The island of Seram, in Indonesia, is the only home of the Moluccan Cockatoo. It is also home to Great-Billed Parrots and Eclectus Parrots and is one of the primary focuses of the Indonesian Parrot Project.
Indonesian Parrot Project / Project Bird Watch (IPP/PBW) Secretary Barbara Bailey with Mr. Nico, a former bird trapper turned eco-tour guide.
Gam, a small island in the Raja Ampat group, is one home of the Triton Cockatoo, and is another primary-focus area for the Indonesian Parrot Project. This is the tiny village of Yenwaupnor.
Houses in the town of Wailebed on Batanta Island in West Papua. The town is much gloomier than Yenwaupnor on Gam. The island is greatly deforested, and bird trapping here is considerable.
Buce, a former bird trapper, is now an eco-tour guide.
Fresh cloves. Photo by Stewart Metz
Cloves drying in the Seram sun. Cloves and nutmeg were the two principle crops which led to the name "the Spice Islands" Photo by Stewart Metz
Guest house on Seram run by Pak Ali. Photo by Bonnie Zimmermann
Children on the island of Gam. With few economic resources, and with much of their country being ruined by rapacious (and often illegal) logging, these children might be forced to resort to bird trapping if sustainable sources of income are not developed
Ceisar Riupassa (left) & Leonardo (Naldo) Sahubarua (right) are our indispensable friends and colleagues in Indonesia and lead their own organization Yayasan Wallacean (The Wallacean Foundation). Pak Ali (center) runs the guest house on Seram
Seram forest from the Platform in the Canopy. Photo by Stewart Metz
The clouds and fog frequently engulf the higher levels of Seram, giving it its sense of mystery. Photo by Bonnie Zimmermann
Seram sunset. Photo by Bonnie Zimmermann
Rickety bridge with loose planks and filled with holes which connects the town of Yenwaupnor on Gam, West Papua, to the forest and the birds. Photo by Bonnie Zimmermann
