Birding At Mantanani Island

7th - 9th April 2010

Courtesy from Riverbug company who operates Mari Mari Dive Lodge at Mantanani Islands, spent few nights surveying birds at Mantanani Kecil and Besar for my future birding groups. 3 lifers recorded and total 27 species seen including Mantanani Scops-Owl as the main target which is restricted to several islands in Borneo and Palawan only.

The Lugisan Island in between Mantanani Besar and Kecil is one of the main roosting place for 3 species of Frigatebird in Sabah and on my first evening with the gang, saw approximately thousand over Frigatebird circling on the island.




The journey took about 1 hour from Kuala Abai jetty at Kota Belud district on the Northwest of Kota Kinabalu city. Mari Mari Dive Lodge catered mostly for day trip divers and snorkelers plus it has 4 rooms with common bathrooms for those who planned for an overnight stay with the view of South China Sea.

For more info, kindly check Riverbug's latest offering on their packages at http://www.traversetours.com/mari-mari-dive-lodge-mantanani.php and contact no :+6019 - 8204921

Birds seen :

• Philippine Megapode
• Little Heron
• Pacific Reef-Egret
• Lesser Frigatebird
• Great Frigatebird
• Christmas Frigatebird
• White-bellied Fish-Eagle
• Peregrine Falcon
• Common Sandpiper
• Emerald Dove
• Pied Imperial Pigeon
• Grey Imperial Pigeon
• Glossy Swiftlet
• Germain's Swiftlet
• Brown-backed Needletail
• Collared Kingfisher
• White-breasted Wood-Swallow
• Sand Martin
• Pied Triller
• Pacific Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Glossy Starling
• Chestnut-cheeked Starling
• Blue Rock-Thrush
• Olive-backed Sunbird
• Brown-throated Sunbird
• Eurasian Tree-Sparrow

Taken with Nikon Fieldscope ED82 via FSA-L1 adapter on Nikon D300s, 24-85mm and 18-70mm lens.

Facilities at Mari Mari Dive Lodge

One of the sunset seen from the island

Sunrise seen from Mantanani Besar

Crystal clear sea with lovely corals is a nice place for snorkeling !

View Point from Mantanani Kecil and the only place with cellphone signal




Sunset

Grey Imperial Pigeon

Pacific Reef-Egret

Peregine Falcon (peregrinator)

Female Blue Rock-Thrush

Lesser Frigatebird

Lesser and Christmas Frigatebird

White-bellied Fish-Eagle

Female Olive-backed Sunbird

Grey Wagtail

With Thomas, Osman and John

Happy birding !