South-East Asia Part 3 : Lake Kaco Track & Tapan Road, Sumatra

 

Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo

Following a rewarding few days around Mt Kerinci in the central west highlands of Sumatra, we moved on to Lempur Village and the Cinnamon Guesthouse, our lodgings for the next four nights. This was basic accommodation but with a fantastic view from the balcony, good food and overall a pleasant place to stay. Our first day was a break from birding. Lempur is the home village of my guide Sandra. He kindly took us on a local tour that took in rice harvesting, drying cinnamon bark and a vigorous wedding in the main street.

Lempur Village - rice harvesting (above); wedding preparations (below)

Lempur is close to the track to Lake Kaco - at 1100m a lower elevation than Mt Kerinci, with different species on offer. Chief among them was Sumatra's star bird, the Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo. Sandra and I were out in the forest early at a stake-out for the bird. He set up a hide and a ground-cuckoo could be heard calling distantly. It was two hours before the bird moved in closer before finally appearing, just as a second group of birders who had been hiding in the forest – unbeknown to us – emerged at the scene.

What a scene it was. First a glimpse of the bird's face in the ground vegetation. Then it jumped onto a branch, its purple orbital skin glowing in a brief flash of sunlight in the generally overcast conditions. It called several times before hopping on to a rock and then to a more shaded branch. This gem was in full view for about 10 minutes. Then it was gone, quietly returning to the undergrowth. Undoubtedly the trip highlight for me.

Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo

After that everything was a little underwhelming but the first endemic Sumatran Bulbul and Sunda Forktail were nice to see.

Sunda Forktail

Then Sandra spotted a Sunda Colugo clinging to a tree trunk high above the ground, peering down at us.

Sunda Colugo

We were back on the Lake Kaco track the next morning. It was a top morning for bulbuls, scoring the two other endemics – Cream-coloured and Spot-necked – along with two good species I did not expect. A pair of Ruby-throated Bulbuls were at the track entrance, and a pair of rare Black-and-white Bulbuls were an unexpected bonus. I didn't manage a single bulbul photograph in the gloomy conditions. I did snap a fine Pale (Sunda) Giant-Squirrel high in the trees.

Pale Giant-Squirrel

We moved on to the town of Sungai Penuh for a 2-night stay in the Grand Kerinci Hotel – the base for exploring the Tapan Road. We arrived at a gully at 1300m on the winding, narrow road in the early afternoon and soon heard Marbled Wren-Babbler calling. This was a much-wanted species I had missed on several trips. I got in among the undergrowth and caught some good but brief views of the birds. We moved on to a second gully further down the road. This was Sandra's stake-out for another top Sumatran target – the elegant Graceful Pitta. Sandra put out some mealworms. 

Pitta Preparations

He had not returned the few metres to the hide he'd put up before a pitta flew in for a feed. A squirrel had the same idea and we tried unsucessfully to keep it at bay. The pitta got used to the squirrel, however, and the two fed happily side-by-side. The pitta was then joined by its mate and a well-fledged juvenile, which kept to the shadows. The need to feed the juvenile explained the large numbers of worms being hoovered up by its parents.

Graceful Pitta

Pitta with a Mouthful

In the midst of all this action, another pair of Marbled Wren-Babblers appeared on the scene. They joined in the mealworm splurge, perching uncharacteristically in the open for brief periods. The whole affair came close to challenging the ground-cuckoo for experience of the trip.

Marbled Wren-Babbler

We were back on the Tapan Road the next morning, walking segments downhill to be picked up by the vehicle, with a roadside breakfast thrown in. Sumatran Leafbird and Blue-masked Leafbird appeared together in a small flock.

A Sunda Owlet that was calling from a gully flew in for a brief view. Sumatran Drongo was present in small numbers, rounding off the Sumatran specialties that I considered a reasonable chance in the Kerinci region.

Sumatran Drongo

Better views were obtained of Sumatran Green-Pigeon and Sumatran Treepie, both of which were seen several times along the road and elsewhere around Kerinci.

Sumatran Green-Pigeon

Sumatran Treepie

Blue Nuthatch  and Chestnut-breasted Malkhoa were nice to reconnect with.

Blue Nuthatch

Chestnut-breasted Malkhoa

Mammals performed nicely. A gathering of Siamangs in the tree-tops by the road was captivating as males with inflated throat patches howled and fought for position.

Siamang

Several parties of Sumatran Surili were seen along the road, with much better views than other sites where we encountered them.

Sumatran Surili

The Sunda Pig-tailed Macaque was common and tame along the road. We departed the next day for an 8-hour drive to Padang along the scenic coastal route, ending our Sumatra adventure with a flight the next day to Bangkok.

Sunda Stub-tailed Macaque

Cinnamon Guesthouse - Glenn, Zacky, Greg, Sandra