had superb sightings of twenty at Nusa Dua settling ponds with scattered sightings elsewhere during the trip. Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia We found one bird at Nusa Dua settling ponds and another at Serangan Island. Little Egret Egretta garzetta A few scattered sightings were had of this widespread species throughout the tour. Pacific Reef Heron Egretta sacra One dark morph individual was seen at Banyuwedang Saltworks. Cormorants, shags Phalacrocoracidae Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos We had good scope views of fifty at Nusa Dua settling ponds and a further fifty at Serangan Island. Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris We had good scope views of twenty at Nusa Dua settling ponds. Kites, Hawks & Eagles Accipitridae Changeable Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus We had a most memorable sighting of a dark morph adult near a nest with chick on the Bali Barat NP peninsula and later enjoyed great scope views of a pale morph whilst enjoying a sumptuous breakfast at the Menjangan. Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis This majestic eagle was seen very well during the drive from Bedugul to Bali Barat NP. Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus One was seen being harassed by hairy-crested drongo at Grojogan Forest. White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster One sub-adult was seen very well at Nusa Dua settling ponds. Caracaras, Falcons Falconidae Black-thighed Falconet Microhierax fringillarius We had distant scope views of one on the peninsula in Bali Barat NP and another flying overhead near the Menjangan Hotel. Rails, Crakes & Coots Rallidae RBT Bali 2013 Trip Report 6 White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus We had great views of four at Nusa Dua settling ponds with further views at Buyan Lake. Ruddy-breasted Crake Porzana fusca We had excellent scope views of one at Serangan Island. White-browed Crake Porzana cinerea We enjoyed really good sightings of seven at Buyan Lake. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus We had good scope views of thirty at Buyan Lake.