INDONESIA (LESSER SUNDAS) REP 10 - Birdquest

good while, long scope views of a calling Elegant Pitta high in the roadside trees, numerous Lesser
Wallacean Drongos, and Crested and Thick-billed Dark-eyes. In the afternoon we tried Golo Lusang
again. This time we managed to fit in some birding around the rain showers and despite the low
cloud-base! Scope views of a Dark-backed Imperial Pigeon that Maggie spotted were good, though at
times partially obscured by a thin veil of mist, and we had our best views yet of Yellow-browed Darkeye.
A group of five Flores Lorikeets zapped over. As night fell, we followed a Wallace’s Scops-owl
that called a few times, but wouldn’t land close by. Then we picked-up a Flores Scops-owl calling
from secondary forest below the road. An exciting pursuit ensued, during which many of us were sure
that we would connect, but unfortunately it was only seen by Craig.
Our last full day in the Flores highlands consisted of morning and evening visits to Golo Lusang. In
the early morning, the incredible chorus of Bare-throated Whistlers was just as amazing as ever, we
scoped a mating pair of Flores Lorikeets, and Chestnut-backed Thrush showed well on the road in
front of the bus. After dark, Flores Scops-owl continued to evade us during a two hour stint, only
being seen three times in flight (mainly by the leader). It was so close. Two kilometres from Ruteng
we heard another Wallace’s Scops-owl but, again, it only called once near us, before moving on a
considerable distance.
A very early start the next morning, saw us heading off west for a dawn visit to Puarlolo, in search of
the endemic Flores Monarch. Amazingly, on the way, Martinus spotted a Wallace’s Scops-owl right
by the roadside, and we all managed to get a lengthy view in the spotlight before it disappeared to its
roost-site. There was quite literally five minutes left before it got light! We sped on to the monarch
site, arriving about half an hour after dawn. Two Flores Monarchs were picked up almost
immediately, a juvenile and more elusive adult, but it wasn’t until several hours later, with more
views of these two birds and another adult at a different location, that we had all got satisfactory
views. During our search, creeping around in the forest, two other very good species were seen by
the lucky few, a Chestnut-capped Thrush, and a male Rufous-chested Flycatcher. Plentiful fruiting
trees and shrubs were also attracting a large number of Crested and Thick-billed Dark-eyes. We left
Puarlolo late morning, arriving at the Komodo Eco Lodge, Labuan Bajo before lunch. In the afternoon
we headed off for the Potawangka Road which branches-off at the outskirts of Labuan Bajo. Starting at
pretty much the highest point before the first village, we strolled back down hill. There was not a
great variety of birds in the evening, but four Great-billed Parrots were noteworthy. As night fell, we
had superb views of Sunda Nightjar, and then by moonlight, two very good perched spotlight views
of Moluccan Scops-owl.
Our final full day in the Lesser Sundas was a relatively relaxing one, with a visit to Komodo National
Park. We boarded our boat before dawn and grabbed a couple more hours of sleep as we cruised
across the straits. We awoke not long before dawn and, on the way into the island, enjoyed a couple
of Great-billed Herons and a large Green Sea Turtle loafing on the surface. We picked-out our first
groups of foraging Timor Deer up on the slopes. After being allotted our park guide, we were soon
confronted by several huge Komodo Dragons and, later on, we even saw one walking around. An
Orange-footed Scrubfowl was seen rather briefly by some, but we had great luck in being shown four
Moluccan Scops-owls roosting together in a small tree. A short walk into the woodlands brought
many superb male Green Junglefowl, very close views of Komodos most important bird, the critically
endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo, and a perched Variable Goshawk. On the beach, we stumbled
upon two pairs of lovely Malaysian Plovers, which allowed a few photos. After a cold drink we
headed back to Labuan Bajo, with our eyes glued to the sea. A small group of Bridled Terns brought
some excitement as we set off from Komodo, but we only saw 14 Bulwer’s Petrels during the
crossing. The most awe-inspiring experience was riding through the heart of a rain-storm which went
on for quite some time, with thunder and lightning. Our last birding of the tour was a walk along the
beach from Komodo Eco Lodge down to the river mouth. Nothing too exciting, and a very eventful
tour of the Lesser Sundas reached its end.
6 Birdquest: The Lesser Sundas 2010