-----Original Message-----
From: Syd Curtis [SMTP:
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 1999 7:28 AM
To:
Subject: birding-aus Location of Sangihe
>Tony Russell very reasonably asked, re my note about the Cerulean Paradise
>Flycatcher, "Where's Sangihe?"
>Unfortunately the item in The Weekend Australian didn't say, but my atlas
>shows such a place a little over 100 km north of the northern-most part of
>Sulawesi. I reckon that must be it.
>In Australia, we used to know Sulawesi as Celebes. It's that large
>island with several very long arms. To the north one arm swings east then
>north. Continue that northerly direction for another 100 km or so and one
>arrives at Sangihe. The Atlas shows "Sangihe I" and "Sangihe II". Maybe
>there are two islands.
>There must be someone at birding-aus who knows and can say for sure?
Yep, Syd it's one of the small island north of the Minahasa peninsula of
Sulawesi - part of an island chain connecting Sulawesi and Mindanao of the
Philippines. There is a good article concerning conservation on Sangihe &
Talaud (NE of Snagihe) in the June 1997 issue of the Oriental Bird Club
bulletin. Other endemics on Sangihe include Red-and-Blue Lory, Sangihe
Hanging-parrot and Elegant Sunbird. The Sangihe Islands are a group of islands
- Sangihe, Para, Siau & Tahulandang. As in many parts of Indonesia habitat
destruction is the main conservation problem.
Concerning the Cerulean (meaning 'blue') Flycatcher the type specimen was
collected in the 1870's & since then a there was a single sighting in 1978
(Bruce White) then another contentious sighting by Bruce White in 1995 on the
upper slopes of Gunung Awu. This confirmed sighting is very exciting as it is a
spectacular bird!
Hope this helps clarify a few things.
Susan Myers
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