Borneo's rainforests need little introduction, being one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. The forests hold some of the world's most impressive and sought-after birds, but sadly, the biggest part of the island's primary forest has been destroyed to make way for oil palm plantations. Driving through the countryside for hours is quite depressing, with plantations stretching to the horizon. Visiting the remaining rainforests is still definitely worth it though, as a large number of special birds and primates can be seen, and because it is possible that they might not exist for much longer.
We arrived in Borneo directly from a great trip to Thailand. Unfortunately, my father had to head back to Colombo to work and therefore couldn't join us for this leg of the trip. The focus was to see as many of the beautiful and endemic species as possible. The main targets were pittas, hornbills, the iconic Bornean Bristlehead, Everett's Thrush, partridges, pheasants, the Whitehead's Trio (Trogon, Broadbill an Spiderhunter), and many other endemics and specials. Mammals were also high on the wish list, especially Bornean Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey and Bornean Pygmy Elephant.
To maximise our chances of seeing the targets, we visited many of the top bird and mammal-watching spots in Sabah, Mt Kinabalu National Park, Poring Hot Springs, Sepilok Rainforest Discovery Centre, Kinabatangan River and Danum Valley Field Centre.
The birding turned out to be hard in most of the places, with the weather playing a big role. While there was too much rain every day on Mt Kinabalu (we lost two afternoons), Danum Valley was very dry, making birds, primarily pittas, very hard to find. The trip still turned out to be very successful, and the trip total was 214 species (and an additional 11 heard only), some of the highlights being:
• Everett's Thrush next to a trail at noon in Kinabalu National Park
• a close pair of Whitehead's Trogon in Kinabalu NP
• Golden-naped Barbet feeding at arm's length in Kinabalu NP
• great views of Bornean Orangutan (seen on six days), Proboscis Monkey and six other species of monkey (including Slow Loris)
• Red Giant Flying Squirrels and Flying Lizards
• Binturong on the Danum Valley entrance road
• 12 woodpeckers and all 10 species of sunbird
• Red-breasted and Chestnut-necklaced Partridges
• Storm's Stork at Kinabatangan River
• Bornean Bristlehead at Danum Valley
• seven sightings of Crested Fireback at Danum
• Black-headed and Blue-headed Pittas
The last day in Danum was probably the best birding day in my life. In the morning, we observed a calling Malaysian Honeguide at the grid, one of Danum's toughest birds, while in the early afternoon I saw Bornean Blue Flycatcher after a 5-minute search. Afterwards, on the entrance road, I had Crested Partridge, Jambu Fruit Dove and Black-and-white Bulbul within a few seconds of each other! Later, we found Chestnut-capped Thrush and Large Green Pigeon at exactly the same spot as the previous species! On a small stroll to the campsite in the evening, we finally saw at least two Great Argus directly next to the track, one bird even crossing it!
Planning
The trip of course required lots of planning to maximize the chances of seeing the specials and as many other species as possible. Previous trip reports proved very useful and supplied most information on what species could be expected, where to look for them, etc. Most of the valuable trip reports can be found on Cloudbirders and Surfbirds. I collected the information and put it together, so I would know what species should be searched for wherever we were. Learning the calls was also very useful before the trip. Had I not done so we would have missed many specials, for example Malaysian Honeyguide and Bornean Bristlehead.
We did not hire a car and found that the trip was easily manageable with public transport and sometimes taxis. Minivans and especially buses have acceptable rates even for tourists, who get often charged a higher rate than locals, and we could often be dropped very close to the places we needed to go. On Mt Kinabalu, it is useful to have a car though to drive up the Power Station road earlier than the shuttles start (especially to see Everett's Thrush, which is regularly seen on the road verge in the morning).
Accommodation
Some searching was required to find suitable places to stay, as many of the accommodation options were already fully booked by the time we started planning in May. However, we ended up with adequate to good accommodation everywhere. We booked most places through Booking.com or Agoda.
Kota Kinabalu
In Kota Kinabalu we stayed in the Akinabalu Youth Hostel, which was good value for money (MYR 70 for a double room incl. breakfast) and is conveniently close to the bus stop from where you go to Mt Kinabalu.
Mount Kinabalu NP
We stayed in J Residence, which is situated 300m from the park entrance. The room was very cold at night and there were no places to hang up your wet clothing, but otherwise it was fine. The price was around MYR 65 per room / night. The accommodation inside the park is overpriced but has the obvious advantage of being closer to the trails.
Poring Hot Springs
The Poring Hot Springs hostel from Sutera Sanctuary Lodges was fully booked. The advantage is that it is very close to the start of the trails and you don't have to wait until 7:00 for the hot springs complex to open. Instead, we stayed at Kinabalu Poring Vacation Lodge, which is about 1 km from the hot springs - quite a tough walk in the sun after the steep and slippery 7 km waterfall trail, which is the place to see the specials. The accommodation is a farm-style homestay run by very friendly owners. We stayed in a six-bed dorm which he had to ourselves for MYR 30 per person excluding breakfast.
Sepilok
Most birders seem to choose Sepilok B&B, but this was fully booked, so we booked two beds in a mixed dormitory in Nature Lodge Sepilok for MYR 40 per person/night. From here it is an easy 800 m walk to the Rainforest Discovery Centre. The dorms are very clean and spacious, and they have a good restaurant. Breakfast was included but we chose a packed breakfast to be on the boardwalk at sunrise.
Kinabatangan river
For Kinabatangan there seem to be either relatively cheap accommodations with variable ratings or top-end places like Sukau Rainforest Lodge or Kinabatangan Jungle Camp, but nothing in between. If you are not on a tight budget, I suggest you staying the latter two lodges, as they provide better guides and focus more on wildlife and birding. We stayed in Kinabatangan Sunshine Lodge, which offered a 4D3N package. The guide was not very good, unfortunately. He was scared all the time on trails and always made a lot of noise. The boat's engine also failed once, so we were floating on the river while he desperately tried to fix it for about half an hour. The food at the lodge was good though, and the boat cruises bring you into the right habitat to see the monkeys and some of the birds. It is not advisable to go to this lodge if you are hoping to see Bornean Ground Cuckoo though, as the cruises don't bring you to the right places.
Danum Valley
We stayed in the Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC). It is the only alternative to the insanely expensive Borneo Rainforest Lodge, but it's still not cheap either. There are several accommodation options - camping, dorms and two larger room types. We chose to stay in the single-sex hostels, as the other options were even more overpriced. The dorms were nearly fully booked by an English school group, so it seems to be necessary to book in advance nowadays. The washroom was not regularly cleaned, and the dorms were very mouldy, but we only slept there so it wasn't a very big problem. We brought our own food for breakfast and lunch but had dinner at the restaurant, which is quite good.
Contacting the DVFC was a bit of a challenge, as there were several emails, but the one we eventually used for booking was shana@sabahholidays.com.
Our costs were the following: Conservation Fee @ RM50.00 per person; Hostel @ RM105.00 per person per night; Dinner @ RM60.00 per person per meal; DVFC Scheduled Transfer (Monday, Wednesday & Friday) @ RM95.00 per person per way; Night Drive @ RM160.00 per vehicle, guided walk @ RM 30 per hour.
Itinerary
1. July Arrival Kota Kinabalu
2. July Kota Kinabalu - Kinabalu National Park
3. July Kinabalu NP
4. July Kinabalu NP
5. July Kinabalu NP
6. July Kinabalu NP - Poring Hot Springs
7. July Poring Hot Springs - Sepilok
8. July Sepilok
9. July Sepilok
10. July Sepilok - Kinabatangan river
11. July Kinabatangan river
12. July Kinabatangan river
13. July Kinabatangan river - Danum Valley Field Centre
14. July Danum Valley Field Centre
15. July Danum Valley Field Centre
16. July Danum Valley Field Centre
17. July Danum Valley Field Centre
18. July Danum Valley Field Centre - Lahad Datu
19. July Lahad Datu - Kota Kinabalu
Day-by-day account
1st July
We arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport in the evening. There are taxi vouchers available for MYR30 to the city centre, we shared the price with two other travelers we met on the plane as both our accommodations were close to the centre. We settled in to our accommodation, Akinabalu Youth Hostel, then went out to eat dinner.
2nd July
After a good breakfast at the hostel, we went to a shopping centre to buy some supplies, mainly food, on the way enjoying a pair of Sunda Pygmy-Woodpecker in a roadside tree and a White-bellied Sea-Eagle. We then walked to the bus station, close to the hostel, from where the buses leave to Mt Kinabalu. The shuttles leave only when full, so we had to wait until 13:00. After checking in to our accommodation (and finding out there's no way to warm our room in the night), we went to the Liwagu Restaurant in the park. Along the way, we quickly saw the first common montane birds, such as Yellow-breasted Warbler, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush and Bornean Treepie. The restaurant, besides serving delicious food, is also excellent for birding, and we were surprised to see very few visitors every time we ate here. During the dinner we had Temminck's Sunbird above our heads, Bornean Whistling-Thrush and Indigo Flycatcher.
3rd July
We woke up early after a cold night, ate a small breakfast and walked to the start of Pandanus Trail, stopping for a Bornean Forktail and a tame Velvet-fronted Nuthatch. The Pandanus Trail was very quiet, with a White-browed Shortwing the only bird of note. We then continued up Kiau View Trail where the highlight was a group of at least 7 Red-breasted Partridges that leisurely crossed the trail. Other birds were the common Bornean Whistler and Blyth's Shrike-Babbler. We then walked up the Power Station Road to Bukit Ular Trail, where we saw Mountain Wren-Babbler and the cute Bornean Stubtail, as well as another group of Red-breasted Partridges, although I would have preferred the Crimson-headed variety. Down the road again, we met another birder coming out at the top of Silau-Silau trail, saying he saw Whitehead's Trogon 200 m further down. We rushed down, and after about 500 m (I already gave up hope) I finally spotted a male Whitehead's Trogon, which was later joined by a female. This is an incredibly beautiful bird, the red glowing in the forest, especially with the contrasting silver breast. After lunch, we walked down Silau-Silau trail again, where we heard Bare-headed Laughingthrush, but try as I might, I could not find it in the increasingly foggy forest, very disappointing.
4th July
We got a taxi from the entrance this morning to get up to Timpohon Gate faster. I kept scanning for Everett's Thrush on the roadside but didn't see any (instead an Emerald Dove). They are usually seen earlier in the morning. Bird activity was quite high at the top, with Grey-chinned Minivet, Bornean Treepie and many other of the birds already seen. Highlights were Mountain Blackeye and a very close and beautiful Golden-naped Barbet. We then walked down the road, seeing Sunda Bush Warbler, Temminck's and Grey-throated Babblers, Mountain Leaf-Warbler and Mountain Tailorbird. At the shelter below Mempening Trail a large bird party contained Hair-crested Drongo, Ochraceous Bulbul (sometimes split as an endemic species - Penan Bulbul), Sunda and Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrushes and Sunda Cuckooshrike. We then walked down Silau-Silau Trail where we saw Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher and Sunda Cuckoo, while a bird party contained the laughingthrushes again, Bornean Green-Magpie, Crimson-winged Woodpecker and, frustratingly, heard-only Bare-headed Laughingthrushes in the thickening fog. Unfortunately it also started to rain again, so we went to the Liwagu Restaurant. It continued raining for the rest of the day, so no more birds were seen, apart from a cute Black-sided Flowerpecker at the entrance.
5th July
Our last day, I was desperate to see the three main targets I didn't see previously: Crimson-headed Partridge, Whitehead's Broadbill and Bare-headed Laughingthrush. Unfortunately, none of these species were seen. Some compensation was that the whole day was sunny (we had never seen the sun the past two days) and we had memorable views of the mountain, and seeing another target that is much harder to see than the above three. We walked up the Power Station Road, on the way finally seeing Pygmy Blue Flycatcher and Black-capped White-eye. On the way we were given a lift by the birder who had told us about the trogons on the first day and a Cambodian birder/bird guide, So, who we had met the day before. They were driving to the same spot we wanted to go: a fruiting tree that had attracted a Whitehead's Broadbill the previous day.
Unfortunately, the Broadbill decided not to show up today. At noon we arrived at Bukit Ular Trail and decided to walk the stretch up to the landslide again. On our way back after about an hour on the trail during which we saw nothing but our third Mountain Wren-Babblers, we where walking around the huge fallen tree about 50 m from the trail entrance, when I saw a bird next to the trail in front of me. It was an Everett's Thrush! It then hopped on a branch a few metres from us where is sat for a few minutes, giving us unbeatable views! I never expected to see this species at all, especially not at the hottest time of the day. Very happy, we walked down Silau-Silau trail (for the fifth time), where we saw Maroon Woodpecker. After lunch at the Liwagu Restaurant, we walked via Pandanus Trail up Kiau View trail.
Disappointingly, only two good, but not new, birds were seen: Mountain Wren-Babbler and White-browed Shortwing, but no Crimson-headed Partridge as we hoped for. As we exited the trail, another birder came out of Silau-Silau Trail, and he had just seen the Partridge. A last desperate and frustrating search was unsuccessful, but did yield an impressive Orange-backed Woodpecker. We went to the restaurant opposite the park entrance for dinner. After about 30 km of hiking over the past three days, and trying very hard at finding our targets, we were satisfied with the time spent here.
6th July
We left at 5:30 for Poring Hot Springs, picking up So, who would join us on the trail in Poring, on the way. The drive was quite entertaining as she was bargaining with the driver to get a good transport deal for the birding group that she would be leading in a week's time. We dropped our luggage at Kinabalu Poring Vacation Lodge and drove back to the hot springs, eager to finally get on the trail. Birding was already good around the hot springs, with a plethora of sunbirds, bulbuls, leafbirds, Banded Broadbill and others around flowering bushes. The trail started well with a Bornean Spiderhunter in a distant tree. There was lots of bird activity but not the specials we had hoped to see, until a loud group of Whitehead's Broadbills appeared overhead. Great to finally see this cracking bird! Many other birds such as five species of barbet (including a heard-only Bornean Barbet), Yellow-bellied Warbler, Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher, Maroon, Buff-rumped and Buff-necked Woodpeckers, Brown Fulvetta and Maroon-breasted Philentoma kept us busy, while Darter (Anhinga) was seen at the impressive waterfall. On the way down, the best birds were female Diard's Trogons and a beautiful Crested Jay, quite an unusual bird. Great Argus was giving its impressive call, but they weren't seen. After soaking our tired legs in the hot springs, the rest of the day was spent relaxing, which didn't stop us from seeing Pale Blue Flycatcher and Fulvous-chested Jungle-Flycatcher, both good birds.
7th July
I woke up early today to go up the trail again, this time walking to the first patch of bamboo, after about 1.7 km. Despite a long wait, there was no sign of Blue-banded Pitta so I headed down again, my legs now really tired. The trail was not very productive, apart from several new babblers (Sooty and Black-capped Babblers and Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler) and Black-and-yellow Broadbill and Crimson Sunbird at the hot springs. We went on the canopy walkway, which was quite a rip-off, especially the 'camera fee' - it's impossible to take photos on the swinging rope bridges. We then left for Sepilok, taking a bus from Ranau, and arrived at Nature Lodge Sepilok in the evening, seeing a huge White-bellied Woodpecker on arrival.
8th July
We arrived at the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) in the morning and immediately spotted the beautiful Copper-throated Sunbirds at the entrance. On the boardwalk, we had impressive Rhinoceros Hornbills calling and flying overhead at sunrise, a very memorable moment. Later in the day Green Iora, Green Imperial Pigeon, Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot, Grey-and-buff and Banded Woodpeckers, Bushy-crested Hornbill, Wallace's Hawk-Eagle, very close Black-and-yellow Broadbill and several others were seen here too, plus a close Cream-coloured Giant Squirrel. We then walked the Kingfisher Trail, where, as unlikely as it may sound, a birder we met at Poring had seen a Rail-Babbler two days previously, but we were unsuccessful throughout our stay. We did see a cute Oriental Dwarf-Kingfisher though. We then went to the bench on the Pitta Trail about 100 m after the junction with Tarsier Crossing Trail and, sure enough, a pair of Black-crowned Pittas soon appeared and spent some time hopping around the forest floor a few metres from us. These are extremely beautiful birds, and we admired their glowing plumage for a long time. In the evening, we stayed on the boardwalk and watched impressive Red Giant Flying-Squirrels emerge and glide from tree to tree - what an impressive sight! Only Banded Kingfisher and Bat Hawk distracted us, the former for quite a while.
9th July
This morning the boardwalk produced Black Hornbill, Fiery Minivet, Lesser Cuckooshrike, and later in the day a distant Brown Barbet. The highlight of the day that appeared on the boardwalk was a mother and young Bornean Orangutan, with the young one being extremely interested in us and coming within a few metres of us! It was a very lucky sighting - they are quite rarely seen in the RDC - and a great opportunity to watch them at close quarters, and probably much more satisfying than at the nearby Ornagutan Rehabilitaion Centre. The trails were productive as we finally saw Chestnut-breasted and Raffles's Malkoha, Yellow-eared Spiderhunter, Olive-winged, Grey-cheeked and Hairy-backed Bulbuls, Rufous-winged Philentoma, striking Black-and-red Broadbill, Sunda Blue-Flycatcher, Greater Coucal, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, and Chestnut-winged, Chestnut-rumped and White-chested Babblers. Most birds were on the Kingfisher trail, probably because the drought has pushed the birds closer to the water.
10th July
Our last morning at Sepilok, we decided to make the most of it and went straight to the RDC again. Today we were joined by Jack, whom we had met a few days previously. He is also interested in nature and it was fun sharing the sightings with him. We started, as usual, with the boardwalk, where we finally had a brief pair of Bornean Black Magpies, Common Hill-Myna, and the usual bulbuls, sunbirds, hornbills and pigeons. Next up was the Hornbill Tower, but we stopped on the way to admire a vivid green pit viper. The time we spent on the Hornbill Tower was very enjoyable, with lots of bird activity all the time, great views and light, and everything topped by us being the only ones there. Sunbirds, spiderhunters, bulbuls, minivets, Rufous and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpeckers and many others kept us busy. At noon our transport to the Kinabatangan Sunshine Lodge arrived. The drive was uneventful and we arrived in the afternoon. On our first afternoon cruise we saw our first of many funny-looking Proboscis Monkey, probably one of the world's weirdest mammals, a large Banded Mangrove Snake and the two common macaques - Pig-tailed and Long-tailed Macaques. Birds were also present with herons, hornbills, kingfishers and the very cute White-fronted Falconet being seen. It was however quite depressing to see oil palm plantations bordering the river in many places. The night walk was cancelled due to heavy rain.
11th July
The morning cruise produced a number of crocodiles, the monkeys we had seen before and Lesser Adjutant, Brahminy Kite and Pink-necked Green Pigeon. After breakfast, we undertook a short hike to the oxbow lake, where we saw a distant pair of Grey-headed Fish-Eagles and more Red-and-black Broadbills. We could rent gum boots (these were necessary) at the lodge for MYR10 for the entire stay. Back at the lodge, I saw Ferruginous Babbler and Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, but nothing else of interest. During the afternoon boat cruise, the motor suddenly stopped working, and it took our guide half an hour to fix it, which unfortunately wasted a lot of time. Nothing new was seen on that cruise, but we had another sighting of Bornean Orangutan feeding in a riverside tree. At dinner, we noticed an unusual screech, which turned out to be a Buffy Fish Owl. A pair was later observed hunting above a big puddle next to our room that had formed after yesterday's rains. A night cruise was unproductive, apart from a few tiny crocs and a nice and calm time when we were floating on the river with the engine switched off - this moment was quickly destroyed however when our guide started calling a friend on Whatsapp. Unfortunately the guide excessively spotlighted a Black-and-red Broadbill nest, which lead to one chick leaving the nest, very frustrating, especially since we asked him to stop scaring the birds.
12th July
Today's morning cruise was rather unproductive again - it seemed hard to find new species after one full day on the river - maybe due to the fact that this was Bilit and not Sukau. This day's walk was to the oxbow lake again, but we asked to go somewhere else, so we walked along some of the trails that criss-cross the area behind the lodges. The guide was talking very loudly again so we didn't see anything, apart from a Proboscis Monkey. A close calling Hooded Pitta unfortunately could not be located. In the afternoon we had our long-awaited boat ride to Sukau further down the river, which we had arranged with the guide for MYR 100 "for the fuel". A lot of money, but we desperately wanted to see Bornean Pygmy Elephant that had been seen there two days previously. We were unlucky in terms of elephants, but finally found a beautiful Storm's Stork perched in a tree. I had expected that it would be much easier to see this species here which, unfortunately, is becoming increasingly rare and endangered.
According to the IUCN Red List, the world population now numbers only 260 - 330 mature individuals. Two other new birds for the trip were three Jerdon's Baza and Black-crowned Night Heron. Today we did the night walk, which was a complete joke. The guide was loud all the time because he was scared of running into a Clouded Leopard and did not find anything apart from a centipede.
13th July
Another travel day, we left the lodge in the morning. We got a shuttle to the junction where buses leave for Lahad Datu. On the drive I was surprised to see a Long-tailed Shrike, a rare migrant to Sabah, usually only recorded February and March, so quite a noteworthy record. Arriving at the Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC) office in Lahad Datu, we quickly checked in and had much time left for a good lunch and buying supplies at various stores for our stay. We were finally in the van on our way to DVFC at 15:00. On the last few km, I kept a lookout for Crested Fireback, and was very happy when I spotted two brief males at the road verge, the other travelers being quite amused by my excitement. We then checked in at the reception (where I had close views of our second Bornean Spiderhunter) and went to dinner after having settled into the hostel.
14th July
Our first day at Danum started well with a hive of activity around the flowering bushes in front of the hostel, highlight being a Red-throated Sunbird, a species I didn't expect to see. We decided to walk to the Rhino Pool, on the way we saw Short-tailed Babbler, Malaysian Blue Flycatcher, Scaly-crowned Babbler, Rufous Piculet and another pair of Crested Firebacks, but bird activity was disappointingly low - something we would have to get used to. Another Bornean Orangutan was seen though, plus our only Bornean Gibbon and a group of Red Leaf Monkeys. We met a guided group, the guide told we weren't allowed to walk without a ranger so we just joined them. This was the only guide we met that complained about us not having a guide. I read that the guides do not speak English and are not good at spotting wildlife but we experienced the opposite. On the way back, we finally got our first target - a beautiful female Blue-headed Pitta that was flushed by the guide. It landed close to us and gave us great views. Back at the hostel, I saw a male Van Hasselt's Sunbird, completing the set of Bornean sunbird species. In the afternoon we walked the trail that passes the tree platform (which is closed), which only produced Striped Wren-Babbler, Yellow-vented Flowerpecker and Dark-throated Oriole and more Crested Firebacks. We walked this trail to check out a Great Argus display site on the ridge, but it was abandoned. A night drive was very productive with several Slow Loris, Red Giant Flying Squirrels, Reticulated Python and a huge Tarantula, as well as our fourth sighting of Crested Fireback.
15th July
This morning we decided to go for an early morning walk along the entrance road. We wanted to go to the small observation tower, but somehow managed to walk past it. We saw White-crowned Forktail, White-fronted Falconet and Black-bellied Malkoha, but no woodpeckers, hornbills or Bornean Bristlehead as I had hoped for. On the way back we finally found the tower, but the view was not good. Discouraged by the morning's lack of good birds, I quickly descended again, when I heard a distant, but strange and unmistakable call: Bornean Bristlehead! I sprinted down the trail and after a few hectic moments of scanning the trees, I finally found a group of at least four birds, which moved in our direction! Over the next couple of minutes we enjoyed distant but great views of this unique and uncommon bird, one of Borneo's most sought-after specials. Now spurred by our success, the rest of the day was much more enjoyable, even though few more birds were seen. Unbeatable views of three Crested Firebacks were enjoyed on the East Trail, while on the lower Tembaling Waterfall trail the only new bird was Streaked Bulbul and, of course, another stunning Crested Fireback, which seemed to be getting hard to avoid. A walk on the grids in the afternoon turned up a Mouse Deer and no less than three male and one female Blue-headed Pitta between W5N0 and W5N5 - absolutely stunning birds.
16th July
Up early (like every morning the last few weeks) to be on the Tembaling Trail before the guided groups scare away the pittas (and fine us for not being with a guide). The trail was very quiet, and apart from Thick-billed and Long-billed Spiderhunters, nothing new was seen on the way up. This is reportedly one of the best places for most of the pittas, but we didn't even hear one. The picturesque stream was still worth it in the end, and it was a great feeling to be deep inside an undisturbed tropical rainforest. On the way down, we had more luck, with a pair of White-tailed Flycatchers. The afternoon was spent on the grids, but not a single new bird was seen, and I was getting increasingly worried about our chances of seeing the many specials I had hoped for. We still had one day though...
17th July
Our last day in Danum, and desperate to see at least some of the specials we had missed so far, we went on to the grid in the morning. At W5N5, a spot for Bornean Wren Babbler, we saw a group of babblers, possibly this species, but the light was still too bad and they quickly moved off - a very disappointing start. More fruitless hiking saw us arriving at W10N2, a known spot for Malaysian Honeyguide, but I didn't expect anything at all since it is very irregularly recorded. We were already leaving the spot when I suddenly heard a distinctive call from high up in the trees - Malaysian Honeyguide! I forgot the Tiger Leeches that made their way up my legs and just scanned the trees, excited but at the same time scared that it will move off before I see it. I did however find the bird, and we enjoyed fantastic views of this mega as it called for a long time. On the walk back, we saw a beautiful Scarlet-rumped Trogon but didn't really mind, our minds were still with the honeyguide. In the afternoon, I had 30 minutes before we would go onto the entrance road one last time. I decided to look for Bornean Blue Flycatcher around the lower Tembaling Trail and couldn't believe my luck when I spotted a beautiful pair after 5 minutes even before arriving at the observation tower. There was more activity along the entrance road, and suddenly I heard rustling in the undergrowth, I darted into the bushes and could admire a large group of dashing Crested Partridge foraging on the forest floor. While watching them, I heard a bird fly into the tree above, which turned out to be an absolutely stunning male Jambu Fruit Dove, followed closely by a Black-and-white Bulbul, three specials within 5 seconds of each other! We thought it couldn't get much better, but we were wrong. We continued walking along the road, finally adding Blue-rumped Parrot to my growing list. On the way back we stopped at the spot again, which produced our seventh sighting of Crested Fireback, but of much more interest was a Chestnut-capped Thrush, another good bird that is easily missed. What then followed was a moment similar to the one with the partridges and fruit dove. As we were watching the thrush, we heard birds in the tree above, a quick glance revealed a pair of Large Green Pigeons. We just grinned at each other in disbelief, and proceeded enjoying these impressive birds, another target seen. Now we really thought that it couldn't get any better, but we were wrong again. On the way to the restaurant, we decided to take a look at the campsite before celebrating this successful day at dinner. On the track to the campsite, we heard pheasants in the undergrowth. Fully expecting them to be Crested Firebacks again, we waited for them to appear. Suddenly one of the birds walked through an open area right next to the track - this wasn't a fireback but a male Great Argus! Soon afterwards, another bird even crossed the trail in front of us. Even in the growing darkness, they were very impressive and beautiful birds, marking the end of one of my best birding days.
18th July
Our last morning, we decided to just hang around at the start of the grids and see what comes by. The light was beautiful and apart from a close Whiskered Treeswift, we also saw Diard's Trogon, Wreathed and Rhinoceros Hornbills, Horsfield's, Short-tailed and Rufous-crowned Babblers and Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler again, plus a brief Mouse Deer. We then packed our bags and took the shuttle back to Lahad Datu. The drive produced several Black Eagles and, even better, a Chestnut-necklaced Partridge flushed from the road verge, the last target in the bag! More special though was a large Binturong slowly crossing the road in plain sight, quite unusual for these rarely seen and generally arboreal mammals. In Lahad Datu we had a lot of time to kill before our flight to Kota Kinabalu. It turned out to be an even longer wait when the plane was having technical problems, which ended in the flight being cancelled. Fortunately, we got hotel and transport vouchers from the airline, and could take the first flight the following morning.
Please visit my blog to see photos for this report, as well as trip reports of more birding holidays: https://myzoneisbirding.wordpress.com