Gunung Lumaku Forest Reserve

17th - 23rd March 201o

A week surveyed for birds and mammals at this lovely forest reserve produced unexpected species seldom seen during my birding trips with groups such Pygmy Ibon, Black-bellied Malkoha, Wreathed Hornbill, Green Broadbill and White-necked Babbler. Plus White-fronted Falconet seen daily on its hunting ground provides opportunity for good photos too !

The forest reserve is about 5180 hectares and lies between Tenom and Sipitang district. Few places was chosen at different altitudes and habitats to get wider perspective of species around the area. By the time when I left, birds recorded was 106 species and the mammals survey team managed to add another 11 species last Thursday on the 25th of March.

Digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope ED82, Fsa-L1 adapter with Nikon D300s

Discussing plans for the next few days with Kenneth, Elmer, Ruddy and Cede

One of the transect site visited daily along Tenom - Sipitang Highway

Breakfast !

Tenom town from Perkasa Hotel

Perkasa Hotel with a backdrop of the forest reserve

Sub-montane forest up to 1200m asl the highest point of the reserve

Green Broadbill

Banded Woodpecker

Juvenile Blyth's Hawk-Eagle on the nest

Rufous-tailed Shama

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha

Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot

View of lowland forest from the train

Violet Cuckoo

Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker

Hazy Tenom town in the morning

Ticket from Tenom - Beaufort for a train ride

Padas River as the main source of electricity on the West Coast of Sabah

Dipterocarp forest along Padas River

Cede and Kenneth

Nice carrier replaced the old ones

Happy birding everyone :)

Nikon Photography / Birding Workshop With Sandakan Foto

Venue : Kinabalu National Park, Sabah

Date : 7th - 9th May 2010

Registration Fee : RM 200 and limited to 70 participants only (Open for Public with or without Camera)

* LIMITED SEATS ARE STILL AVAILABLE *


Sandakan Foto is pleased to invite Sandakan Foto's loyal customers who purchased Nikon products to participate in this workshop.

• Registration fee includes meals and workshop.
• Accommodation is not included.

For registration, please contact Irene Chong at 0198137189 or email at ireneccm@gmail.com

And download this form at http://sandakanfoto.bravehost.com/Workshop%20Registration%202010.pdf


Workshop Speakers :

Mr. Cede Prudente - Wildlife Photographers (Sandakan)
Mr. Kelvin Chan - Studio Director / Photographer (Kuala Lumpur)
Mr. John Kong - Commercial Photographer (Kota Kinabalu)
Ms. CS Ling - Nature / Wildlife Photographer (Singapore)
Mr. Jason Bugay Reyes - Bird Guide / Digiscoper (Kota Kinabalu)
Mr. TS Wong - Bird Photographer (Tawau)


NOTES :

• Purchase any Nikon binocular or cameras above RM 1000 and get RM 100 discount from the workshop.
• Purchase Nikon Fieldscope and attend the workshop for FREE !
• Offers valid from 1st March - 20th April 2010.

• Participants are required to arrange their own accommodation and transportation to the venue.
• You may contact Rowena (089-235525) or email at rowena@barefootsukau.com on your choice of the following recommended hotels / resorts:

1. Fairy Garden
2. Kinabalu Rose Cabin
3. D'Villa Rina Ria Lodge

For more info on accommodation, kindly check this website at http://beautifulkk.com/sleeping/kundasang/


Itinerary - Photography / Birding Workshop

Talks at Rafflesia Conference Room, Natural History Gallery on 1st floor.



Exhibition and booth by Sandakan Foto selling Nikon products is from Saturday and Sunday.

ALL SALE OF PICTURES AT THE WORKSHOP WILL BE DONATED TO SABAH CHESHIRE HOME, KOTA KINABALU.

Come and join us !

See you there :)

Kinabalu Friendly Warbler (Bradypterus accentor)

1st - 4th March 2010

Birding with Hans at Kinabalu National Park and Tambunan Rafflesia Centre for couple of days recently and despite the dry weather at this moment, managed to get over 15 endemics and 2 lifers for myself, Ferruginous Flycatcher and Inornate Warbler hehehe plus excellent view of the Kinabalu Friendly Warbler with decent shots !

Key species seen and heard at both places:

• Crimson-headed Partridge
• Red-breasted Partridge
• Mountain Serpent Eagle
• Besra
• Grey Nightjar
• Mt. Barbet
• Bornean Barbet
• Orange-backed Woodpecker
• Long-tailed Broadbill
• Bornean Leafbird
• Scaly-breasted Bulbul
• Kinabalu Friendly Warbler
• Inornate Warbler
• Bare-headed Laughingthrush
• Mt. Blackeye
• Fruithunter
• Everett's Thrush
• Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Capture with Nikon D300s and 24-85mm lens.

Kinabalu Friendly Warbler, restricted to Mt. Kinabalu at the elevation of 200m and above. One of the rarest bird in Borneo.

Hans waiting for the Kinabalu Friendly Warbler

Grey Wagtail, common winter visitor

Together with Osman and Ck waiting for the Grey Nightjar

Happy birding !

Pictures From The Paddy Field

13th - 22th Feb 2010

Intensive searched for the Grass Owl in Tuaran and Long-billed Plover at Penampang recently did not produced any satisfying results. The Long-billed Plover was found by Denis at Penampang with CK Leong making this area as one of the hot spot for migratory species comparable with Tempasuk Plain that turned up recently such as:

• Great Bittern
• Common Teal
• Common Kestrel
• Peregrine Falcon
• Long-billed Plover
• Dunlin
• Temminck's Stint
• Buff-banded Rail
• Sand Martin
  
• Pied Wagtail
• Black Drongo
• Black-collared Starling

Collection of pictures digiscoped with Nikon Fieldscope ED82, FSA-L1 adapter and Nikon D300s at both places

Brahminy Kite

Chinese Egret

Little Ringed Plover

Wood Sandpiper

Long-toed Stint

Straited Grassbird

Olive-backed Sunbird

Yellow-vented Bulbul


Yellow-bellied Prinia

I will be off for few nights at the mountain next week. Happy birding :)

Common Coot (Fulica atra)

2nd Feb 2010

One of the rare vagrant for Borneo with only few records from Brunei and Sabah and was found yesterday by Ck Leong while searching for the probably a Pheasant-tailed Jacana sighted by Roger last Sunday. Luckily the bird was still there when the gang arrived this morning hehehe :)

Size is bigger than the resident Common Moorhen and Black-backed Swamphen and only single bird seen today among the other species such as the Wandering Whistling Duck, Whiskered Tern, Striated Grassbird and Cinnamon Bittern.





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

Common Moorhen with Common Coot

Black-backed Swamphen

Ck, Ben and Karim busy shooting the Common Coot

My Borneo list has reached 425 species now and I received my Borneo 400 badge from Ck today too :)

Happy birding !

Long-tailed Broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae)

26th January 2010

One of the attractive Broadbill species found in Borneo mostly above 1500m from the sea level. Best place to see this bird is along Crocker Range especially at Tambunan Rafflesia Centre about 1 hour 30 minutes drive from Kota Kinabalu to the South.

Found few pairs in the process of building its nest along the busy road together with Andrew and Neil recently. Other key species seen and heard :

• Mountain Serpent Eagle
• Crimson-headed Partridge
• Red-breasted Partridge
• Kinabalu Leafbird
• Bornean Bulbul
• Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Capture with Nikon Fieldscope ED82, SRB-Griturn adapter and Fujifilm F31D

Hanging cup type-nest

 

Bornean Bulbul

 

Ashy Drongo

Happy birding !

My Eastern Grass Owl (Tyto capensis)

24th January 2010

After failed in search of this species last year with the gang, what a luck today at Tuaran paddy field seeing this magnificent beauty hunting low for the first time hahaha together with Andrew and Neil from England :)

First recorded in Sabah in 1999 at Ranau town and in 2003, nesting with two chicks was found at oil palm plantation at Lahad Datu town. Uncommon species for Borneo and started to expand it range from the Philippines.

Other key species seen and heard today :

• Peregrine Falcon
• Rufous-collared Kingfisher
• Red-naped Trogon
• Red-crowned Barbet
• Malaysian Sand Plover

Some of the shot taken with Nikon D300s and 24-85mm lens, cropped 66.5% with Capture NX2

A bit darker overall than the Barn Owl

Mt. Kinabalu from Tempasuk Plain

Perfect habitat for the Eastern Grass Owl

Shooting at the Rufous Night Heron

Happy birding !