Planning a trip during the pandemic is another kind of challenge, as so many things are uncertain. I experienced this firsthand during my last birding trip from March to April 2022. The airline changed the schedule every time they wanted, causing me to miss out on many opportunities due to a lack of time. Instead of going outside for birding, I ended up wasting too much time at the hotel or homestay.
On April 12th, I took a morning flight from Kupang in West Timor to Alor Island. On the online booking apps, they advertised two flights a day to and from Alor, but in reality, they only operated one flight in the morning, which was the one I had booked. The next day, I had booked an afternoon flight from Alor to Kupang, but the airline changed the schedule the night before to a morning flight. Essentially, the afternoon flight turned out to be a trap!
I had to change my plans immediately. Originally, I had planned for two days of birding in the highlands of Apui, where most of the key birds of Alor could be found. My main objective was to capture proper pictures of the new endemic bird of Alor, the Alor Myzomela (Myzomela prawiradilagae), and the endemic nocturnal bird, the Alor Boobook (Ninox plesseni). Mala Tour, our local partner in Alor, had already prepared camping kits for a night camping in Apui. However, I had to abandon that plan and realized I only had a minimum of 8 hours in the field.
Upon arriving at Mali Airport, Nik, a driver from Mala Tour, picked me up, and we immediately drove to the north coast of Alor. The road was mostly in good condition for the first 25 km until we reached Waisika. From Waisika, the road went uphill for approximately 10 km. We made several quick stops along the roadside for birding. The forest was teeming with various bird species. I managed to see the Pink-headed Imperial Pigeon, Flame-breasted Sunbird, Tenggara Whistler, and Black-naped (Tenggara) Oriole.
From a higher point, we had a panoramic view of the valleys on both sides of the road. This was the place where people usually encountered the Flores Hawk-eagle soaring around. I really wanted to stay longer here, not only to watch the Hawk Eagle but also because of the dramatic and beautiful view. However, as I mentioned before, I only had 8 hours in Alor, and time seemed to be slipping away quickly.
We continued driving to Apui. It was cloudy when we arrived, and I started to worry. The site for the Alor Myzomela was still 4 km away, and our car had to be stopped at the Subo junction. The road to Manmas was in a very bad and steep condition. Fortunately, I met a friendly local guy named Abi, who was a dump truck driver and knew the area’s roads better than anyone else. He offered me a ride on his very old motorbike.
As many people had warned me before, the road to Manmas was terrible. We slipped three times, and I was worried not only for myself but also for my belongings, including my camera, recorder, binoculars, and other electronic devices. When we reached Maipiy junction, I asked Abi to stop there. I felt like I couldn’t continue on the motorbike anymore. I decided to start looking for my first target, the Alor Myzomela, even though the exact point from previous reports was still 1 km away. I was prepared to continue on foot if necessary.
I tried to find the Myzomela around the junction and followed the ridge with tall eucalyptus trees on both sides. After less than 10 minutes of walking around, I heard the Myzomela calling from a high branch. I tried to wait, but I was in a hurry. The hills were slowly being covered by clouds. So, I moved to a higher place and followed a small path on the ridge.
After almost one hour of trying, finally, one by one, five individuals of the Myzomela perched on lower branches, even at eye level, giving me a better view. I took the opportunity to take pictures and record their calls. It was a wonderful hour at the location before heavy clouds covered the area.
From Maipiy, I decided to walk back on foot while Abi rode his motorbike beside me. We ended our wonderful afternoon with a cup of coffee at Abi’s house, where his family warmly welcomed us. After more than an hour of relaxing and chatting with the family, we attempted our last target: the Alor Boobook. We walked around the village along the river for an hour but found no signs of the Boobook. We decided to stop and say goodbye to Abi and his family.
Our final stop was the forest between Waipui and Waisika. It seemed to be my lucky day. Just a few meters after Waipui, while passing through farmland, Nik, the driver, heard the Boobook calling from a tree by the roadside. He stopped the car, and we quickly got out. We managed to see five individuals of the Alor Boobook perched on the same tree. The Alor Boobook is one of the friendliest Boobooks in the Lesser Sunda region, similar to the Rote Boobook. It was an amazing end to a thrilling day!
