Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Nusa Dua WTP, Bali Indonesia - November 12, 2013.


Having just had 10 days working in Java, I had an opportunity for a morning out in Bali on the way home, so I decided to head for the The Water Treatment Plant at Nusa Dua. For any birder visiting Bali, this place is a must. Now via the new toll road, it only takes 10-15 mins from the airport. The toll is IRp 10,000 or approximately $1.



Sunrise is around 5.30am and I was there at 6. It was still a little dark for photos but that changed in the next half hour.



Upon arriving you are greeted with an amazing sight of tree lined ponds and a myriad of birds. Not your normal sewerage treatment plant.




Here you can scan through the birds and get up to 10 species in a single view.
Cattle, Great, Little and Intermediate Egret, Black-crowned and Rufous Night Heron, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorant , with the accompaniment of Collared and Small Blue (Cerulean) Kingfisher, Pacific Swallow, Pink-necked Dove and the ever present Linchi Swiftlet doing constant flybys. Nice!



The paths are easy walking but take shoes. It may look spectacular but it still is a treatment plant. I did it once in flip flops and questioned myself the whole time. I survived fortunately with no side effects!



As the Plant boarders the mangroves, it is also a great location for bush birds and waders in the mangrove mud flats where I saw Common Redshank.



Small birds are easy to find in the bordering tree such as Golden-bellied Gerygone, Olive-backed and Plain-throated Sunbird, Bulbuls and Pied Fantail.



This is also one of the best places to see the Sunda Teal with its unusaly shaped head.


I would allow a good 3 hours to do the whole place properly. More if you wish to take photos.



Keep your eye on the sky as you usually get good views of Brahminy Kite and occasionally Frigatebirds.



A place I highly recommend.
Steve Potter.



List from this occasion.
  1. Wandering Whistling-Duck
  2. Sunda Teal
  3. Little Black Cormorant
  4. Little Pied Cormorant
  5. Purple Heron
  6. Great Egret
  7. Intermediate Egret
  8. Little Egret
  9. Cattle Egret
  10. Javan Pond-Heron
  11. Black-crowned Night-Heron
  12. Nankeen Night-Heron
  13. Brahminy Kite
  14. White-breasted Waterhen
  15. Common Sandpiper
  16. Common Redshank
  17. Black-naped Tern
  18. Spotted Dove
  19. Pink-necked Pigeon
  20. Linchi Swiftlet
  21. Small Blue Kingfisher
  22. Collared Kingfisher
  23. Golden-bellied Gerygone
  24. Common Iora
  25. Black Drongo
  26. Malaysian Pied-Fantail
  27. Slender-billed Crow
  28. Pacific Swallow
  29. Sooty-headed Bulbul
  30. Yellow-vented Bulbul
  31. Bar-winged Prinia
  32. Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker
  33. Plain-throated Sunbird
  34. Olive-backed Sunbird
  35. Eurasian Tree Sparrow