21-26th April 2022
The gang's next destinations were at Tabin Wildlife Reserve located around 1 hour 30 minutes drive from Lahad Datu town on the East Coast of Sabah. It is recommended to drive or hire 4x4 vehicles in case of bad weather while driving along the plantation road before entering the access road at Tabin.
During our trip there, we saw and heard some of the specialty birds and mammals such as Black Flying Squirrel, Leopard Cat, Orang Utan, a family of North Grey Gibbon and the rarest Hose's Langur! For avian life, Large Green Pigeon were seen daily on the fruiting trees, 7 Hornbills, 6 Pittas along the Mud Volcano and Core Area trails and the Striped with Black-throated Wren-Babbler. Blue-banded Kingfisher nowhere to be seen that time and hope I will be able to nail this elusive Kingfisher at Danum Valley
On our last minute detour to Kinabatangan River for the Bornean Pygmy Elephant, we got the Bat Hawk, Storm's Stork, Grey-headed Fish-Eagle and Wreathed Hornbill plus Proboscis Monkey and Silver Langur with 2 huge salt water Crocodiles! 6 White-bellied Munia was seen at Sukau Greenview Lodge including the uncommon Little Green Pigeon feeding on the fruiting trees nearby and John got the Grey Imperial Pigeon too!
Bird list:
- Great Argus
- Little Grebe
- Asian Emerald Dove
- Little Gren Pigeon
- Pink-necked Green Pigeon
- Large Green Pigeon
- Green Imperial-Pigeon
- Short-toed Coucal
- Greater Coucal
- Raffles's Malkoha
- Violet Cuckoo
- Plaintive Cuckoo
- Moustached Hawk-Cuckoo
- Indian Cuckoo
- Blyth's Frogmouth
- Plume-toed Swiftlet
- Mossy-nest Swiftlet
- Black-nest Swiftlet
- White-nest Swiftlet
- Grey-rumped Treeswift
- Whiskered Treeswift
- Common Sandpiper
- Storm's Stork
- Lesser Adjutant
- Oriental Darter
- Purple Heron
- Cattle Egret
- Great Egret
- Black-crowned Night-Heron
- Oriental Honey-Buzzard
- Jerdon's Baza
- Crested Serpent Eagle
- Bat Hawk
- Wallace's Hawk-Eagle
- Rufous-bellied Eagle
- Black Eagle
- Crested Goshawk
- Japanese Sparrowhawk
- White-bellied Sea-Eagle
- Lesser Fish-Eagle
- Grey-headed Fish-Eagle
- Barred Eagle-Owl
- Brown Wood-Owl
- Red-naped Trogon
- Diard's Trogon
- Orange-breasted Trogon
- White-crowned Hornbill
- Helmeted Hornbill
- Rhinoceros Hornbill
- Bushy-crested Hornbill
- Black Hornbill
- Oriental Pied Hornbill
- Wreathed Hornbill
- Wrinkled Hornbill
- Blue-eared Kingfisher
- Stork-billed Kingfisher
- Collared Kingfisher
- Rufous-collared Kingfisher
- Blue-throated Bee-Eater
- Dollarbird
- Bornean Brown Barbet (endemic)
- Blue-eared Barbet
- Red-throated Barbet
- Rufous Piculet
- Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
- Maroon Woodpecker
- Banded Woodpecker
- Great Slaty Woodpecker
- White-fronted Falconet (endemic)
- Long-tailed Parakeet
- Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot
- Black and Red Broadbill
- Black and Yellow Broadbill
- Black-crowned Pitta (endemic)
- Blue-banded Pitta (endemic)
- Giant Pitta
- Bornean-banded Pitta (endemic)
- Blue-headed Pitta (endemic)
- Hooded Pitta
- Fiery Minivet
- Scarlet Minivet
- Pied Triller
- Lesser Cuckooshrike
- White-bellied Erpornis
- Dark-throated Oriole
- White-breasted Woodswallow
- Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike
- Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike
- Rufous-winged Philentoma
- Common Iora
- Green Iora
- Spotted Fantail
- Malaysian Pied Fantail
- Bronzed Drongo
- Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
- Black-naped Monarch
- Slender-billed Crow
- Large-billed Crow
- Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher
- Dark-necked Tailorbird
- Ashy Tailorbird
- Rufous-tailed Tailorbird
- Yellow-bellied Prinia
- Pacific Swallow
- Spectacled Bulbul
- Yellow-vented Bulbul
- Olive-winged Bulbul
- Cream-vented Bulbul
- Red-eyed Bulbul
- Grey-cheeked Bulbul
- Charlotte's Bulbul
- Streaked Bulbul
- Yellow-bellied Warbler
- Bold-striped Tit-Babbler
- Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler
- Chestnut-winged Babbler
- Rufous-fronted Babbler
- Black-throated Babbler
- Chestnut-rumped Babbler
- Black-throated Wren-Babbler
- Sooty-capped Babbler
- Rufous-crowned Babbler
- Black-capped Babbler
- Short-tailed Babbler
- White-chested Babbler
- Ferruginous Babbler
- Striped Wren-Babbler
- Black-throated Wren-Babbler
- Brown Fulvetta
- Asian Glossy Starling
- Common Hill Myna
- Javan Mna
- Dark-sided Flycatcher
- Rufous-tailed Shama
- White-crowned Shama (endemic)
- Pale Blue Flycatcher
- Malaysian Blue Flycatcher
- Verditer Flycatcher
- White-crowned Forktail
- Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker
- Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker
- Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
- Ruby-cheeked Sunbird
- Brown-throated Sunbird
- Plain Sunbird
- Van Hasselt's Sunbird
- Purple-naped Spiderhunter
- Thick-billed Spiderhunter
- Little Spiderhunter
- Yellow-eared Spiderhunter
- Spectacled Spiderhunter
- Long-billed Spiderhunter
- Asian Fairy-Bluebird
- Lesser Green Leafbird
- Scaly-breasted Munia
- Dusky Munia (endemic)
- White-bellied Munia
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Images taken with Swarovski Optik. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Road at Menara Kayangan, Silam
The famous tower on the far right. Opening hours from 8-5 PM daily
Silam Crab, endemic to the mountain itself https://www.mysabah.com/wordpress/climbing-mt-silam-lahad-datu-sabah/
Darvel Bay, Celebes Sea from the viewing platform, Mt. Silam
Morning breakfast at Tabin Wildlife Lodge
One of the iconic Manggaris tree at Tabin and saw around 6 bee hives with the potential of Malaysian Honeyguide I saw in 2010.
Joe and Gary with Swarovski Optik and Nikon spotting scopes for the Thick-billed, Spectacled and Yellow-eared Spiderhunter
Best birding spot is along the road to Gomantong Cave. Here we saw 3 White-fronted Falconet (endemic) as well the Black-throated Babbler
Scanning the uncommon Little Grebe after the Kg. Bilit junction
Sukau Greenview Lodge, Kinabatangan River offers one of the best places to stay for your trip at the river. Sometimes in the morning, visitors can see the Red Langur and Oriental Pied Hornbill on the electric cables
On the way for the Bornean Pygmy Elephant which we missed even on the 84km return trip!
With John :D
Getting ready for some drone footage for the Giant Tabin Tree
Joe at Giant Tabin Tree
Possible to see the Blue-banded Kingfisher from this bridge
One of the hides built by the lodge for visitors
Looking for the resident Malaysian Blue Flycatcher from the Otter Deck and other birds can be seen here such as Plain Sunbird, Grey-cheeked Bulbul, White-crowned Hornbill and Buffy Fish Owl
Core area trail
Digiscoping the Rhinoceros Hornbill at one of the fruiting trees around the lodge with my Swarovski Optik STX95 spotting scope
Together with Maldin the in house bird guide next to me #yokoyokobirdteam
Birding from the tower at Mud Volcano and we got the Mossy-nest Swiftlet here
One of the biggest mud volcano in Sabah with 2 more sites in Tawau and also Pulau Tiga. It has medicinal value for human and this is one of the important source of salts for the wildlife.
We got the Striped Wren-Babbler and Black-crowned Pitta on the way to the Mud Volcano
To the Mud Volcano!
Rhinoceros Hornbill
North Grey Gibbon, endemic to Sabah with 3 more subpecies found in Borneo Island
My lifer the rare Binturong!!!
Malaysian Blue Flycatcher female
Oriental Pied Hornbill
Little Grebe
Brown Wood-Owl
Another lifer of mine, Black Flying Squirrel during the night drive
Malay Civet, plenty seen at night time
Wallace's Hawk-Eagle
Striped Wren-Babbler
The endemic Black-crowned Pitta!
Quite lucky to see this Greater Mouse-Deer at daytime hehehe
Crested Serpent Eagle, the commonest raptors at Tabin
Racer Snake
Bat Hawk
Wreathed Hornbill at Kinabatangan River
Tabin Wildlife Reserve never disappoint me with the number of birds and mammals seen during my previous trips since 2008. It is a place for bird photographers because of the ample amount of light even when shooting along the Mud Volcano and other trails under the shades. Nothing beats this reserve in Sabah!
My next trip would be at Payeh Maga and Bakalalan, Sarawak. Hope I will be able to get around 450 birds soon :D
Happy birding!
