Birding in this nice and beautiful scenery of Javanese traditional village, Menoreh mountains provide you a chance to see many lowland birds. The hilly landscape (300–800 meters asl) covered with an agroforestry ecosystem proves to be a good habitat for birds. If you’re in Borobudur, then facing to the south you’ll see the shape of the Menoreh mountains like a figure who sleeps in the mountains. Local residents believe that the figure is Gunadharma, the architect of Borobudur.
Menoreh Mountains are located in the northwest end of Kulon Progo district of Yogyakarta province (borders Central Java province), part of the ridge line east of the zone “oblong domes/ridges”. Birding site in the village Jatimulyo, just about an hour’s drive west of Jogja city (32 km). Also an hour’s drive south of the famous Borobudur (36 km).
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Good ambiance of the sandless beach, Indian Ocean, and White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus. Driving two and a half hours (60 km) to Ngungap on the south-east coast of Jogja, here where Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn (German-Dutch botanist and geologist) in 1856 watched the Indian Ocean and captured the landscape of the area onto a painting entitled “Sudkuste bei Rongkop” from this place. the lines of coral cliffs, and solid coral grooves waved beautifully on the right and left sides, standing against the giant waves from the Indian Ocean.
The administration of Ngungap beach is in District Girisubo, Gunung Kidul Regency, Yogyakarta province. Sandless, the line of land abruptly changed onto the blue, deep ocean with its ferocious waves. For local people, the location is known for the presence of caves under the corals with cave mouths directly facing the ocean. Homes to Black-nest Swiftlet Collocalia maximus and Edible-nest Swiftlet Collocalia fuciphagus, traditionally people around the area take swiftlet nests annually, worth millions rupiahs per kg.
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Place of Gunung Merapi National Park, Merapi is the most active volcano on earth despite recovering from a damaging eruption in 2010, it still remains an excellent place to go forest birdwatching and the best area in Jogja. Located just about 45 minutes to one hour north of the town, this volcano holds more than 160 species. For your productive birding, Kaliurang and Plawangan Hill are the two major sites that you can choose. An easy access with easy to moderate tracks are available.
In Kaliurang, you might have chance to see various endemics, such as Javan Kingfisher, Javan Hanging Parrot, Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker, with many other resident birds, such as Black Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Striated Grassbird, Coppersmith Barbet, Long-tailed Shrike, and more.
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Raden Soerjo Greater Park Forestry is one of the remaining natural montane-forest in Java. Located in the west-slope of mount Arjuno-Welirang-Anjasmoro (3,339 m asl), has a total area of 27868.30 hectares and has a special place for birding.
This area is a mountainous plateau that stretches from the North-South. A bumpy topography of the region and mountainous with an altitude of 1000-3339 m asl. Slope level reaches 30-90% with annual rainfall ranging between 2500-4500 mm. Temperatures at night ranged from 5-10°C. Whereas in the dry season can reach 4°C. The humidity is quite high, ranging from 42-45% (lowest) to 90-97% (the highest).
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Our adventurous birding this time (25 October – 02 November 2016) is more like a country road, across the “African van Java” of Baluran then Waterbirds-paradise of Serangan (Bali) to the Home for Trio endemics Lesser Sunda (Rinjani Scops Owl, Elegant Pitta & Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher) at Kerandangan Nature Recreation Park, Lombok.
With six people in the car we drove starting at night from Malang. During on the car we spent the time to sleep, save our energy. Our first destination was Kerandangan NRP, but we firstly stayed for take a rest at Baluran NP in day-one morning. While sun rising we heard several Large-tailed Nightjars behind the trees at north direction to Bekol savannah. Then Javan Kingfisher sing at perch on top canopy, while the pairs of Scarlet-headed Flowerpeckers flew from one branch to other. Slowly the first sun for Java is getting warm and high. After a welcome rest in Baluran, we continued to drive to Gilimanuk and directly we got a ferry across Bali. We still able to seen Striated Swallow and Pacific Swift fly around the harbor. Below the bridge which connected ferry with port are the nest for that birds. While the ferry start to across Bali strait, we move to the roof looking for migratory raptor. But we are not lucky because may the birds has move into Bali last week. Luckily we still able to see Greater Crested Tern and Little Tern, fly across the strait and occasionally flopped to the sea.
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Large unique savannah in Java and watching endemic birds riding on Deer. Baluran National Park is situated at the north-eastern extremity of Java, close to Bali. Driving two hours to Baluran National Park in the north of Banyuwangi, the speciality of lowland javan endemic birds is well worth catching.
Baluran National Park is located in Situbondo Regency, East Java, Indonesia. It has a relatively dry climate and mainly consists of savanna (40%), as well as lowland forests, mangrove forests and hills, with Mount Baluran (1,247m) as its highest peak. More than 220 bird species are waiting for you at the park.
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The internationally important site for Sanderling & Wood Sandpiper in the EAAF. If you are looking for migratory shorebirds and other waterbirds in Yogyakarta, Trisik beach is the right place for you. Come around late August to March, and many regular visitors of migratory shorebirds.
This sandy coastal beach is about 2.4 km long on the west-south coast of Java approximately 30 km south of the Jogja city (45 minutes – 1 hours). The beach is administratively located in Banaran village, Galur subdistrict, Kulon Progo district, Yogyakarta province. Here the Progo River, the biggest river of Jogja, meets the sea.
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