Birding with Bob and Gabby

 29th October - 2nd November 2022

Their first birding trip to Sabah since they started to enjoys birds in the Philippines late last year. We started at Mt. Kinabalu for a nite then drove to Sepilok for another 3 nites plus day trip to Kinabatangan River. It was around 137 birds recorded for Bom and Gabby and close up view of the Golden-naped Barbet and Orange-backed Woodpecker adds more excitement to their life list. For the river, we also got the Storm's Stork, Little Green Pigeon and Bat Hawk at its usual perch near Gomantong Cave.

While having lunch at Sim-Sim water village, saw around 8 Aleutian Tern (vagrant) and added to my Sabah Big Year 2022 to number 455 birds as of November. They were impressed with the bird life here including excellent facilities catered for tourists etc. They will be back!

Images and videos taken with Swarovski Optik. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Watching the endemic Whitehead's Trogon

Now joined by Ali and Nde

Lily's Cottage, my favourite place to stay at Mt. Kinabalu!

My lucky charm the miniature Whitehead's Trogon for attracting more birds in the wild :)

Gabby with the Swarovski STX95 spotting scope + iPhone for the endemic White-fronted Falconet found along the Ranau-Sandakan road

At Sepilok Giant tree

Great canopy walkway at Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok

Both got the Terek Sandpiper and Whimbrel including the rare Aleutian Tern!

Bat Hawk!

At Kinabatangan River

Final morning at RDC

Yellow-bellied Bulbul taken with the Swarovski Optik STX95 spotting scope + smartphone

With Gary and John for the Aleutian Tern at Taman Harmoni mudflat, Sandakan. Found around 13 Aleutian Tern and 2 Gull-billed Tern

I will be away for another waders survey from the 10-15th November in Tawau and Sandakan. Hope I will be able to get the Black-hooded Oriole, Abbot's Babbler and also Greater Flameback for my big year...

Happy birding!

Aleutian Tern In Flight Mode

18th November 2009

Correction - This is a Whiskered Tern instead of Aleutian Tern corrected by Chris Kehoe :) Thanks a lot my friend hehehe :o

New record for Sabah, first seen on the 11th September 2009 between Sipadan and Mabul Island on the East Coast and photographed by my friend, Wong Tsu Shi. And recently after recovered from my fever, spent few hours around the fish market and at the Waterfront and managed to grabbed few in flight shots of this pretty looking bird mixing with Whiskered and White-winged Tern.

Taken with Nikon D300s and 70-200 2.8 VR lens. Cropped 50% and processed with Capture NX2.

Dark trailing edges to under wing secondaries is the main ID for this bird.

Aleutian Tern (Onychoprion aleuticus) in non-breeding plumage.

Happy birding folks hehehe :)

My Lifer Aleutian Tern

27th September 2009

Thanks again to Chris who found this bird yesterday at the waterfront in front of Hyatt hotel and only managed to drop by for a while this afternoon. After waited for 1 hour, single Aleutian Tern in post breeding came along with Whiskered, Common and Black-winged Tern but in flight shot with my scope was impossible !

There were a few records of this species mentioned in Susan Myer's Birds of Borneo book as it was found in Sarawak last time and this could be the new species for Sabah :)

According from Chris, the name Aleutian came from a stretch of islands on the Alaska where this bird breeds and migrate during the Northern winter yearly to other South East Asia countries.

I didn't get any shot of this Tern but it is available at OBI database here by Michelle and Peter Wong from Hong Kong.

Other birds seen:

• Pacific Reef Egret
• White-bellied Fish Eagle
  

Digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope Ed82, SRB-Griturn adapter and Fujifilm F31D

Sunny day after the storm early this morning

Chris, John, Jean and CK. Saw the bird after I took this picture hahahah :p

Intermediate Egret

Whiskered Tern juvenile

Happy birding !