We had 4 Days birding trips for a couple clients from France to see Raptors in Malang, East Java.
Starting on 29 June until 02 July 2019, we birded in 4 locations around Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park and Raden Suryo Greater Park Forestry.
On the first day we met up in the airport hotel in Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, East Java at 07:00 am. Then we drove to a hotel in Malang near the national park. Arrived at around 11:00 am in the hotel, checked in and dropped our luggage and kept our birding stuff.
Then we drove for a half hour to the first location in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.
The weather was so good in the locations where raptors are usually recorded, but that day is Sunday in one of the popular national parks in Indonesia where so many visitors came to holiday.
We tried to walk and avoid the crowd while keeping our eyes on the sky, searching for any raptors which may fly.
Until afternoon we just managed to see one species of raptor, Changable Hawk-eagle.
Then we went back to the hotel overnight.
On the second day, after we packed our breakfast we started to move to a second location in the same national park.
It takes 3 hours to drive to reach it.
The altitude of the second locations is lower than before, it’s about 100-200 asl surrounded by lowland forest and plantation.
We spent the time here until afternoon and the result was much better.
Oriental Honey-buzzard, Black-thighed Falconet, and the endemic Javan Hawk-eagle recorded so well.
Before dark we went back to the same hotel to stay.
On the third day, after breakfast and check out from the hotel, we tried again in the same location as the first day.
We’re back in around 1400 above sea level at the ridge surrounded by the vast rainforest of Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. We spent from 07:00 – 11:30 am, the weather was bright and good for raptor.
After waiting for about 2,5 hours, a raptor was soaring on top of the hill quite far from us. An adult Javan Hawk-eagle encountered again.
Not long after, a Black Eagle floated just above us with a distance of about 10 meters.
After saw the Black Eage then we changed birding location to Raden Suryo Greater Park Forestry, Batu, East Java.
Arrived at 02:30 pm then hung out around twin bridges, a good place to spot Raptor from any direction surrounded by good rain forest.
This location is on the west slope of Mt. Welirang at around 1.200 asl.
Until almost dark we’re just managed to see Changable Hawk-eagle in this last location.
Then we drove to a hotel around Batu city, East Java.
On the last day we changed the plan to not birding or looking like raptor but just drop off the clients to the airport in Surabaya.
So, during 29 June – 02 July 2019 raptor that we managed to see are:
- Oriental Honey-buzzard
- Changable Hawk-eagle
- Black-thighed Falconet
- Black Eagle
- Javan Hawk-eagle.