Wader Conservation World Watch 2021 + Sayap Substation

 6-7th November 2021

It was a good trip with the gang at Tempasuk Plain for the WCWW event then spent for a nite at one of my favourite camping spots, Sayap Substation for the Bornean Frogmouth and also Bonaparte Nightjar (dipped again). 14 species of waders were recorded at the plains with a single Asian Dowitcher as the highlight. For the substation, it was raining continuously on the Saturday night and got around 2 hours birding in the morning before it rained again. 

 Bird list:

• Wandering Whistling Duck
• Spotted Dove
• Zebra Dove
• Eurasian Moorhen
• White-breasted Waterhen
• Black-winged Stilt
• Pacific Golden Plover
• Kentish Plover
• Little Ringed Plover
• Black-tailed Godwit
• Ruff
• Curlew Sandpiper
• Common Greenshank
• Marsh Sandpiper
• Wood Sandpiper
• White-winged Tern
• Whiskered Tern
• Oriental Darter
• Cinnamon Bittern
• Grey Heron
• Purple Heron
• Great Egret
• Intermediate Egret
• Little Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Crested Serpent Eagle
  
• Black-winged Kite
• Brahminy Kite
  
• Eastern Marsh Harrier 
• Common Kingfisher
• Little Cuckoo-Dove 
• Gold-whiskered Barbet
• Rufous-piculet
• White-breasted Woodswallow
• Plum-toed Swiftlet
  
• Malaysian Pied Fantail
• Barn Swallow
• Sunda CuckooShrike
• Bornean Whistler
• Black & Crimson Oriole
• Ashy Drongo
• Hair-crested Drongo
  
• Yellow-vented Bulbul
• Black-headed Bulbul
• Cinereous Bulbul
• Penan Bulbul
• Chestnut-crested Yuhina
• Temminck's Babbler
• Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher 
  
• Grey-streaked Flycatcher
• Dark-sided Flycatcher
• Oriental Magpie Robin
• Bornean Forktail
• Asian Glossy Starling
  
• Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker
• Black-sided Flowerpecker
• Brown-throated Sunbird
• Olive-backed Sunbird
  
• Chestnut Munia
• Dusky Munia
  
• Eastern Yellow Wagtail
• Grey Wagtail

 

Recorded sounds of:

• Asian Dowitcher
• Whiskered Tern
• Crested Serpent Eagle
  
• Cinereous Bulbul
• Black-headed Bulbul

 

Images taken with Swarovski Optik. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

 

With John at Tempasuk Plains, Kota Belud

 

The rain from the mountain...

Both side view of the paddy fields

Got the Curlew Sandpiper here and for longer observation, plus comfy using 2 eyes and wide field of view of the Swarovski Optik BTX 95 spotting scope, nothing beats this setup!

Dark-sided Flycatcher, one of the common winter visitor from North Asia

Ashy Drongo

Access trail leading up to Mt.Minodtuhan

Camping is best done under the shelter because of the constant rain in the evening

John and Adrian, both works as a bird cum tour guides with western plateau of Mt. Kinabalu at the background

So refreshing

Your truly :D

 

The Pale Hedge Blue (thanks to Jamiun for the ID)

 

Wariu River, main source of water for the surrounding villages at Sayap 

Happy birding!

 

 

Global Big Day October 2021

 9th October 2021

 

Due to the battery malfunction on my Land Cruiser in the morning, the trip to Sayap substation were diverted to driving around Tuaran and Tamparuli town and it did not disappoint either. Saw and heard 52 species of birds including Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Bold-striped Tit-Babbler, Black-backed Swamphen, Yellow Bittern and plenty of Brahminy Kite with juveniles at Laya-Laya Wetlands.

The list was compiled under Kondiu Team at ebird and by the time of writing, the team is currently with 85 species of birds recorded around Sabah. Other highlights from Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok by Mirwan was the Rufous-bellied Eagle, Bushy-crested Hornbill, Red-naped Trogon and Copper-throated Sunbird. The team at Mt. Kinabalu saw the endemic Whitehead's Trogon, Bornean Treepie and Bornean Treepie among other montane species.

Images and video capture with Swarovski Optik STX95. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

 

 

Stork-billed Kingfisher, the largest in Borneo 

 

Cinnamon Bittern, quite shy and lucky to capture in the open

 

 

Pied Triller

 

Ponds at the rubber factory and saw many Whiskered and White-winged Black Tern

 

 

One of the natural grassland in Sabah favoured by the Long-tailed Shrike and Red-collared Dove

Small patch of wading pool for the Water Buffalo including the Black-winged Stilt, Wood Sandpiper and Spotted Dove

All green! Swarovski Optik and Goodr

Got the White-browed Crake and Black-backed Swamphen here

Sulaman Wetlands at Kg. Serusup

Yours truly with the 8x30 CL binocular

Mt. Kinabalu from Kg. Indai

Wandering Whistling Duck

Mangrove Blue Flycatcher

Happy birding and stay safe everyone.

 

Sunda Scops Owl (Otus lempiji)

 22nd August 2021

Unexpected visitor landed at the backyard after was informed by my mum. It causes some excitement during this lockdown especially to wife and the kids hahaha because it was their first time seeing a real Owl! The bird was seen sleeping and occasionally awake under the Winter Melon leaves which provided ample protection from the sun.

This particular Owl is considered a common resident on the forest edge as well gardens and gives intermittent pwok (click here for the recorded sound by my friend) sound at night during breeding season. Feeds mainly on large insects, small birds and also mice. 

Images taken with Swarovski Optik. All Rights Reserved 

Sleepy head

Roughly around 20 cm in height

The bird hiding on the red circle under the leaves

The best things with Swarovski Optik STX95, we can records images and videos from the safe distance without causing disturbance to the Owl

Can't wait for the new SOP from the government in regard with the current lockdown. I really need to go out on the field again... Happy birding and stay safe everyone!

8th May 2021 Global Birding

 8th May 2021

Joined the #globalbirding yesterday and started from home around 6 AM and saw around 10 birds such as Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Common Iora, Black-headed Munia before moving to Tempasuk, Kota Belud. At Tempasuk, there were a few migrants left; Black-winged Stilt, Marsh Sandpiper and Oriental Pratincole (passage breeder). Next destination was at Kuala Abai and it didn't disappoint me with a group of Red-necked Stint, Kentish Plover, Greater and Lesser Sand Plover with a single Whiskered Tern.

When I get back home, Grey Heron and Striated Heron added the tally to 68 species in total. Waited for the Large-tailed Nightjar and Sunda Scops Owl, but luck was not on my side. So Submission was done through eBird and Malaysia ranked 2nd after India with 386 species. Sabah sits at 3rd with 135 species after Selangor with 136 and Penang with 325 species of birds within 24 hours!

Link for the counts at eBird under Sabah: https://ebird.org/region/MY-12?yr=BIGDAY_2021a&m=&rank=lrec

Images taken with Swarovski Optik STX95 + TLS APO 30 + Nikon V1. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

Small reclaimed patch with Spotted Dove, White-breasted Waterhen and Plum-toed Swiftlet

My favourite section on the road at Kelawat Hill with mist in the morning en-route to Kota Belud

One of the famous Instagram spots in Kota Belud with Mt. Kinabalu at the background

 

My trusted Toyota Land Cruiser 80 and the Swarovski Optik STX95 spotting scope was pointing on a pair of White-breasted Woodswallow

Lesser Coucal, quite common on the paddy fields especially after the rain

Buff-banded Rail, the first record for Sabah was in 2016 at Tempasuk

Male Watercock, a shy creature but usually calls in the open!

Close up shot of this Scaly-breasted Munia

My digiscoping setup by Swarovski Optik

 Green paddyfields...

At Kuala Abai with the Swarovski Optik BTX95 looking at the group of waders on the small island right in the middle

My EL 10x32 Fieldpro binocular by Swarovski Optik

Happy birding and stay safe everyone!

Birding Around Kota Belud

 24th April 2021

April is the last month for the Northern migrants birds heading back up north for breeding, but some of the 1st year such as Common Sandpiper do extend their stays in Sabah and could be seen during the Southern migration season from May until September. 

 With the current Covid-19 cases rising up again in my place, I took the opportunity to visit my favourite birding spot at Tempasuk and surrounding areas of Kota Belud before the next MCO. Not much was seen because of the current dry spell with a few migrants left such as Grey Heron, Long-toed Stint and a lone Gull-billed Tern.

 Bird list:

1. Oriental Darter
2. Grey Heron
3. Purple Heron
4. Great Egret
5. Intermediate Egret
6. Little Egret
7. Cattle Egret
8. Pond Heron sp.
9. Wandering Whistling Duck
10. Brahminy Kite
11. Peregrine Falcon
12. Changeable Hawk-Eagle
13. White-breasted Waterhen
14. Watercock
15. Black-backed Swamphen
16. Common Moorhen
17. Common Sandpiper
18. Long-toed Stint
19. Whiskered Tern
20. Gull-billed Tern
21. Spotted Dove
22. Red-collared Dove
23. Zebra Dove
24. Greater Coucal
25. Edible-Nest Swfitlet
26. Red-throated Bee-Eater
27. Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker (heard)
28. Long-tailed Shrike
29. White-breasted Woodswallow
30. Yellow-vented Bulbul
31. Striated Grassbird
32. Yellow-bellied Prinia
33. Asian Glossy Starling
34. Olive-backed Sunbird
35. Black-headed Munia
36. Yellow-wagtail 
37. Paddyfield Pipit
38. Eurasian Tree Sparrow

 

Images taken with Swarovski Optik STX95 spotting scope via Variable Photo Adapter (VPA) on the Oppo Reno 4 smartphone. Due to the shimmering heat and distance, some of the images were not in good quality. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

Part of the dry plot with Mt. Kinabalu on the background

Some of the plots just started to get irrigated 

 

Small patch of pond with ducks and rails

I like green paddyfields!

Red-collared Dove taken at 6.5x digital zoom. The quality still acceptable with good carbon fibre tripod.

Spotted Dove perched below the Red-collared Dove

Peregrine Falcon with lighter plumage (migrant)

Whiskered Tern

Lovely Yellow-bellied Prinia

 

 Asian Glossy Starling

Bua Beach, Pintasan where I saw the Long-tailed Shrike, Blue-throated Bee-Eater and Gull-billed Tern

 

Yours truly hahaha

 

Happy birding and stay safe everyone!

Digiscoping with Oppo Reno 4 Pro smartphone

 28th December 2020

Got this smartphone a few days ago and decided to test its camera and video function with my beloved Swarovski Optik STX95 on the Variable Photo Adapter VPA after Xmas. The result was amazing! Plus the level of vignetting is good too at 30x and easy to removed in post processing. With 48mp camera and dual gimbal stabilizer while recording in video, the performance is worth the price itself. Happy!

For more info on Swarovski Optik products, please visit this link https://www.swarovskioptik.com/int/en/birding

At 30x with 48mp

At 30x and zoomed to 1.6x on the phone. Need to disable the 48mp function though

 

Short video of the resident Wandering Whistling Duck

Happy new year and birding too!