4th - 16th March 2022
The gang decided to try for the Bulwer's Pheasant, Rail-Babbler, Bornean Frogmouth and Crested Partridge at Mt. Trusmadi and then 2 nights at Sook Lake, Keningau and got the Bornean Black Magpie, Little Bronzed Cuckoo, female Black Partridge (seen only by John!) and plenty Malaysian Eared Nightjar in the evening while watching the sunset. What a special moment! At Klias Peatswamp Forest, Beaufort, we got the rare Hook-billed Bulbul (sound recordings + pics) including Brown Hawk-Owl, nesting Cinnamon-headed Pigeon and Great Slaty Woodpecker!
Then I continued with Syamimi for her Waders of Sabah project at Tinagat Beach, Tawau where we counted a small numbers of migrants such as Far Eastern Curlew, Red Knot, Whimbrel, Grey-tailed Tattler and Common Greenshank. In between the survey, we visited Tawau Hills Park and I got the Horsfield's Babbler, Malaysian Blue Flycatcher, Scaly-crowned and also Short-tailed Babbler along the Hot Spring Trail.
For Silam Coast Conservation Area, Lahad Datu, not much was seen and heard due to the not favorable tides except for the Hooded Pitta. But plenty migrants behind the seafood restaurant in town such as Common Redshank, Grey Plover, Kentish Plover and also Common Sandpiper.
Surprisingly in Sandakan, behind the Taman Harmoni mudflats, we got around 18 species of waterbirds with the number per species was more than 50 individuals. 3 Chinese Egrets was seen as well on the 16th morning including the noisy Oriental Reed Warbler! Short visit to Kg. Dandulit at Mile 12, we counted around 61 Great Crested Tern resting on the rocky islands.
Total birds seen and heard:
- Crested Partridge (h)
- Crimson-headed Partridge
- Black Partridge
- Red-breasted Partridge
- Bulwer's Pheasant (h)
- Storm's Stork
- Nankeen Night Heron
- Striated Heron
- Grey Heron
- Purple Heron
- Little egret
- Great Egret
- Chinese Egret
- Pacific Reef Egret
- Lesser Frigatebird
- Changeable Hawk-Eagle
- White-bellied Sea Eagle
- Brahminy Kite
- Crested Serpent Eagle
- Changeable Hawk-Eagle
- Black-winged Kite
- Peregrine Falcon
- Japanese Sparrowhawk
- White-breasted Waterhen
- Kentish Plover
- Lesser Sand Plover
- Greater Sand Plover
- Pacific Golden Plover
- Grey Plover
- Far Eastern Curlew
- Whimbrel
- Terek Sandpiper
- Common Redshank
- Common Greenshank
- Common Sandpiper
- Grey-tailed Tattler
- Red-necked Stint
- Red Knot
- Black-headed Gull
- Greater Crested Tern
- Gull-billed Tern
- Philippine Cuckoo-Dove
- Little Cuckoo-Dove
- Zebra Dove
- Spotted Dove
- Emerald Dove
- Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeon
- Pink-necked Green Pigeon
- Green Imperial Pigeon
- Mountain Imperial Pigeon
- Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot
- Dark Hawk-Cuckoo
- Oriental Cuckoo (lifer)
- Indian Cuckoo
- Violet Cuckoo
- Little Bronze Cuckoo
- Banded Bay Cuckoo
- Plaintive Cuckoo
- Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo
- Short-toed Coucal
- Greater Coucal
- Lesser Coucal
- Chestnut-breasted Malkoha
- Red-billed Malkoha
- Raffles's Malkoha
- Brown Hawk-Owl
- Sunda Scops-Owl
- Reddish Scops-Owl
- Mountain Scops-Owl
- Bornean Frogmouth
- Malaysian Eared Nightjar
- Large-tailed Nightjar
- Asian Palm Swift
- Pacific Swift
- Grey-rumped Treeswift
- Plume-toed Swiftlet
- White Nest-Swiftlet
- Brown Needletail
- Silver-rumped Spinetail
- Diard's Trogon
- Red-naped Trogon
- Collared Kingfisher
- Blue-throated Bee-Eater
- Dollarbird
- Bushy-crested Hornbill
- Oriental Pied Hornbill
- Asian Black Hornbill
- Wreathed Hornbill
- Rhinoceros Hornbill
- Golden-naped Barbet
- Mountain Barbet
- Bornean Barbet
- Gold-faced Barbet
- Red-crowned Barbet
- Red-throated Barbet
- Blue-eared Barbet
- Bornean Brown Barbet
- Rufous Woodpecker
- White-bellied Woodpecker
- Banded Woodpecker
- Checker-throated Woodpecker
- Orange-backed Woodpecker
- Rufous Piculet
- Buff-rumped Woodpecker
- Grey & Buff Woodpecker
- Black & Red Broadbill
- Banded Broadbill
- Black & Yellow Broadbill
- Long-tailed Broadbill
- Whitehead's Broadbill
- Bornean Banded Pitta
- Hooded Pitta
- Fiery Minivet
- Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike
- Sunda Cuckoo-Shrike
- Lesser Cuckoo-Shrike
- Pied Triller
- Bornean Whistler
- Black & Crimson Oriole
- Asian Fairy Bluebird
- Ashy Drongo
- Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
- Hair-crested Drongo
- Bornean Black Magpie
- Slender-billed Crow
- Bornean Treepie
- Barn Swallow
- Pacific Swallow
- White-breasted Woodswallow
- Dark-necked Tailorbird
- Rufous-tailed Tailorbird
- Ashy Tailorbird
- Mountain Tailorbird
- Yellow-bellied Prinia
- Black-headed Bulbul
- Cinereous Bulbul
- Yellow-vented Bulbul
- Red-eyed Bulbul
- Hook-billed Bulbul
- Charlotte's Bulbul
- Penan Bulbul
- Olive-winged Bulbul
- Bornean Bulbul
- Golden-bellied Gerygone
- Oriental Reed Warbler
- Mountain Leaf-Warbler
- Yellow-breasted Warbler
- Sunda Bush-Warbler
- Striated Grassbird
- Black-capped Babbler
- Temminck's Babbler
- Short-tailed Babbler
- Horsfield's Babbler
- White-chested Babbler
- Scaly-crowned Babbler
- Grey-throated Babbler
- Rufous-fronted Babbler
- White-necked Babbler
- Chestnut-rumped Babbler
- Chestnut-winged Babbler
- Rail-Babbler (h)
- Chesnut-backed Scimitar-Babbler
- Bold-striped Tit-Babbler
- Brown Fulvetta
- Erpornis
- Chestnut-crested Yuhina
- Blyth's Shrike-Babbler
- Sunda Laughingthrush
- Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush
- Hume's White-Eye
- Swinhoe's White-Eye
- Black-capped White-Eye
- Bornean Ibon
- Javan Myna
- Pale-bellied Myna
- Hill Myna
- Asian Glossy Starling
- Oriental Magpie Robin
- White-crowned Shama
- Orange-headed Thrush
- Darks-sided Flycatcher
- Grey-streaked Flycatcher
- Asian Brown Flycatcher
- Mugimaki Flycatcher
- Indigo Flycatcher
- Verditer Flycatcher
- Blue & White Flycatcher
- Dayak Blue Flycatcher
- Malaysian Blue Flycatcher
- Asian Paradise Flycatcher
- White-throated Fantail
- Pied Fantail
- Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
- Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
- Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
- Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker
- Van Haselt's Sunbird
- Olive-backed Sunbird
- Eastern Crimson Sunbird
- Temminck's Sunbird
- Brown-throated Sunbird
- Little Spiderhunter
- Long-billed Spiderhunter
- Bornean Spiderhunter
- Black-headed Munia
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Recordings of birds at Xeno-Canto:
Images taken with Swarovski Optik and c. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
With Gary, one of the bird guides in Sabah plus specialized in filming for documentary
Eastern Crimson Sunbird
Little Bronze Cuckoo, one of the rare resident in Sabah
Syamimi, one of the local ornithologist on her year long waders of Sabah project
Changeable Hawk-Eagle at Bukit Gemok, Tawau taken around 1km away with Swarovski Optik STX95 spotting scope + Sony A6600!
Face mask from Swarovski Optik for the #YokoYokoBirdTeam
With Ron at Trusmadi Forest Reserve, Tambunan
What a great combo between Swarovski Optik spotting scope and Sony A6600 camera
With the gang along the access road at the reserve
Searching for the Mt. Scops-Owl
2nd visit to Mt. Trusmadi and we got the Bornean Frogmouth, Orange-headed Thrush, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Besra and many more
At Sook Lake Forest Reserve, Keningau
Trail to the lake
Little Bronze Cuckoo!
One of the attraction for future visitors and we saw many Malaysian Eared Nightjar here during sunset
Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, one of the rare birds in Sabah, preferred peatswamp forest and these was digiscoped at Klias Peatswamp Forest Reserve, Beaufort
Morning from Kundasang with Mt. Kinabalu at the background
Tinagat Beach, Tawau
Bukit Gemok Forest Reserve seen from the homestay. Got the Rhinoceros Hornbill and Brown Needletail here for my Sabah Big Year 2022
At Tawau Hills Park
One of the tallest tropical tree are found in Tawau. The tallest in the world at Danum Valley
Crown shyness, one of the features by Dipterocarp trees in the tropical country
Silam Coast Conservation Area, Lahad Datu
At Bukit Humunong
Plenty of waders here such as Common Redshank and Grey-tailed Tattler
Part of the mangrove forest at Silam Coast. Heard the Hooded Pitta here
Zainal from #KB4WDC in Sandakan where I got my rear tyre busted
Spring noodle at Jambatan 88 Sim-Sim, Sandakan. One of the best places for seafood meals
John checking out some waders at Taman Harmoni for the next survey in October
At Kebun Cina
Crimson-headed Partridge, one of the #endemic found on the higher elevation at Mt. Kinabalu. Commonly heard but quite hard to see in the open and related closely with the rarest Bornean Peacock-Pheasant (Blackwood 2014, Sun et al 2014, Syamimi Makbul 2018) based on the number of metatarsal spurs (Polyplectron) compared with other genus.
I will be off to Danum Valley next month and hope can get more Trogon, Kingfisher, Flycatcher and Pitta for the big year. Happy birding!
