Red-cheeked Parrot

I have seen Red-cheeked parrots both male and female through binoculars and spotting scopes a lot of times. But it was in September 2007 when for the first time I was able to take pictures of the birds in relatively closer distance. The birds were eating the bark of a tree. I thought that the bird only eat fruits and grains. It's quite a weird behavior, actually. Compared to Eclectus Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot was much smaller.

I saw the parrot when I organized a birdwatching tour for visitors of Rockjumper. We went to Klasow valley in Sorong regency of West Papua. The lowland rainforest of the valley is the natural habitat of Lesser Bird of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Black Lory and Northern Cassowary. We only spent one night in the forest but we saw significant number of birds including Moustached Tree Swift, Golden Myna, Yellow-faced Myna, Nankeen Night Heron (which was a migrant bird), Boyer's Cuckoo-shrike, Coconut Lorikeet, Azure Kingfisher and a lot more. written by Charles Roring

Eclectus Parrot

Here is the picture of a female Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus) that I see in Klasow valley of Sorong regency. The male has got green feather. In West Papua, people call them Kakatua Merah (Red Cockatoo) and Kakaktua Hijau (Green Cockatoo). I was walking with two Australian birdwatchers at that time. We had spent three days hiking and birdwatching in the forest and was about to leave for Sorong city. Suddenly there were some calls from a high tree on the left of us. Local villagers led us to walk through the trees and bush to approach the bird. After searching for several minutes, we could see the male and female parrots. I aimed my camera at the female bird and shot her several times using my Fujifilm HS50EXR. Unfortunately, I was late in shooting the male. He flew away. They were around 30 meters above us in a tall tree.

French birdwatchers in Manokwari lowland forest

Actually, it was not the first time I saw the birds. I used to see it in Numfor island when I was guiding some Dutch tourists. Some islanders in Numfor catch Eclectus Parrot birds and sell them in Biak town or Manokwari city. Eclectus parrot and its relatives Sulphur Crested Cockatoo are often considered as pest because they like to food crops planted by villagers in Numfor island. This also happens in Raja Ampat where islanders catch birds and go to Sorong to sell them in the city.
LOWLAND FOREST OF MANOKWARI

Willie Wagtail in Lowland Forest of Manokwari

Another good site for watching Eclectus Parrot is in Manokwari. There is a lowland river-forest called Mesirrokow river. Birdwatching in this forest is very easy. We could enjoy walking along the banks of the river to see a lot of species of birds and see the beautiful river-forest environment. I have guided a lot of visitors to the river. They come from France, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, and China.
Well, it is not only birds that we can see in Mesirrokow forest but also butterflies, beetles, flowers, soa-soa lizards and wild tropical flowers of New Guinea. In general, visitors spend 3 days/ 2 nights to explore the high bio-diversity of the lowland forest of Manokwari. written by Charles Roring
Also read: Purple-naped Lory from Ceram island

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo in Manokwari
Photo: Charles Roring

When I go birdwatching in Lowland Forest of Manokwari, I choose Mesirrokow river as my favorite destination. It is a shallow river that has got wide open space. When I and some foreign birdwatchers walk along the sides of the river, we frequently see Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) sitting on the branch of a tree or flying over the river. The bird has got fully white plumage with some yellow in underwing and undertail feather. Crest is yellow. Bill and feet are greyish black. Physically, their colors look totally different from their relatives the Palm Cockatoo. The bird usually makes noisy squawking sound that attracts the attention of birdwatchers.
Sometimes I see one but more often a couple sitting or flying side by side.

French Tourists were watching birds in Manokwari

During fruiting season, Sulfur-crested Cockatoo fly in larger groups. They are seen as pests by farmers who plant papaya, corn and other crops in their garden.
In breeding season, this cockatoo makes a nest in big iron-wood tree sometimes 20 to 30 meters above the ground. Parents will make hole using their strong bill to store their eggs. Usually there are three eggs per nest.

Hunters Accurate Prediction
Local hunters can accurately predict how old the nestling period of the baby cockatoes is by examining the seeds of fruits that fell on the ground. When the eggs are being incubated or baby cockatoes are being raised, fruits are supplied to the hole of the nest by one of the parents. They take turn in collecting fruits from the surrounding forest. Seeds that are thrown out of the nest fall to the grown and grow. When the seedlings are small, hunters say baby cockatoes still do not have feather. When the seedlings have grown higher, they can conclude that feather have grown and covered the baby cockatoes.
Bird Trading
In Indonesia, the bird is caught in West Papua and other small islands around it and traded as pets to larger cities. Population of the bird is still large in the forest. However, in recent years, continuous conversion of rainforest area into sawit-palm, cocoa and coffee plantations or other monoculture crops, combined with expansion of human settlements and road construction have caused rapid shrinking of cockatoo population and other wild animals in the forest of New Guinea and its nearby islands. Birdwatching tourism is now seen as an alternative income generation for villagers near forest areas in Klasow valley, Arfak mountains, Raja Ampat and Mesirrokow forest of West Papua as well as in many other areas in Tangkoko National Park, Bali Barat NP, Lore Lindu and various other places in Indonesia. written by Charles Roring.

Palm Cockatoo

Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) in Waigeo island
Photo: Charles Roring

Here is the picture of Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) that I saw in Waigeo island of Raja Ampat. The bird was eating catappa fruits (beach almond) when I shot it using my Fujifilm HS50EXR. It was quite big with black - greyish feather. The red patch on its cheek was very visible under the morning sunlight. This bird is also called Goliath Cockatoo, or Great Black Cockatoo.
In Indonesia, its name is Kakaktua Raja (meaning King Cockatoo). Birdwatchers can see the bird in mainland New Guinea (West Papua and Papua New Guinea), Maluku islands, northern region of Australia, and other tropical islands in the Pacific.
The first time I saw Palm Cockatoo in its natural habitat was in Table Mountain of Manokwari. I was guiding three Russian tourists at that time. Later, I saw the bird again in Tambrauw Mountains when I guided two Belgian tourists. I was walking with them under the canopy of the forest when suddenly this goliath looking bird landed on the branch of the tree above our heads. The Belgian tourist quickly pulled his camera out of his backpack, turned it on and aimed it at the bird. He successfuly made some nice pictures of the Goliath Cockatoo. Seconds later, the bird flew away.

Palm Cockatoo in Klasow Valley
Photo: Charles Roring

Personally, I have taken pictures of Palm Cockatoo in several different forest areas in West Papua. I like the bird because it is different from other birds. It is more independent. Unlike its relatives the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo that like to fly in groups, Palm Cockatoo likes flying solo exploring the lush green of tropical rainforest. Sometimes there are a couple of the birds feeding on fruits in trees.
One day, I was guiding some European birdwatchers in Klasow valley of Sorong regency. We woke up early in the morning to see Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus). While we were waiting for the Bird of Paradise to come, a Palm Cockatoo landed on the tree trunk where the Twelve-wired BOP like to play. It was staying on that trunk approximately 30 minutes. I had a chance to take a lot of pictures of the birds. Unfortunately, the bird was quite far from us and there was some glare from the rising sun. But it was a very nice moment in my life where I could see Palm Cockatoo for quite long. And the Twelve-wired BOP? He did not come that morning. written by Charles Roring