Off the beaten track in Bali

 All snowy white with bare blue facial skin, making a series of noisy whistles: we looked in awe at the pair of Bali mynas found nowhere else on the planet except in the tiny West Bali National Park in the northwest corner of Bali.

We were on a brief visit during the monsoon season on the island of Bali, Indonesia, renowned for its ancient Hindu traditions and culture. A canceled workshop afforded an opportunity to hang on to our long pre-purchased airline tickets and instead divert our schedule off the beaten track. We spent the first  couple of days inside the West Bali National Park, in a seaside cottage among the mangroves at the forest edge. Dramatic were the views of the low and high tides almost at our doorstep while Small Blue Kingfishers zipped into the water from their mangrove perches for their meals. The only “fly in the ointment” were the ever present crab-eating macaques, one of which made its way into our room at an unguarded moment to feast on fruits!

We started off with a delightful snorkeling session off Menjangan island on the northwestern tip of the island. Blessed were we to have the sun peep out of the monsoon clouds and light up the coral just when we reached them. Numerous coral formations and their denizens including starfish, sea slugs and exotically colored fish like the Moorish Idol made for an absorbing three hours in the lagoon. Sightings of a couple of Green Sea Turtles and Blue Spotted Stingrays exceeded our expectations many fold!

Next morning we took a morning walk into the National Park with bird calls ringing out all around us. Majestic Green Junglefowls were the noisiest, wary and skittish of us on foot but relatively unafraid of vehicles. A Yellow-throated Hanging Parrot had the most florid green color you could imagine. Rounding off our list of Indonesian endemics was the tiny Olive-backed Tailorbird with its loud repetitive whistles. The loud calls of the Collared Kingfisher rang all around us, while the tiniest raptors in these parts, the Black-thighed Falconets, took up their surveying posts on the top of the trees. We had to comfort ourselves with a hearty breakfast to get over the disappointment of the conclusion of the birding session.

Our next destination was the Sarinbuana Eco-lodge on the southern slope of Mount Batukaru in the center of the island. A Black-naped Oriole flitted from tree to tree on the slopes below as we watched them from the balcony of our jungle cottage. Glossy Starlings showed off their deep red eyes. A morning walk's highlight was a Black-naped Fruit-Dove with its comical head pattern and colorful tail. A Freckle-breasted Woodpecker and an Orange-bellied Flowerpecker reminded us that Bali represented the easternmost extension of the Indo-Malayan flora and fauna. The same Collared Kingfishers so common on the coast were here as well, adapting well to the coconut groves. 

So create some time after your regular Bali trip is over: you’ll know where to head for a quick cocktail of forest and sea!