New Year Birding

 2-4th January 2023

 

Spent a few days with friend from Singapore and Osman at Tambunan and Kota Belud district for the rare Bulwer's Pheasant and Whitehead's Spiderhunter. Sadly, it was really quiet and very few forest birds were heard and seen at both sites. The bird hide at Mt. Trusmadi did entertained the visitors with close up shots of Dayak Blue and Rufous-chested Flycather including the tame Bornean Banded Pitta and Siberian Blue Robin. 

At Tempasuk Plain, we got many of the migrants ducks; Northern Pintail, Eurasian Wigeon etc. It was windy but good for photography with blue skies

Bird list:

• Wandering Whistling-Duck
• Northern Shoveler
• Eurasian Wigeon
• Northern Pintail
• Eurasian Teal
• Tufted Duck
• Red-collared Dove
• Eurasian Coot
  
• Crimson-headed Partridge
• Crested Partridge 
• Rufous-bellied Eagle
• Eastern Marsh Harrier
  
• Eurasian Kestrel
  
• Sunda Scops Owl
• Orange-breasted Trogon
• White-crowned Hornbill
• Brown Barbet
• Bornean Barbet
• Mountain Barbet
• Gold-whiskered Barbet (Gold-faced)
• Bornean Banded Pitta
• Maroon Woodpecker
  
• Black and Crimson Oriole
• Ashy Drongo (Bornean) 
• Hair-crested Drongo (Bornean)
  
• Crested Shrikejay
• Bornean Treepie
• Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher
• Cinereous Bulbul (Green-winged)
  
• Penan Bulbul
• Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler
• Rufous-fronted Babbler
• Sunda Scimitar-Babbler
• Temminck's Babbler
  
• Mountain Leaf Warbler (yellow race)
• Aberrant Bush Warbler
• Chestnut-crested Yuhina
• White-crowned Shama
• Dayak Blue Flycatcher
• Rufous-chested Flycatcher
  
• Mugimaki Flycatcher
• Snowy-browed Flycatcher
• Little Pied Flycatcher
• Temminck's Sunbird 
• Bornean Spiderhunter
• Dusky Munia 
• Grey Wagtail
  

 IMAGES ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Misty morning at Mt. Alab

 Highest point of Mt. Alab on the telecom tower

Hide at the guard house and got the Little Pied Flycatcher here

Bird hide at Mt. Trusmadi

Tempasuk Homestay, Kota Belud for a night

Mt. Kinabalu along the way to Sayap Substation

Osman calling the Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Fallen tree before the gate to the substation. Campers has to walked for 300 metres to the camping site at this moment

Sayap substation, Kinabalu Park

Ducks lakes

Crested Partridge with funky red crest!

Little Pied Flycatcher

Mugimaki Flycatcher female

Bornean Mountain Ground Squirrel

Temminck's Babbler

Siberian Blue Robin female

Bornean Banded Pitta female

Jentink's Squirrel

Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush

Grey-throated Babbler

Large Treeshrew

White-crowned Shama, one of the 6 Sabah's endemics

Rufous-chested Flycatcher female

Dayak Blue Flycatcher female

Rufous-chested Flycatcher

Dayak Blue Flycatcher

Eurasian Kestrel

Happy birding and new year 2023 everyone

Birding with Singaporean gang

 11-13th December 2022

It was a target birds trip and we got the Bulwer's Pheasant, Crested Partridge and Bornean Banded Pitta from the hide at Mt. Trusmadi. The weather was misty at Mt. Alab bird hide, only Crimson-headed Partridge, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush and Snowy-browed Flycatcher appeared. Overall the trip was satisfying and they will be back next year for a trip to Danum Valley and Tabin Wildlife Reserve

My current Sabah Big Year 2022 list at 477 and hoping to get into 480 by end of December...

Images taken with Nikon. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

Along the road at Tambunan Rafflesia Forest Reserve

Bird hide at Tambunan

Border of Trusmadi Forest Reserve

Misty morning at Mt. Alab

Thick mist at Mt. Emas but we got the Grey-chinned Minivet here

Shooting the Red Avadavat and endemic Dusky Munia at Penampang paddy fields

 

Final stop at Sadong Jaya for the resident Nankeen Night Heron

Sunda Laughingthrush (only found in Java and Borneo)

Crimson-headed Partridge (endemic)

Little Pied Flycatcher

Golden-naped Barbet (endemic)

Bulwer's Pheasant, the star bird for the trip. Considered rare endemic in Sabah. It was my lifer after searching it for 15 years...

Female Bornean Banded Pitta (endemic)

Crested Partridge aka Roul-Roul

Grey-throated Babbler, quite common in flock at the mountains

The female Roul-Roul looks confiding

Low's Squirrel (endemic)

Another common montane Temminck's Babbler

Female Siberian Blue Robin (migrant)

Dayak Blue Flycatcher (endemic)

Grey-hooded Babbler

Happy birding and festive seasons :D

Birding with Bob and Gabby

 29th October - 2nd November 2022

Their first birding trip to Sabah since they started to enjoys birds in the Philippines late last year. We started at Mt. Kinabalu for a nite then drove to Sepilok for another 3 nites plus day trip to Kinabatangan River. It was around 137 birds recorded for Bom and Gabby and close up view of the Golden-naped Barbet and Orange-backed Woodpecker adds more excitement to their life list. For the river, we also got the Storm's Stork, Little Green Pigeon and Bat Hawk at its usual perch near Gomantong Cave.

While having lunch at Sim-Sim water village, saw around 8 Aleutian Tern (vagrant) and added to my Sabah Big Year 2022 to number 455 birds as of November. They were impressed with the bird life here including excellent facilities catered for tourists etc. They will be back!

Images and videos taken with Swarovski Optik. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Watching the endemic Whitehead's Trogon

Now joined by Ali and Nde

Lily's Cottage, my favourite place to stay at Mt. Kinabalu!

My lucky charm the miniature Whitehead's Trogon for attracting more birds in the wild :)

Gabby with the Swarovski STX95 spotting scope + iPhone for the endemic White-fronted Falconet found along the Ranau-Sandakan road

At Sepilok Giant tree

Great canopy walkway at Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok

Both got the Terek Sandpiper and Whimbrel including the rare Aleutian Tern!

Bat Hawk!

At Kinabatangan River

Final morning at RDC

Yellow-bellied Bulbul taken with the Swarovski Optik STX95 spotting scope + smartphone

With Gary and John for the Aleutian Tern at Taman Harmoni mudflat, Sandakan. Found around 13 Aleutian Tern and 2 Gull-billed Tern

I will be away for another waders survey from the 10-15th November in Tawau and Sandakan. Hope I will be able to get the Black-hooded Oriole, Abbot's Babbler and also Greater Flameback for my big year...

Happy birding!