Trip Outline:
Day 1 August 3rd: Kota Kinabalu
Day 2 August 4th: Kota Kinabalu (Likas Lagoon Kota Kinabalu Wetland Center)
Day 3 August 5th: Sandakan, Sepilok Forest Edge Resort, Sepilok Orang-utan Rehab.
Center, Sepilok canopy walkway.
Day 4 August 6th: Sepilok forest, Kinabatangan Jungle Camp
Day 5 August 7th: Kinabatangan
Day 6 August 8th: Kinabatangan, Gomantong Caves, Lahad Datu, Danum Valley.
Day 7 August 9th: Danum Valley
Day 8 August 10th: Danum Valley
Day 9 August 11th: Danum Valley
Day 10 August 12th: Danum Valley, Lahad Datu, Kota Kinabalu
Day 11 August 13th: Tambunan, Mount Kinabalu
Day 12 August 14th: Mount Kinabalu
Day 13 August 15th: Mount Kinabalu
Day 14 August 16th: Mount Kinabalu, Tambunan, Kota Kinabalu, Likas Lagoon
Introduction:
Borneo is one of those mythical destinations you hear about people disappearing down some jungle river never to be heard from again. Not such the case these days, more often than not you find many people heading down said river armed with binoculars. Borneo is one of “the” destinations in Asia as the infrastructure is good, several Eco-friendly lodges exist and the geographic range in such a confined area is so varied it gives you a chance for good numbers and many endemics.
Guide Books, recordings etc….
I took the Mackinnon /Phillipps guide with me and I had no problem with it and it served me well. I was told me a new guide will be available soon. Having checked out the information on the new guide by Quintin Phillipps it looks like it covers all of Borneo with new plates and information on endemics etc...Available through Amazon, can't wait. (update 2013: The second edition of the Phillipps guide is out now and is really a fantastic guide to the island. You can get it here)
For recordings I went to www.xeno-canto.org . They have an Asia page where I found over 200 of the recordings I learned for the trip. They came in handy when comparing recordings I made in the field and helping with identifying some of the hard to view skulkers.
Payne and Francis/ Mammals of Borneo came in handy when trying to identify the myriad species of squirrels and tree-shrews.
Davidson and Gale/ Birds of Mount Kinabalu is a nice book with some good color plates for each of the birds but is not a guide to take in the field but a lovely book to have. Both are available from Borneo books in Kota Kinabalu located in the Wisma Merdeka shopping center. They have a web site and we ordered both books before we went to have something to study beforehand.
Daily log:
Day 1, August 3rd, Kota Kinabalu:
We woke early after our long flights the day before. It was just getting light out when I could hear a Yellow-vented Bulbul begin to call and sing outside our hotel. I pulled back the drapes and stared at the South China Sea. In the garden below us next to the pool I could see the Bulbul. Shortly after the bat like forms of several Glossy Swiftlets drifted over the pool collecting water before spiraling into the sky to hawk for insects. Then the squadrons of loud Asian House Swifts drifted out over the sea and back again twisting and turning calling to each other.
We spent the day relaxing and walking around, seeing some of the sites like the market and the some of the malls. In the afternoon we relaxed in our room on the fifth floor where I could watch the ocean from our porch. Pacific Reef Egret, Striated Heron, Roseate Tern, White-winged Black-Tern, a distant pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles circling over the docks at Gaya Island and several Asian Glossy Starlings were some nice birds to start the trip with.
Day 2, August 4th, Kota Kinabalu:
This morning we had decided to go to the Kota Kinabalu Wetlands Center so after breakfast we grabbed a taxi and drove the 10 minutes it takes to get there. We spent the next hour and a half walking the board walk looking through the mangroves. A White-breasted Waterhen scurried away from us as we approached the boardwalk while several noisy Ashy Tailorbirds flitted through the foliage a short way in. A Blue-eared Kingfisher spooked from his perch over the river and flew along the channel disappearing into the mangroves. Several noisy Red-eyed Bulbul jumped from branch to branch in front of us, joined by a Pied Fantail. Above us the noisy cackle of a Collared Kingfisher announced his prescience. He was seen a few times but mostly from the back as he flew away from us. In an area of thick mangroves we found another Pied Fantail in attendance with a Pied Triller. They hopped around above us for some time before we moved through into an open area where a Pink-necked Green-Pigeon glided past us from one set of mangroves to another and was quickly lost. More calls this time from a group of Common Iora showed well as they passed us at eye level now that we were at the tower and could look down on them. Several Striated Heron were seen amongst the mangrove edges, croaking loudly as they took flight whenever we got near. Back out at the entrance I followed the calls of a Collared Kingfisher and got great looks at the bird as it perched high on a dead snag. Above me a female or juvenile Red-throated Sunbird was doing what sounded like begging and wing flapping from an open branch but as we needed to go I snapped some pictures and got in the taxi back to our hotel. We drove over signal hill and our taxi driver stopped at the over look where we could see the city. In the woods behind us a lone dead snag stood up out of the canopy and had two White-breasted Wood-Swallows perched in it along with a Spotted Dove.
That afternoon I sea-watched again this time getting fabulously close views of a juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle at eye level as it cruised around right in at the shoreline.
Day 3 August 5th, Sandakan, Sepilok
This morning we dropped some of our spare suitcases off at the hotel we would spend the last night in and met our guide. We loaded into a taxi and headed for the airport. We checked in and had some time for a tea and get acquainted before our flight to Sandakan. The flight was quick and uneventful with spectacular views of Mount Kinabalu out of the left of the plane.
We were one of the few on the flight with any luggage. Seemed more like a flying taxi from KK to Sandakan. Our luggage come out quickly and we loaded up into the vehicle for the drive to Sepilok Forest Edge Resort. We checked in and got some drinks while waiting for our rooms to get ready and our luggage taken up. We sat on the porch at the main dining area and we checked all the trees around us. A Little Spiderhunter flew into a banana flower behind the dining area and several Black-headed/Chestnut Munia were scattered around the grassy open areas in front of us. We enjoyed a few drinks and when we were show to our chalets we went past several flowering bushes and we got great close views of a male Olive-backed Sunbird. Our rooms ready we headed up for a short break before lunch. Restless as always in a new place I grabbed my camera and headed right back out the door. I had an hour before lunch and didn’t want to waste it. Outside our chalet was several flowering/fruiting bushes and trees and these were alive with birds. My first Greater Green Leafbirds were right across from me before I’d stepped off of the veranda. Plain and Crimson Sunbirds came to the bright red flowers outside our chalet and a pathway led past a group of trees where I found a male Greater Green Leafbird and a Yellow-vented Bulbul perched for photographs. Another Crimson Sunbird flitted around with another over territory while a Plantain Squirel hunkered down in the heat of the afternoon. An Orange-bellied Flowerpecker called to its mate in a tree above me before my time was up and we headed down for lunch.
Our first introduction to 100 Plus, a local Gatorade style drink, had us hooked on it’s refreshing lemon zesty note for the rest of the trip. I think we consumed a steady flow of this canned beverage for the entirety of our stay in Borneo. A distant Dollarbird panted in the heat from an exposed snag and distant Rufous-tailed Tailorbirds called from across the valley. After lunch we headed back up to the chalets stopping to watch several sunbirds and another panting bird, this time an Ashy Tailorbird who even had it’s wings out a little to help the heat escape. It was doing no good. We checked the flowering bush and fruiting trees and the wooded walkway outside our chalet finding more of the same birds but adding several Crested Myna’s, Rufous-tailed Tailorbird and a fantastic Black-and-red Broadbill that gave some fantastic looks. I’ve never seen so many birds panting but like the earlier one’s he had mouth agape. Can’t say I blame him, it was hot. The best find was a Thick-billed Spiderhunter that came to the flowering red bush outside our room just before we were about to leave.
We drove to the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Center where we bought tickets and took the walkway to where the monkeys would eventually arrive. We stopped along with way for looks at our first Black-and-yellow Broadbill’s and listen to an unseen White-crowned Shama. At an opening in the canopy we looked up into the trees finding a pair of Fiery Minivets, whose orange color, shone out amongst the greenery.
When we got to the feeding area for the monkeys we were surrounded by other visitors waiting so we set up at the back but still in the shade and waited. Our first looks at Pig-tailed Macaque’s in the high canopy was a sign of things to come. Eventually the wardens came with buckets of bananas and one of the deep, rufous Orang-utans came swinging in along the ropes. Shortly there after a troop of Pig-tailed Macaque’s arrived with a few Long-tailed Macaque’s to put on a great show while they jumped around and swung from the ropes racing in to grab a bunch of banana’s and speed off into the jungle. After the feeding we continued around the walkway to the entrance and back out stopping by the shop to see if wanted some souvenirs.
We met by the vehicle and we drove around to the back of the park where there is a trail to the canopy walkway. A nice dirt path along the edge of a small lake put us at the foot of a huge tower that spiraled up into the canopy. We trudged up to come out on top and out onto one of the walkways eye-level with the thick foliage around us. Here we spent the afternoon enjoying the birds singing from below us and drifting through the trees around us. While it was still warm there were only a few birds but our best treat was a lovely Violet Cuckoo that came in really close and landed in a tree just below eye level for some crippling views. We fired off frame after frame of this cooperative bird before if flew off into a neighboring tree. We walked to the end of the walkway where we found some closer minivets before the cicadas began to sing up in ones and two’s as it got closer to dusk. Then we heard it from the far side of the lake. A faint crying sort of call. We sprinted to the far end of the walkway and up the stairs to the top of the tower. Two black and crimson birds bobbed around in the canopy across from us but far away. Bornean Bristleheads, our main target for the walkway was close. They were joined by three others at least one a juvenile with a bit of a bare head. They began to cross the canopy in front of us and it was suggested we move to the other end of the canopy walkway and the distant tower. We plummeted down the stairs with all our gear in tow and legged it across the walkway to try and time our arrival with that of the Bristleheads. Panting, we reached the top of the far tower where we could hear their strange calls echoing all around us. With a rustle of leaves one sprang from the tree top in front of us to the open branches of a huge tree right above us, then a second and third then the final pair. Five Bristleheads were right above us in the boughs of this huge tree, whining and crying back and forth to each other. We got amazing binocular and scope views of the birds before they dropped from the tree to glide across the open expanse of the valley in front of us to the far side, their calls slowly dying off as they disappeared. Sated with such an amazing close encounter with these fantastic birds we began to explore the other bird calls around us finding a Bornean Brown Barbet, Black Hornbill, White-bellied Woodpecker and a Silver-rumped Needletail before the musical notes of a Puff-backed Bubul close by had us concentrating on that. Our guide recorded the song with his microphone and played it back and in seconds the bird was in front of us for some great views before moving on through the canopy. As it was getting close to dusk we decided to head down stopping in a grove of bamboo to try our hands at one last bird.
Our guide began with some playback, knowing that these birds tend to call at dusk. Faintly in the distance a reply came. We waited as it got darker. Then a closer vocalization repeated several times and a bird sprang from the foliage and landed to the left of us behind some branches. We maneuvered for a better look and found a Rufous-collared Kingfisher sitting erect in the fading light. Calls from another bird was close by. Then raucous calls from behind us as another pair came in had four birds circling us calling back and forth. With the light almost gone we climbed up the embankment through the bamboo and back out on to the trail to our waiting vehicle. Our first day of birding came to an end with some fantastic birds and one of our main targets seen incredibly well.
Day 4 August 6th, Sepilok, Kinabatangan
We started early at a dead end where the road ends at the forest. A trail led into the dark foliage in front of us but the early dawn light gave us enough to see a pair of Bornean Black Magpies calling to each other from the edge of the forest. As it got lighter many birds began to sing and a pair of Abbot’s Babbler’s blasted their song close by with some brief looks. A Bold-striped Tit-babbler flew past landing on an overhanging branch to afford us a brief look before continuing on into the forest.
We began to hike in, now that it was light enough when the bright, whistled song of a Black-capped Babbler from the open undergrowth in front of us had us waiting till it came out on the path and crossed in front of us.
We continued in as it got lighter with brief stops for Black-naped Monarch, a singing but never seen Malay Bronze Cuckoo and a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. The next flurry of activity came when the flute like song of a Grey-cheeked Bulbul began to sing close by. We followed the song and recorded it getting good looks at the birds as they flew past and landed close before chasing each other into the foliage. The bright red of a trogon flying into the gap in front of us had camera’s whirring as a pair of Scarlet-rumped Trogon’s flew around the open area in front of us for some fantastic looks. We continued down the path for a bit where we found a Raffle’s Malkoha in the canopy above us and a distant but good look at a White-bellied Woodpecker hammering away at a far snag. A Red-naped Trogon called close by and was lured in with little playback. The fantastic trogon hung around for a bit hopping around in a vine tangle while we looked for the mystery bird calling from the jungle underneath him. Sounding like a broadbill we waited in the semi-gloom of the thick forest. The bird continued to call till eventually the slightest movement gave the bird away and we found it. A beautiful Banded Kingfisher, giving a rather atypical call, sat almost motionless singing out every minute or two. We got some great looks at this bird before continuing back to the vehicle, with a brief stop for a pale turquoise colored Verditer Flycatcher that popped up into a bush in front of us.
We went back to the lodge to collect our gear and had a few minutes to load up and enjoy a group of three Long-tailed Parakeets shouting to each other from the trees around our chalet.
On the road again we headed south enjoying the scenery and villages as they drifted by on the other side of the window. We did stop at one lone distant tree near the road to scan for our next target and after scanning for a few seconds he had the bird. Scope set up, we all enjoyed some nice looks at a pair of Bat Hawk’s. Good thing we stopped here as the usual spot later on in the trip came up empty.
We arrived at the docks after a while and loaded up into the boat for a short trip up river to Kinabatangan Jungle Camp. We had great views of the first of many Asian Pied Hornbills on the way up. We arrived at camp and checked in at the bar and got a cool drink while our luggage was brought up and we settled into our room.
A while later we met up and walked in along the muddy trail, stopping a short way in for a Ruby-cheeked Sunbird and a Buff-necked Woodpecker. It was a bit quiet this time of day but a group of Dark-necked Tailorbirds showed well and a pair of Fluffy-backed Tit-babblers was taped in really close and bobbed around in the low cover next to the trail just inches from us affording amazing pictures and great recordings. We watched for a while as this pair inflated bright blue air sacs and called back and forth right in front of us. Having enjoyed this pair we made our way back to the lodge for our first boat ride.
Down by the dock we met the lodge owner Robert, a fantastic birder in his own right, and we loaded up and began to patrol the waters of the area. First up was a young Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle whose weak begging calls only ended up getting him dive bombed by an adult bird. We patrolled along for a while later stopping with a group of other boats to admire a huge troop of Proboscis monkeys. Several young and females were there but most eyes were on the huge male, his disproportionate nose flapping about as he chewed on leaves. We moved on checking an oxbow lake but not finding much in the late afternoon heat. We headed back stopping for a lone Silvered Langer making a night nest on a branch. When we arrived back at the lodge the resident Storm’s Stork was roosting on a branch overlooking the dining hall. I grabbed a few cold drinks and we headed to the room to rest up before dinner. A few seconds later there was a knock on the door. “There’s a Brown Wood-Owl down by the dock.” I furiously put together my camera and slapped the flash on it. Pulled on my sandals and legged it down to the dock. My guide was waiting and when I arrived he told me where it would be then he turned his torch on it. There in the spotlight on a short stump was the owl. Its multi-brown, barred plumage stood out against the torchlight and the bird didn’t budge. We crept a bit closer and I got a few photos. Once we felt safe around the bird we continued to move a little closer and get more photos. The bird was remarkably patient turning from side to side like some bird super model. At one point if flew across a short gap onto the branch of a fallen tree and prepared to repeat the procedure all over again. Now armed with several great shots we decided to pack it in and leave it be. A stunning bird to say the least.
After dinner we met for some night boating along the river. A bright moon lit our path down the tranquil waterway and we scanned the trees on either side with powerful torches. After a bit we pulled in to find a roosting Blue-eared Kingfisher, its bill tucked below its wing in sleep. It never budged though we got quite close. Next a Black-and-red Broadbill was found being pestered by several mosquitos. At one point while scanning the river a huge Flying Fox glided over the tree line next to us. A positively massive bat. Eventually our target was found its mustard yellow eye’s glaring back at us in an accusatory manner. A Buffy Fish-Owl looked down at us from its perch over the water. It moved down the shore line a short distance but more out in the open for some fantastic views. Two owls in one night and with such good looks, brilliant.
Day 5 August 7th, Kinabatangan.
This morning we set out early and in the dawn light caught a Brahminy Kite flying up and down the river edge before settling on an exposed branch for some nice looks. We soon made the entrance to a tributary. The forest crept in on both sides and the brown water snaked ever deeper into its depths. Our first good bird was a Crested Serpent-Eagle calling from atop a tree followed shortly after by a Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle, this time an adult. Another Brahminy Kite, this one closer, afforded us better looks than the last. With a slew of raptors done we turned our attention to the shore loving White-chested Babblers that were in attendance on both sides of us. Their songs interspersed with the morning yelping of Bornean Gibbon’s. We turned around, headed to the main part of the river and further along its winding course till we came along another tributary following this for a while enjoying more birds and monkeys. We found a suitable spot and waited now for our target. While guides tried to lure out our target with some playback we enjoyed several birds including Grey-and-buff Woodpecker, a little star of a woodpecker, Malaysian Blue Flycatcher, Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike and fantastic looks at a tiny Common Pygmy Squirrel. After about an hour with no response we needed to head back. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Other groups have waited several hours for a glimpse of this magic bird but nature was calling and the leeches didn’t sound like an attractive option so reluctantly Robert steered us back to the lodge. We did have the fortune of seeing really close Storm’s Stork on a dead tree along with a close circling Lesser Adjutant.
After lunch I went out along the forest trail again finding the Buff-necked Woodpecker really close along with a pair of Blue-throated Bee-eaters sitting on an exposed snag way above me. A myriad of fantastic butterflies and dragonflies were out at this time of day and gave me some nice looks and photographs. I know all you lepidopterists are cursing me right now for not knowing what they were. Shoot me an email and I’ll send you some pictures. The loud rapping against a tree got my attention next as a noisy Rufous Piculet hammered away at a tree before moving on. A Ferruginous Babbler called close by and came in close to investigate as I plunged ankle deep into some mud that was thick across the trail. So far no leeches!
For the afternoon boat ride we started with a pair of Asian Pied Hornbills and a fly over of a Rhinoceros Hornbill. We had great looks of another Rhinoceros Hornbill on the other side of the river, presumably the mate of the first flyover. Then another pair of hornbills began to cross the river. At first they looked like black so we paid them little attention till they go close and we could see it was a pair of Wreathed Hornbills. The female was out in front and by the time we caught up with them the trailing male was really close for some nice flight looks.
We carried on to the tributary we found in the morning and continued to its end where it opened up along a stretch of oil palms. Along here we found our first Grey-headed Fish-Eagle and a close Stork-billed Kingfisher that both gave us great looks. Our boatman also found a Mangrove Cat Snake coiled up in a tree overhanging the river.
Farther down we found several Oriental Darter’s in the top of an overhanging tree wagging their gular sacs in an effort to cool down. We followed the river for a while longer where it was more open but finding little along here we turned round and began to head back. A pair of Asian Pied Hornbills began to call making for a nice recording but the next song we heard pulled us up short and into the bank. The guide cut the engine and we waited as our guide began with a little playback. A response came quickly and in short order a metallic green, red and black bird popped into view underneath the shoreline vegetation. A Hooded Pitta sang from a low perch then dropped down onto the mud bank in front of us. My first pitta. What a treat. We had a few minutes with this bird before we pushed off and it disappeared into the foliage and was gone. On the boat home we enjoyed several troops of monkeys including a small troop of Silvered Langurs.
During dinner several huge moths kept everyone entertained but the star of the show appeared at the end of the night when “Tom” the Malaysian Civet Cat showed up to check for snacks. We got some nice shots of the cat from the balcony before venturing underneath to get some eyelevel shots of this amazing cat.
Day 6 August 8th, Kinabatangan, Gomantong, Lahad Datu, Danum Valley
On the way to the dock I could hear the White-crowned Shama that had taunted me with his calls the past few days but this time I was ready. Armed with camera and recorder I got both before we met at the dock. This morning we hit the tributary again after some early morning birding along the river. We tried for White-crowned Hornbill with no luck but had some success along the tributary with great looks at a squadron of Asian Pied Hornbills drifting across from the jungle into the oil palms to steal fruit from these trees. We heard a Moustached Hawk-Cuckoo near the river and did some playback of its song and it responded nicely. We waited for a while to let two other boats passed and began again with a different call. This time the bird came to the edge of forest to check us out then flew past us to the opposite side. It crossed back again before disappearing into the forest on the other side. Some nice eye-level looks as it passed by were really neat to get of this forest skulker. Lesser Fish-Eagle, Crested Serpent-Eagle and Rufous-bellied Eagle were all seen well here keeping up the raptor count and on the way back we had nice views of a Purple Heron roosting in a tree before spreading his wings and flying up over the trees and out of sight. We also found a Grey-rumped Treeswift careening around over the river before we came into dock.
We had an hour before we had to leave so I hit the grounds again for a little while to get some last minute pictures finding more butterflies and an obliging Red-eyed Bulbul picking red fruit from a tree below the veranda.
Once loaded up we departed Kinabatangan Jungle Camp and proceeded down river to meet our vehicle for the next leg of the journey with a brief stop for cracking views of an adult White-bellied Sea-Eagle.
We hit the road and made our way west towards our next stop of Gomantong Caves. We arrived and checked in and got our gear and proceeded down the board walk to this fascinating place. Along the boardwalk we played a pitta call hoping for a response but hearing none we only stopped for some Ferruginous Babblers.
Outside the cave mouth a small creek flows and here we stopped to check out some of the bright red dragonflies and a Thick-billed Flowerpecker before heading inside. The massive cave entrance was a highway for swiftlets as they dove in and out of the huge dark maw. We stepped onto the boardwalk and proceeded in. The strong smell of ammonia coming from the huge mound of bat guano permeated the air and Glossy Swiftlets called from above us as they make their nests close to the entrance. Farther in we spotlighted some of the denizens of this place. Multi legged insects and the ubiquitous rufous colored cockroaches that teemed over the huge pile of guano making it seem almost alive and heaving with breath. The slippery boardwalk was forgotten when we got to the nest of some of the Mossy-nest Swiftlets. Any small overhang had a small cup of dark moss with newer green moss near the top of it. Many of the nest’s occupants were seen, tails and wings sticking out over the lips. High up near the huge cathederal roof were the colonies of Black-nest Swiftlets. Here too many were occupied amongst the many Bornean, Creagh’s and Philippine Horseshoe Bat’s. Eventually our last target was found way up a wall of an overhang over the middle of the cave. Four white nests stood out amongst the many Black-nest Swiftlets. Our main target and the source of income for the workers outside, Edible-nest Swiftlet’s. These four nests had been built after the last harvest and only one had a bird in it.
We followed the board walk all the way around enjoying the fantastic natural sculpture with a few small holes in which shafts of light peeked through illuminating the inside of this dark world. At one point a huge monitor lizard scurried away from us as we approached and hid under a rocky overhang. Finally free of the smell and back in fresh air we looked back into the cave as swiftlets came and went. A fascinating place and amazing to see not only the swiftlets but also the many bats and insects which inhabit this place. Well worth the visit.
We took the boardwalk back out with a brief stop for an amazing, bright green lizard and a pair of Black-and-yellow Broadbills with a juvenile that was in the process of pummeling a huge caterpillar to death so it could fit it in it wide mouth. It struggled but got it down. Don’t think it needed to eat for a month after that.
It was quite hot now as we made our way back to the main road and south towards Lahad Datu passing many Collard Kingfishers and a Greater Coucal. A short stop for Striated Grassbird was also rewarded with Yellow-bellied Prinia and our guides first record for Long-tailed Shrike in Sabah. He said they were moving in and in the future we would see several. Turned out we saw three or four on the trip so he was right. The invasion has begun.
We arrived at the offices of Borneo Rainforest Lodge and signed in and they loaded us up with our guide and driver and loaded our equipment in for the long drive down a dirt logging road to our destination. Thick secondary jungle enclosed us on both sides of the road after a while and eventually we came across some of the bigger forest giants one of which we stopped at to find our only pair of Wrinkled Hornbills of the trip. Distant but still good views. As we crossed a metal and wood bridge we stopped to check the river for Great-billed Heron and sure enough two were sat on the left side of the SUV one on a sandbank the other in knee deep water. The loud calls of a group of Bushy-crested Hornbills turned our attention to the trees on the far side of the river and soon enough a group of five birds came into view, bounced around in the canopy and flew over our heads, landing on the far side of the river behind us. From here we continued on till we got to the entrance road for BRL and finally into the lodge grounds itself.
We were met here and shown to our chalets while our luggage was brought to us. Finally, deep in primary rainforest again. The heat and humidity were familiar. The lush setting of rainforest, a gentle brook, some lawns and several chalets on stilts was a welcome setting for the next few days.
After dinner we joined the truck for the night drive and we showed up a bit early to get a good seat at the front. We set of into the darkness for the next hour while the scanner sat on the roof of the truck in a specially designed seat pointing out Malay Civit, Moon Rat, Thomas’s and Red Giant Flying Squirrel and a fantastic Asian Spotted Leopard Cat.
Day 7 August 9th: Danum Valley
We woke before dawn and had a fantastic breakfast before setting off armed with leech socks, bug spray and 40lbs worth of optics. I was soaked before we left the lodge. It was steamy and moisture rose out of the forest as we walked along the dirt road. Birds came to life all around us singing and calling to one another. We could now study the thick forest around us. 60 to 70 feet high thick canopy with vine tangles, epiphytes and thick greenery covered everything on either side of us. Out of this rose the forest giants. 200 + foot mammoths of the upper canopy. Wide boughs at their tops create homes for a myriad of birds and other beasts.
Around us things began to stir and move about. In a vine tangle next to us a Rufous Piculet with a juvenile probed the woodwork for some breakfast and a pair of Grey-headed Babblers popped up and sang to each other as they moved through the low cover next to us. We taped in a Black-throated Wren-babbler which proceeded to feed close by affording us some great views as this large babbler hopped around on the forest floor next to the road.
Farther down the road we found a pair of Raffle’s Malkoha’s, the female next to the road feeding on a leaf insect. We stepped into the forest here when we heard a pitta. Some play back yielded nothing but an Asian Fairy Bluebird flew into a vine tangle next to us and proceeded to pluck one of the red berries from it and consume it right on the spot. It’s shining blue and black plumage lit by a shaft of sunlight that penetrated the canopy around us. With no luck from the pitta we continued down the road finding a Rajah Brook’s Birdwing. One of the most amazing butterflies I’ve ever seen. Its metallic green and red colors shone in the morning light next to the road. A pair of Helmeted Hornbills flew past us farther down the road so we continued on down towards a creek hearing a Short-toed Coucal call once but never again. Farther back in the forest were some fruiting trees and throughout the day hornbills would fly past and flap from tree to tree sounding like a rushing wind when they took off. A group of Brown Fulvetta’s kept us company for a while as we waited to see if anything flew into a fruiting tree near us but when nothing else arrived we made our way back up the road and took the Hornbill Trail into the jungle.
Once in the dappled sunlight that reached down to these depths it gave our surrounds an evergreen glow. First up our native guide Vivian found a wonderful Bornean Blue Flycatcher while several Red Leaf Monkeys played around in the canopy above us. Another Little Spiderhunter perched close by for a picture before flying on. A pair of Black-throated Wren-babblers clucked a soft contact call to each other as they probed through the jungle floor and near the top of the rise the whistled song of a Striped Wren-Babbler had us chasing this bird round for a while giving us brief but good close views. Here the leeches began to exact their toll of blood with one particularly fat Tiger Leech falling off of me. It looked so bloated it could barely move off the trail. I could see it saying “Oh, I’m never drinking that much again”. Our guide was most impressed with the size of it even stopping to take a picture.
We continued down hill for a while coming across a Nat Geo team ascending one of the giant trees penetrating the canopy. Vivian came up behind me with a massive huntsman spider on a leaf that we all enjoyed taking pictures of for a minute till the path cleared and we moved past. Coming out into a flat area we found a few birds moving through but only got looks at an Ocharaceous Bulbul before the call of a Diard’s Trogon had us searching the canopy. We moved farther down the trail towards the call when we came across an active group of birds including our only Moustached Babblers and a few Short-tailed Babblers. The Trogon was found and it came quite close flying a bit then calling and flying even closer before moving off. Sadly it was missing its tail which didn’t make for a good picture. While recording a Red-throated Barbet that sprang into song right above us a Moustached Hawk-cuckoo whizzed by up the ridge and landed close by for a quick glance before it was off again.
We ended up back at the lodge just in time for lunch after a quick leech check and removal.
After lunch I patrolled the grounds looking at insects and found a nice close Large-billed Blue Flycatcher that afforded me some nice photo’s before I headed back to go out on the afternoon hike.
In the afternoon I spent some time outside the main dining hall on the walkway next to a flowering tree where I got great looks at Yellow-eared Spiderhunter. They were a regular feature at the tree and once or twice I got Streaky-breasted Spiderhunter too.
It came time for the afternoon walk and it was quite hot. We stopped just at the beginning of the road out where a group of birds were and found an obliging Yellow-bellied Bulbul and a Ferruginous Babbler before continuing on down the road. We heard little in the heat of the day apart from the constant drone of cicadas intermixed with several different barbets.
We got to the canopy walkway and proceeded up into the canopy. We stopped at the middle tower which is the highest one surrounded by three giant tree’s on each side. There was at least a bit of breeze up here and below us we could hear the local pitta start up. In the tree across from us there are two cavities that fill up with water when it rains and the birds use it as a bath. Our first guest was a Thick-billed Spiderhunter that dove in and out a few times and preened for a bit before departing up into the canopy. Next we got great looks at a Yellow-crowned Barbet that came in for a drink. We could hear other birds around us in the distance but not much else came in. Just as we turned around and began to cross back Vivian pointed to the tree right next to the walkway where we found a pair of Black-and-yellow Broadbills with a juvenile. They came amazingly close once landing on the wires. Eye level pictures of these colorful birds was amazing. As it was getting towards dusk we headed back down to hike back to the lodge. This was interrupted as we got to the bottom of the stairs when a Chestnut-backed Scimitar-Babbler began to sing from the trees above us. It came in close and I ran back up the stairs to get an eye level view when it flew out of the under hanging vines and past me into the forest. It continued to call but was not seen again.
After dinner we met for the night drive. We loaded up again and proceeded off into the night. The usual flying squirrels were seen but not much else. On the drive back our guide got out his torch and began scanning and five minutes later stopped the driver. He backed up and next to us in the understory was perched a Reddish Scops Owl. We had heard one the night before but they are notoriously hard to find. This was the first one he'd seen in the Danum. We got some great pictures as the bird perched in the spotlight for a while before it retreated farther into the forest.
Day 8 August 10th, Danum Valley
This morning we started walking through the staff compound and past the football pitch where and Orang-utan was sleeping. We could only see his back. We did find a fascinating spider there with a mossy like exoskeleton. We entered the woods at the end and found a pair of Red Leaf Monkeys with a snowy white juvenile.
The board walk led us into the forest and we crossed a small bridge and proceeded up into the forest along a river gulley. We listened out but found very little here so turned around after a while. On the way back we came across a pair of Scaly-crowned Babblers singing back and forth, one quite distant but the one right above us made for a good recording.
We crossed the narrow bridge back towards the compound when we heard a Bornean Blue Flycatcher singing in the forest, a beautiful song. While recording this I heard a Spotted Fantail start up and we quickly tracked it down with an Asian Paradise Flycatcher and somewhere in the vine tangle they were flitting in and out of was a Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher. The fantail put on a show dancing around and fanning its tail while singing out loudly. We left them and moved down the trail finding a pair of Bornean Blue Flycatchers with a juvenile.
We dropped down to a creek and took a short bridge to the other side and up an embankment when we stopped short. We had heard a pitta quite close. We listened as it continued to call and eventually wwe found it and got it in the scope. We had some short looks before we decided to move down the trail and into an open area of forest. We all stood motionless while some playback was used. In minutes the bird appeared before us bobbing along for a few steps then standing upright and singing. It’s bright blue crown shining in the morning sunlight. It came closer and we got some amazing looks at this Blue-headed Pitta before it continued on into the forest.
From here we crossed a big suspension bridge over a larger river hearing another Chestnut-backed Scimitar-Babbler. Next to the river the foliage was more open with many tall trees comprizing the upper canopy. There was more light here along the river and in no time we had found another Blue-headed Pitta this one also close that presented some great views. While making a recording the loud call of a Great Argus Pheasant boomed from close by. Vivian said it was only a couple of hundred meters away but wouldn’t wait for us. We thought it best to move on and see if we could find it. This plan got interrupted by a group of Dusky Broadbill’s whose raucous calls echoed all around us at one point when all five joined in. We managed three or four scope views and our best look at a Crimson-winged Woodpecker before they moved off. We followed down the trail for a bit when we found them again. Just as he was pointing them out his arm moved rapidly down into the forest ahead next to us, “Great Argus”. Not five feet in the ghostly quiet form of a huge male Great Argus moved stealthily through the undergrowth. Quietly I stepped into the knee high foliage and snapped away as the bird moved away from me at a leisurely pace. The bird was very confiding and I spent a good ten minutes following the majestic bird farther into the forest snapping away.
We continued on from here finding a huge Comb-crested Agamid (lizard) perched on a stump next to the trail. We snapped away here for a bit and moved on. The trail dropped down through a gulley and we could hear an Abbot’s Babbler singing in the distance when a Banded Broadbill belted out his long song from above us. We never found the bird and it never sang again.
We had heard Great Slaty-Woodpecker earlier on the hike but they were far away but now we were approaching close and as we came out on the main road we could hear them calling to each other again. We moved to the start of the canopy walkway where another group of visitors were enjoying the wildlife and when we began to check every tall tree in the distance they followed along. The birds weren’t moving so we went down the canopy walkway to see if he could get a better angle. This didn’t work but a pair of Whiskered Treeswifts decided to use the cables as a good spot to hawk for insects from so we all made our way out to the first tower to get some amazing shots of these rather tame birds.
We left the group on the walkway and made our way back to the main road and took a trail down into the forest. We moved slowly and about 100 meters in we could hear some loud drumming way up in the canopy. We scanned up and after moving around and checking in different gaps I found the bird way up near the top. Once found we checked many angle’s until we found a good one to watch one of the birds from. It sat patiently as our guide kindly hiked back up to the trail and got the scopes. We had an amazing ten minutes with these massive birds and it sat kindly in the scope the entire time, once stretching out its massive wings. We left them and hiked back up to the trail and back to the lodge for lunch.
For the afternoon hike we went back to the canopy walkway to see what we could find but the breeze was the only welcome thing. We could hear a pitta below us so we headed down and took the trail below the canopy walkway to listen out for the bird. In the distance a low, soft whistle came from what seemed everywhere. It was quite hard to pick out. We moved down one trail that abruptly ended in a vine tangle and waited here for a while. With some play back one bird began to call from far in the distance. We decided to move towards it. We went farther down into the forest and listened. With stealthy feet we moved close, conscious that any loud footfall would spook it off. We moved closer and closer the bird calling all the time. In a vine tangle we then heard the bird behind us and realized it was up in the canopy. Maneuvering over some spiny vines and trying not to get tangled we found a spot where we could look up and there it was. Red belly and blue wings, a Black-crowned Pitta. It sat on a drooping vine and whistled out into the forest for the next twenty minutes till it was almost too dark for us to see our way back out. We climbed back up to the main trail satisfied with some amazing looks at this brilliant Pitta. We could still hear it singing out as we passed by on the trail on the way out.
Day 9 August 11th: Danum Valley
This morning there had been a 4x4 arranged to take us out to the turnaround where he knew of a good place to look for our target pitta. We loaded in at first light and drove out to the end and once our gear was on we headed in. The trail was not well marked and looked infrequently used which was fine by us. Meant that we wouldn’t run into anyone and the birds would be easy to hear and not spooked off. We got into the forest while still dimly lit. Playback for jungle-flycatcher was tried but got no response but the next bird we tried sounded off close by and swept through the forest in front of us landing out of sight. We scanned for a bit and found the bird. Its bright red chin and neck giving it away as a Red-bearded Bee-eater. This fantastic bird didn’t stick around long disappearing back into the forest. We continued on farther in making our way over roots and fallen logs. A Banded Bay-cuckoo sounded off close by and we got some good recordings before moving on.
When our guide found the spot he wanted we stopped and started with a bit of playback. We heard nothing. In the distance came a long soft whistle that we thought might be it. We waited and used some more playback. Still nothing. He thought it might be better to move up to a pig wallow he knew about so we hiked up to this spot which overlooked the forest a bit as it opened up. Behind us the forest sloped up and was thicker which gave us cover while below us the forest was more spread out. We had no luck with the pitta but a Chestnut-necklaced Partridge began to bellow out its call close by and we got some great recordings and looks at the skulker from close by. A Green Broadbill called twice from behind us but was never lured out and that’s when we heard another pitta call out in the distance.
We climbed over a fallen log and through some brush to another semi-open area in the forest where we could hear the bird close by. We hit it with some play back and before long it was standing on a stump 20 meters away. Bright, corn yellow with black bars and a metallic blue tail. A Bornean Banded Pitta. It approached us but farther down hill against a log fall. It sat up and sang again but was blocked from view. It crossed a group of bushes and was then right below us and bounding up to the slope to our right 10 meters away. It circled in behind us as if doing laps of us and stopped in a beam of sunlight and at that point it colors exploded out of the greenery around it, the yellow becoming almost iridescent and its blue tail shimmering in the sunlight. I fired of five frames then the spell was broken as it moved through the beam of light back into the shadowy, dappled light of the forest. An amazing bird with such stunning plumage.
We climbed back to the pig wallow and down into another clearing to try for the other pitta. A Bornean Wren-babbler called close and we got some fantastic views of this bird and another as it fed close by on the ground in front of us. The playback continued and this time we got a response but no bird showed. We waited but the calling stopped after a minute and the bird fell silent. We’d been in here for four hours so decided to make our way back to the trail to check another trail we'd been given some advice on by a research scientist working in the area.
We found the trail after a bit and we hiked in up and down river banks and through thick foliage till we came to an area of open forest with high canopy. We didn’t hear much as it was getting on in the day but we did luck upon our only White-bellied Erpornis of the trip which was good. We made our way back to the road and were soon collected and drove back to the lodge for lunch.
We decided to head back to the same trail after lunch to try our luck. The sky was clouded up when we got there and distant thunder didn’t bode well. We hiked in for a while and it began to get quite dark. Close thunder gave note of an impending storm and in a few minutes it began to rain. Just a rain shower at first. With our wet weather gear out mostly for our equipment we sat to wait it out, might only be a few minutes. Then it began to come down in earnest. Even down here on the forest floor we were beginning to get soaked. Our guides had out umbrellas and we took shelter under a broad-leafed tree but this wasn’t helping. We decided we should head back and a good thing too. It was coming down in buckets and the 15 minutes it took to get back had us soggy and dripping. Thankfully the 4x4 was there to meet us and I dropped my gear onto the seat and put my wet bag on the floor. As I was soaked I decided to climb into the bed of the truck instead of soaking the truck. Vivian and I had a good time in the back all the way to the lodge getting pummeled with massive raindrops and deafened with huge claps of thunder.
Back at the lodge we dried out and after a while the rain abated to a drizzle. A while later I was in boxers still drying out when I could see our guide outside the room on the central boardwalk. He called into the room, “Fireback”. I quickly threw a towel on and grabbed my camera and was out onto the porch to get a picture. This gorgeous pheasant was right below us picking through the leaf litter on the lawn. I got several good pictures despite being clothed only in a towel and damp boxers. Because of the wet conditions we decided to skip the night drive but later on I was told that a Gould’s Frogmouth was seen. I could have done without that information. Oh well.
Day 10 August 12th: Danum Valley
This morning we could see the moisture in the air as it rose out of the jungle. The air was sticky. We again drove out to the turnaround to hit the “pitta trail” not sure what the real name was but that’s what I had begun to nickname it.
As the ditches along the road were filled with water we were treated to some White-crowned Forktails on the way out which was nice. We arrived and headed into the damp forest hoping for better luck today. We got to the right spot and did some playback, got a response, then silence again. We walked around a tree fall and tried again on the other side. One whistle was the response from the vine tangle and nothing more. We continued on into the forest following a trail that was marked occasionally by a red bit of plastic or where the old trail was by faded red paint on a tree. The old trail had been blocked by a huge treefall so that now you had to go around.
We came across a group of bulbuls and babblers and had a nice close Spotted Fantail but we lost this group as it moved through the canopy. We continued up slope till we came to an area where we overlooked the slope below and had a bit of clear view of the middle canopy, which was good because as we were waiting an Olive-backed Woodpecker flew into the tree across the gulley from us and sat obligingly for some good looks.
We hiked down slope till we came to an open area where five huge trees stretched up into the upper canopy. Here the ground was flat and there was good activity here. For the next hour or two we stayed around here picking up great looks at male and female Dark-throated Oriole, Streaked Bulbul, Black-capped Babbler and when we heard another Bornean Banded Pitta we hid in the buttress of one of the massive trees and used a bit of playback to lure it up the hill right past us for some more great views of this stunning bird. Another Banded Broadbill sang out intermittently three times from above us but was never found. We heard another pitta down slope a ways but it never came close. We were running out of time and needed to get back so we hiked back to the trail head stopping for a Black-bellied Malkoha which showed well picking fruit from a tree in front of us.
Back at the lodge we got some lunch then loaded up our gear for the long drive out and farewell to the Danum Valley. We got back to Lahad Datu and waited for our flights to Kota Kinabalu while enjoying a few Paddyfield Pipits on the grassy verge before we left. A rainstorm obstructed our view of Mount Kinabalu but the lightning was cool to see from this altitude.
Day 11 August 13th, Tambunan, Mount Kinabalu.
We woke early in hopes of doing some owling along the way and when we got to our first destination before dawn we were rewarded with a singing Mountain Scops Owl that called repeatedly but never showed up. At one point we had three singing around us at different points and once we heard a frogmouth but it never called again.
We arrived at the Rafflesia Center and quickly got onto a group of Temminck’s and Grey-throated Babblers. In the mix were several Bornean Treepies and a Rufous-hooded Laughingthrush that came to a fruiting tree next to the road. The croaking call of a pair of Whitehead’s Broadbills from the fruiting trees gave us great looks at the iridescent green birds.
Once sanity returned and the birds came at a slower pace we found a Mountain Barbet out in a dead tree for some scope views and a Bornean Barbet showed up to give us some great looks too. While in the bathroom we both missed a pair of Fruithunters that were found in a fruiting tree along the road. We camped out and waited for a while but with no luck we moved on to bird along the road.
We had good luck birding from the road side finding Yellow-bellied Warbler, Little Cuckoo-Dove, Ochraceous Bulbul, Bornean Bulbul, Gold-whiskered Barbet and our best find was a group of three Pygmy Ibon that flew across the road and landed in the tree right across from us. We had some great looks at these denizen’s of the upper canopy. They hopped around in the trees in front of us for some time giving us time to really have some great looks at the tiny birds.
As it was beginning to get hot and the birdlife was dying down we decided to continue on but had only gone three minutes when we pulled over for a raptor circling up in the sky. The broad black tail band gave it away as a Mountain Serpent-Eagle but when we couldn’t find a black trailing edge to the wings and the white throat told us it was a Blythe’s Hawk-Eagle.
We got to our hotel for the night and settled in before we met for our afternoon hike in Mt. Kinabalu Park. We drove up and pulled in at the Silau-Silau Trail and though mid afternoon there was some activity around us. We hiked down a way when we heard a group of Laughingthrushes. We tried some playback and got an immediate response, as the group moved closer to us we found our target. Two birds with featherless head’s bobbed up and down while singing their strange song. Their yellow skin and throat sacks where fantastic to watch as the two Bare-headed Laughingthrushes performed in the canopy above us. We got close looks at Rufous-hooded Laughingthrush, Sunda Laughingthrush, Maroon and Checker-throated Woodpecker and the gaudily green colored Short-tailed Magpie before moving on down the trail.
We continued along the flowing mountain creek next to us sending up a White-throated Fantail that showed quite well from a broken tree stump. As the creek broadened out we came across a lovely White-crowned Forktail which was a devil to get a picture of and I failed miserably. The rest had gone down to the bridge and by the time I arrived they motioned to me and there in a bamboo thicket sat the bird I’d been chasing. Needless to say it flew off after I got one poor picture. We continued to the end but as it was getting dark we finished up for the night and hiked back to the car and then to the hotel for dinner.
Day 12 August 14th, Mount Kinabalu
It was pleasantly cooler up here when we woke and it stayed that way on the drive up to the power station at the top of the road. We checked around the lights for birds finding Ashy Drongo and Bornean Treepie but as there wasn’t much else we proceeded around the fence and proceeded down the Bukit Ular trail. Once out of range of the power station noise we could hear the birds around us beginning to wake up. The narrow trail cut down hill along a steep face and from below us came the song of several Mountain Wren-Babblers that came really close before passing right by us at eye level. Above us Mountain Leaf-Warblers sang as we crossed a narrow part of the trail with cliff dropping off below us through the vegetation. We got to a turn in the trail that led us farther in to the woods and away from the mountain slope when we heard Red-breasted Partridge singing from below us. They never came close but sounded great.
We moved in to more conventional montane forest that was open and birded along the trail here for a while slowly making our way downhill. A group of Sunda Laughingthrush belted out some song in the distance while the constant high pitched whistle of a Bornean Stubtail range out from close range but never seen. We peered into the fern laden undergrowth waiting for him to spring up onto a lichen/moss covered log to no avail.
The fantastic song of a White-browed Shortwing poured out of the undergrowth right next to us and we turned to see him disappear from the log he had just sung from. We tried tracking him down as he skipped along the undergrowth and over fallen logs and mossy mounds finally getting a few good looks snatched between batches of ferns.
From a bamboo thicket came the loud blast from a Crimson-headed Partridge and we spent a while tracking this guy down and got some brief glimpses between foliage till at last he scurried across the trail where we could see his flashy red head whip across in front of us. With success in the Partridge department we moved down to a flowing creek where we tried for Everett’s Thrush but to no avail.
We arrived back at the road and we walked down to the overlook while our guide ran up and got the car. We enjoyed some great looks at Mt. Kinabalu practically unhindered by cloud before he arrived and we went to the lower parking area where we got a late breakfast and drinks before continuing on.
The Mempening trail was our next hike and we were immediately presented with some fantastic looks at an Indigo Flycatcher sitting on a snag overlooking the creek. We hiked across and up to the top then over to the backside. There were few people here and we had the trail to ourselves. Few birds were calling here as we hiked down and a white dog began to follow us down the trail. He spooked when we got close or when we put out a hand or stepped towards him.
Just before a bend in the trail we heard an alarm trill and two birds fly across our line of vision. We moved forward to a bend in the trail where some railing was allowing us unhindered views into the forest below. About a 100 meters away resting on a broken limb sat the shining red form of a Whiteheads Trogon. I fumbled furiously with my scope to get it in there and thankfully our guide calmly stepped in and got it in the scope for me. We had some amazing views of the bird, took pictures and video and enjoyed this brilliant bird. When the wind blew the leaves from in front of it and the sun came through it’s head and stomach glowed a crimson red and it’s cinnamon colored back had a powdery luster. The slivery grey of it’s breast gave it a regal edge and even the blues around it’s mouth and head shone and was visible as it blinked. Words can’t describe how beautiful this bird is. This was my target bird for the trip and I was speechless now that it sat before me riding the movement of the tree as it swayed in the breeze. Occasionally it mewled its call to the female sat below it just out of visual range.
We moved down the trail a bit to find another angle and to find the female after the male flew a short way down the valley. We found the cinnamon colored female sitting in some low branches but she was a bit obscured so we moved down a bit further. We found the male again as he was hard to miss as he sat on a sunlit snag glowing like a huge rose petal in front of us. I got him in the scope again, this time my nerves more settled, and had another look at this stunning bird before we tore ourselves away from them when we heard the last of the Whiteheads trio, the Spiderhunter, sing out with his nasal/metallic call further down the trail.
We tried some playback and the bird moved up and down the slope several times singing out but never coming close. We got looks at him way up in the canopy moving about then flying off. After about twenty minutes we decided to move on as he didn’t seem to be coming closer.
We followed the trail leisurely down hill well satisfied with our mornings birding looking forward to some lunch. Rustling in the trees above us had us looking skyward at a massive Kinabalu Squirrel as it bounded through the canopy. We also stopped along the way to take in some of the stunning butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies that frequented the creek side as it meandered down the valley.
During lunch we enjoyed the surrounding flowerbeds from the balcony of the restaurant and looked back at the video and pictures of the Whitehead’s Trogon. Truly an amazing trogon and the best bird of the trip for me, the one I most coveted. When we got home to the US the new Trogon’s book was waiting on the front porch and to my joy a Whitehead’s Trogon was gracing the cover of this beautiful book. Al Gilbert’s work in this book is amazing and I was pleased to see that in his artist’s note’s he had seen a pair in the same area we’d seen ours, could have been the same pair.
After lunch we went down to the lodge gardens to see if we could find the female White-browed Shortwing we had seen from the porch but no luck. We tried here for a jungle-flycatcher without any luck but we did come across a group of three Temminck’s Babblers that sang and called about us as they moved past giving us some nice close looks.
In the afternoon we drove around the mountain to Mesilau to take the summit trail. The trail is steep and some of the stairs were a bit high for some one with shorter legs but we hiked up for quite a while enjoying the scenery and thick stubby trees on the side of the trail. We heard very few birds on the way up but did come across a flock at one point comprising Black-capped White-eye, Mountain Blackeye and a Bornean Whistler.
We tried for Friendly Bush-Warbler up here without luck so hiked back down. Near the bottom we came across some Sunda Bush-Warbler’s and were enjoying a close bird when a Bock’s Hawk-Cuckoo sang close by. We tried to lure it in but it moved off.
We continued to the bottom of the trail then hit the lower parking lot to see what we could find. A pair of Sunda Bush-Warblers hopped around in a bush close by for some nice looks and a pair of Snowy-browed Flycatchers showed up close by. While we were enjoying them a Friendly Bush-Warbler started singing from below us. We listened for a bit to get the direction then we used some playback. The bird came in close by to inspect us for some brief looks before moving into some thicker foliage and disappearing.
We went around the road and lower down to where we had heard it before but never found it again. On the hike back up to the car we walked along the river where we found a nice White-throated Fantail hawking for insects from a prominent branch. We did stop for drinks at the dining room and found a Cave Swiftlet on its nest under the eaves of the building.
Day 13 August 15th, Mount Kinabalu
We started early along the road up to the power station looking for Mountain Scops Owl. We got one singing but it never came close. The drone of the power station welcomed us as we checked the close trees for the morning gathering picking up Ashy Drongo, Short-tailed Magpie, our only pair of White-browed Shrike-Babblers of the trip, Bornean Treepie, Bornean Whistler, Bornean Whistling-Thrush and several Bornean Black-banded Squirrel sipping nectar or eating small fruits.
Back on the Bukit Ular trail this morning squeezing by the power station fence and round the corner where it was quieter, we passed the narrow strip of the trail where it drops off then round into the forest proper. Our first target was a close Bornean Stubtail that with a little play back sat up marvelously close on an exposed branch for us to admire for a few seconds before it returned to the undergrowth singing it piercing, high pitched song from the ferns.
We continued down the slope for a bit coming across a large group of birds moving through the canopy. Mostly Laughingthrushes and Maroon Woodpeckers but we heard a Whitehead’s Broadbill so we checked the end of the trail before it turned back on us and headed down. We had just got to the end when Susan noticed some movement in the brush in front of us. A small brown form stared back at us with bright eyes. A Mountain Scops-Owl sat five meters off the trail in good view. It sat for a while without moving as we snapped off some pictures. Tired of the paparazzi it flew down the slope a bit presenting its back to us before it dropped down out of sight.
Well pleased we moved down the trail and around again where we began to check a fruiting tree for the broadbills. I noticed a trail curving round the slope and followed it into the forest. Not a trail anymore I stepped over a log and peered into the underbrush and there sat the owl. I called everyone over for some stunning looks at this little guy, perched up on a branch unencumbered by other foliage, a clear shot. He moved back a little ways after a bit and we followed in to get another look before leaving him to rest for the day and climbed back out onto the trail.
We proceeded to check the fruiting tree but finding nothing we moved onwards enjoying a pair of Maroon Woodpeckers that flitted around us calling to each other from tree to tree. Just as we were about to move off we heard the Whitehead’s Broadbill’s again so we made our way back up the trail a short way’s and found two birds in the canopy of the fruiting tree. One flew up and away from us and when some play back was used the bird called out to us twice and it flew up onto a mossy branch for some nice views of this iridescent green bird. Satisfied we moved back down the trail and continued on for a while. A Golden-naped Barbet sang from above us while a pair of Grey-throated Babbler’s moved past us singing and churring to each other. In front of us came the startling blast of a Red-breasted Partridge in front of us. Our guide tried some playback of the recording he just made and we waited for a while. Eventually the bird blasted away again just down the trail from us. We went in pursuit but never saw the bird. Amazing how a bird that loud could just slip past us unnoticed.
We made our way back to the road and waited at the viewing point while our guide collected the car. We took some pictures and waited and waited, we then began to wonder what happened to him when he showed up, spun the car round and jumped out. “There’s a Fruithunter at the upper parking area”. That was enough for us, we loaded up and sped back up to the top. He explained how he’d been frustratingly held up by cars blocking the road at the top and couldn’t get back fast enough. I can imagine the frustration, you’ve found one of the target birds but can’t get to your clients.
We finally made our way up to the parking lot and he dropped us off and we began to listen out and scan the tree for the bird while he found a spot to park. We waited and waited, listening out for the bird. Seeing Little Pied Flycatcher, Black-capped White-eye and Mountain Blackeye, Indigo Flycatchers were in abundance but no Fruithunter. After about half an hour one sang from below us. We tried some playback and the bird moved closer but still out of sight. It then circled behind us and up the slope. We followed round and tried to find it but it had moved up past the power station and into the canopy out of sight. Some more playback again and the bird responded dropping lower in the canopy then flying towards us and perched right above us on an open branch. Neck breaking views were had of the bottom of the bird as it looked down at us before flying off into the canopy again. Finally Fruithunter, I couldn’t tell who was more pleased our guide or myself, it had taken a while and we’d dipped on it a few times earlier so it was a relief to get this desired target in the bag.
Susan wasn’t feeling too good so we dropped her off at the hotel to rest and we returned to the park to get some lunch. While we were eating some fantastic fish and chips we enjoyed a beautiful pair of Temminck’s Sunbird’s the female coming quite close and eye level in a fir tree next to the porch. Several Grey-throated Babbler’s filtered through with a Yellow-breasted Warbler. A Grey-chinned Minivet appeared on a far branch and below us a fruiting bush was attracting a pair of Ochraceous Bulbul’s. The real star of the show was a Golden-naped Barbet that appeared and took some of the red fruits.
After lunch we went back up to the Silau-Silau trail and hiked down a bit looking for birds. We tried some playback and we got a response right away. The bird flew out of the forest behind us and landed in a tree across the creek from us. It’s jumble of high pitched notes rose above the clamor of the surrounding cicada’s and when it turned it’s head we could see the distinguishing feature’s of the Eye-browed Jungle-Flycatcher in front of us. It stayed around for a while singing and bobbing from branch to branch. A few loud whistles from the creek bed let us know a pair of White-crowned Forktail’s was close by. I moved up the trail after we snapped away at the flycatcher and found a bird sitting just inside the forest with just a few branches blocking a pristine view. The bird cocked its tail, leaned forward and whistled out once then settled down for some photographs before it dropped down out of sight. A great pair of birds to end the day on.
Day 14 August 16th, Mesilau, Tambunan, Kota Kinabalu
We started off early over at Mesilau checking for owls again but found nothing. As it was getting light the birds began to sing and we hovered around the lights hoping it would attract in the birds to collect moths. We waited for a half hour enjoying Sunda Bush-Warbler beating to death a white, powdery moth, then several Rufous-hooded Laughingthrush’s landed on a treefern next to one of the lights for some stunning looks. Though common up here it’s a gorgeous bird. Finally behind us some movement caught my eye and we found our target. Three Pale-faced Bulbuls darted around in the ferns in front of us before moving across the parking lot to the treefern next to the light for some great looks. They mumbled back and forth to each other while a Short-tailed Magpie announced himself nosily in the background.
We went back to the hotel and loaded up before driving back to Tambunan to try for better looks at Whitehead’s Spiderhunter but were disappointed. We did however get nice scope views of Black-and-crimson Oriole in a tree above us. Farther up the road we found a group of birds and while I got a quick look at a Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike before being called out for a Golden-bellied Gerygone that started singing in a tree behind me. I turned from the Flycatcher-Shrike and got the Gerygone and some fantastic recordings. A Ruddy Cuckoo-Dove flying across the road was an added bonus.
We spent the afternoon in KK before we hatched a scheme to check out Likas one last time keeping the birding going till the last minute. We met around four and drove down there pulling up next to the second pond which was covered in lily pads. Several Black-backed Swamphens and White-breasted Waterhens were there intermixed with Intermediate Egret’s and Purple Herons. Our guide got out his scope and scanned some distant birds in an open area of water finding a great pair of Wandering Whistling-Ducks and a few sandpipers. We moved down to the open water area and waited for dusk. As we waited birds began to come in to roost and huge collections of swifts and swiftlets cruised over the water drinking. Our guide picked out the light rump of a Germain’s Swiftlet which I finally got onto before our first great flyby of a Rufous Night-Heron drew our attention. It’s slow, meandering pace allowed us some nice looks before it was too distant to make out. Lastly I caught sight of our target as it flew low over the lily pads. It’s color giving it away as a Cinnamon Bittern. It flew on for a bit before dropping down into the pads and out of sight. Target in the bag we headed back to get ready for dinner. This was the last birding we did and we were dropped off at the airport for our flights home later that night.
Borneo is a fascinating place to go birding and the rich avifauna that is there is some of the best in Asia. There are plenty of endemics and fun families to see. The infrastructure is good and roads well maintained. We had no problems getting around and never felt unsafe at anytime. Food was good and plentiful and a bit spicy in some places but I got the feeling they tone it down for western palates. In the end we recorded 289 species 221 of which were lifers, I added 157 new photographed species and add 101 new vocal recorded species. I pinched the following list from our guide. I can’t vouch for all the mammals and I changed a few of birds he saw that I didn’t and vice versa.
You can see photos from this tour in my Borneo 2009 Flickr Album
You can listen to recordings from this tour on Xeno-canto.
PELICANIFORMES: Anhingidae
Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster
CICONIIFORMES: Ardeidae
Great-billed Heron Ardea sumatrana
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Eastern Great Egret Ardea [alba] modesta
Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Pacific Reef Heron Egretta sacra
Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Rufous Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus
Cinnamon Bittern Ixobrychus cinnamomeus
CICONIIFORMES: Ciconiidae
Storm's Stork Ciconia stormi
Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus
ANSERIFORMES: Anatidae
Wandering Whistling Duck Dendrocygna arcuata
FALCONIFORMES: Accipitridae
Jerdon's Baza Aviceda jerdoni
Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
Bat Hawk Macheiramphus alcinus
Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus
White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster
Lesser Fish Eagle Ichthyophaga humilis
Grey-headed Fish Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus
Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela
Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus
Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis
Rufous-bellied Eagle Aquila kienerii
Blyth's Hawk Eagle Nisaetus alboniger
Wallace's Hawk Eagle Nisaetus nanus
FALCONIFORMES: Falconidae
White-fronted Falconet Microhierax latifrons e
GALLIFORMES: Phasianidae
Great Argus Argusianus argus
Red-breasted Partridge Arborophila hyperythra e Heard only
Chestnut-necklaced Partridge Arborophila charltonii
Crimson-headed Partridge Haematortyx sanguiniceps e
Bornean [Crested] Fireback Lophura nobilis e
GRUIFORMES: Rallidae
White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
White-browed Crake Porzana cinerea
Black-backed Swamphen Porphyrio indicus
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
CHARADRIIFORMES: Scolopacidae
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
CHARADRIIFORMES: Sternidae
Little Tern Sterna albifrons
Roseate Tern Sterna dougellii
White-winged Black-Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
COLUMBIFORMES: Columbidae
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
Ruddy Cuckoo Dove Macropygia emiliana
Little Cuckoo Dove Macropygia ruficeps
Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
Peaceful Dove Geopelia striata
Little Green Pigeon Treron olax
Pink-necked Green Pigeon Treron vernans
Thick-billed Green Pigeon Treron curvirostra
Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea
Mountain Imperial Pigeon Ducula badia
PSITTACIFORMES: Psittacidae
Blue-rumped Parrot Psittinus cyanurus
Long-tailed Parakeet Psittacula longicauda
Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot Loriculus galgulus
CUCULIFORMES: Cuculidae
Bock's Hawk Cuckoo Cuculus [sparverioides] bocki Heard only
Moustached Hawk Cuckoo Cuculus vagans
Sunda Cuckoo Cuculus lepidus Heard only
Banded Bay Cuckoo Cacomantis sonneratii
Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus
Malaysian Bronze Cuckoo Chrysococcyx minutillus Heard only
Violet Cuckoo Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus
Asian Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris Heard only
Black-bellied Malkoha Phaenicophaeus diardi
Raffles's Malkoha Phaenicophaeus chlorophaeus
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha Phaenicophaeus curvirostris
Short-toed Coucal Centropus rectunguis Heard only
Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
STRIGIFORMES: Strigidae
Reddish Scops Owl Otus rufescens
Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus
Buffy Fish Owl Ketupa ketupu
Brown Wood Owl Strix leptogrammica leptogrammica
CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Podargidae
Bornean Frogmouth Batrachostomus mixtus e Heard only
APODIFORMES: Apodidae
Giant Swiftlet Hydrochous gigas
Glossy Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta
Bornean Swiftlet Collocalia dodgei
Mossy-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus salangana
Black-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus maximus
Germain's Swiftlet Aerodramus germani
Edible-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus
Silver-rumped Needletail Rhaphidura leucopygialis
Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
House Swift Apus [affinis] nipalensis
APODIFORMES: Hemiprocnidae
Grey-rumped Treeswift Hemiprocne longipennis
Whiskered Treeswift Hemiprocne comata
TROGONIFORMES: Trogonidae
Red-naped Trogon Harpactes kasumba
Diard's Trogon Harpactes diardii
Whitehead's Trogon Harpactes whiteheadi e
Scarlet-rumped Trogon Harpactes duvaucelii
CORACIIFORMES: Alcedinidae
Blue-eared Kingfisher Alcedo meninting
Black-backed Kingfisher Ceyx erithacus
Banded Kingfisher Lacedo pulchella melanops
Stork-billed Kingfisher Pelargopsis capensis
Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chloris
Rufous-collared Kingfisher Actenoides concretus
CORACIIFORMES: Meropidae
Red-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis amictus
Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops viridis
CORACIIFORMES: Coraciidae
Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis
CORACIIFORMES: Bucerotidae
Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris
Black Hornbill Anthracoceros malayanus
Rhinoceros Hornbill Buceros rhinoceros
Helmeted Hornbill Buceros vigil
Bushy-crested Hornbill Anorrhinus galeritus
White-crowned Hornbill Aceros comatus Heard only
Wrinkled Hornbill Aceros corrugatus
Wreathed Hornbill Aceros undulatus
PICIFORMES: Capitonidae
Gold-whiskered Barbet Megalaima chrysopogon
Red-throated Barbet Megalaima mystacophanos Heard only
Mountain Barbet Megalaima monticola e
Yellow-crowned Barbet Megalaima henricii
Golden-naped Barbet Megalaima pulcherrima e
Blue-eared Barbet Megalaima australis
Bornean Barbet Megalaima eximia e
Bornean Brown Barbet Calorhamphus [fuliginosus] tertius e
PICIFORMES: Picidae
Rufous Piculet Sasia abnormis
Rufous Woodpecker Celeus brachyurus
White-bellied Woodpecker Dryocopus javensis
Crimson-winged Woodpecker Picus puniceus
Checker-throated Woodpecker Picus mentalis
Olive-backed Woodpecker Dinopium rafflesii
Maroon Woodpecker Blythipicus rubiginosus
Buff-rumped Woodpecker Meiglyptes tristis
Buff-necked Woodpecker Meiglyptes tukki
Grey-and-buff Woodpecker Hemicircus concretus
Great Slaty Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus
PASSERIFORMES: Eurylaimidae
Dusky Broadbill Corydon sumatranus
Black-and-red Broadbill Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos
Banded Broadbill Eurylaimus javanicus Heard only
Black-and-yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus ochromalus
Green Broadbill Calyptomena viridis Heard only
Whitehead's Broadbill Calyptomena whiteheadi e
PASSERIFORMES: Pittidae
Giant Pitta Pitta caerulea Heard only
Bornean Banded Pitta Pitta [guajana] schwaneri e
Blue-headed Pitta Pitta baudii e
Hooded Pitta Pitta sordida
Blue-banded Pitta Pitta arquata e Heard only
Black-crowned Pitta Pitta ussheri e
PASSERIFORMES: Hirundinidae
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica
PASSERIFORMES: Motacillidae
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus
PASSERIFORMES: Campephagidae
Sunda Cuckooshrike Coracina larvata
Lesser Cuckooshrike Coracina fimbriata
Pied Triller Lalage nigra
Fiery Minivet Pericrocotus igneus
Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus speciosus
Grey-chinned Minivet Pericrocotus solaris
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Hemipus picatus
Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike Hemipus hirundinaceus
PASSERIFORMES: Pycnonotidae
Black-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus atriceps
Bornean Bulbul Pycnonotus montis e
Puff-backed Bulbul Pycnonotus eutilotus
Pale-faced Bulbul Pycnonotus [flavescens] leucops e
Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier
Olive-winged Bulbul Pycnonotus plumosus
Cream-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus simplex
Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus brunneus
Spectacled Bulbul Pycnonotus erythropthalmos
Ochraceous Bulbul Alophoixus ochraceus
Grey-cheeked Bulbul Alophoixus bres
Yellow-bellied Bulbul Alophoixus phaeocephalus
Hairy-backed Bulbul Tricholestes criniger
Buff-vented Bulbul Iole olivacea
Streaked Bulbul Ixos malaccensis
Cinereous Bulbul Hemixos cinereus
PASSERIFORMES: Chloropseidae
Greater Green Leafbird Chloropsis sonnerati
Lesser Green Leafbird Chloropsis cyanopogon
Bornean Leafbird Chloropsis kinabaluensis e
PASSERIFORMES: Aegithinidae
Common Iora Aegithina tiphia
Green Iora Aegithina viridissima
PASSERIFORMES: Turdidae
Bornean Whistling Thrush Myophonus borneensis e
Orange-headed Thrush Zoothera citrina
Fruit-hunter Chlamydochaera jefferyi e
White-browed Shortwing Brachypteryx montana erythrogyna
PASSERIFORMES: Cisticolidae
Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris
PASSERIFORMES: Sylviidae
Bornean Stubtail Urosphena whiteheadi e
Sunda Bush Warbler Cettia vulcania
Friendly Bush Warbler Bradypterus accentor e
Mountain Tailorbird Orthotomus cuculatus
Dark-necked Tailorbird Orthotomus atrogularis
Rufous-tailed Tailorbird Orthotomus sericeus
Ashy Tailorbird Orthotomus ruficeps
Mountain Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus trivirgatus kinabaluensis
Yellow-breasted Warbler Seicercus montis
Yellow-bellied Warbler Abroscopus superciliaris
Striated Grassbird Megalurus palustris
PASSERIFORMES: Muscicapidae
Eye-browed Jungle Flycatcher Rhinomyias gularis e
Snowy-browed Flycatcher Ficedula hyperythra
Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni
Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina
Indigo Flycatcher Eumyias indigo
Large-billed Blue Flycatcher Cyornis caerulatus
Malaysian Blue Flycatcher Cyornis turcosus
Bornean Blue Flycatcher Cyornis superbus e
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis Heard only
Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis pluto
White-crowned Shama Copsychus stricklandii e
Rufous-tailed Shama Trichixos pyrropyga
Bornean Forktail Enicurus borneensis
White-crowned Forktail Enicurus leschenaulti frontalis
PASSERIFORMES: Rhipiduridae
White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis
Pied Fantail Rhipidura javanica
Spotted Fantail Rhipidura perlata
PASSERIFORMES: Monarchidae
Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea
Asian Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi
PASSERIFORMES: Pachycephalidae
Bornean Whistler Pachycephala hypoxantha e
PASSERIFORMES: Timaliidae
Sunda Laughingthrush Garrulax palliatus
Bare-headed Laughingthrush Melanocichla calvus e
Rufous-hooded Laughingthrush Rhinocichla [mitratus] treacheri e
White-browed Shrike Babbler Pteruthius flaviscapis
White-chested Babbler Trichastoma rostratum
Ferruginous Babbler Trichastoma bicolor
Abbott's Babbler Malacocincla abbotti
Short-tailed Babbler Malacocincla malaccensis
Temminck's Babbler Pellorneum pyrrogenys
Black-capped Babbler Pellorneum capistratum
Moustached Babbler Malacopteron magnirostre
Sooty-capped Babbler Malacopteron affine
Scaly-crowned Babbler Malacopteron cinereum
Rufous-crowned Babbler Malacopteron magnum
Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus montanus
Bornean Ground Babbler Ptilocichla leucogrammica e
Striped Wren Babbler Kenopia striata
Black-throated Wren Babbler Napothera atrigularis e
Mountain Wren Babbler Napothera crassa e
Grey-throated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps
Grey-headed Babbler Stachyris poliocephala
White-necked Babbler Stachyris leucotis Heard only
Chestnut-rumped Babbler Stachyris maculata
Chestnut-winged Babbler Stachyris erythroptera
Bold-striped Tit Babbler Macronous bornensis
Fluffy-backed Tit Babbler Macronous ptilosus
Brown Fulvetta Alcippe brunneicauda
Chestnut-crested Yuhina Yuhina everetti e
PASSERIFORMES: Acanthizidae
Golden-bellied Gerygone Gerygone sulphurea
PASSERIFORMES: Sittidae
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis
PASSERIFORMES: Nectariniidae
Ruby-cheeked Sunbird Chalcoparia singalensis
Plain Sunbird Anthreptes simplex
Brown-throated Sunbird Anthreptes malacensis
Red-throated Sunbird Anthreptes rhodolema
Purple-throated Sunbird Leptocoma sperata brasiliana
Olive-backed Sunbird Cinnyris jugularis
Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja
Temminck's Sunbird Aethopyga temminckii
Thick-billed Spiderhunter Arachnothera crassirostris
Spectacled Spiderhunter Arachnothera flavigaster
Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra
Yellow-eared Spiderhunter Arachnothera chrysogenys
Streaky-breasted Spiderhunter Arachnothera affinis everetti
Whitehead's Spiderhunter Arachnothera juliae e
PASSERIFORMES: Dicaeidae
Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker Prionochilus maculatus
Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker Prionochilus percussus
Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker Prionochilus xanthopygius e
Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile
Yellow-vented Flowerpecker Dicaeum chrysorrheum
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum trigonostigma
Black-sided Flowerpecker Dicaeum monticolum e
PASSERIFORMES: Zosteropidae
Black-capped White-eye Zosterops atricapillus
Pygmy Ibon Oculocincta squamifrons e
Mountain Black-eye Chlorocharis emiliae e
PASSERIFORMES: Oriolidae
Dark-throated Oriole Oriolus xanthonotus
Black-and-crimson Oriole Oriolus cruentus
PASSERIFORMES: Irenidae
Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella
PASSERIFORMES: Laniidae
Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach
PASSERIFORMES: Prionopidae
Rufous-winged Philentoma Philentoma pyrhopterum
PASSERIFORMES: Dicruridae
Sunda [Ashy] Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus stigmatops
Hair-crested Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus borneensis
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus
PASSERIFORMES: Artamidae
White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus
PASSERIFORMES: Pityriaseidae
Bristlehead Pityriasis gymnocephala e
PASSERIFORMES: Corvidae
Crested Jay Platylophus galericulatus coronatus
Bornean Black Magpie Platysmurus aterrimus e
Short-tailed Magpie Cissa thalassina
Bornean Treepie Dendrocitta cinerascens e
Slender-billed Crow Corvus enca compilator
PASSERIFORMES: Sturnidae
Asian Glossy Starling Aplonis panayensis
Common Hill Myna Gracula religiosa
Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus
Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
PASSERIFORMES: Estrildidae
Dusky Munia Lonchura fuscans e
Black-headed Munia Lonchura atricapilla
PASSERIFORMES: Passeridae
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
PASSERIFORMES: Vireonidae
White-browed Shrike Babbler Pteruthius flaviscapis
White-bellied Erpornis Erpornis zantholeuca
MAMMALS
Moonrat Echinosorex gymnurus albus
Common Treeshrew Tupaia glis longipes
Mountain Treeshrew Tupaia montana baluensis e
Lesser Treeshrew Tupaia minor minor
Large Treeshrew Tupaia tana paitana
Smooth-tailed Treeshrew Dendrogale melanura baluensis
Large Flying Fox Pteropus vampyrus
Maroon Leaf Monkey Presbytis rubicunda e
Sunda Silvered Leaf Monkey Presbytis cristata
Proboscis Monkey Nasalis larvatus e
Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis
Sunda Pig-tailed Macaque Macca nemestrina
Bornean Gibbon Hylobates muelleri e
Bornean Orang-utan Pongo pygmaeus e
Black Giant Squirrel Ratufa bicolor
Prevost's Squirrel Callosciurus prevostii pluto
Plantain Squirrel Callosciurus notatus
Ear-spot Squirrel Callosciurus adamsi
Bornean Black-banded Squirrel Callosciurus orestes e
Low's Squirrel Sundasciurus lowii
Jentink's Squirrel Sundasciurus jentinki e
Bornean Mountain Ground Squirrel Dremomys everetti e
Plain Pygmy Squirrel Exilisciurus exilis e
Whitehead's Pygmy Squirrel Exilisciurus whiteheadi e
Thomas's Flying Squirrel Aeromys thomasi e
Red Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista petaurista
Polynesian Rat Rattus exulans
Red Spiny Rat Maxomys surifer
Asian House Mouse Mus castaneus
Malay Civet (Tangalung) Viverra tangalunga
Leopard Cat Felis bengalensis
Bearded Pig Sus barbatus
Lesser Mouse-Deer Tragulus kanchil
Sambar Deer Cervus unicolor
Birds of the tour
1 Whitehead's Trogon
2 Bornean Banded Pitta
3 Bristlehead
4 Reddish Scops Owl
5 Brown Wood Owl
6 Mountain Scops Owl
7 Fluffy-backed Tit-babbler