Birding With Rockjumper Group

19th - 27th May 2010

Familiarization trip by Tourism Malaysia and Sabah Tourism led by a well-known birder, Dennis Yong at West Malaysia and co-led by me while in Sabah. The group came from South Africa and managed to get over 250 species and by the time of writing, they were at Poring Hot Spring for their extension trip with Dennis.

Key species seen here :

• Great-billed Heron
• Ruddy Kingfisher
  
• Whitehead's Trogon
• Whitehead's Broadbill
• Mt. Wren-Babbler
• Everett's Thrush
• Black-headed Pitta
• Blue-headed Pitta

Other non-avian species seen :

• Orang Utan
• Proboscis Monkey
• Silver Leaf-Monkey
• Hose's Monkey
  
• Bornean Gibbon
• Bornean Pygmy Elephant
• Plain Pygmy Squirrel
• Giant Squirrel
• Kinabalu Squirrel

Pictures taken with Nikon equipments.

Waiting for the Chestnut-necklaced Partridge

White-chested Babbler

Rufous-collared Kingfisher

Whiskered Treeswift

Staghorn Bettle

Buffy Fish-Owl

Oriental Darter

White-bellied Fish-Eagle

With Dennis for the Bornean Stubtail

Mt. Kinabalu in the morning




Proboscis Monkey




Bornean Pygmy Elephant near Bilit Rainforest Lodge




Dinner with Noredah from Sabah Tourism Board. From left to right, with their Proboscis Monkey, courtesy from Sabah Tourism Board, Luis, Gavin, David, Glenn, Adam, Markus, me and Dennis.

Check Rockjumper website offering birding tours here

Happy birding folks :)

Nikon Birding & Photography Workshop

7th - 9th May 2010

"Enjoyable workshop and lots of food !" some of the comments from the participants during the first birding and photography workshop ever held at the World Heritage site, Mt. Kinabalu by Sandakan Foto and supported by Sabah Tourism Board and Nikon Malaysia.

The 3 days workshop covered intensively by respective speakers namely Cede Prudente, renowned Wildlife Photographer who has been working with National Geographic and BBC, Kelvin Chan, Director of Photography with an international firm based in Kuala Lumpur, John Kong from Kota Kinabalu, a commercial photographer with main interest in Landscape, TS Wong from Tawau, a hobbyist in Bird Photographer, CS Ling, flown all the way from Singapore and covered about her passion in Wildlife and Nature and myself for Birding and Digiscoping.

At the same time, MOU was signed by the speakers who donated 5 pictures each for sale to Sabah Cheshire Home to raised fund and was witnessed by Tengku Adlin of Sabah Tourism Board, Mr. Shim, Regional Manager for Nikon Malaysia and Irene from Sandakan Foto as the main organizer for the workshop.

Some of the pictures taken with Nikon equipments. Credits to Jollence Lee :)

Signing of MOU

Birding & Digiscoping by me

Cede preparing for his time lapse

CS Ling

John Kong in Discover with Nikon Lenses

Special lounge cum exhibition area for latest Nikon equipments

Kelvin for Travel and Landscape

Bornean Whistler

Indigo Flycatcher

Black-capped White-Eye

Happy birding and see you on the next workshop :)

Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes)

24th April 2010

One of the rarest winter visitor to Sabah and seen only in small number from September to April every year. Best place to check this bird on the West Coast is at Lok Kawi Beach and Likas Bay. For the East Coast, birders should check at Sim-Sim water village and Bambangan Village, Sandakan

According to Birdlife International, estimated around 2600 - 3400 birds that breeds on the small islands of Russia, Korea and mainland China. Main wintering ground for South East Asia is at Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak at Borneo Island with around 50% of the global population that spent their winter here based on the winter counts in 2004/2005.

One bird was seen at Lok Kawi beach mixing with Little and Great Egret. I was looking for the resident Malaysian Plover, but without success.

Digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope EDG65 via FSA-L2 adapter and Nikon D300s.













Happy birding !

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 !

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

30th March 2010

Took this shots at Likas Lagoon the day after it rained heavily within few weeks. It is a uncommon winter visitor for North Borneo and easily distinguished between adult and juvenile based on the marking and colour of plumage.

According to CK Leong, this species used to be rare here but slowly the number that arrived every season is accumulating which is a good sign.

Digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope ED82 via FSA-L1 adapter and Nikon D300s.

Black-winged Stilt

Other resident at the lagoon, Yellow-bellied Prinia

Happy birding and I will be off for bird survey at Mantanani Island next week :)