Kota Belud Bird Count

8th January 2009

Weather a bit overcast but produced nice birds during my count covering Taun Gusi, Rampayan and Tempasuk Village at Kota Belud district which takes around 75km from Kota Kinabalu city.

Main highlight today was the sighting of juvenile Eurasian Marsh Harrier (spilonotus) being harassed by Black-winged Kite at Taun Gusi and another adult female at Tempasuk Village hahaha. It is a common winter visitor to this area but the number usually less than 5 when my observations of this raptor started since 2004.

Mt. Kinabalu

Abandoned paddy field

Cattle

Small stall on the roadside where i had my breakfast :)

Rampayan beach


Fisherman boat where i saw 30 over Lesser Frigatebird gliding on top

Birds seen and heard: Total 45 species

• Lesser Frigatebird (One female flew very low and near to me :p)
  
• Grey Heron
• Purple Heron
• Cattle Egret
• Great Egret
• Little Egret
• Wandering Whistling Duck
• Black-winged Kite
• Brahminy Kite
• Eurasian Marsh Harrier
• Changeable Hawk Eagle (Pale morph)
• White-breasted Waterhen
• Common Moorhen
• Purple Swamphen
• Pacific Golden Plover
• Little Ringed Plover
• Kentish Plover (1 seen at the beach and many at Tempasuk paddy field)
• Marsh Sandpiper
• Common Greenshank
• Wood Sandpiper
• Common Sandpiper
• Long-toed Stint
• Black-winged Stilt
• Whiskered Tern
• Spotted Dove
• Zebra Dove
• Plaintive Cuckoo (Heard)
• Collared Kingfisher
• Blue-throated Bee-Eater
• Barn Swallow
• Pacific Swallow
• Pied Triller
  
• Yellow-vented Bulbul
  
• Striated Grassbird
• Yellow-bellied Prinia
• White-breasted Wood-Swallow
• Brown Shrike
• Yellow Wagtail
  
• Paddyfield Pipit
• Asian Glossy Starling
• Olive-backed Sunbird
  
• Dusky Munia
• Scaly-breasted Munia
• Black-headed Munia
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Pictures was digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope ED82, SRB-Griturn Mk II adapter and Fujifilm F31d

Cattle Egret

Changeable Hawk Eagle (Pale morph)


Straited Grassbird


Juvenile Lesser Coucal

Happy birding !