Birding With Bobby & Tracey

11th - 23rd June 2012

Had a wonderful trip with Bobby and Tracey recently at the usual hot spots for birding plus wildlife despite the dry spell and only had rain on my final evening at Tabin Wildlife Reserve. Some of the key species seen per Quentin Philipps's Bird of Borneo :

• Red-breasted Partridge
• Storm's Stork
• Lesser Adjutant
• Bornean Falconet
• Jerdon's Baza
• Thick-billed Green Pigeon
• Dark Hawk Cuckoo
• Short-toed Coucal
• Barred Eagle Owl
• Whitehead's Trogon
• Helmeted Hornbill
• White-bellied Woodpecker
• Bornean Banded Pitta
• Blue-headed Pitta
• Bornean Ibon
• Everett's Thrush 
• Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Mammals list as per Junaidi Payne's Mammals of Borneo :

• Lesser Gymnure
• Common Treeshrew
• MountainTreeshrew
• Maroon Langur
• Silver Langur
• Proboscis Monkey
• Long-tailed Macaque
• Pig-tailed Macaque
• Bornean Gibbon
• Orang Utan
• Giant Squirrel
• Prevost's Squirrel
• Bornean Black-banded Squirrel
• Plantain Squirrel
• Ear-spot Squirrel
• Jentink's Squirrel
• Whitehead's Pygmy Squirrel
• Plain Pygmy Squirrel
• Yellow-throated Marten
• Oriental Small-clawed Otter
• Masked Palm Civet
• Common Palm Civet
• Leopard Cat
• Bornean Pygmy Elephant
• Bearded Pig
• Lesser Mouse Deer
• Greater Mouse Deer

Images taken with Nikon D300s + 80-400mm VR

Mt. Wren Babbler, one of the endemic found at Mt. Kinabalu

Little Pied Flycatcher

The elusive Whitehead's Trogon !

Elmer and Tracey at Mesilau Sub-station

Lesser Gymure, a rare species mainly at the mountain

The commonest Bornean Black-banded Squirrel mainly seen along the Summit Trail

My favorite Whitehead's Pygmy Squirrel

The endemic Bornean Whistler

Prevost's Squirrel

Rufous Woodpecker, one of the commonest Woodpecker at Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok

One of the diet for Little and Streaky-breasted Spiderhunter, the banana inflorescence

Grey-rumped Treeswift

Orang Utan

 

Black & Yellow Broadbill

Long-tailed Parakeet

The only resident Red-bearded Bee Eater at North Borneo

Juvenile White-bellied Fish Eagle

 

Near sunset at Kinabatangan River...

Lesser Fish Eagle

Wrinkled Hornbill

Oriental Darter in hunting mode

Lesser Adjutant

Crested Serpent Eagle

Bornean Pygmy Elephant, the smallest in the world

Brahminy Kite

Silver Langur

Wallace's Hawk Eagle

Scanning for Hornbill at the View Point, Tabin together with Ricky and Pailin, the resident naturalist

On my last visit to Tabin Wildlife Lodge in May 2010, it looked different now. More options of food for visitors plus the newly installed WiFi in the restaurant is a welcomed because everyone is using smartphone nowadays to communicate and it is useful for latest update of wildlife sighting in Tabin to the outside world.

Other features I like the new canopy walkway above the small river near the restaurant and also the bird feeder. But during my 4 days at Tabin, the feeder was empty. I will visit Tabin again next month and hope that time, food would be available at the feeder for photo opportunity !

Tracey and Bobby is currently at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley to get few more birds plus other mammals for their trip.

Happy birding !

Mt. Kinabalu at Its Best ...

31st May - 7th June

Spent few nights at the mountain with a good friend of mine, Iain from Singapore and for this trip, Iain managed to get 12 new lifer such as, Bornean Banded Pitta, Everett's Thrush, Mt. Wren Babbler, Bornean Barbet and Pygmy White Eye which he missed last time on his previous visits here.

Pictures taken with Nikon D300s + 80-400mm VR

 Indigo Flycatcher, common resident at the mountains

 Chestnut-crested Yuhina, quite lucky to an eye level shot of this fast moving endemic at Tambunan Rafflesia Centre !

Whitehead's Trogon, Jewel of the rainforest ...

 Bornean Banded Pitta, recent split from Banded Pitta

Mt. Kinabalu view from the hotel at Mt. Kinabalu Heritage & Spa

 Common type of vegetation at Mt. Kinabalu with growing ferns, orchids etc on the tree trunk

Butterfly sp. at Tambunan Rafflesia Centre

Heading back to Kota Kinabalu today and will continue for another trip from the 11th - 23rd June. By the way, testing the new 7.2 Mbps broadband from Maxis and the speed from my hotel room is awesome !

Happy birding !

Birding With Bjorn Olesen & Fanny

3rd - 6th May 2012

Spent another few days at Kinabalu National Park to get some of the endemic birds in Borneo for Bjorn Olesen, an award winning wildlife photographer from Singapore with collection over 40k++ images taken throughout the world.

Weather was great in the morning but at lunch time, heavy rain lasted for few hours with thick mist at the mountain. Only managed to get few good shots of birds together with Nephentes Rajah and luckily there were 2 blooming Rafflesia Keithi at Poring Substation, about 45 minutes drive from the Headquarters.

Digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope EDG85 via FSA-L2 DSLR Photo Adapter on Nikon D300s and 80-400mm VR lens

Shooting the Pale-faced Bulbul at Mesilau Substation

Regional endemic of this beauty, Black-capped White Eye

Nephentes Rajah, the biggest Monkey Cup in the world only found at Borneo

Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, one of the 3 Laughingthrush at Mt. Kinabalu

Pale-faced Bulbul, endemic to Borneo

Mini gallery at Vivianne Garden

   

The entrance to see the biggest flower in the world !

Healthy looking flower and on the left top petal is the Blue Carrion Fly the main pollinator. This flower could last only for few days ...

Soon will bloom. It takes up to 9 month from bud to become flower.

Little Pied Flycatcher

 View of the Crocker Range from my room at Lily's Lodge

Golden-naped Barbet, another endemic to this island

Happy birding !

Birding With Dave Irving

27th April - 1st May 2012 

Spent few days with Dave Irving who hailed from England but currently based in Taiwan, taking pictures of birds and wildlife at Sepilok then few nights at Sukau Greenview Bed & Breakfast.

Key species seen during the 5 days trip was :

• Storm's Stork ~ Performing mating ritual on air 
• White-crowned Hornbill ~ A pair seen crossing the Menanggul river
• Rhinoceros Hornbill ~ Seen at Sepilok Bed & Breakfast feeding on the fruiting tree
• Bornean Ground Cuckoo ~ Seen running very fast up and down the riverbank. Heard 2 days in a row
• Bornean Bristlehead ~ Only single bird seen in flight from Bristlehead Tower
• Bornean Pygmy Elephant ~ More than 100++ at the river !
• Orang Utan ~ On final morning at Menanggul river !

Digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope EDG85 via Nikon FSA-L2 DSLR Photo Adapter on Nikon D300s and 80-400mm VR

Dave Irving shooting at the Baya Weaver

Female Baya Weaver

Javan Myna only found on the East Coast of Sabah

Blue-eared Barbet at one of the fruiting tree at RDC

Cream-vented Bulbul

Bornean Brown Barbet

Olive-winged Bulbul

Flying Lizard

Female Brown-throated Sunbird

John Bakar

Mark at Kinabatangan River

Bornean Pygmy Elephant

Sunset at Kinabatangan River

The elusive Bornean Ground Cuckoo

Blue-eared Kingfisher

The endangered Storm's Stork 

Snake sp.

Purple Heron

Oriental Pied Hornbill

Wrinkled Hornbill ~ My favorite !

Commonest raptor at the river, Crested Serpent Eagle

Endemic Proboscis Monkey

Lesser Fish Eagle

Female Malaysian Blue Flycatcher with nesting material

Orang Utan

Wagler's Pit Viper

My favorite shot so far of this resident Pacific Swallow from the jetty at Sukau Greenview Bed & Breakfast

My lifer, Baya Weaver ! Thanks to Alphon aka Beastmaster :)

Happy birding !