Birding in Borneo X

Day 5 Poring Hot Springs 


In the bamboo garden by the lodge, our morning walk began with a lovely White-crowned Shama.

He noticed me getting closer on tiptoe.

massive Bornean Bamboo

bamboo shoots

a fallen leaf-like moth (sadly dead...)













a huge butterfly (I thought it was a bird!)

We walked on a path through the jungle, the kind of 'proper' jungle I had imagined:)

Canopy Walk - It was higher than I thought it'd be. You'd feel giddy if you don't like heights.

Raffle's Malkoha

its grey-ish head, white eye-ring, long orange-brown tail feathers with black and white tips
a rather elegant looking bird (difficult to see it in the photos...)


Crimson-winged Woodpecker - Argh!!!

I can tell you he was colourful and gorgeous!!



a bat cave

I didn't dare go in the cave of course! 

When I zoomed in, I was able to see many bats dangling from the ceiling and ones flying below them.

We saw a bat or two flying in the restaurant where we had dinner the previous night, attracted to the insects which were attracted to the lights in the restaurant. They may be resting now there:)

Sighting List: Crested Serpent Eagle, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Raffle's Malkoha, Bornean Banded (Oriental Dwarf) Kingfisher, Gorden-whiskdered Barbet, Red-crowned Barbet, Crimson-winged Woodpecker, Buff-necked Woodpecker, Black and Yellow Broadbill, Common Iora, Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo, White-breasted Woodswallow, Barn Swallow, Spectacled Bulbul, Hairy-backed Bulbul, Grey-cheeked Bulbul, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Black-capped Babbler, Sooty-capped Babbler, Rufous-crowned Babbler, Oriental Magpie-robin, White-crowned Shama, Hill Blue Flycatcher, Pied Fantail, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Olive-backed Sunbird, Dusky Munia, Tree Sparrow
Banded Kingfisher (heard), Blue-eared Barbet (heard)

Osman and Julius kindly drove us back to Kinabalu Park, just in case the weather there got better and so that we might see some birds we would've missed. They were right again! We were able to see new birds even towards the end of our trip.

Sighiting List: Glossy Swiftlet, Checker-throated Woodpecker, Hair-crested Drongo, Bornean Green Magpie, Mountain Tailorbird, Mountain Leaf Warbler, Yellow-breasted Warbler, Sunda Laughingthrush, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, Black-capped White-eye, Little Pied Flycatcher, Indigo Flycatcher, Temminck's Sunbird

Sighting from car back to Kota Kinabalu: Little Egret, Great Egret, Pacific Reef Egret, Brahminy Kite, Spotted Dove, Asian Glossy Starling, House Swift, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia

That's the end of our birding trip with Osman and Julius from Borneo Eco Tours.
We had a great time with them and we would like to recommend them as your guide to you all who wish to have a special time in Sabah, Malaysia.



the tallest tropical tree species - shorea

We would like to go back to Borneo some time in the future, maybe on the eastern side of Sabah.

Birding in Borneo IX

Day 4  Kinabalu Park - Poring Hot Springs II 


We walked around our lodge before it got dark and learned Osman was right.
The weather was better and we saw different types of birds without much difficulty.

Spectacled Bulbul

Several different species of Bulbuls were seen around the area but all of them were difficult to get a closer shot. (unlike Brown-eared Bulbuls in Chiba!)


Crested Jay

Crested Jays are a small bird, about the size of a blackbird (or a dusky thrush) and they behave like a great tit rather than a jay, very vocal and agile.



Banded Broadbill

I was too slow to focus on him in time! Argh!

There was a football pitch by the Nature Reserve Centre and it was a swallow haven!

Pacific Swallows resting on the goal

 a juvenile Pacifi Swallow

Sighting List: Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Grey-rumped Treeswift, Glossy Swiftlet, Banded Broadbill, Crested Jay, Barn Swallow, Pacific Swallow, Rufous-tailed Tailorbird, Spectacled Bulbul, Black-headed Bulbul, White-crowned Shama, Oriental Magpie-robin, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Tree Sparrow, Dusky Munia
Black and Yellow Broadbill (heard)

Just after we said good-night to Osman and Julius, we noticed birds foraging in a tree right next to our lodge.  One of them was this;

a small bird with a very stripy breast and distinct yellow vent.
We had no idea and had to wait for the next morning for Osman's opinion.
It turned out to be a Yellow-vented Flowerpecker:)


About Poring Hot Spring & Nature Reserve
http://www.sabahtourism.com/destination/poring-hot-spring-phs

Birding in Borneo VIII

Day 4  Kinabalu Park - Poring Hot Springs I 

It was very unfortunate that the day started with heavy showers and thick fog.

The frogs sounded very happy though!

In spite of the rain, we went for our early morning walk and, amazingly, saw quite a few species in-between the showers thanks to our brilliant guide Osman. (no pics though)

Sighting List: Red-breasted Partridge, Little Cuckoo-dove, Glossy Swiftlet, Grey-chinned Minivet, Bornean Whistler, Hair-crested Drongo, Ochraceous Bulbul, Yellow-breasted Warbler, Mountain Wren-babbler, Grey-throated Babbler, Sunda Laughingthrush, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Black-capped White-eye, White-browed Shortwing, Bornean Whistling Thrush, Bornean Forktail, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Indigo Flycatcher, White-throated Fantail, Eye-browed Jangle-flycatcher, Bornean (Black-sided) Flowerpecker
Crimson-headed Partridge (heard), Bornean Treepie (heard), Mountain Tailorbird (heard)

Mountain Wren-babblers calling (singing?)


The weather was not promising in the mountain so Osman arranged Plan B for us, in which we'd check out of the accommodation in the Kinabalu Park Headquarters and move to Poring Hot Springs for birds at a lower altitude.


On the way to Poring, we stopped by at a vegetable patch for Long-tailed Shrikes and there they were!

It was not only one but a few of them on the patch hunting and we were lucky to see Tree Sparrows, Barn Swallows, Spotted Doves, a White-breasted Waterhen, Yellow-vented Bulbuls, and a stunning Olive-backed Sunbird as well:)

Birding in Borneo VII

Day 3  Kinabalu Park - II

a stunning view from the entrance of Mt Kinabalu climbing trails

Osman took us to the entrance of the mountain trail to look for the Bornean Swiftlet, which are endemic to Borneo and believed to be only around the northern mountain area. We enjoyed the view but had no luck for the swiftlet.

You have to book in advance to enter the summit trail and be with a licensed guide inside the gate. Due to the big earthquake in June 2015, some parts of the trail are still closed and one of them will reopen in December 2015.



















The bird we hadn't expected to see so closely was resting (or waiting for its prey?) in a tree when we were walking back on the path.

a magnificent Blyth's Hawk-eagle

 I thought it was a wasps' nest or something stuck to the tree;)

 Look at these sharp long talons!!!

He/she was staying there long enough for us to set up our scope and we had a great view of him/her through it. I could have stayed there all day watching him/her!


Only some trees away from the hawk-eagle, a Mountain Imperial Pigeon was sitting in a tree.
The pigeon is rather bulky but it looked tiny compared with the hawk-eagle!

Unfortunately, she didn't turn her head towards us...

After breakfast, it started raining rather heavily so we were stuck in our room for a couple of hours but all wasn't bad as these pretty birds paid a visit to our window:)

Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush

 a very colourful bird with the orange beak, eye-rings and legs and its unmistakeable chestnut head!

They are very social birds, always travelling among the trees with lots of friends:)

When we set out on our birding again later on, I didn't manage to get much of a chance to take photos of birds.
Some beautiful butterflies instead:)

and a Giant Forest Ant (nearly 2cm!)

Sighting List: Crimson -headed Partridge, Blyth's Hawk-eagle, Ruddy Cuckoo-dove, Little Cuckoo-dove, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Glossy Swiftlet, Golden-naped Barbet, Grey-chinned Minivet, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Bornean Whistler, Ashy Drongo, Bornean Green Magpie, Bornean Treepie, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Ochraceous Bulbul, Yellow-breasted Warbler, Sunda Bush Warbler, Mountain Wren-babbler, Grey-throated Babbler, Temminsk's Babbler, Sunda Laughingthrush, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, Blyth's Shrike-babbler, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Black-capped White-eye, White-browed Shortwing, Bornean Whistling Thrush, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Indigo Flycatcher, White-throated Fantail, Bornean (Black-sided) Flowerpecker, Bornean Forktail
Red-breasted Partridge (heard)

Birding in Borneo VI

Day 3  Kinabalu Park - I

During our early morning walk, this little fellow was singing very loudly in the bush by the path.

 Sunda Bush Warbler

It'd have been hard to see him in the thicket but he popped out and sang then went back into the bush.

Glossy Swiftlets' nests

Can you see the nests?
Some of the adults were in and out of the nests but I couldn't get that moment.

A beautiful Ruddy Cuckoo-dove flew into the thicket right in front of us:)

We saw them flying quite a few times but that was the only time we were able to observe him/her very closely.

A Bornean Treepie was sitting in a tree for a moment and flew away calling.

An Indigo Flycatcher was singing on a fence but just as I took my camera, he flew... typical!