- Highlight: Javan Sparrow, Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker, Javan Myna, Javan Munia
- Easy to access: very easy
- On-site accommodation: no
- Track difficulty: easy
- Guide needed: no
- Good for: casual birder, photographer, twitcher (for the sparrow)
- Hotspot(s): Candi Prambanan
Overview
Prambanan Temple is a Hindu temple located right on the border between Yogyakarta and Central Java, just a shy 30 minutes away from the city. Together with Borobudur (a Buddhist temple on the other side of the city), it is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the province, albeit somewhat less famous than its Buddhist counterpart. Both temples were built around the 9th century, during the peak of the ancient Medang Kingdom, and were mutually abandoned in the 10th century—most likely because of a catastrophic eruption of the Merapi volcano, which forced the kingdom to evacuate further east.
Over time, the history of the temple complex was forgotten by the local population, until it was “rediscovered” by the Dutch in 1733 (the ruin was already found and well known by the local population at the time, albeit they did not remember about its true history). The reconstruction project was started by the Dutch government as early as 1918, although the official work only commenced in the 1930s and halted during the economic crisis and eventually World War II. Since then, many reconstruction projects have been carried out by the Indonesian government, which saw the erection of the main complex in 1993. The reconstruction of the remaining areas, which consist of hundreds of smaller structures, is still being carried out until now.
The Java Sparrow colony in the area was reported as early as 2000 (Laudisensius et al. 2000), right at the peak of population decline due to pet trade and persecution. At the time, the colony was described as “the largest single extant population in Java”, with some surveys recorded no fewer than 16 nesting pairs in 2004 (Kurniandaru 2008). This cavity nester was found nesting between the stones that form the three main temples, finding safety and comfort in the protected complex.
The survival of this colony however was threatened when a massive earthquake hit the city in 2006, killed thousands of people and damaged the temple structure. It was estimated that 70% of roosting sites had been lost and 30% of nest holes were damaged (Kurniandaru 2008), which were exacerbated by the disturbance from the reconstruction attempts that followed. Luckily, an intervention action was carried out immediately by installation of nestboxes around the complex, and the colony still survive until this day.
How to Bird
Now, I am pretty sure that most birders visit the temple solely for the sparrow, so this guide will focus on how to find the species. However, please note that while the temple is perhaps the most reliable site to find the sparrows in Java, I am one of the very few unlucky people who never actually saw them there, despite having visited it several times. Because of this reason, this guide is written based on the remarks from those who have seen them repeatedly—mostly from my birding buddy L. A. Saktyari, who has the opposite luck to me.
According to Saktyari, the best time to find the sparrow is in the afternoon around 3-4 PM, when they come back from foraging in the surrounding rice fields. During this hour, they are said to love to play on the grass and around the ruins of the smaller temple just outside of the main complex—especially on the northern side where there are generally fewer tourists around. The best practice to see them is to walk carefully between those ruins, checking the grassy space between each structure until you see the flock. Once flushed, it will be difficult for them to come back down again.
Usually near the end of the day (and rarely in the morning or at noon), the sparrow can also be seen roosting on the ledges of the main temples—especially on Shiva’s temple, the largest one in the centre. However, most of the time only less exciting Eurasian Tree Sparrows are visible using those ledges, albeit this only happens to me. In this area, we can also expect to see White-breasted Woodswallow and Pacific Swallow perching near the temple’s top, while Sooty-headed Bulbul.
Many tourists will enter the temple’s chambers to see the statue inside. Even when you are not interested in this, try to enter these rooms and shine your flashlight on the roof—you might be able to find some Lesser Vampire Bat roosting in one of the corners, along with Black-bearded Tomb Bats. The former is easily identified through the long triangular ear and “ugly” face typical of Rhinolophoid bats, while the latter has a much smaller ear and elongated face.
If you have some time before or after the prime sparrow hour, exploring the expansive park that surrounds the temple complex can be a good idea. eBird has amassed quite a lot of species list here but most of those are classic Javanese urban birds such as Javan, Scaly-breasted and White-headed Munia, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Long-tailed Shrike, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove and Collared Kingfisher. There are also some common Javan endemics such as Javan Munia, Olive-backed Tailorbird, Javan Myna and Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker, along with the endemic race of Coppersmith Barbet, which can be useful if you have missed them anywhere else.
Transport and Accommodation
Being a tourist destination, it is very easy to reach this temple. The easiest way, as usual, is by using a ride-hailing service such as Grab or Gojek (either car or motorcycle) from the city, which can save you a lot of trouble. Other options are some public transportation, which includes the Transjogja bus with its confusing route (always consult Google Maps and ask around to avoid being lost), or the commuter train to Solo with such a limited schedule. Both of these public transportation stops are a bit away from the actual temple, so you will have to walk 10-15 minutes to reach the complex.
Being a famous tourist destination, you will have to pay the ticket to get inside the complex. Like other destinations in Indonesia, it has separate prices for locals (IDR 25,000) and foreigners (IDR 350,000 or USD 25). There is also an extension ticket which includes Borobudur temple (which is 2 hours away) or Ratu Boko Palace (15 minutes away), which can be quite a deal if you plan to visit those as well.
There are many options for food, hotels and homestays around the complex—a quick Google search will land you some. I recommend eating somewhere a bit away though, as the price can be quite inflated as in the case of any famous tourist destination in the world.
