BOGANI NANI WARTABONE NATIONAL PARK

We drove to Toraut Headquarters in Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park the following day, a five hour drive from Manado. Flooded fields along the way produced Purple Herons, Sunda Teal, White-browed Crake and Common and Dusky Moorhens. Nearer to Toraut, at the Kosinggolan Reservoir, there were several Cinnamon Bitterns, White-breasted Waterhens and Wandering Whistle-ducks. At Toraut, on dusk, nice views were had of Great-eared Nightjar hawking insects over the fishpond. Bird of the day went to a beautiful male Sulawesi Masked Owl, perched in a tree near the lodge.

Crossing the river on a bamboo raft the next morning proved amusing (for some) when the raft overbalanced and a few of us were doused in the river. Birding wasn't nearly as riotous -it was hard work; however, between the group and our guides we managed a few gems. First up we had a nice look at Maroon-chinned Fruit-Dove and an adult Oriental Cuckoo. Then a pair of Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher - a sombre colored bird, difficult to see sitting dead-still in the mid storey. Further along our guides spotted several stunning Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfishers sitting low down in the forest - another difficult bird to discern. A single Dumoga-Bone Macque was seen. An amazingly well camouflaged bat was spotted by our guides. It was roosting in dead leaves within an arm length of us but without the trusty guides we would never have seen it. We identified it as a Rhinotopus sp. It was an amazing looking creature about a foot long (30cm) with huge ears and white spots and stripes on the body.

In the afternoon we had brief look at a few Purple Needletails flying over - a bird we thought we had missed.

More Cinnamon Bitterns and a Yellow Bittern were seen in late afternoon and another delightful Sulawesi Scops Owl after dark.

We left early the next morning for Tambun, the Maleo nesting locality. We had a pair, within 15 minutes of arrival, perched nicely in a tree for us to study through the scopes. Indeed, a primitive looking bird with its huge casque. It flies well for a megapode, covering over a 100 metres between trees with ease. No mound is constructed, they simply lay their eggs in the hot volcanic soil. A cuckoo calling nearby turned out to be a Plaintive Cuckoo and a few Asian Palm Swifts were flying overhead. A walk along the road produced good looks in the scope of Blue-backed Parrot, Black-billed Koel and another Sulawesi Black Pigeon. Ashy Woodpecker was also seen here, and a lovely group of Ivory-breasted Woodswallows sitting bunched together as is typical of the genus.

We worked hard for our birds in the forest at Toraut again the next morning but some good birds were eventually had. Highlights included a group of Dwarf Hornbills, some nice Purple-winged Rollers, Knobbed Hornbill and an unexpected Purple-bearded Bee-eater. Two adult male Ashy Woodpeckers were observed having a territorial dispute manifesting in a peek-a-boo game around a tree. Several colorful Fiery-billed Malkola and Bay Coucals were seen well and a superb adult Sulawesi Serpent Eagle was perched in a tree. The morning's highlight was a Great-billed Kingfisher at the river crossing. A large, dark, adult female Sulawesi Masked Owl was spotlighted after dark

Birding along the Matayangan Road the following morning gave us excellent sightings. Golden-mantled and Yellow-breasted Racquet-tails were perch rather than the usual fly-bys; another Sulawesi Black Pigeon sat up nicely and several large flocks of Purple Needletails flew overhead. But is was the raptors that really got us going. First an adult Barred Honey Buzzard was spotted sitting in a tree at close range; shortly after an adult Sulawesi Hawk-eagle - our last endemic raptor. Through the scope the barred belly and legs were a joy to behold. Further along the road we saw another pair of Rufous-bellied Eagles and a pair of Sulawesi Serpent Eagles. The four big raptors in one morning! They are not an easy group to identify as the size and general jizz is similar in all four and all have broad wings.

More nice views of raptors were had the following morning. A Drongo Cuckoo was seen in the scope at our lunch stop. Just as we were about to leave, some of us had a view, at close range, of a Ruddy Kingfisher perched at a creek crossing.

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