Full Day Birding in Bird Friendly Village, Jatimulyo, Jogja
Today, Wednesday, September 27, 2023, coinciding with National Tourism Day, our guests from Spain spent the day birdwatching. Although they only had 2 days in Jogja, they did not want to miss the opportunity to add lifer to their list.
Blanca and Alvaro, a couple whose intimacy is implied by their hobby of birdwatching.
We picked them up at 5 a.m. at the hotel where they were staying. The journey to Jatimulyo village took 60 minutes.
Once in the village, we stopped at a local house for a short transit, enjoying hot tea while preparing ourselves to walk along the path as an observation route.
Together with Mr. Joko as our local guide, we walked along the path for approximately 3 km.
The observation path we took was quite diverse as it passed through settlements and mixed plantations. At first glance, this mixed plantation is similar to a forest. There are still many trees mixed with cultivated plants.
This is what is called agroforestry. Being at an altitude of 500-600m above sea level, this landscape certainly provides a suitable habitat for various bird species. Indeed, this area is not a habitat for Javan highland endemic birds, but it still holds non-highlands endemic species.
Just a few steps away, a group of male and female Small minivets became the opening bird of our journey. The colorful flock made it hard to miss this bird.
Not long after, we saw a Brown-throated Sunbird going back and forth looking for nectar in coconut flowers.
While walking along the trail, almost every time we met villagers, we were always greeted in a friendly manner. Yes, this is how rural Indonesia generally looks like.
The Javan kingfisher flew above us, with its red bill, shiny dark blue plumage, and guttural voice, it was not difficult to detect.
Other endemic species on the list include the Javan Sunbird, Javan/Streaky-breasted Spiderhunter, and Gray-cheeked Tit-babbler.
Ruby-throated Bulbul was also not out of sight. So were the Black-naped Fruit Dove and Orange-bellied Flowerpecker. The colors of these birds make this couple always happy when observing them.
After walking for about 3 hours, we arrived at a resting place to enjoy coffee and snacks. Of course, it gave us a little time to relax after a long walk.
Soon we were called by one of the villagers to eat lunch that was ready to be served.
After enjoying lunch, we visited the bird hide for the Rufous-backed/Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher.
After about 10 minutes of waiting, the tiny bird luckily appeared. We watched for a while as it busily preened its feathers and then suddenly flew over quite close. After it flew away we exited the hide.
The trip continued to see the nesting site of the critically endangered Javan Blue-Flycatcher.
Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough to see this very rare bird, although we did find the nest. Our local guide took a quick look at the nest hole and there was one egg.
During this period, according to our local guide, the bird will be more sensitive. We were asked to move immediately so as not to disturb the breeding process.
While heading to the previous resting location, we managed the endangered Brown-cheeked Bulbul. Arriving at the resting place and getting ready for the next location, we also had time to talk about the history of “the bird-friendly village” designation.
Yes, this is a village that started the bird conservation movement by the villagers themselves. Of course, we don’t need to tell you about the complexities of bird conservation in this country.
Moving on to the next village, Purwosari. A village whose residents are also starting to realize the importance of preserving birds in nature.
There is a hide to see the Small Blue-eared Kingfisher in this village. Unfortunately, after waiting for about an hour, the kingfisher did not appear.
However, the hour didn’t seem that long as we enjoyed special spice drinks and local snacks. The pair were very fond of the drinks and snacks.
Here are all the species we managed to record up to 3 p.m.:
1. Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus
2. Brown-throated Sunbird Anthreptes malacensis
3. Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster
4. Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier
5. Javan Kingfisher Halcyon cyanoventris
6. Javan Sunbird Aethopyga mystacalis
7. Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus
8. Common Iora Aegithina tiphia
9. Cave Swiflet Collocalia linchi
10. Mangrove Whistler Pachycephala cinerea
11. Gray-cheeked Tit-Babbler Mixornis flavicollis
12. Black-naped Fruit Dove Ptilinopus melanospilus
13. Streaky-breasted/Javan Spiderhunter Arachnothera affinis
14. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum trigonostigma
15. Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela
16. Rufous-backed/Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher Ceyx rufidorsa
17. Ruby-throated Bulbul Rubigula dispar
18. Brown-cheeked Bulbul Alophoixus bres
19. Horsefield`s Babbler Malacocincla sepiaria
20. Javan Munia Lonchura leucogastroides
21. Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius
22. Chestnut-breasted Malkoha Phaenicophaeus curvirostris
23. Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra
24. Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis
The drive to the hotel was a little longer (1.5 hours) as the roads were quite congested.
Satisfied but exhausted, they fell asleep shortly after getting into the car. Although Blanca woke up briefly because she saw a Cattle egret. About 10 minutes before arriving at the hotel, they finally woke up.
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