Muara Angke

White Breasted Water Hen

Finally made it to Muara Angke for a second time, this time I hoped for some birding.

A smart new gateway lets you on to the wooden walkway and to the office.

And they wouldn't let me in without a permission letter from some office miles away which, being a Saturday, was closed.

Luckily I had the wife with me and about an hour later, I kid you not, we got permission but I'm not sure if this would work another time.

As it was we had to tag on to some multi national CSR day out where they all dressed like Steve Irwin and sent a lot of sms telling their friends they were in the jungle!

The CSR was part of tree planting I mentioned a few days back and was being filmed for a documentary which may or may not get shown later.

Could this be a Plain Prinia?

Not just birds can be found at Muara Angke

After a good age of negotiating as well as sitting through some dire 'moral' boosting talk about conservation off went the crowd and I was able to savour some quiet.

Around the park office I spotted a couple of Pied Fantails posing and fanning themselves while a White Breasted Water Hen strutted itself in some marshy land.

As I set off on my more lonely stroll this bird flew by and rested in a tree far off. The white collar is distinctive while, in flight, it mirrored a pigeon or dove.



I was too far to get a better shot.




Out in the open on the broadwalk this drongo flew across me. I think it's either a Greater or Lesser Tailed Drongo but not having knowingly seen either I have no idea which one!



A Drongo!





A Pied Fantail jumping around near the office at Muara Angke

This monkey sat for a few moments above a shelter overlooking a lake before following his mates and jumping

I also saw plenty of herons and egrets but was unable to get accurate sightings of which they were while further out on the broad walk the noise from the undergrowth was frustrating. They were out there but they weren't showing themselves.

On the way back after reaching the limit of the walkway I got talking to a guy who works for Jakarta Green Monster, an NGO who try to educate kids about the importance of conservation and the environment.

He spends his weekends as a volunteer helping to show people round Muara Angke and in his day job works for Flora and Fauna International. A useful contact, he told me about a spieces check where once a month volunteers count the number of birds to be found in the park. Staying overnight they also look out for night creatures like frogs and toads though he assured me the snakes, and there are plenty of them, stay away!

Schedule permitting I hope to join one of their counts in the near future.