Weda Bay

Weda Bay on Halmahera is where birders go for the standardwing, Semioptera wallacii, the bird of paradise Alfred Russel Wallace collected in 1858 and which occurs only on Halmahera and two neighbouring islands - males gather at dawn in canopy leks, raise the two white standards on each wing and drop in display flights, which is watched from the forest floor before first light. Halmahera has a set of other endemics, including the Ivory-breasted pitta and Halmahera cuckooshrike. The complication is industrial and large: the Weda Bay industrial park adjacent is one of the biggest nickel mining and smelting operations in the world, supplying the electric vehicle battery chain, and the deforestation, tailings and community displacement around it have been extensively documented. Both things are here together.

The landscape

• The standardwing at dawn - Wallace's bird of paradise displaying in canopy leks.
• Halmahera endemics - a set of birds found on this island and its neighbours.
• A vast nickel operation - the industrial park and its documented impacts alongside.
• Lowland forest - what remains of it around the bay.

When to go

September to March for the display season. Four days.

Practical notes

Dawn starts and forest walking are required and the birds are not guaranteed. Access involves flights, boats and road. The industrial development next door is enormous and its impacts are visible.

Nearby

Ternate and Tidore are north-west; Sofifi is the provincial capital.

Key facts