By James Gilroy

Birding in the rainforests of Southeast Asia can be a soul-sapping experience. Although you may be in one of the world's richest ecosystems, it is quite possible to go hours without seeing - or even hearing - a single bird. The rainforests of Borneo provide birding at its most intense: long, desperate, sweaty hours of frustration, punctuated by moments of spectacular excitement. More often than not, the birds melt away as rapidly as they emerge, leaving you wondering whether they were simply a figment of your bird-starved imagination. Not the best conditions for field sketching.

The Crested Jay is a quirky, characterful species. Small groups flutter noisily through the lower storey of the forest, constantly throwing exaggerated poses - they could be aptly re-named the "exclamation-mark bird". The birds from Sumatra and Borneo form a distinctive subspecies, differing from those of the Malay Peninsula in both plumage and voice. These differences may be sufficient to merit a split - which would undoubtedly put the islands form onto the endangered list. On Borneo, Crested Jays are found from the lowlands up to lower montane forest. They are always difficult to see.

Crested Jay (Platylophus galericulatus coronatus)

For me, the genus that epitomises birding in Southeast Asia is the pittas. They invariably lurk in the darkest, densest tangles of forest. They taunt you with their spooky calls that seem to come from all angles at once. At times you think they must be calling right under your feet, and yet they remain invisible. And so often, just as you're sure the bird will appear at any second, the calls give way to an ominous silence, and the chance slips away. It's hard to beat the sheer relief that comes from finally clapping eyes on a pitta. This male Blue-headed Pitta is a Bornean endemic, and is endangered as a result of rapid forest clearance. It must be one of the most beautiful birds in the world - a painting will never do it justice.

Blue-headed Pitta (Pitta baudii)

Although it isn't an endemic, the Giant Pitta will be on top of the target list for any birder visiting Sabah. The lowland forest at Danum Valley is probably the best place in the world to see it - you have at least a 10% chance of a sighting! It took us three solid days, ignoring all other species, in order to finally get a view. It was well, well worth it. Practically the size of a Night Heron, but otherwise a classic pitta. I had to settle for naked-eye views when it first bounded into view - my hands were shaking too much to hold my bins!

Giant Pitta (Pitta caerulea)

If there's one genus to rival the pittas for mystery and excitement, it's the Zoothera thrushes. Always elusive, these birds seem to have supernatural powers of disappearance. Seeing any Zoothera is a challenge, but the Everett's Thrush (Zoothera everetti - see header sketch) is one of the hardest. It has been called the "Holy Grail" of Borneo's montane endemics. In the last few years, there has been a stake-out on the Bukit-Ular trail, Mt Kinabalu. Even here, sightings are highly ephemeral. Our speculative pre-dawn visit was miraculously successful - the pair performed just metres away on the path. The sighting was so unexpected, and so impressive, that we had to give up birding for at least an hour afterwards, while the disbelief subsided.