My last visit was during the Sabah Big Year in Oct 2022 but had a problem with my smartphone so not able to update the trip with the gang. These time I nailed the Mantanani Scope Owl again on its usual spot near Arahni Homestay including Pied and Grey Imperial Pigeon and the shy Philippine Megapode with Alizah and Aaron from Brunei.
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.
Freelance photographer cum bird guide specialised in Birds, Sports and Digiscoping for a living. Ambassador for Swarovski Optik, Austria. Borneo 500 Club and currently at 559 species of birds in Borneo
Wildlife in Extreme Heat
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Weather's been hot the say the least, 32°C is now the norm, with many days
exceeding 35°C or even higher temperatures. While there are very few
interesti...
