A planned 3-week trip through Indonesia got off to a good start with a visit to Tangkoko Nature Reserve on the island of Sulawesi. But the trip was suddenly cut short by a family emergency. Still, those 6 hours of exploration and shooting were exciting and productive. Below are some samples of what I found in that wonderful park.

Spectral Tarsiers:
Spectral TarsierSulawesi, indonesia

These little creatures are the most adorable I’ve ever seen. They’re small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, weighing just 4 ounces, but that diminutive body size is paired with huge mesmerizing brown eyes. In fact, they have the largest eyes, relative to body size, of any mammal.

Crested Black Macaque:
Crested Black MacaqueSulawesi, indonesia

There’s a large group of macaques who live in the park. These primates, with their expressive faces, are habituated to humans here, so are easily approached for close observation and portrait photography.

There’s a nice variety of colorful forest-dwelling kingfishers who reside in the park as well, such as the two endemic kingfishers pictured below.

Green-backed Kingfisher:

Green-backed KingfisherSulawesi, indonesia

Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher:

Lilac-cheeked KingfisherSulawesi, indonesia

Unlike the somewhat drab pittas of South America, the endemic Sulawesi Pitta is quite a colorful bird, but surprisingly difficult to find and photograph:

Sulawesi Pitta:

Sulawesi Pitta

And one of my favorite encounters from this brief visit to Sulawesi was this Sulawesi Scops-Owl:

Sulawesi Scops-OwlSulawesi, indonesia

I hope to return again to visit these lovely creatures and discover those I missed during this short visit.