Manado city is the capital of North Sulawesi Province in the Republic of Indonesia. It is often visited by tourists who want to go diving or snorkeling in Bunaken and Lembeh Strait. Manado city itself has got natural attractions especially its colourful birds and butterflies.that can be watched in the forest and farmland in the outskirt areas of the city. The following tour program is suitable for tourists who do not have much time in Manado.
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| Birds that could be watched in the outskirt areas of Manado |
Morning Birding Tour in Manado city
ITINERARY
Time and Activities
- 05:00 We will meet you at a hotel in Sorong city. After that we will organize your trip to a birding site outside Manado city. It takes around 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the location of the hotel and the traffic condition. Most tourists stay in hotels near airport.
- 05:45 We will do birding walk along the edge of forest.
- 09:00 We will do roadside birding along farmland
- 10:00 We will return to Manado city. The morning birdwatching tour is finished.
Minahasa Hooded Pitta
During the morning birdwatching trip, tour participants can see various species of birds such as Bay Coucal, Yellow-billed Malkoha, Green Imperial Pigeon, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit-dove, Zebra Dove, Sulawesi Crow, Brahminy Kite, Chinese Sparrowhawk, Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, Lilac Kingfisher, Green Backed Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Barred Rail, Isabelline Bush-hen, Sulawesi Pitta, Minahasa Hooded Pitta, White-nest Swiftlet, Glossy Swiftlet, Pacific Swallow, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Sahul Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, Black Sunbird, Pale Blue Monarch, Hair-crested Drongo, and a lot more.
Sulawesi Brush Cuckoo
To enhance the birding experience of tour participants, we will bring a spotting scope that is mounted on a tripod. Using this device, they will be abl to watch birds that sit on distant branches of trees. We will also play the recorded sound of birds using a small portable loudspeaker so that they could fly out from their hiding places to open areas along the edge of the forest that is more visible to us.
Butterflies
In addition to birds, tour participants could also see butterflies especially along the farmland area. There are Helen's Birdwing (Troides helena), Sylvia's Clipper (Parthenos sylvia), Gigon Swallowtail, Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly, Lime Swallowtail, and a lot more.
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| Some Butterflies in North Sulawesi |
What to wear and what to bring?
Tour participants need to wear darker colour clothing and walking shoes. The morning birding tour outside Manado city is an easy sightseeing activity in outdoor environment. We will walk along a cleared ground and walking path as well as along the edge of the forest. We will not walk into the bush or densed forest.
Tour participants who are birdwatchers can bring binoculars such as the 8×42, 10×42 or 10×50. Serious wildlife photographers usually bring cameras with telephoto lens. There are also cameras that are more affordable for wildlife watching enthusiasts who only want to share their pictures in social media. Some of these cameras include: Nikon Coolpix P1100, Nikon Coolpix P950, Sony RX10V, Canon SX70HS, Panasonic Lumix FZ80D.
Booking
If you are interested in taking this morning birding tour in the outskirt area of Manado city and want me to arrange your trip, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp through this contact link.
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