Googling Kondang Merak yields “Recognized for its putting sunsets, this secluded seashore gives meals kiosks, snorkeling & a relaxed vibe”. And certainly, that’s what my pictures taken there point out.
After all, this was not why I used to be there or how I spent my time. I used to be there for the birds (though on my different web site, “Relaxed Seashore Holidays with Kai“, I’ll say precisely the alternative. And present pictures of me in a seashore chair, sipping colourful cocktails).
The primary goal right here was the Javan Owlet, which apparently was not fairly conscious of the time constraints and inflexible schedules anticipated by German birders, and which thus failed to indicate up within the cover on the night of the primary day there.
The comfort prize on the similar cover was a Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher.
Properly, possibly a bit greater than that. It truly is a shocking chook.
Even Cornell – which normally doesn’t get too enthusiastic about birds within the descriptions – gushes: “Few birds match its audacious coloration: it’s vivid rufous above and deep chrome yellow beneath, highlighted by electrical lilac purple within the crown and rump and a white patch on the facet of the neck. This splash of coloration is additional accented by a big vivid coral-red invoice and tiny coral-red three-toed ft. It really glows in darkish forest understories.”
Not seeing the owlet within the night meant having to rise up very early the subsequent morning (I keep in mind after I was a child I all the time type of pitied bakers for having to rise up at 3 am within the morning, not understanding that birders continuously have the identical destiny).
And not less than the Javan Owlet confirmed up, even when just for a really temporary interval in a slightly dangerous mild.
The scientific identify Glaucidium castanopterum signifies that it’s “chestnut-winged”.
It seems to be pretty just like the Asian Barred Owlet and can be apparently intently associated to it.
I may have gone to some Shanghai parks to see a Crested Goshawk, so seeing it in Java was good however not more than that.
In distinction, Gray-cheeked Inexperienced Pigeons can solely be seen in Shanghai on Halloween, when the native feral pigeons costume up.
eBird calls it a “chunky inexperienced pigeon with comical lime-green ‘goggles’ and a thick white invoice”. What ought to the pigeon do, put on contacts?
Kondang Merak additionally gave me my first sighting of the Javan Kingfisher, a significant purpose to return to Java – however I obtained higher views in a while the identical journey.
The Pacific Swallow has a really huge distribution – however its scientific identify is Hirundo javanica, so it should really feel notably at dwelling right here in Java.
The Yellow-eared Barbet is endemic to Java and Bali. There is likely to be a slight undertone of contempt within the Cornell entry on the species’ conservation standing: “Typically one of many commonest of barbets. Seems to be adaptable.”
When looking for info on the species, be sure that to not combine it up with a number of different barbets: There are Yellow-fronted, Yellow-spotted, and Yellow-breasted Barbets as properly. A bit extra creativity in naming them would have gone a great distance.
A species entry on a web site known as allbirdsoftheworld.fandom will not be notably useful both: “Yellow-eared Barbet … Previously often known as the Blue-eared Barbet. With the present species, additionally it is often known as the Black-eared Barbet”.
Lastly, there may be the Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker. The scientific identify Dicaeum trochileum signifies that it’s a wren (trokhilos means wren), which it’s not. As standard, the male is way more colourful than the feminine.
Apparently, it sucks the juice out of fruits.
In one paper, the Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker was discovered to be one out of solely three out of 29 species in Indonesia by which breeding and molt overlap (normally, as each actions are slightly energy-consuming, they don’t seem to be accomplished on the similar time). The summary additionally features a sentence which will imply one thing, although I don’t know what: “This research means that assets within the research web site can be found for conservation of chook group in human-dominated habitat”.
One other paper describes nest constructing of the species. Be aware to birds: If you wish to be noticed throughout nest constructing, achieve this on a college campus (on this case, the campus of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia).
