Lesser Sundas Part 5

Flores

Sunday 29^th

We got to enjoy another leisurely breakfast on the veranda as the same pair of Crested Terns sat on the rocks offshore. It was then time to pack up and say our goodbyes to Timor as we headed off to the airport for our next flight. We left Timor at 11am and landed on Flores an hour later. Straightaway the island had a different look to it, being much greener.

Different style village houses

Fruiting tree

We stopped for lunch and then checked into our hotel and had a siesta as it was too hot to go out until 3pm. We went round a local patch of forest and there were a few more birds than on Timor but still in low density. The Flores race of Ashy-bellied White-eye (complete with a yellow belly!) was seen first. Surely an obvious candidate for a split. There was also Ornate Sunbird, Brown-capped and Golden-bellied Gerygones, Crested Heleia and Trumpeting Fantail although we failed to detect any trumpeting noise.

Flores Drongo

Flores Minivet

Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker

It was a fairly productive afternoon’s introduction to Flores and we added a few more species including brief views of Ornate Pitta as we waited for dusk to try for the first of three Scops Owl that breed on the island. We heard three Wallacean Scops Owls calling but none of them came close enough to be seen so we headed off to dinner and back to the hotel.

Monday 30^th

We checked out of the hotel at 6am and could see the local volcano in the early light before we drove up into a montane forest. 

Volcano

It was again a relatively good place for birds compared to the rest of the Lesser Sundas although we only saw about eight species. Green Junglefowl and Ornate Pitta were heard, the latter being fairly common but hard to see as they are an arboreal Pitta. Flores Spangled Drongo, Little Cuckoo-Dove, and Flores Minivet were seen along with the widespread Black-naped Monarch. We drove to another patch of forest and had Chestnut-capped Thrush, Flores Green Pigeon, Spectacled Monarch and we heard Flores Crow. 

Chestnut-capped Thrush

We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant overlooking some paddyfields. Apart from the retro-style of the restaurant with its old TVs and telephones, there was a small flock of Eastern Cattle Egret in the fields along with a few Medium Egrets and a couple of flypast Javan Pond-Herons.

Lunch spot overlooking fields

Retro-decor in restaurant

We continued on to a lake and woodlands where we saw the endemic Glittering (White-rumped) Kingfisher, a quite spectacular blue/black and white kingfisher. Also here were Flores Jungle-Flycatcher while the only birds on the crater lake were a few Tricoloured Grebes. We had another dusk owling session and briefly saw a Flores Scops Owl.

Glittering Kingfisher

Tuesday 1^st

As we hadn’t properly connected with the owls so far we decided to go out early and left the hotel at 3.30 and drove to another spot. Wallacean Scops-Owl was unfortunately only heard again but we did get superb views of the more difficult Flores Scops-Owl.

Flores Scops-Owl

We continued birding and visited a site for Bare-throated Whistler. It looks better than its name suggests and has a loud song which dominates the dawn chorus. 

Bare-throated Whistler

In the same area there were plenty of island endemics: Flores Shortwing, Flores Leaf Warbler, Flores Minivet and Flores Flowerpecker along with Scaly-crowned Honeyeater, Eye-browed Heleia, Warbling White-eye and Dark-backed Imperial Pigeon.

Flores Flowerpecker

Little Pied Flycatcher

Scaly-crowned Honeyeater

We often ran into convoys ferrying election candidates around

Some of the tallest bamboo I've encountered

This shrub smelt like honeysuckle

After a very successful morning we stopped for lunch then went back to the hotel for a rest before heading out again at 3pm. We tried for better views of Ornate Pitta, hearing three and seeing one but not particularly well. A White-rumped Kingfisher was perched high up in the forest and a couple of flowerpeckers were seen but otherwise it was a pretty quiet afternoon. We had an evening off from owling as we’d had an early start so headed back to town for dinner.

Looks like a Fritillary but can't find any reference to one on Flores

A couple more unidentified forest butterflies

Wednesday 2^nd

We had breakfast in the hotel at 5.30 and checked out. We drove to a new area for more forest birding. A few new birds were seen during the morning including Flame-breasted Sunbird, Brush Cuckoo, Crested and Thick-billed Heleias and Rusty-breasted (Tengarra) Whistler.

Straight-line Mapwing

Flores Gliding Dragon

We stopped for lunch then most of the afternoon was spent driving to the other side of the island to the coastal town of Bajo. We had to time it carefully as a section of road was only open in our direction for an hour due to roadworks.

Roadworks

We made a few roadside stops where we saw Leaf Lorikeet and Tengarra Hill Myna. 

Tenggara Hill Myna

We did another owling session and managed to see Moluccan Scops-Owl although it didn’t pose for photos. We checked into our hotel and had dinner in the restaurant.

'Flores' Tree Frog