9th - 13th January 2024
Bird survey with the Sabah Birdwatchers Association at Rundum Highland, revealed some of the exciting mixture of species from the mountain and hill forest of Sabah such as Blue-banded Pitta, Eyebrowed Wren-Babbler, Bornean Whistler, Crested JayShrike, Black & Yellow Broadbill and the rare Bornean Bristlehead!
We also found the White-rumped Shama at Rundum Rebellion Trail on two consecutive days. By record with eBird, this particular species mostly found outside Sabah with few records scattered in Sabah itself. Possibility of Black Oriole also present during the walk to the waterfall by John, Adrian, Rusli and Mark.
Other than birding, the highland also offered fantastic view of the primary rainforest on both Kalimantan and Sarawak Range without single Oil Palm tree! The local were friendly and rich in their Murut cultures. Worth a visit for everyone...
One night spent at Naluyan Jungle Lodge, about 15 minutes drive from Tenom town. Beautiful facilities with man made pools via natural stream and their Tenom coffee was so nice. Plenty of birds too...
Bird list:
1 Red-breasted Partridge Arborophila hyperythra
2 Crimson-headed Partridge Haematortyx sanguiniceps
3 Little Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia ruficeps
4 Mountain Imperial-Pigeon Ducula badia
5 Violet Cuckoo Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus
6 Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris
7 Dark Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx bocki
8 Indian Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus
9 Bornean Frogmouth Batrachostomus mixtus
10 Malaysian Eared-Nightjar Lyncornis temminckii
11 Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus jotaka
12 Silver-rumped Spinetail Rhaphidura leucopygialis
13 Brown-backed Needletail Hirundapus giganteus
14 Crested Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
15 Mountain Serpent-Eagle Spilornis kinabaluensis
16 Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela
17 Black Eagle Ictinaetus malaiensis
18 Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus
19 Sunda Owlet Taenioptynx sylvaticus
20 Brown Boobook Ninox scutulata
21 Bushy-crested Hornbill Anorrhinus galeritus
22 Wreathed Hornbill Rhyticeros undulatus
23 Brown Barbet Caloramphus fuliginosus
24 Black-eared Barbet Psilopogon duvaucelii
25 Bornean Barbet Psilopogon eximius
26 Red-throated Barbet Psilopogon mystacophanos
27 Golden-naped Barbet Psilopogon pulcherrimus
28 Mountain Barbet Psilopogon monticola
29 Crimson-winged Woodpecker Picus puniceus
30 Checker-throated Woodpecker Chrysophlegma mentale
31 Long-tailed Broadbill Psarisomus dalhousiae
32 Banded Broadbill Eurylaimus javanicus
33 Black-and-yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus ochromalus
34 Blue-banded Pitta Erythropitta arquata
35 Golden-bellied Gerygone Gerygone sulphurea
36 Sunda Cuckooshrike Coracina larvata
37 White-browed Shrike-Babbler Pteruthius aeralatus
38 White-bellied Erpornis Erpornis zantholeuca
39 Bornean Whistler Pachycephala hypoxantha
40 Black-and-crimson Oriole Oriolus consanguineus
41 Spotted Fantail Rhipidura perlata
42 Malaysian Pied-Fantail Rhipidura javanica
43 White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis
44 Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus
45 Hair-crested Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus
46 Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea
47 Crested Jayshrike Platylophus galericulatus
48 Bornean Green-Magpie Cissa jefferyi
49 Bornean Treepie Dendrocitta cinerascens
50 Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis
51 Penan Bulbul Alophoixus ruficrissus
52 Cinereous Bulbul Hemixos cinereus
53 Black-headed Bulbul Microtarsus melanocephalos
54 Spectacled Bulbul Rubigula erythropthalmos
55 Bornean Bulbul Rubigula montis
56 Cream-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus simplex
57 Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus brunneus
58 Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis
59 Yellow-bellied Warbler Abroscopus superciliaris
60 Chestnut-crested Yuhina Staphida everetti
61 Pygmy White-eye Heleia squamifrons
62 Bold-striped Tit-Babbler Mixornis bornensis
63 Rufous-fronted Babbler Cyanoderma rufifrons
64 Sunda Scimitar-Babbler Pomatorhinus bornensis
65 Grey-throated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps
66 Bornean Black-capped Babbler Pellorneum capistratoides
67 Temminck's Babbler Pellorneum pyrrogenys
68 Eyebrowed Wren-Babbler Napothera epilepidota
69 Brown Fulvetta Alcippe brunneicauda
70 Sunda Laughingthrush Garrulax palliatus
71 Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush Pterorhinus treacheri
72 Dark-sided Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica
73 Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis
74 White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus
75 White-crowned Shama Copsychus stricklandii
76 Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana
77 Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassinus
78 Mugimaki Flycatcher Ficedula mugimaki
79 Red-throated Sunbird Anthreptes rhodolaemus
80 Temminck's Sunbird Aethopyga temminckii
81 Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra
82 Bornean Spiderhunter Arachnothera everetti
83 Lesser Green Leafbird Chloropsis cyanopogon
84 Bornean Leafbird Chloropsis kinabaluensis
85 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
86 Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata
Upgrading roads for better access in the future including electricity
Rundum Highland village is about 31 KM from Kemabong small town and reachable only with 4x4 vehicles and it takes around 230 KM from Kota Kinabalu
Gary and Mark enjoying the new air mattress
Cultural House by the locals
Morning view...
Birding at Rundum-Sook old logging roads
View of Kalimantan Range
Rusli watching the Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker
Hill rice
View of Sarawak Range
Fellowship dinner by Gerald and Rusli
Bon fire and cultural dance by the locals at Rundum Highland
Sunrise...
Gary watching the Mountain Barbet with the Swarovski Optik BTX95 spotting scope
Gerald and the gang were testing the new binocular from Optisan provided by Ron
Trail to the Rundum Rebellion
Linipot, rice wrapped in banana leaf
Toyota Land Cruiser 40 and 80 series
Waiting for the Blue-banded Pitta
Sunrise...
Locally grown coffee in Tenom and this is the Coffee + Tea = Cham Coffee!
Naluyan Jungle Lodge about 15 minutes drive from Tenom town provides comfort and luxury settings in reasonable prices for visitors. Link here https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090692114743
Birding talk by Ron for the staffs at Naluyan Jungle Lodge
Basic birding by Ron the following morning and saw around 10 birds too
Watching the Yellow-vented Bulbul through the Swarovski Optik BTX95 spotting scope
Kitchen per room at the lodge
From left to right; Bexter, Gary, Albert, John, Adrian, Ron, Mark and yours truly
Custom made bangles from wild plants by the locals
Welfie before driving back home!
Eyebrowed Wren-Babbler
Sunda Scimitar-Babbler
