On
our second day at Kinabalu Park, we left the warmth and comfort of our chalets
room well before dawn. A short pre-dawn birding yielded only a heard record of
the Mountain Scops-Owl. We headed towards Timpohon Gate again because we were
hoping for a repeat performance of yesterday's events. On the way up, we
stopped and offered a British birder that we met yesterday at the gate (I never
caught the man's name). He has been here nearly a week and for the past few
days, he has only one bird on his mind - the Friendly Bush-Warbler. So, the man
walks at 4:30am from Kundasang (a small town just outside the park) to Timpohon
Gate which is easily a 10km uphill journey just to see a little brown job. And
people say that I'm insane...
At
Timpohon Gate, the forest came alive with the sweet serenade of bird calls
after the mist and darkness lifted. Upon first light, we got our first birds
for the day. A flock of Sunda Laughingthrushes has also learned to forage for
scraps at the car park area but the lighting condition was challenging for any
form of photography.
The
Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrushes are regulars to the gate every dawn to feed
off the insects attracted by the lights at night. This laughingthrush is the
commonest of them all here in Kinabalu Park and we recorded them every day.
Although
my target for this trip is to see as many endemics as possible, a pair of
Mountain Imperial Pigeons resting on a roadside tree was too good a
photographic opportunity to pass. This pigeon is not uncommon in montane
forests throughout Malaysia but I have had very few opportunities like this.
One
thing I have learned from my years if birding is never to take anything for
granted and I took a number of shots of this stately pigeon before we moved on.
How
hard can it be to photograph something big, loud and usually occurs in flocks?
It should be a walk in the park or so I thought. But in the natural world, not
everything is always what it seems. The Bornean Treepies have been terribly shy
despite their size and has successfully eluded my camera's sensor for the past
couple days. When my one and only good opportunity presented itself, I had to
make sure I did not squander it...
The
birding has been exceptional at Kinabalu Park. I managed to obtain quite a high
number of lifers including some extraordinary endemics. But if I were to name
one species that stood out slightly more than the rest, it would be the
Whitehead's Broadbill. Named after the scientist who first discovered it, this
broadbill is like a bigger version of the Green Broadbill and naturally, a
Bornean endemic. As impossible as it may sound, the Whitehead's Broadbill is
more strikingly plumaged than the Green Broadbill which is already a jewel of
the forest itself. I can throw in all kinds of bombastic words to describe the
beauty of the Whitehead's Broadbill and all the emotions it has conjured from
deep inside my soul when I first laid eyes on it but it will still do very
little justice to the bird. And neither will my photos...
Apart
from the broadbill, there are two other endemics named after the man -
Whitehead's Trogon and Whitehead's Spiderhunter. I dipped out miserably on
these two but I should count my blessings for not being denied of all three.
The encounter remains so vivid in my thoughts although it is now nearly a week
since my return from Borneo. I guess some memories are meant to last a
lifetime.
Having
lost the battle to the partridges yesterday, we were determined not to let it
happen again today as we moved into the forest trails by mid-morning. Barely 50
meters into the trails, my ears picked up the far-carrying cries of a Crested
Serpent-Eagle but it sounded strange. Peering through whatever small gaps in
the canopy, I could make out two raptors circling overhead and my initial guess
of the call was correct. They were indeed Mountain Serpent-Eagles. I have been
looking up in the skies for this endemic raptor since the very first day we
arrived at Kinabalu Park. Of all times, it decided to show itself when I am
almost enclosed by the forest vegetation if the trail. Instinctively, I ran out
of the trail as fast as I could. Unfortunately, human legs tend to be slower
than the mighty wings of an eagle and by the time I got out into the open
again, this was all I have to show for the encounter.
After
catching my breath, it was back to the trails - again. Some movement among the
undergrowth caught my immediate attention and I was left breathless again. A
pair of Mountain Wren-Babblers was on the hunt and I was directly in their
path. The undergrowth was a difficult place to obtain good views let alone
photographs. At the end I managed a few record shots but it was another
exciting encounter. Just in case you are wondering, the partridges got the
better of me - again.
Unlike
yesterday, the trails provided several noteworthy moments and bumping into this
inquisitive Eyebrowed Jungle-Flycatcher was certainly one of them. This little
brown job reminded me of the Rufous-browed Flycatcher of the peninsular.
Frequenting the under storey of the forest, this flycatcher sometimes behaved
more like a babbler than a flycatcher. It was confiding and seemed to ignore my
presence as it went about its daily routine. But I found it difficult to
capture it well.
In
life, sometimes you just have to be patient and wait for your time to come.
Before disappearing further into the undergrowth, the flycatcher alighted
momentarily in front of me in full view. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the
magic of Kinabalu Park. My only regret is that why did I wait more than two
decades to finally make a visit to this side of my country.
A
birdwave combing through the edge of the forest trail brought in the usual
birds. There was a Bornean Whistler in the wave and I did not manage to
photograph it yesterday when we saw it in a birdwave as well. But today, the
whistler made up for yesterday's arrogance and I, for one, will not be holding
any grudges.
On
one occasion it came very close to my position. Unfortunately, the light was
coming from the wrong direction but that is wildlife photography. You just have
to roll with the punches. But even the strong backlight could not deny the
Bornean Whistler for the beautiful bird that it is. It definitely deserves all
the admiration it received from me and I am betting, from other birders as
well.
We
were so grateful and thankful for the good weather yesterday because by mid-afternoon
today, the sky darken with rain clouds and the bird activity dropped
significantly. This Flavescent Bulbul was the last species we recorded before
the skies finally gave way to the surging rain.
We
took shelter from the rain back at our accommodations, J Residence. I usually do
not babble much on the accommodations during my birding trips but I think I
will make an exception here. J Residence is located about 300 meters from the
entrance to Kinabalu Park. From the front gate, you descend steeply to the
office/reception building.
Further
down the slope are about 8 semi-detached chalets with verandahs that come
complete with coffee tables. Some of the chalets have full length glass panels
on the front and the side with breathtaking views of the surroundings. Nigel
made the right choice by choosing this place over the others and he even
managed to get the chalets with the best views!
But
the true reason why I love this temporary home is because of the birds. It is
always the birds for me. While waiting out the rain at our verandah, I managed
to obtain an additional three more endemic lifers! The Pygmy White-eye and the
Bornean Spiderhunter just would not stay still long enough for their images to
be taken. The only reason I managed to photograph this Chestnut-crested Yuhina
is because it came in a big flock. Better odds…
Imagine
waking up to a Bornean Treepie in all its glory just outside your verandah. If
this is not living the good life, I do not know what is.
I
always have a soft spot for puppies especially those with mischief written all
over their faces. These two adorable rascals belong to one of the staff at J
Residence. I made it a point to play them for a while at the end of each day and
they are partly responsible why this trip such a memorable one.
The
resident cat also received a fair share of my affections. I do
sympathise her because living
with the pups can be a little stressful at times. But she still puts up with
them patiently and let them have their way most of the time. That's a good girl...
On
the fourth and final day, we decided to head to Kota Kinabalu before dawn and
do a couple of hours of birding before catching our flight home. At first
light, we reached the entrance to the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Center (KKWC) only
to find the gates close. A closer look at the signboard says that it will only
be open at 8am and that will be an hour-long wait for us. Maybe it is just me
but if you are running a wildlife reserve, shouldn't it be open at the time
when the wildlife is most active and easily seen? Lady Luck has blessed us
throughout the trip and just outside the boundaries of the center, a flock of
Green Imperial Pigeon were only starting to stir on a tall dead. This species
is scarce back home in the peninsular and to see a flock here at the outskirts
of the capital city of Sabah was a privilege to me.
I
guess these majestic pigeons are not uncommon here judging on how used they are
to human presence. And they certainly helped past the time while we waited for
the center to open.
This
may not be the best image of the Bornean race of the Oriental Magpie-Robin but
it was the best that I could do. I find the Bornean race to be more attractive
than the race found in the peninsular. The Bornean birders probably feel the
way about the peninsular race. That is only human nature.
We
even helped ourselves to another lifer in the form of a Rufous Night-Heron.
Although the one that provided us the best views was a juvenile bird, it was
still a lifer nevertheless.
We
thought about trying our luck further north along the coast but to our horror,
Randy's truck just will not start. It was a case of a flat battery. While Randy
waited for assistance to arrive, the rest of us paid the tickets and went into
the KKWC. I guess we were meant to visit the center. The boardwalks that cut
through the mangroves were very scenic but there were hardly any birds. Even
the observation hide yielded only some Pacific Golden Plovers and a juvenile
Changeable Hawk-Eagle. All was not lost when we managed to obtain one last
lifer for our trip to Borneo - the Bold-striped Tit-Babbler. Another recent
split from the Pin-striped Tit-Babbler (formerly known as just the Striped
Tit-Babbler); it was just a little too active for any photographic attempts.
But it was a great way to wind down for a fantastic trip. As I bid farewell to
Borneo, the numerous lifers that we obtained are destined to become reflections
of wings and inspiration for a long time to come.
Here
is the list of lifers from our trip. Bornean endemics are indicated with an
asterisk.
1.
Brown Barbet* - Rafflesia Forest
Reserve, Tambunan
2.
Bornean Treepie* - Rafflesia Forest
Reserve, Tambunan
3.
Mountain Barbet* - Rafflesia Forest
Reserve, Tambunan
4.
Bornean Leadbird* - Rafflesia Forest
Reserve, Tambunan
5.
Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush* -
Rafflesia Forest Reserve, Tambunan
6.
Black-capped White-eye* - Rafflesia
Forest Reserve, Tambunan
7.
Golden-naped Barbet* - Kinabalu Park
8.
Flavescent Bulbul* - Kinabalu Park
9.
Hair-crested Drongo - Kinabalu Park
10.
Sunda Laughingthrush - Kinabalu Park
11.
Bornean Whistling-thrush* - Kinabalu Park
12.
Sunda Bush-Warbler - Kinabalu Park
13.
Indigo Flycatcher - Kinabalu Park
14.
Bornean Whistler* - Kinabalu Park
15.
Black-sided Flowerpecker* - Kinabalu Park
16.
Mountain Serpent-Eagle* - Kinabalu Park
17.
Whitehead's Broadbill* - Kinabalu Park
18.
Mountain Wren-Babbler* - Kinabalu Park
19.
Mountain Black-eye* - Kinabalu Park
20.
Eyebrowed Jungle-Flycatcher* - Kinabalu Park
21.
Chestnut-crested Yuhina* - J Residence, Kundasang
22.
Bornean Spiderhunter* - J Residence, Kundasang
23.
Pygmy White-eye* - J Residence, Kundasang
24.
Rufous Night-Heron – Kota Kinabalu Wetlands Center
25. Bold-striped Tit-Babbler* - Kota Kinabalu Wetlands Center
