Overview
I had a brief holiday with my partner Matt in Bali for 9 days, this being my second trip to Bali. The plan was for a general holiday with some birding (for me) and diving (for Matt) thrown in. We spent 3 nights on Nusa Lembongan, which was a good base for diving as well as being next to Nusa Penida, which now has a small but thriving Bali Starling population, in addition to a number of specialities. Due to time and other constraints, we otherwise stayed in the Seminyak area; for birding it would have been perhaps preferable to stay in Ubud or somewhere more ‘birdy’, but for other reasons we agreed to spend the remainder of our time here. I compensated by doing a couple of montane day trips, but had to give Bali Barat National Park a miss this time. A few days were spent with no birding other than those which were seen around the hotel or nearby because we were relaxing, and an ear infection contracted mid-holiday ultimately caused me to skip a visit to Nusa Dua on the last day.
I saw 106 species overall and heard a further 8. Of those seen, 8 were lifers, and of those heard 2 were species I hadn’t recorded before, but of the remainder, I have seen 5 before, and another I have heard on 2 other trips – Banded Pitta which I seemed destined to only ever hear. Although there were only 8 lifers, a further 16 others were new records for Bali for me (seen or heard). A number of sightings were too vague, and the most tantalising of these was when I saw a flock of dark terns off the beach.
Itinerary
5/6: Fly from Sydney to Denpasar, arriving at Resor Seminyak at midnight
6/6: Morning and afternoon birding on walks to Batubelig (up the beach) or around hotel and nearby.
7/6: Day trip to Pura Luhur Batukaru with Sumadi Wayan
8/6: Relaxing day, birding around hotel and nearby
9/6: Depart am to Benoa Harbour for boat trip to Lembongan, incidental birding along the way. Birding around hotel at Lembongan (Coconuts Beach Resort), with some birding on trails and road nearby in the afternoon.
10/6: Day trip to Bali Starling Centre and Tembeling Forest on Nusa Penida.
11/6: Relaxing(ish) day – a little snorkelling, and birding around the hotel, but also 2 long walks to different parts of the island.
12/6: Definitely a relaxing day, only very casual birding around hotel and return boat trip.
13/6: Day trip to Central Highlands including Kebun Raya Bedugul, Lake Buyan and Tamblingan.
14/6: Last day, only birds noted around hotel, feeling sick so I reluctantly abandoned plans for birding at Nusa Dua ponds (BCBP Lagoon). Return to Sydney on late night flight.
General Comments
It had been four years since my previous holiday in Bali and I did expect changes, especially in the increasingly urbanised tourist district in the south. Seminyak had been mostly built up even then, but even fewer paddies remained, and many of the smaller, more typically Balinese shops had been replaced with large glass-fronted high-end western stores. A glance at Google Earth belies this impression, probably because the images must be at least 4 years old if not older. Last time, I had walked up Jalan Petitenget and down Jalan Batubelig to the beach and nearby creek and lagoon. This time I didn’t walk along here but my day trips took me along this stretch of road a couple of times. I remembered more paddocks and paddies even though they were already sandwiched between shops (especially on Jalan Petitenget). There are now only a couple of unbuilt blocks on the road, you cannot see what is behind most of the buildings because they are bigger and the area behind the road is rapidly filling up with villas. The paddy where I saw my first Cinnamon Bitterns, on the corner of J. Petitenget and J. Batubelig, is now a shopping centre. Incidentally, villas seem to be the new black as far as accommodation goes in the area and they take up a whopping amount of room.
Perhaps a few birds seemed to be less abundant than before, but the only noticeable difference was that this time I only saw (and heard) Savannah Nightjars on one evening, when I went to get my ears checked out at a clinic nearby, and a couple of these were sailing over a vacant block at dusk. Last time I heard or saw these on a number of occasions at Seminyak, including on the roof of one of the hotel buildings at dusk, but walking around to restaurants nearby at night produced not a peep of the distinctive “Tchweenk” call. Perhaps the area is becoming too built out for these birds?
There seem to be perhaps fewer tourists than last time, possibly because of general global economic downturn. On the upside there seems to be an improvement in the hyper-fear of terrorism and the subsequent knock to the local tourist industry which prevailed 4 years ago.
Resources
Field Guide: MacKinnon, J. & Phillips, K. (1993) A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. This is an adequate field guide for the region. I have given more in depth critique of the book in an earlier trip report, but suffice it to say that it is realistically the best choice for the region, regardless of pros and cons (such as poor binding, lack of maps, and outdated information).
Guide: I spent two individual day trips with Sumadi Wayan (Su), who can be contacted at su_birdwalk@yahoo.com, but also see the Bali Bird Walks website at www.balibirdwalk.com. Su is based in Ubud, so we started a little later than we otherwise would have if staying there, since she and our driver Agung had to drive to Seminyak from Ubud, probably more than an hour each way. Both trips were 75USD for Su and 50USD for Agung and the car, for a nominal 8-9 hours (which should have included the time taken for them to pick me up but seemingly didn’t). I have been birding with Su before in Ubud and on a trip to Bedugul once before, and she is a pleasure to go birding with; she is knowledgeable and thoroughly likeable and I’d recommend her to anyone.
I spent a day on Nusa Penida with a last-minute guide, Anton, who is actually keeper of the birds at the Bali Starling Centre in Ped. I think I was supposed to have an English speaking guide for the day, which may or may not have been Bayu Wirayudha, the director of the Bali Starling Centre. Unfortunately there was a mix up in the timing, and Bayu (whose English is excellent) was absent on the day I arrived, so after some hasty rearrangements, Anton became my guide. In reality Anton’s English was good, enough for basic communication for getting around that day, and much better than my Bahasa. Whilst the arrangements were not as planned the day still panned out very well and I would still recommend the experience; I paid 450000IDR for the car for the day and 150000IDR for Anton’s guiding services. I probably could have spent more time but had organised a return boat for 2:30, in order to avoid potentially rough seas in a small jukung (boat with outboard), and I arrived at the beach even earlier in the hope that my boat would be early but which turned up a little late due to rougher seas.
Sites Visited:
Seminyak and Batubelig
The best birding near the hotel was up the beach towards Batubelig. I had walked here on my last visit via the roads, but of course it was much quicker and more direct to walk up the beach. I walked once with Matt up as far as the small lagoon where a creek comes out at the beach, and again later by myself in the afternoon for birding, when I explored the land on the other side of the creek. On the sandbank I saw Javan Plover, in the same place as I had seen these four years ago but embarrassingly misidentified them as Malaysian Plovers. Having now seen the latter species in Thailand, and getting better looks at the local birds, the darker and more uniform upperparts alone suggested Javan Plover. I was never very happy with the habitat for Malaysian Plover here, but guessed that it could have been either species. Regardless, these birds are no doubt subject to immense pressure of people and dogs walking through their nesting area. A couple of Scared Kingfishers were seen here along with a Collared Kingfisher, and a Small Blue Kingfisher was perched over the water hunting for fish. Behind the lagoon were some fields and scrub, and a nice bed of Bulrush (Typha sp.), where I saw several Streaked Weavers and their nests, and White-headed Munia and Javan Munia along with the more common Scaly-breasted Munias.
Further back along the beach next sandwiched between hotels was a small paddock with some scrub where a few cows grazed. This was a good spot and yielded Zebra Dove (not sure if this was an escapee), a calling Plaintive Cuckoo, a very young Horsefield’s Bronze Cuckoo catching insects low to the ground and good views of a female Barred Buttonquail, first seen quietly walking and then later in flight as it was flushed. In the garden of the hotel next door, a male Streaked Weaver was stripping coconut leaves, presumably for nesting material.
Most of the birding here otherwise was around the hotel. For our first few nights we had a ground floor room with a balcony hidden amongst shrubs and overlooking a lawn, so I saw quite a few birds from there, but otherwise hotel birding was largely based lying around the pool. All the usual species were here such as Cave Swiftlet, Spotted Dove, Common Iora, Bar-winged Prinia, Olive-backed Tailorbird, Olive-backed Sunbird, Plain-throated Sunbird, Tree Sparrow and Scaly-breasted Munia. I took note of some birds I saw around other nearby areas, but these were largely some of the same. On one occasion I had the ultimate lazy birding experience of lying on the sun bed near the pool, facing out over the ocean where I saw some crested Terns inshore, and a flock of darker terns further out, which appeared to have darker underwings (or at least be wholly dark) and smaller than the Crested Terns (several of these accompanied the other terns), but they were too distant and eluded identification, as did what looked like a couple of circling frigatebirds. On the last day I did see 2 Lesser Frigatebirds much closer to the beach, but never saw the darker terns again.
Pura Luhur Batukaru
Nestled on the slopes beneath Gunung Batukaru, Pura Luhur Batukaru is surrounded by forest and offers good opportunities to see forest species. At c.820m asl, the birds here include a number of hill forest species, with some lowland birds, but an appreciable fraction of the highland species as well. Although generally less visited by western tourists, this is an important temple for the Balinese and people flock from all over the island to visit. It always seems to be my fate when I come to Bali to cop the crowds and this visit was to be no exception.
Apparently, ceremonies are held for the graduation of children from elementary schools, which also serve as occasions to farewell friends and teachers. Such ceremonies are held in temples, and usually away from the district of the school itself. It was graduation season. When we arrived there were but a couple of cars, and nobody was there to rent out a sarong (mandatory for visiting temples): by the time we departed here shortly before midday there must have been 30-40 buses parked in the car park and along the roadside for a kilometre or more. Despite this, it was surprisingly quiet away from the main temple area, so where we were most of the time we were unaware of the crowds.
Having left Seminyak at C. 6:45, we arrived here by 8:00am; a couple of Javan Kingfishers sat on power lines or on poles overlooking rice paddies on the drive up. We saw a few birds in the tree tops near the car park, such as Asian Glossy Starling, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon and Oriental White Eye. From the car park area, a path led to the east down some stairs to a lake. Both Horsefield’s Babbler and Fulvous-chested Flycatcher lurked in the undergrowth near the base of the stairs. Lesser Shortwing called from a gully near here, as indeed it did from a number of sites throughout the forest adjoining the complex, but could not be seen. We birded around the lake area for some time before moving on (when the crowds started to appear). A Javan Kingfisher patrolled the lake, and other birds gradually appeared. The first Ruddy Cuckoo Dove of the trip flew through and then landed in a tree giving us good views. Another tree on the other side had a juvenile Orange-fronted Barbet perched in the open (the only one seen for the day, although many more were heard). The same tree also held a pair of Scarlet Minivets and a Sunda Lesser Cuckoo (a recent split from Oriental Cuckoo). Heading around the lake and back to the stairs, we came across Grey-cheeked Bulbuls
Back up the stairs we stopped to rent sarongs and put them on before heading into the outer part of the main temple and then heading off west down to the river. A paved, broad path lead from the temple complex, but we quickly branched onto a rougher unpaved track. Here we saw our first White-crowned Forktail of the day, a bird I had otherwise only heard in Borneo. We soon came across a mixed flock which included Grey-headed Flycatcher, Sunda Warbler, Black-naped Monarch and Pearl-cheeked Babbler. More Lesser Shortwings called but we still could not see them. Down at the river two Little Spiderhunters buzzed by so briefly that we didn’t really get to see them, and Blood-breasted Flowerpeckers and Javan Grey-throated White-eyes fed in the trees above. We had excellent views of another forktail feeding amongst the rocks in the river bed; it was a youngish bird whose black areas were more of a sooty brown.
Heading back up the path we passed the area where the mixed flock had been and added Mountain Leaf Warbler to the list before reaching the junction with the main path where we spooked 3 (I only saw 2) White-crowned Forktails on the path. Heading down the path to the riverside shrine, I saw a Chestnut-breasted Malkoha flap between trees, and in the same area we heard Banded Pitta on our return. I seem destined to only ever hear this bird.
We then moved down to the western temple, to the west of the car park, and sat listening for birds on the forest edge, but being closer to the now very busy crowds, as well as the constantly moving buses each trying to negotiate pick-ups and drop-offs, hearing birds was challenging. It also looked as if the rain were going to dump any minute. We did add Spot-breasted Pied Woodpecker (2 birds in flight) and a very distant Crested Serpent Eagle at this point. Although crowded, there were areas where we could get away from the people and when we were, such areas were so quiet that you wouldn’t know that there were so many people nearby, which is in stark contrast to birding in parts of Kebun Raya Bedugul, where you can be some way away from the crowds but constantly assaulted by the noise of loudspeakers. I’d definitely recommend this site for birding. I think the temple complex held quite a lot more than I saw, judging by the photos I’ve seen from Google Earth, so we could have had a better look around but not really on the day we visited unless you wanted to see crowds.
We left via a different route, passing through Jatuluwih, which is famous for its World Heritage listed rice paddies. Here we saw Golden headed Cisticola, along with the first Pacific Swallows and Striated Grassbirds of the trip
Mengwi
We dropped in to the palace and temple of Mengwi on the way back from Pura Luhur Batukaru. This site sometimes has Java Sparrow (and did when I visited last) but Su was telling me that the entire temple complex has had the rooves rethatched, and that she hasn’t seen the birds since then. This is a good place for some of the more common birds, and although most of the birds seen here were also seen around the hotel or nearby, it seems to offer the best views of Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker that I ever seem to get. Other birds seen here included Javan, Scaly-breasted and White-headed Munias, Olive-backed and Plain-throated Sunbirds, House Swift, Edible-nest and Cave Swiftlets. The temple is impressive and worth a visit especially if you haven’t been before. Bring your bins and bird through the park like area at the rear of the temple complex; who knows, you may see a Java Sparrow.
Nusa Penida
For birders Nusa Penida is known because it holds a number of birds which are not found on mainland Bali: Black-faced Munia, found elsewhere in Nusa Tenggara; Lemon-bellied White-eye, found on Menjangan Island in the northwest and also on a number of other smaller offshore islands, but also, I believe, found on Lembongan, and Red-chested Flowerpecker are the ones which most spring to mind. I’ve always wanted to go to Nusa Penida to see these, but recently Nusa Penida has another major birding drawcard. The Friends of the National Parks Foundation ( www.fnpf.org) together with the Begawan Giri Foundation ( www.begawanfoundation.org) have been involved in an ongoing captive breeding and release project for the critically endangered Bali Starling, with the first birds released in November 2006. As of last year, the population currently numbered around 98 free flying birds, but this is no doubt now larger; by March this year there were 58 wild born birds. An article in Birding Asia (Djikman 2007) which alerted me to this programme in the first place Further details of the programme and other work of the foundation can be found at their website, and. A captive breeding programme is also still ongoing in Bali Barat National park, the natural home of these birds, but the population has remained critically small for decades, largely due to constant poaching.
I spent a day here, travelling across from Nusa Lembongan. I planned my trip initially through Carolyn Kenwrick carolyn@begawanfoundation.org of the Begawan Giri Foundation and Bayu Wirayudha pkaler@dps.centrin.net.id of the Bali Starling Centre. I organised a boat the day before, which I had thought a better idea than turning up in the morning, but it’s possible that organising one in the morning when there is more competition could have resulted in a much cheaper price; I can’t bargain but I did get a cheaper price than that quoted by the hotel to organise this for me. Captain Nyoman took me over at 7:00 and I arrived at Banjar Nyuh near Toyapakeh 30minutes later. Despite all my efforts to practice the necessary Bahasa for organising transport from there to the Bali Starling centre in Ped, it turned out to be unnecessary as I caught an ojek (motorbike taxi) with a driver who spoke some English. Blue-tailed Bee-eaters wheeled above. The confusion however started when I arrived, since there had been a mix up in the dates and I was not expected. Anton the bird keeper and I struggled with his English and my worse Bahasa, but he called Bayu and things were sorted out pretty quickly.
Anton first took me around the various cages, which also held breeding birds of Red-breasted Parakeets and the endangered Mitchells Rainbow Lorikeet, and the large pre-release cages where birds gain strength in flight before their release. Even then I spied the first free-flying Bali Starlings. We walked around in the further grounds of the centre, which includes old coconut plantation and farmland. There we found more groups of starlings, maybe 15 or so in total. Several birds were carrying nesting material, and one male had raised his crest. Other birds seen here included the more typical Olive-backed and Plain-throated Sunbirds, Sooty-headed Bulbul and Spotted Dove, along with Zebra Dove, Black-naped Oriole and a single Lemon-bellied White-eye. After this, we got into a truck and drove through the interior of the island, climbing higher up the slopes of Bukit Mundi, the highest point on the island at 550m asl. We were headed to Tembeling Forest, the largest remaining forest tract on the island which follows a deep valley down towards the ocean. On the drive I saw my first Black-faced Munias; a pretty brief view but the white rumps in flight were diagnostic.
As soon as we got out from the car I could hear fruit doves in a thick tree near the car, and a single female Black-naped Fruit Dove flew into another tree and perched in the open, only metres from the car. We headed through some cultivation, past the area where another pre-release cage had been sited for an earlier release of the starlings. We made our way down slope through scrub and eventually came to a fairly wide track on the upper edge of the forest which wound down into the valley; it was now around 11:00 and quite hot. Several smaller birds were heard, but it was very hard to see them except in flight. There were a few Olive-backed Sunbirds, but at least one Red-chested Flowerpecker flew across in a clearing and another was heard further along the track. As the track entered into the forest proper, the canopy and hillsides climbed above us. Birds were few here, although Black-naped Fruit Doves were heard most of the way along the walk. We had good views of 2 Hair-crested Drongos. Even aside from the lack of bird activity, the forest was a beautiful place. Although probably better to visit earlier in the day, seeing birds here is as difficult as in other closed forests anywhere. Eventually the track dropped down to a beautiful pool near the bottom of the valley, and the ocean pounded on the cliffs nearby. We returned back up the trail, and after a brief rest we got back into the car.
Shortly further along, Anton showed me the nest of a Bali Starling, and before long he located a bird by its call, not far from the road, retreating into the thick foliage in the heat of the day. Further along the road, past the village of Salak, we had nice views of a male Green Junglefowl in roadside scrub, and then great views of 4 Black-faced Munias. We drove on to the end of the road, to a place marked on Google Earth as Tambo Ranch, which had great views of the Penida coast form the cliff tops. The views were fantastic enough as it was, but the 2 White-tailed Tropicbirds in flight pointed out by Anton were the icing on the cake. We then headed back to the centre, where we rang Bayu again. He asked me if I wanted to see any more or stop for lunch, which would have been good but my boat was arriving within the hour and I decided to head back to Toyapakeh to wait for it, thinking that Captain Nyoman might already be there. The trees were now swaying in the strong sea breeze and I was more than a little concerned about the trip back given the legendary reputation of the seas in the afternoon.
Bayu was extremely apologetic about the mix up and that he hadn’t been there to see me, but I assured him that it all went fine. He suggested that to see more a longer visit would be necessary and I can understand this; the roads are ok but in some parts are not the easiest and make driving slow so it can take a while to get anywhere. I’d certainly recommend a visit to Nusa Penida, and it was a definite highlight of my holiday. Although the Bali Starlings were THE highlight, seeing the other birds was nearly as good for me. Even aside from the birds, the scenery is completely different from most of Bali, especially in the interior, and it is a little like stepping back in time, since, other than at the beach when I returned to wait for the boat, I saw only 2 other westerners all day. Friends of ours had told us that Lembongan was like Bali 30 years ago, with minimal tourism, but if there is an obvious difference between mainland Bali and Lembongan, there is a contrast between Lembongan, with its western-oriented tourist base, and Nusa Penida
Nusa Lembongan
Obviously for birders visiting Nusa Penida, it would be easiest to stay there rather than on Lembongan, except that most of the accommodation locally is on Lembongan, and incidentally that’s where all the associated transport options are located; it was surfers whose patronage started the dramatic rise in the popularity of the area with westerners, and the main surf breaks are around Lembongan, so this is where most accommodation is based.
We spent three nights here. I have only read of one trip report from someone who stayed here so I was interested to see what was around. I had hoped that the absence of certain target species from his Lembongan list was just due to random chance or lack of data points, rather than reflecting an absence of these species on the island, but my brief forays to a number of parts of the island supported the former view. Nusa Penida is separated by a stretch of water less than 1km wide from Nusa Ceningan, and Nusa Ceningan is even closer at one point to Lembongan than it is to Penida, but obviously these gaps exist because some birds just haven’t dispersed across them (or have and have died out). I never saw any munia other than Scaly-breasted Munia and I saw no flowerpeckers; white-eyes on the other hand were abundant. I am pretty sure that these are Lemon-bellied White-eyes and not Oriental White-eyes (which are absent from Nusa Penida) with purely yellow undersides, and a paler yellow at that. I only saw one Lemon-bellied White-eye on Nusa Penida, and these appeared to be the same as that bird. Regardless of the identity, they are common and conspicuous on Lembongan, and you can’t help noticing them.
I walked on a few foot tracks near the hotel (Coconuts Beach Resort) and also along one of the roads through cultivation and scrub which ended up on the other side of the island and ultimately at the bridge to Nusa Ceningan. Particularly noticeable on Lembongan were Black-naped Orioles and, to a lesser extent, Oriental Magpie Robins, of which I heard far more than I saw. I know that Oriental Magpie Robin is rarer on mainland Bali having suffered from trapping for the cagebird industry. Sadly, I saw more houses with birds in cages hanging from the front eaves on Lembongan than anywhere else during the trip, and the majority of birds were either Black-naped Orioles or Oriental Magpie Robins. So I am not sure how long these healthy populations are going to withstand trapping pressure or, if the market is local, if it is sustainable.
Sooty-headed Bulbuls were abundant on both here and Nusa Penida, whereas Yellow-vented Bulbuls are absent from this island group. Here they could be found just about everywhere and there range of calls had me tricked into thinking that I was hearing another bird on a number of occasions. Cave Swiftlets were generally less common here, but Edible Nest Swiftlets and House Swifts were abundant at times. Black-naped Monarchs were also present in scrub of varying densities and I had good views of a male Green Junglefowl here. Blue-tailed Bee-eaters were present here, as on Nusa Penida. Although this is the time for Rainbow Bee-eaters, all birds which I saw well were Blue-tailed.
I walked up through the village of Jungutbatu and further along the coast to the northern end of the island, and took my bins. There was little else to add although the walk itself was nice (if not hot) but I did see the only White-shouldered Triller of the trip, in addition to hearing a Slender-billed Crow. Near the hotel I also saw Eastern Reef Egret, and had the unusual sight, on a couple of occasions, of 2 dark morph birds accompanying a single white-morph bird landing in the same places; I’ve always only seen this species as solitary birds before but imagine that there was some family bond between these three. I also saw White-bellied Sea Eagle off Lembongan (as we were departing for Nusa Penida) and saw a Brahminy Kite on the mangroves (technically seen from Nusa Penida).
I kept an eye out for birds the whole time on the outward journey to Lembongan but saw little or than a few Little Terns and some Crested Terns. On the return journey I saw Crested and Black-naped Terns, but I did get 2 individual Wedge-tailed Shearwaters about halfway across and about 1km apart. Murphy’s Law that the one tubenose I saw was one that I see most commonly and easily from my own local beach at home. Whilst one was a dark morph the other was pale, which I hadn’t seen before.
Benoa Harbour
We only passed through here on our way out to Lembongan and on the return journey. On the way out, I saw Little, Intermediate and Great Egrets in paddies on the drive, and saw a single White-faced Heron in the mudflats at the back of the harbour, but no herons nearer to the harbour mouth. I did see 2 Asian Pied Mynas (Starlings) fly off over some scrub from near the jetty. On the return journey there was much more bird activity and I saw Crested and Little Terns, Little Black and Little Pied Cormorants. On a sandbank nearer to where the boat docked Javan Pond Herons and Whiskered Terns were present, as were some waders which were just too hard to distinguish, but the larger sandpipers may have been Common Redshank and there were also some smaller plovers.
Kebun Raya Bedugul
I spent a day in the central highlands with Su, which included birding at Kebun Raya Bedugul (the botanic gardens), Lake Buyan, forest near Lake Tamblingan and the Handara Kosaido Country Club. I had been to the first 2 before but no to the latter sites. I had hoped that on this occasion it would be quieter and less crowded at the gardens than before, but this was not to be the case. As soon as we arrived there were people setting up a sound system and stage near the gate; more school graduation related ceremonies apparently. We turned left off the main drive near the entrance and followed this road, stopping at times to look into the undergrowth and backtracking when we came across a mixed flock trying to find the Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler (which we eventually saw) and Lesser Shortwing (which we didn’t); generally we encountered few people on the road although the sound of the nearby speakers was ever present.
Many of the birds seen at this site I had seen earlier with Su at Batukaru, but it was nice to see some of these such as Ashy Drongo, Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon, Sunda Warbler, Javan Grey-throated White-eye and the beautiful local race of the Golden Whistler. We encountered nice small mixed flocks which held a couple of new species for the trip, such as Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler, Little Pied Flycatcher, Malaysian Cuckoo Shrike and Mountain White Eye. Other new birds from the trip seen here included the Brown Honeyeaters, which were calling in a number of places but most conspicuous as they fed in bottlebrushes (Callistemon viminalis) near the gate, and Pied Bush Chat. Once again the Orange-fronted Barbets called repeatedly, but we only got to see one well, and once again a calling Rusty-breasted Cuckoo refused to be seen, as did the seemingly common but invisible Lesser Shortwings. Two Dark-backed Imperial-Pigeons flew across the track, a bird we had only heard at Batukaru. We eventually made our way around the road to near the temple area, and there were bus loads already clambering around the temple when we arrived, so we didn’t walk as far as there but drove off to another nice quiet dense gully, where we heard many birds, including the teasing Lesser Shortwings, but saw none, and soon headed on out of the gardens to Lake Buyan. The crowds near to the main entrance were unbelievable by this time (maybe 11:00am).
Lake Buyan
We stopped in for a brief look at Lake Buyan. The water level was substantially higher than it was 4 years ago; areas of foreshore which had been under cultivation had reverted back to fringing vegetation. Unfortunately, Water Hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) had become a problem and a programme of removal was underway. Nobody was clearing this out when we were there, but Su explained that more than a hundred people were physically pulling the plants out amongst the reeds and rushes, disturbing many of the birds. Consequently the Common Moorhens, which were otherwise conspicuous, were shy, and hard to find at first. Eventually we found 5 of these but it was a struggle to come up with this many. Javan Pond Herons were numerous, with at least 20 seen on and near the lake. Long-tailed Shrikes were abundant near the lake, and Striated Grassbird and Pacific Swallow were also common over and near the lake.
Tamblingan & Handara Kosaido Country Club
After Lake Buyan, it was a reasonably long drive to Lake Tamblingan. Although this lake is only a kilometre or two away from Lake Buyan, the area we visited was on the other side, so this involved a drive uphill and along the ridge to the south of the lakes, and down an atrocious road to Tamblingan, with numerous potholes and poor surfaces slowing us down to a crawl. We walked into a trail off the road and soon found ourselves well and truly in primary forest. It was now around midday and this, coupled with reduced visibility due to a high and dense canopy, resulted in few birds observed. The highlight here was a pair of Sunda Bush Warblers in the undergrowth and crossing the trail; the only other bird seen here was a single Sunda Warbler also in the trackside undergrowth. A considerable number of other birds were only heard, with the top of the list being those frustrating Lesser Shortwings, heard in a number of places including where we saw the Sunda Warblers. Others heard included Asian Glossy Starling, Little Spiderhunter, Blood-breasted Flowerpecker, Golden Whistler, Orange-fronted Barbet, Javan Kingfisher and Grey-cheeked Bulbul.
We also dropped in to the Handara Kosaido Country Club, wedged between Lake Bratan and the mountains to the northwest. We stopped in at a small pond to check out for potential White-browed Crake but failed to see anything other than Cave Swiftlet and Brown Honeyeater. Su said that sometimes she comes here with birders if many of the more common birds are not seen at Kebun Raya Bedugul, since the edges of the forest here can be quite productive, but as we had seen many birds already and the day was getting on, we soon left.
Species marked with (h) indicate those which were only heard, lifers are underlined.
1) Wedge-tailed Shearwater: 1 dark morph and 1 light morph, 1-2km apart, seen on boat trip about halfway from Lembongan to Benoa Harbour (12/6).
2) White-tailed Tropicbird: 2 birds flying over ocean, seen from coastal view point at ‘Tambo Ranch’. Stunning views added to the experience.
3) Lesser Frigatebird: 2 flying close inshore, seen from Resor Seminyak (14/6). Other distant birds seen from here (8/6) were probably frigatebirds but were too far away to tell for certain.
4) Little Pied Cormorant: 3 in Benoa Harbour (12/6).
5) Little Black Cormorant: 5 together in Benoa Harbour (12/6).
6) Purple Heron: Single birds seen most days, flying over ocean or parallel to coast, at Seminyak (6-9/6, 14/6), and also single bird flying around the lagoon on Lembongan (9-10/6).
7) Great Egret: Several seen on drive to Benoa Harbour (9/6), and 5 seen in Benoa Harbour on return boat trip from Lembongan (12/6).
8) Intermediate Egret: 1 in roadside rice paddy on drive to Benoa Harbour (9/6).
9) Little Egret: A few in roadside rice paddy on drive to Benoa Harbour (9/6).
10) White-faced Heron: 1 on mudflats in Benoa Harbour seen on drive to jetty (9/6).
11) Eastern Reef Egret: 2 dark morph birds with 1 white flying together around lagoon near hotel on arrival (9/6) and also same seen from hotel in lagoon (12/6), Nusa Lembongan; 1 dark morph bird off Ceningan on return trip from Nusa Penida (10/6).
12) Cattle Egret: Large flock flying to roost before sunset, behind Batubelig beach (6/6); several in rice paddies on drive to Benoa Harbour (9/6).
13) Javan Pond-Heron: Relatively widespread on mainland. Seen in rice paddy on Jalan Laksamana, Seminyak (6/6, and 12/6 when 8 present); few seen between Seminyak to Batubelig, flying to roost at dusk (6/6); several in rice paddies at Jatuluwih (7/6); 8 on a sandbank near jetty in Benoa Harbour (12/6); common on Lake Buyan, >20 seen in fringing vegetation.
14) Striated Heron: 1 at Batubelig Lagoon (6/6).
15) Brahminy Kite: 1 immature, seen from Toyapakeh whilst waiting for boat to arrive for the return trip, flying over mangroves on edge of Lembongan (10/6).
16) White-bellied Sea Eagle: 1 bird flying over ocean, seen from Jungutbatu, Lembongan, when heading out to Nusa Penida (10/6) – distant views but diagnostic pronounced dihedral profile.
17) Crested Serpent Eagle: 1 seen flying very high to the east, Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6); 2 seen from near temple, circling near summit of Gunung Tapak, Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
18) Green Junglefowl: 1 male seen from car in roadside scrub near Salak, Nusa Penida (10/6), and another male in scrub on Lembongan (11/6).
19) Barred Buttonquail: Excellent views of a single female feeding in grass and scrub in ‘paddock’ behind Batubelig beach (6/6).
20) White-breasted Waterhen: Heard at Pura Luhur Batukaru in undergrowth near lake (7/6); several heard in scrub (9/6) and later 2 seen in scrub and on mangrove edge (11/6) at Lembongan; 1 seen on drive to Tembeling Forest (10/6).
21) Common Moorhen: 5 in thick fringing waterside vegetation at Lake Buyan, where seemingly quite shy (13/6)
22) Javan Plover: 2 birds, 1 adult (possibly female) and 1 immature on sandbar Batubelig lagoon, (11/7). These are still in the same area where I had seen these birds 4 years before and misidentified (as much as it embarrasses me to admit it) as Malaysian Plovers, which I have now seen in Thailand. The darker and more uniform upperparts and lack of striking head colouring suggests Javan rather than Malaysian Plover.
23) Crested Tern: Several seen well off beach at Resor Seminyak, with more further out, where flocking with smaller dark tern sp. with white underwings, possibly Common Noddy (8/6); 3 and several more inshore outside of harbour (9/6), and 5 (12/6), Benoa Harbour.
24) Black-naped Tern: A few inshore off Benoa Harbour (9/6); 2 off Ceningan on return boat trip from Nusa Penida (10/6), 3 off beach at northern end of island (11/6) and 2 seen from hotel (12/6), Lembongan; 5 at sea on return boat trip to Benoa Harbour (12/6)
25) Little Tern: 5 (9/6) and c.15, with a few more just offshore, (12/6) at Benoa Harbour.
26) Whiskered Tern: 6 on sandbank near jetty, Benoa Harbour (12/6).
27) Rock Pigeon: 3 at Toyapakeh, Nusa Penida (10/6); several near Lake Buyan (13/6).
28) Pink-necked Green-Pigeon: Several seen in small numbers in coastal scrub between Seminyak and Batubelig on both morning and afternoon walks (6/6); Seen daily on Lembongan where quite common (9-12/6); several seen at Bali Starling centre, Nusa Penida (10/6).
29) Grey-cheeked Green-Pigeon: 2 adult females in large tree near car park at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6), and 3 at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
30) Black-naped Fruit-Dove: 1 female in nice open view, with another male hidden in another tree, at the spot where we parked the car to walk into Tembeling Forest; at least a further 10 heard in the forest itself but we couldn’t see any of these so the view next to the car was fortuitous indeed.
31) Dark-backed Imperial-Pigeon: several heard throughout at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6); 2 flying across road at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
32) Ruddy Cuckoo-Dove: At least 5 seen well, mostly in flight, but 1 observed whilst perching, at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6);
33) Spotted Turtle-Dove: Common and seen daily everywhere, most abundant pigeon of the trip.
34) Zebra Dove: 1 in ‘paddock’ behind Batubelig (6/6), and another at the Bali Starling Centre, Nusa Penida (10/6).
34a) (h) Emerald Dove: 1 heard calling in forest at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
35) Sunda Lesser Cuckoo (recent split from Oriental Cuckoo): 1 in forest near lake at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6).
35a) (h) Plaintive Cuckoo: 1 heard in thicker vegetation next to ‘paddock’ behind Batubelig beach (6/6).
35b) (h) Rusty-breasted Cuckoo: 1 heard in forest near lake at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6), and 1, maybe more, heard in several places along road at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6). Frustratingly close at times, this bird had no intention of revealing itself.
36) Horsefield’s Bronze-Cuckoo: A very young bird seen feeding near ground scrub in ‘paddock’ behind Batubelig (6/6).
37) Chestnut-breasted Malkoha: 1 seen in canopy from main trail to river shrine, Pura Luhur Batukaru
38) Savannah Nightjar: 2 seen flying over vacant block in Seminyak at dusk (12/6).
39) Cave Swiftlet: The most widespread swift of the trip and generally the most common, this species was recorded daily and from most sites, including both Nusa Penida and Lembongan, although generally outnumbered by other swift spp. on the latter island.
Indeterminate dark swiftlet sp: Batubelig beach (6/6);
40) Edible-nest Swiftlet: A few at Mengwi (7/6); also birds seen daily at Lembongan, where common, (9-13/6) and throughout Nusa Penida (10/6) were probably this species rather than the following species.
41) Mossy-nest Swiftlet: Several flying in open areas at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
42) House Swift: 1 flying high at Mengwi (15/7); several flying high over Resor Seminyak (8/6); common on Lembongan where seen daily, at times in flocks of c.20 (9-13/6) and also seen above Tembeling Forest, Nusa Penida.
43) Asian Palm-swift: 2 flying over Resor Seminyak gardens at sunset (6/6).
44) Small Blue Kingfisher: 1 at Batubelig lagoon on edge of creek (6/6).
45) Collared Kingfisher: Single birds at Batubelig lagoon (6/6); in rice fields at Jatuluwih (7/6); Benoa Harbour (9/6); at hotel (9/6) near bridge to Ceningan and on northern end of island, Lembongan (11/6); in Tembeling Forest, and one roadside near Salak, Nusa Penida (10/6); and 1 seen and another heard in Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
46) Sacred Kingfisher: 2 at Batubelig beach lagoon (6/6).
47) Javan Kingfisher: several seen on drive to Pura Luhur Batukaru, and one present on lake at the temple (7/6); several also seen on drive to and from the Bedugul area, a single bird seen in flight at Kebun Raya Bedugul, and another heard in forest at Tamblingan (13/6)
48) Blue-tailed Bee-eater: Few at Batubelig behind beach (6/6); several seen at various sites throughout Lembongan (9-11/6); largeish number (c. 20) around Toyapakeh, also on drive to and around Bali Starling Centre, and also some on drive to Tembeling Forest, Nusa Penida (10/6). Several references indicate that this species is a ‘winter’ (i.e. northern winter) migrant to Bali, but it does certainly occur on mainland Bali year-round in some places. Rainbow Bee-eater can occur as a southern winter migrant and this would be the time to see it. A list for Nusa Penida also indicates that only Rainbow Bee-eater occurs there. I saw far more bee-eaters on Nusa Penida and Lembongan than on the mainland, but of all that I did see well, these were Blue-tailed Bee-eaters (on both Penida and Lembongan) and not Rainbow’s; they lacked the black bar at the base of the throat and had consistently green, not chestnut, flight feathers on the upper surface. It may be that some which I did not see well may have been the latter species, but the former were definitely present.
48a) (h) Coppersmith Barbet: 1 heard calling near lake at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6).
49) Orange-fronted Barbet: many calling throughout forest at Pura Luhur Batukaru, but only 1 juvenile seen well in open tree near lake (7/6); many calling at Kebun Raya Bedugul, good views of 1 bird, also heard calling in Tamblingan forest, and even distantly at Lake Buyan, where birds were calling from forest on other side of the lake (13/6).
50) Spot-breasted Pied Woodpecker: 2 seen in flight, at western temple, Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6); 1 heard drumming, Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6). Previously included with Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker.
50a) (h) Banded Pitta: 1 heard on track to river shrine, Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6).
51) Pacific Swallow: Several in rice paddies at Jatuluwih (7/6) near Resor Seminyak (8/6); seen daily in small numbers throughout Lembongan, usually near water (9-13/6); at Bali Starling Centre, Nusa Penida (10/6): several at Lake Buyan (13/6).
52) Malaysian Cuckoo-Shrike: 3 seen at Kebun Raya Bedugul (15/7).
53) White-shouldered Triller: 1 in beachside coconut palm, north of Jungutbatu, Lembongan (11/6).
54) Scarlet Minivet: Pair near lake at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6).
54a) (h) Greater Green Leafbird: Single bird heard in forest adjacent to lake at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6).
55) Common Iora: Single birds seen (6/6), and heard (14/6), at Resor Seminyak, and at Mengwi (7/6).
56) Sooty-headed Bulbul: In the absence of Yellow-vented Bulbuls, these birds are abundant on both Lembongan, where seen daily (9-12/6), and also on Nusa Penida (10/6); heard at Lake Buyan (13/6); 1 at Resor Seminyak and 2 nearby (14/6).
57) Yellow-vented Bulbul: Everywhere on mainland where most common bulbul, but absent from Nusa Penida and Lembongan. Seen daily around Seminyak and through to Batubelig (6-9/6, 14/6); Pura Luhur Batukaru and Mengwi (7/6); Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
58) Grey-cheeked Bulbul: >15 in groups from pairs to 5’s, throughout Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6); 2 small groups in mixed flocks at Kebun Raya Bedugul, and also heard in forest at Tamblingan (13/6).
59) Ashy Drongo: 2 at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6); 1 at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
60) Hair-crested Drongo: 2 seen very well in Tembeling Forest, Nusa Penida (10/6).
61) Black-naped Oriole: Fairly common on Lembongan, where seen daily with up to 15 birds seen, and more heard, in a single walk (9-13/6); 1 at Bali Starling Centre, Nusa Penida (10/6); 1 at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
62) Large-billed Crow: 1 at Resor Seminyak (9/6, 14/6) and 1 flying along coast nearby (8/6).
62a) (h) Slender-billed Crow: 1 heard near Jungutbatu, Lembongan (11/6).
63) Horsefield’s Babbler: 1 in undergrowth near the base of stairs leading to lake, Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6).
64) Pearl-cheeked (Cresent-chested) Babbler: 1 seen, possibly more present, in mixed flock in shrub layer on foot track to river at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6).
65) Chestnut-backed Scimitar-Babbler: 2 groups in mixed flocks at Kebun Raya Bedugul, both low down and in lower canopy, with 2 birds seen very well (13/6)
66) Oriental Magpie Robin: Moderately common in thicker scrub on Nusa Lembongan - 2 seen and several more heard (9/6) and 1 seen and several more heard (11/6).
67) White-crowned Forktail: Up to 2 seen together (3 seen by Su) around temple, path to river shrine and along river, with another heard near lake, Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6) – exceptional views of this beautiful bird at this site; heard at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
68) Pied Bushchat: 1 male in open are near main road through Kebun Raya Bedugul, and 1 male in field at Lake Buyan (13/6)
68a) (h) Lesser Shortwing: Frustratingly heard but unseen, with several calling in undergrowth both near the lake and near track to the river at Pura Luhur Batukaru (13/6), and many heard calling in undergrowth on forest edges at Kebun Ray Bedugul and also at Tamblingan (13/6), where one must have been only a metre or two away from our feet.
69) Golden-bellied Gerygone: 1 seen in mangroves near bridge to Ceningan, with more heard nearby, Lembongan (11/6).
70) Sunda Warbler (Sunda Flycatcher Warbler): 1 in mixed flock in shrub layer on foot track to river at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6);
1 in lower canopy in mixed flock at Kebun Raya Bedugul and 1 in undergrowth in forest at Tamblingan (13/6).
71) Mountain Leaf Warbler: 2 in shrub layer, on track to River, Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6).
72) Striated Grassbird: 1 seen in rice paddies at Jatuluwih (7/6); 1 heard in undergrowth on adjacent boundary of forest and cultivation at Kebun Raya Bedugul, and several at Lake Buyan (15/7)
73) Olive-backed Tailorbird: Widespread on mainland Bali but not recorded on either Nusa Penida or Lembongan. Seen daily at Seminyak (6-8/6, 14/6), and also seen at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6) and heard at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
74) Bar-winged Prinia: Usually in singles or pairs, but not recorded from either Nusa Penida or Lembongan. Seen in ‘paddock’ behind Batubelig beach (6/6), at Resor Seminyak (6/6, 14/6), at Mengwi (7/6), and 2 pairs seen at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
75) Golden-headed Cisticola: A few heard and one seen from road in rice paddies at Jatuluwih (7/6).
76) Fulvous-chested Flycatcher: 1 in undergrowth near base of stairs leading to lake, Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6); 2 single birds in open understorey at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
77) Little-Pied Flycatcher: 1 pair seen and more heard at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
78) Grey-headed Flycatcher: 2 pairs, in mixed flock in shrub layer on foot track to river at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6); 1 at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
79) Pied Fantail: Single birds seen at Resor Seminyak, even drinking from pool, and in scrub between there and Batubelig (609/6, 14/6).
80) Black-naped Monarch: 1 in mixed flock in shrub layer on foot track to river at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6); moderately common on Lembongan where 2 - 3 seen daily in scrub (9-11/6); 1 seen flying across road on drive to Tembeling Forest, Nusa Penida (10/6).
81) Golden Whistler: Brilliant views of a male near the lake, with more heard elsewhere, at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6), and a pair seen well at Kebun Raya Bedugul, and also heard in forest at Tamblingan (13/6). The male has a much rustier tint below the black breast band than the Australian races.
82) White-breasted Woodswallow: Seen daily at Resor Seminyak (6-9/6, 14/6) and also in nearby Batubelig (6/6); seen around Lembongan (9-13/6), and on drive from Bali Starling Centre to Tembeling Forest, Nusa Penida (10/6).
83) Long-tailed Shrike: Quite common on Lembongan where seen daily throughout the island (9-12/6); Common in cultivation bordering Lake Buyan (13/6).
84) Asian Glossy Starling: many at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6) and several at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6), also heard in forest at Tamblingan (13/6).
85) Asian Pied Myna (-Starling): 2 flying over scrub, seen from jetty at Benoa Harbour (9/6).
86) Bali Starling (-Myna): Major trip highlight! Maybe 12 or so seen as singles to 2’s and 3’s, in area around Bali Starling Centre, Nusa Penida (10/6). All birds seen closely had no bands so were wild-born. Some birds were carrying nesting material and one male displayed raised crest. Another bird was seen near a nest hole, near Salak village, close to Tembeling Forest.
87) Plain-throated Sunbird: Widespread and common but less common than the following species, also in singles or pairs. Seen (6/6) and heard (14/6) at Resor Seminyak; seen at Pura Luhur Batukaru and Mengwi (7/6), seen around Bali Starling Centre and heard at Tembeling Forest, Nusa Penida (10/6); at Jungutbatu and the northern coast of Lembongan (11/6).
88) Olive-backed Sunbird: Widespread and common, usually seen as singles or pairs. Seen daily at Seminyak and through to Batubelig (6-9/6, 14/6) and at Lembongan (9-12/6); also seen at Pura Luhur Batukaru and Mengwi (7/6), Nusa Penida including around the Bali Starling Centre and at Tembeling Forest (10/6) and at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6).
89) Little Spiderhunter: 2 seen briefly flying into canopy at river, Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6); 3 at Kebun Raya Bedugul, and also heard in forest at Tamblingan (13/6).
90) Brown Honeyeater: Many in open areas near gate at Kebun Raya Bedugul, especially feeding in bottlebrushes, but also heard elsewhere in gardens, and at Handara Kosaido Country Club (13/6)
91) Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker: Several seen at Mengwi where we had close views of both male and female birds very low to the ground (7/6); 1 heard at Seminyak near Hotel (12/6).
92) Blood-breasted Flowerpecker: 3 seen well, but more heard, at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6); several males and females seen, with more heard, throughout Kebun Raya Bedugul, and also heard in forest at Tamblingan (13/6).
93) Red-chested Flowerpecker: 1 seen very briefly as it flew quickly overhead in forest edge, and 1 more heard nearby, Tembeling Forest, Nusa Penida (10/6).
94) Oriental White-eye: Several at Pura Luhur Batukaru (7/6).
95) Mountain White-eye: At least 5, with some seen very well, at Kebun Raya Bedugul (15/7)
96) Lemon-bellied White-eye: Common and conspicuous on Lembongan, where seen daily (9-13/6), also 1 seen at Bali Starling Centre, Nusa Penida (10/6).
97) Javan Grey-throated White-eye: Quite common at Pura Luhur Batukaru, where >15 were seen (7/6); several in mixed flock at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6)
98) Tree Sparrow: Abundant and widespread, this bird was seen most days and was present in many areas including Nusa Penida and Lembongan, although appeared to be less common on Lembongan than on mainland Bali. In general, it appeared to be more common in more heavily settled areas and absent from forest, but was recorded from forest edge, Tembeling Forest, Nusa Penida (10/6) and on lawn adjacent to forest edge in Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6). Also seen at Seminyak (including hotel grounds) and through to Batubelig (6-9/6, 14/6), at Mengwi (7/6), Lembongan (9-12/6) and around the Bali Starling Centre and on drive through to Tembeling Forest (10/6).
99) Streaked Weaver: A bird which I had only seen once, in Ubud, on my last trip, this bird was more conspicuous this time. 1 male seen stripping coconut leaves to make nesting material, in hotel grounds on beachfront at Batubelig, and also several birds and several nests seen in a Bulrush (Typha sp.) bed behind the creek also at Batubelig (6/6), and a flock of c. 10 passing over Jalan Dyana Pura, Seminyak (8/6).
100) Scaly-breasted Munia (Nutmeg Mannikin): Everywhere, everyday – easily the most abundant of all the munias, both on mainland and on Nusa Penida and Lembongan, and the only munia recorded for Lembongan; it occurred in forest clearings and edges at Pura Luhur Batukaru and Kebun Raya Bedugul.
101) White-headed Munia: Several seen from roadside around Legian and Seminyak, especially around Jalan Dyana Pura, (6-9/6, 12/6); few in a Bulrush (Typha sp.) bed behind the creek at Batubelig (6/6); few at Mengwi (7/6); 3 seen, 1 with nesting material, in village on drive to Tembeling Forest, possibly Batumadeg, Nusa Penida (10/6).
102) Javan Munia: Few at Batubelig near creek (6/6); Mengwi (7/6); 1 at Resor Seminyak (9/6); 5 on road edge at Toyapakeh, Nusa Penida (10/6); a few at Kebun Raya Bedugul (13/6); few at Seminyak (14/6).
103) Black-faced Munia: 5 seen poorly on drive to Tembeling Forest (but still with diagnostic white rump) and great close views of 4 in roadside cultivation near Salak, Nusa Penida (10/6).
References:
Djikman, G. (2007) Bali Myna Leucospar rothschildi takes flight to Nusa Penida. Birding ASIA 7: 55-60