“Dragons and BoPs” update from Indonesia

WildWings/Limosa guide Frank Lambert is currently aboard the Heritage Expeditions vessel Heritage Adventurer guiding on the “Dragons and BoPs” cruise which sails eastwards from Bali and will conclude in Madang in Papua New Guinea later this month.

The trip stops on a number of islands where there are some fantastic endemics and highlights to date include Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise which is widely considered to be amongst the most stunning birds in the world. On the same day, the group saw Red Bird-of-Paradise and over the preceding week found a great range of highly localised specialities in the Lesser Sunda archipelago of eastern Indonesia. Buru Friarbird, Buru Golden Bulbul and Buru Flowerpecker were, for example, all seen on the rarely visited island of Buru, with more localised endemics seen the following day on Seram.

Other interesting wildlife has also been seen with a stop on the island of Komodo producing the world’s largest lizard, the extraordinary Komodo Dragon.

We will be posting a trip report for the entire voyage as soon as this is available but below is a list of some of the birds seen so far.

The itinerary for the 2024 voyage will be a little different and we will have details on the WildWings website shortly.

8 October Benoa Harbour Bali

Pacific Reef Egret

Sunda Teal

Crested Tern

Pacific Swallow

Cave Swiftlet

Edible Nest Swiftlet

9 October am Sumbawa main town

White-shouldered Triller

Sooty-headed Bulbul

Pacific Swallow

Cave Swiftlet

Edible Nest Swiftlet

Black-naped Monarch

Blue-tailed Bee Eater

Black-winged Kite

9 October pm SATONDA Island

Pacific Swallow

Cave Swiftlet

Edible Nest Swiftlet

Collared Kingfisher

Eastern Spotted Dove

Barred Dove

Green Imperial Pigeon

Black-fronted Flowerpecker

Black-naped Monarch

Wallacean (Flores) Drongo

Orange-footed Scrubfowl 2

Sooty-headed Bulbul

Yellow-ringed White-eye (Wallace’s Heleia)

Tricoloured Grebe

Black Flying Fox

10 October am KOMODO Island

Sunda Collared Dove

Barred Dove

Black-naped Monarch

Wallacean (Flores) Drongo

Orange-footed Scrubfowl

Green Junglefowl

Flame-breasted Sunbird

Ornate Sunbird

Thick-billed Heleia (Flores White-eye)

Rusty-breasted (Tenggara) Whistler

Helmeted (Tenggara) Friarbird

Yellow-crested Cockatoo

White-shouldered Triller

Javan Plover

Komodo Dragon

Draco Lizard

Palm Civet

Rusa Deer

Long-tailed Macaque

10 October pm Pink Beach KOMODO

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Brahimy kite

At Sea – Bulwer’s Petrel

11 October KODIA Island, Flores

Thick-billed Heleia (Flores White-eye)

Lemon-bellied White-eye

Black-naped Fruit-Dove

Edible-nest Swiftlet

Sunda Collared Dove

12 Oct HOGA Island, Wakatobi Islands

Island Monarch

Black-naped Fruit-Dove

Black-naped Oriole (Sulawesi Oriole)

Grey-sided Flowerpecker

Elegant Pitta

Moluccan Monitor Lizard Varanua ‘malaccensis’

13 October BURU

Asian Emerald Dove

Superb Fruit-Dove

Claret-breasted Fruit-Dove

Red Lory

Red-cheeked Parrot

Great-billed Parrot

Buru Friarbird

Buru Golden Bulbul

Buru Flowerpecker

Mollucan Monarch

White-naped Monarch

Black Sunbird

Sahul Sunbird

14 Oct am Trans Seram highway

Black Bittern

Red-cheeked Parrot

Red Lory

Grey-collared (Seram) Oriole

Seram Friarbird

Island (Seram) Leaf Warbler

Streak-breasted Fantail

Black Eagle

Seram Swiftlet

Pied Imperial Pigeon

Amboyna Cuckoo-Dove

Moluccan Cuckoo (h)

Blyth’s Hornbill

Sahul Sunbird

Pm snorkelling beach

Pied Imperial Pigeon

Seram Imperial Pigeon

15 October am Misool, Raja Ampat Islands

Great-billed Heron

Black-naped Tern

White-bellied Sea Eagle

Spice Imperial Pigeon

Blyth’s Hornbill

Black Sunbird

Olive-crowned Flowerpecker

16 October Wayag

Beach Kingfisher

Dwarf Fruit-Dove

Moluccan Starling

Sahul Sunbird (frenatus)

Black Sunbird

Shining Flycatcher

Great-billed Parrot

17 October am Waigeo

Western Crowned-pigeon

Purple-tailed Imperial Pigeon

Moustached Treeswift

Yellow-billed Kingfisher

Rufous-bellied Kookaburra

Palm Cockatoo

Eclectus Parrot

New Guinea Friarbird

Lowland Peltops

Hooded Butcherbird (heard)

Shining Flycatcher

Brown-headed Crow

Red Bird-of-paradise

Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise

Black-sided Robin (heard)

Olive-crowned Flowerpecker