Borneo and Malay Peninsular August 2009

A spectacular trip on which we found many beautiful and spectacular species, including 7 Broadbills, 4 Pittas, 8 Hornbills and 7 Trogons. These species were accompanied by numerous Barbets, Woodpeckers, Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Jays which all combined to give too many highlights to recount. Indeed we resorted to designating the worst ten species rather the top ten. Red-eyed Bulbul came out bottom. The mammals also exceeded our expectations with several sightings of the very rarely seen Marbled Cat, Binturong and Slow Loris. Needless to say, mention need be made of the primates as we enjoyed numerous sightings of orangutan, Bornean Gibbon and the bizarre Proboscis Monkey.

All credited photographs used with sincere thanks to Roy de Haas and Jason Bugay Reyes. Those not credited by Eustace Barnes.

ITINERARY
10th July Arrived Koto Kinabalu 11.25am. Afternoon birding along the coastal lowlands around Koto Kinabalu. Night Koto Kinabalu.
11th July Morning Rafflesia Forest Reserve. Lunch Koto Kinabalu. Drove to Mt Kinabalu NP in torrential rain. Night Kundarsang.
12th July Mt Kinabalu NP. Bukit Ulur trail am. Silau Silau trail pm. Night Kundarsang.
13th July Poring Hot Springs, am. Mt Kinabalu NP pm. Night Kundarsang.
14th July Mt Kinabalu NP am. Mesilau Nature Reserve pm. Night Kundarsang
15th July Poring Hot Springs. Night Kundarsang.
16th July Drive Gomantong Caves. Night Lahad Datu.
17th July Drive Danum Valley. Walked entrance road. Second night drive. Night Borneo Rainforest Lodge (BRL).
18th – 20th July Danum Valley. BRL.
21st July Drive Lahad Datu and on to Bilit Rainforest lodge. Bilit.
22nd July River trips from Bilit Rainforest lodge.
23rd July Early morning river trip.
24th July Drive Kinabalu National park.
25th July Drive Koto Belud and on to Koto Kinabalu for our flight to Kuala Lumpur. Flight to Kuala Lumpur, picked up car and drove to Fraser’s Hill.
26th July Birding upper elevation roads and trails at Fraser's Hill.
27th – 30th July Fraser's Hill and the Gap.
31st July Birding the Gap. Drove to Kuala Selangor.
1st August Birding the Natural Park on the edge of town.
2nd August Birding the Kuala Selangor area. Drive to Kuala Lumpur airport.
3rd August Flights back to the UK.

DAILY DIARY
After a long flight we arrived in Koto Kinabalu, met up with Jason (our man on the ground) and checked into the Best Western Hotel where I met, quite by chance, David Edwards, an old student of myn, who was working on the impact of Palm Oil plantations on bird populations and diversity. In the afternoon we visited some coastal wetlands and found Wandering Whistling Duck (the only waterfowl of the whole trip), Black-backed Swamphen, Plaintive Cuckoo, Rufous Night Heron and a number of Blue-naped Parrots amongst others.
The following morning we visited the Rafflesia Forest Reserve, at Tambunan in the Crocker Range to the south-east of Kota Kinabalu. This reserve shares many of Borneo’s endemics with Mt Kinabalu but has better mid-elevation forest. On arrival we found a family group of Black-breasted Fruithunters almost immediately and had great views of this lovely species. They, along with innumerable Mountain Barbets were feeding with Little Cuckoo Dove, Ochraceous and ‘Bornean’ Bulbuls, Black-sided Flowerpecker, Black-capped White-eye and Grey-breasted Spiderhunter in the roadside fruiting trees. We settled down to enjoy the spectacle when a superb male Whitehead’s Broadbill arrived, an unforgettable sight. We subsequently saw a group of Bornean Barbets lower down with small numbers of Golden-naped Barbets and a flock of Bornean Leafbirds, split from Blue-winged Leafbird. We also saw an immature Wallace’s Hawk Eagle and a pair of White-crowned Forktails (the upland form). It then started to rain heavily and we headed off with some trepidation to Mt Kinabalu.

However, on arrival the rain had stopped and we were able to get down to some late afternoon birding before dusk. We found a family group of Mountain Wren Babblers that ended up feeding all around us. We also saw a couple of Snowy-browed Flycatchers and a pair of Orange-backed Woodpeckers before retiring to our hotel for a celebratory drink.

The following morning on the lower slopes of Mt Kinabalu we saw good numbers of Chestnut-hooded, Bare-headed and Sunda Laughingthrushes, several Bornean Treepies, Indigo Flycatcher, numerous Chestnut-crested Yuhinas and Black-capped White-eyes. We quickly found our target species, the uncommon Everett’s Thrush feeding at our feet. Lower down we found Golden-naped Barbet, Temmincks Babbler, Bornean Whistling-Thrush, Mountain Leaf and Yellow-breasted Warblers. Indigo and Snowy-browed Flycatchers, Temminck’s Sunbird, Black-capped White-eye and Mountain Blackeye were all fairly common. In the afternoon on the Silau Silau trail we found a pair of superb Whitehead’s Trogons which we stayed with for over an hour. This must surely be the most attractive Trogon with its electric combination of scarlet, ashy grey and orange-brown. It behaves much like the Neotropical Quetzals sitting on open boughs high in the canopy.

On most mornings we heard both Red-breasted and Crimson-headed Partridges but never glimpsed one. However, along with more Mountain Wren-Babblers, Temminck’s and Grey-throated Babblers we also found a superb Bornean Stubtail and an Eye-browed Jungle Flycatcher skulking in the dense understorey. An afternoon visit to the Mislau Nature Reserve produced a Kinabalu Friendly Warbler and a pair of Flavescent Bulbuls along with an adult Blyth’s Hawk Eagle. At lunch in the reserve we were shown several Cave or Bornean Swiftlets on their nests. Apparently difficult to see our Friendly Warbler did put on a reasonable show for a Bradypterus warbler. It had been rather too hastily, dubbed the ‘Abominable’ Bush Warbler and then it was then suggested that with the aid of a flamethrower that it might become the ‘Incinerated’ Bush Warbler. Nevertheless we did see it rather more ‘al dente’.

While at Kinabalu we visited Poring Hot Springs which has magnificent foothill rainforest. This site proved itself time and again and we found Thick-billled, Spectacled and Little Spiderhunters, Crimson Sunbird, Banded and Maroon Woodpeckers, Black and Yellow and Black and Red Broadbills, Raffle’s, Black-bellied and Chestnut-breasted Malkohas, a magnificent pair of Banded Kingfishers, a male Red-naped Trogon and a pair of Crested Jays. There were also a number of Crested Firebacks around the tropical gardens and aviaries, apparently wild these birds were certainly wandering free.

After the early morning birding in the National Park we drove south-eastwards to Lahad Datu. Along the road we picked up Grey-rumped Treeswift and our only White-fronted Falconet before stopping at the Gomantong forest reserve on the way. At this attractive site we saw Scarlet-rumped Trogon and Ruddy Kingfisher amongst a nice selection of Babblers including Rufous-winged, Rufous-rumped and Black-throated. We also saw a single Hooded Pitta before continuing to Lahad Datu. Of course it is great to see all of this spectacular wildlife but there is so little forest left that one wonders if the remaining patches are sufficient to ensure the long term viability of many species in Sabah.

The following morning we met up with Nadil, our guide for the next few days at Danum. The Danum Valley Conservation Area contains much of the remaining lowland rainforest in Sabah, although it too has been selectively logged. The area still provides habitat for all of the rainforest bird and mammal life. We clambered aboard our Land Cruiser to begin the three hour journey to the lodge set in beautiful rainforests. Once we left the Oil Palm plantations behind and entered tall secondary growth the chorus of birds and primates immediately started. A memorable contrast.

A huge fruiting tree by the road had a pair of Wrinkled Hornbills and four or five Wreathed Hornbills along with several Rhinoceros Hornbills and a family group of Asian Black Hornbills. It was hard to know where to look and this proved to be one of the outstanding highlights of the trip. We also saw a Crested Goshawk, Blue-throated Bee-eaters, Fiery Minivets and our first orangutan put in an appearance. A taste of what was to come.

Our splendidly luxurious lodge on the banks of the Danum River, surrounded by forest promised a great deal. At dawn the exotic whooping song of Bornean Gibbons echoed around the valley quickly joined by the insane cackling crescendo of the Helmeted Hornbill. The latter we quickly found feeding at an immense fig tree near the lodge providing us with another trip highlight. A short walk from the lodge produced Black-throated Wren-babbler, Black-headed Pitta and the Blue-headed ‘jewel thrush’ or Pitta, a bird we saw nearly every day. It was our very good fortune to meet up with Roy de Haas and his better half while at Danum and it is as a result of doing some birding with them and talking to them that I have been able to use Roy’s photos of birds we both saw.

Walking the trails around the lodge we found Diard’s, Red-naped and Cinnamon-rumped Trogons, Crested and Black Jays, Bornean and Striped Wren-Babblers, Dusky, Black and Yelllow and Green Broadbills. The river frontage at the lodge provided a continuous daily parade of wildlife viewing. The morning was taken by the hornbills and Gibbons while around lunchtime an adult Great-billed Heron or the dominant male orangutan would put in an appearance. The latter would crash along the river banks in search clumps of ginger and then sit and eat the stems. The afternoon belonged to the breeding Blue-throated Bee-eaters, Bornean Gibbons and Bushy-crested Hornbills. At dinner time a Buffy Fish Owl often appeared and one evening we were able to watch an adult bird hunting along the water's edge; a remarkable spectacle. On one afternoon we walked the entrance road and Nadil picked up the strange calls of the Bornean Bristlehead and we soon found this bizarre bird. They seemed to combine the features and behaviour of a Barbet and a Cutia as they bounded along mossy branches in the canopy. A very special part of being at Danum is number of Helmeted, Rhinocerous, White-crowned, Bushy-crested, Wrinkled and Wreathed Hornbills and every day we saw good numbers of most of these species.

Of the smaller birds we saw the lovely Large-billed Blue and Bornean Blue Flycatcher as well as many species of babbler. A couple of trips to the canopy walkway were very productive; we saw Brown Barbet, Raffles’s, Red-billed and Chestnut-breasted Malkohas Brown-backed Needletail, Silver-rumped Swift, Whiskered Treeswifts, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Black-and-yellow Broadbills and Bornean Black Magpie amongst others. Around the lodge we often saw the beautiful Black-naped Monarch as well as both Maroon-breasted and Rufous-winged Philentomas. On one memorable walk we saw a male Crested Fireback, Blue-banded and Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher along with a family group of White-crowned Hornbill and a single Dusky Broadbill. We also went on a number of night excursions each of which was very different. We saw a family of Brown Wood Owls, Thomas’s and Red Giant Flying Squirrels, Slow Loris, a female and an immature Binturong and several Bearded Pigs. On two occasions we saw a Marbled cat. On the second of these the animal was sat in road in front of our vehicle and we were able to watch it hunt and climb a tree in front of us. This was probably the most impressive highlight of the trip.

We also saw Common Palm Civet and up to 14 Orangutans along with good numbers of Pigtail and Crab-eating Macaque, the Red Leaf Monkey and a number of Bornean Gibbons. The number of mammal species and the number of individuals we saw was a complete surprise.

After our last morning at Danum Valley we returned to Lahad Datu met up with Jason and continued to the Bilit Rainforest lodge along the Kinabatangan river. During our stay we visited the famous Gomantong Caves, a vast cave system home to tens of thousands of swiftlets and bats. Inside the magnificent caves we found Black-nest, Mossy-nest and Edible-nest Swiftlets, on their very different nests. Outside the case we found a large female Orangutan along with Ruddy Kingfisher and more Hooded Pittas.

The rest of our time here was spent travelling along the Kinanbatangan river and its affluents. We saw several pairs of Storm’s Stork, Blue-eared Kingfishers, Oriental pied Hornbills, Rhinocerous Hornbills, Red and Black Broadbill and numerous White-bellied Sea Eagles, Lesser and Grey-headed Fish Eagles. Although the birdlife was good we also saw large numbers of Crab eating Macaques and Proboscis Monkeys. Another rare and localised primate restricted to this small country.

Despite a number of close encounters we failed to see the Bornean Ground Cuckoo. On one occasion a calling bird was just beyond a low mud bank and would not move. However, we did see a number of Proboscis Monkeys and good numbers of Long-tailed Parakeets.

On leaving our riverside lodge we drove to the Gomantong caves to do some birding along the entrance road before heading to Poring Hot Springs for lunch and some lunch time birding. Although the Gomantong cave entrance road was quiet early morning the forest at Poring Springs was excellent from late morning through the heat of the day. This was a feature of birding on Sabah, which more activity and more birds easily seen at this time. We found a superb Rufous-collared Kingfisher, which we were able to watch at length. We then found our first Banded Broadbill and a female Green Broadbill. We again saw Grey-headed Babbler, Black-headed Bulbul, Cream-vented Bulbul and others at a fruiting tree.

On our last morning we started to drive to Koto Belud on the coast but screeched to halt almost immediately to check a raptor soaring over Mt Kinabalu. It turned out to be a Mountain Serpent Eagle and our last endemic on Sabah. On the coast at Koto Belud we found numerous Oriental Pratincoles, Long-toed Stints, Wood Sandpipers, White-winged and Whiskered Terns as well as Javanese and Chinese Pond Herons. In small patches of reeds around the paddyfields we found a number of Yellow and Cinnamon Bitterns, Black-backed Swamphens and White-breasted Waterhens, Little, Intermediate and Great Egrets. In the late afternoon we took our flight to Kuala Lumpur, picked up our car and drove to Fraser's Hill. We arrived at midnight, very tired and in need of a good rest but pleased to have arrived.

The birdlife at Fraser’s Hill is quite different from that on Borneo, consisting almost entirely of upland species and with greater affinity to Himalayan birds. Birding here was great, and on our first morning we picked up Fire-tufted Barbet and Black and Crimson Oriole outside the hotel along with countless Long-tailed Sibias, Silver-eared Mesias, Chestnut-capped Laughing Thrushes, Green Magpies and a Javan Cuckooshrike. A very short walk on our first day gave us great views of an adult Black-thighed Falconet, a male Red-headed Trogon and a pair of Long-tailed Broadbills. All three being target species for the area with the Broadbill being even more of a jaw dropping stunner than depicted in the field guides.

Lower down at ‘The Gap’ birding is in more sub-tropical forest with somewhat higher bird diversity. Birding here was always good and we made quite a number of visits seeing Bamboo and Buff-rumped woodpeckers, Black Laughingthrush, White-hooded Babbler, Green-billed Malkoha, Sultan Tit and Black-browed Barbet. The highlights lower down included a lovely Orange-breasted Trogon (bringing or trogon list to seven and completing the set) another group of Long-tailed Broadbills, Malaysian Eared Nightjars and several stunning male Blue-winged Leafbirds. Up at Fraser’s Hill we also found Lesser Shortwing, Streaked Wren Babbler, Slaty-backed Forktail, a stunning Large Hawk Cuckoo and four beautiful Blue Nuthatches. The latter was a personal favourite and one the highlights of the whole trip. We also found several pairs of Red-bearded Bee-eater, Greater Yellownape, Rufous-breasted (Striated) Swallow, Black-crested and Mountain Bulbuls, Streaked Spiderhunter, Bar-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike and Black-naped Orioles.

It was then time to move onto our final destination at Kuala Selangor on the coast. Almost in town we were able to explore secondary forest, mangroves and wetlands. We added quite a number of species including Golden-bellied Gerygone, Coppersmith and Lineated Barbet, several pairs of Laced Woodpeckers, a pair of Brown-capped (Sunda) Woodpeckers, Mangrove Whistler, a female Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher, a pair of the very distinctive form of Great Tit in the mangrove forest, dozens of Brahminy Kites, and Greater & Common Flamebacks. Our last afternoon produced Chestnut-bellied Malkoha and Large-tailed Nightjar in the car park ending a spectacular trip with nearly as many highlights as species.