Crossing The Wallace Line to North Sulawesi

This is my 2nd time crossing the Wallace Line to North Sulawesi. The best time to travel to North Sulawesi is July & August when the weather is dry & all the animals are very active with all activities. However, I decided to go early hoping for the best.

It was raining heavily while I was at Singapore Changi Airport. It was still raining when I arrived at Manado, however, the rain subside after 2 hour drives to Batu Puteh, Tangkoko National Park.

There are at least 5 home stay just outside the national park. I stay at Tangkoko Lodge slightly away from the park's entrance. If you are into birding, you may birds at this home stay too. Just ask the owner - Bobby & he will share with you all the tips that he has.

After having a quick lunch and change to field trip attire (long sleeve/pants, insect repellent, camera & torch light) we head for the forest. We are just in time to watch The Spectral Tarsier (Tarsius spectrum) wake up from their sleep. Since they are nocturnal animal, they are active only at night and before dawn.

 Isn't the tarsier cute!! He is smiling at me!

While on the way out of the forest, I saw this land hermit crab.

Since the forest is just next to the beach/shore, not surprise to see this crab on the trail too.

 I saw this big spider waiting for me outside my room when I reach the home stay.

 I re-visit the forest the next day & saw this useful tips for visitors to the national park.

There are many spiders even stick insect in the forest, they just got a free ride whenever I bump into them unknowingly.

I head for the mangrove in the afternoon. To get to the mangrove, the best way is through the water. The mangrove direction is raining heavily and is spreading to my direction. We waited for about 30 mins for the showers to pass through us. We head to the mangrove while it was still drizzling.

Another unique sight here is the black sands beach!

To get the boat out to the sea is no child play. The boatman have to mobilize half the village to push the boat to the sea. This show that, eco-tourism really a good & sustainable way to help the locals.

 You will see several floating fishing farm on route to the mangrove

The boat 'Captain'! I have to salute and thank him. He paddled all the way while we are in the mangrove. He switch off the engine and use his arm power instead in order not to frighten the birds away.

 The sun is setting when we came out of the mangrove.

 I went to the lookout point just slightly above Batu Puteh. It was a beautiful place!

 The home made palm sugar production facility at the lookout point.

 I also cross over to Tomohon and while on the way, we have to detour several time as the tree cutting is in progress in one of the village. Apparently the tree have to be cut in order to install the electrical grid line.

 Another nice place to visit while in North Sulawesi.

This is a very useful palm tree, the fruits are use to produce sugar as well as alcohol. This is the plant that hopefully one day accepted by major plantation to consider so that to slowdown the forest clearing for oil palm plantation.

 I always find time to visit local market when I travel oversea. That give me a in-sight information of the day-to-day life of the locals. I will write another posting on this market in the next post. The meat section of the market is not for the fainthearted one for sure...

Below are some of the sampling images I shot for the trip:

 Do you agree this is the Panda of Sulawesi?  The Bear Cuscus (Ailurops ursinus) another endemic mamals in Tangkoko.

 The very beautiful endemic hornbill of Tangkoko - Red Knobbed Hornbill (Aceros cassidix)

 The Blue Headed Wood Kingfisher or The Green Backed Kingfisher (Actenoides monarchus)

 Another very beautiful forest kingfisher - Lilac Cheeked Kingfisher (Cittura cyanotis)

 A Sulawesi Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus lanceolatus) perched high up on the tree with a rat tightly pin under the talon. If you look carefully, you will see the tail of the rat under the eagle tail.

 Another very cute looking Sulawesi Scops Owl (Otus manadensis)

Despite the wet weather, I have a great trip and is time to say good bye to this wonderful place. Thank you my very friendly guide - Mr Freedy of Safari Tours.

I use the iOS Fog of World to record my trail in this beautiful island. Hope to come back soon.

Here's the list of birds that I saw & photographed. (birds that I saw & heard but didn't managed to photograph are excluded) :

1 Barred Rail

2 Bay Coucal

3 Blue Backed Parrot

4 Chattering Lory

5 Chestnut Munia

6 Collared Kingfisher

7 Great Billed Kingfisher aka Black Billed Kingfisher

8 Green Backed Kingfisher

9 Green Imperial Pigeon

10 Grey Cheeked Green Pigeon

11 Grey Sided Flowerpecker

12 Grosbeak Starling

13 Hair Crested Drongo

14 Isabeline Bush Hen

15 Lilac Cheeked Kingfisher

16 Ornate Lorikeet

17 Pied Cuckoo Shrike

18 Purple Winged Roller

19 Red Knob Hornbill

20 Ruddy Kingfisher

21 Slender billed Crow

22 Sooty Headed Bulbul

23 Sulawesi Babbler

24 Sulawesi Crested Myna

25 Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill

26 Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher

27 Sulawesi Hawk Eagle

28 Sulawesi Large Hanging Parrot aka Black Billed Hanging Parrot

29 Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker

30 Sulawesi Scops Owl

31 Sulawesi Triller

32 White Breasted Woodswallow

33 White Necked Myna

34 White Rump Cuckoo Shrike

35 Yellow Billed Malkoha

36 Yellow Sided Flowerpecker