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Sabah, May - June 2002,

Thus report covers a two week birding trip to Sabah. The main sites visited were the Danum Valley Field Centre, the Kinabatangan River around Sukau and Mount Kinabalu National Park. The trip was fairly successful, with highlights including Bornean Bristlehead, 4 species of Pitta, 7 species of Hornbill, Storm's Stork, Pygmy White-eye and Whitehead's Broadbill, although a number of key species were missed particularly at Mount Kinabalu due to lack of time and logistical difficulties.

Daily Diary

18th May: Departed London Heathrow 2200.

19th May: Arrived Kuala Lumpur International Airport ca.1715. Departed at 1845, arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport 2215. (Total cost of return flight to KK with Malaysian Airlines was £540 including tax. This was a special offer, is normally £720 - stipulation was departing from Heathrow).

Taxi into KK (R13) then stayed night at Full Hua Hotel  - adequate (single room R50).

20th May: Shopping in KK, tried to book accommodation for Mt Kinabalu at Kinabalu Nature Resorts, but all full on dates I wanted. They phoned the park who advised that I should just turn up. Taxi to airport (R15) for flight to Lahad Datu 1225 - 1315 (£26).

Met someone from DVFC at airport (he was there meeting people from Shell who were going to DVFC for a residential), and they drove me to the office nearby. Went into town to change money at bank (very slow, travellers cheques not recommended - better to use Cirrus or Visa at ATM).

Left for DVFC ca1530, arriving ca1715 - immature m Elephant on the way.

Accomodation in the Annex - was originally meant to be in Resthouse but it was full. Actually worked out better, as I paid hostel rates but was much closer to dining area and amenities.

Brief bit of birding from suspension bridge - fantastic views of 2 Rhino Hornbills, and 2 distant White-crowned Hornbills, which would be the only ones seen.

21st May: Out in grid, later than planned due to ill advised rice-wine drinking session the night before. (W0-W10-W10S5-W5S5-W5-W0). Highlights were Large-billed Blue Flycatcher, Black Magpie and Green Broadbill.

At lunch, Black-and-red Broadbill and Raffles Malkoha from the veranda.

Afternoon spent on Nature Trail, and a short way on Waterfall Trail. Some rain. Ca 8 Bushy-crested Hornbills in trees along river opposite Field Centre.

22nd May: Out at 0600 on Waterfall Trail (Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker at Centre first). Took Kuala Tembeling Trail on way there (hard to follow in places) and most direct trail back (ie. not along river).

Excellent views of a pr Diard's Trogon nr. Observation tower on Nature Trail, 3 Crested Firebacks a short way further. Good views of 3 Chestnut-necklaced Partridges where Tembeling Trail runs alongside stream, also a pr Rufous-chested Flycatcher here. On the way back, Fulvous-chested Jungle-Flycatcher not long after leaving the waterfall. Then, near the top of the first hill, saw a pitta fly across the path. Crawled through the undergrowth and had brief but unmistakeable views of m Banded Pitta. Lunch at Field Centre.

In afternoon, walked out to find Kalisun Trail. Couldn't find it, then v heavy thunderstorm so sheltered in Obs tower for an hour. Little of not except another Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker.

Good views of Great-billed Heron nr Suspension Bridge at 1815.

23rd May: Out at 0600 on North grid. (W0-W0N5-W5N5-W5N0-W10N0-W10N5-W10N0-W0).

m Fireback at N2 early. Then little until a Garnet (Black-headed, Black-and-crimson, whichever you prefer!) Pitta responded to my whistling at W10N5, however it couldn't be lured out. Good views of a really wild Bearded Pig however (there are a number of semi-tame ones around the Field Centre). Continuing on slowly, f Great Argus feeding on path at W9N5 which was watched for a couple of minutes, quite unconcerned. Then a brief flurry of activity at W8N5 with Crested Jay, Rufous-winged Philentoma and Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler, as well as a few Rufous-crowned Babblers. A f Rufous-tailed Shama showed quite well on the path at W5N5. Marvellous views of Rufous Piculet at N1.

Some rain early afternoon. Mid to late afternoon on Nature Trail - an apparent m Hill Blue Flycatcher, m Diard's Trogon in same area as yesterday, another good view of a f Great Argus at Obs tower and a White-crowned Shama.

24th May: Out late with Mike (one of research assistants interested in birds), and Christina, a visiting student. Mike has found Bristlehead for people in the past, but my luck was out. (W0-W10-W10N5-W5N5-W5-W0). I had brief and frustrating views of a f Blue-headed Pitta, flushed from trail at W4. Otherwise quiet except for a pr Asian Paradise Flycatchers and ca5 Black-headed Orioles.

Watched from veranda for a while after lunch - thought it was going to rain but didn't. m White-fronted Falconet from veranda.

Out on grid 1530 - 1730 (W0-N8 and short way up N5 to caW2). Another m White-fronted Falconet in open area caN7. Just after Coffin Trail turn off, disturbed a m Blue-headed Pitta on trail. Fortunately it didn't go far. Good brief views on ground then flew up into tree ca20-25ft up and began calling. Amazing, totally unobscured views - bird of the trip, without a doubt! Then it flew into cover on ground, continuing calling, and just glimpsed again. f then flew in near me, ca 6ft up giving excellent views, before joining male.

Back at Field Centre, met three Dutch birders, Herman, Marian and Rob, who would be good company for the next two days.

25th May:   Out at 05.30 (W0-W15-W15N5-W0N5-W0). Main W trail quiet. First good birds Greater Green Leafbird and Black-bellied Malkoha at W15N2 followed by Black-and-yellow Broadbill at W15N5.

Then good views of a pr Garnet Pitta at W12N5, nice to see at last!! First seen flying across path, then waited patiently - another one flew in and good views of both on ground. Pr Scarlet-rumped Trogon at W6N5, then good views of f Blue-headed Pitta at W4N5. Also this morning Bornean Gibbon, Red leaf Monkey and heard Elephant nr W12N5.

During our long lunch we had White-bellied Sea Eagle and Oriental Honey Buzzard from the verandah.

Nature trail 15.00 - 17.20 - just Stork-billed Kingfisher and m Crested Fireback.

The Dutch guys then went to the bridge while I had a quick coffee. As I was walking out to meet them I heard "Bat Hawk!!" - looked behind me to see it flying away over trees - not tickable views unfortunately. Great-billed Heron again from bridge.

Night drive - exc views of Giant Red Flying Squirrel.

26th May:  Out on grid at 06.00 (W0-W10-W10S5-Rhino Ridge-W10S5-W5S5-W5-W0).

Slow start to morning. Bornean Wren Babbler heard at W10 (seen by Herman). Not tape responsive. Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher at W10S2, exc views of white Paradise Flycatcher and superb views of Garnet Pitta at W10S3. Red-billed Malkoha at W10S4 was good to see. Walked maybe 1km up Rhino Ridge trail, Chestut-rumped and Grey-headed Babblers, Red-throated Sunbird but little else. Walking quickly back (fearful of missing lunch), we stumbled stumbled across the "bird of the day" at W5S2, a female Orang Utan. Exc views for 10 mins.

White-fronted Falconet from verandah at lunch.

Out on grid for last time 15.00 - 18.25. Out to W0N10, tried to find trail to W5N10 but couldn't so back along to W0. Lucky we couldn't find it, because on way back a flock of 6-10 Bristleheads dropped in at clearing at N7 - in the nick of time!!. Also White-fronted Falconet here again, 2 Black-and-Yellow Broadbill , ca 10 Thick-billed Pigeon and Jerdon's Baza at W0N3.

27th May: 08.30 transport to Lahad Datu (actually left ca 8.45). Dropped off at minibus terminal. I had arranged with Robert Chong to call him from here and he would then pick me up from the Sukau turnoff. However a bus was leaving immediately (ca 10 R) for Sepilok, which goes past the Sukau turnoff, so I decided to get on it and phone Robert from the turnoff. This turned out to be a bad move however because on arriving at the turnoff I discovered there was no phone. In a mild panic I decided my best option was to go to Sukau, which meant effectively chartering a minibus for 30 R. The road to Sukau is in a pretty bad state and travelling along it in an apparently suspension-free minibus was not an enjoyable experience. On arriving in Sukau about 1 hr later I managed to find a B&B, where the owner (who knew Robert) phoned the Labuk B&B and explained to Robert's wife that I was in Sukau. This was not much use however since Robert had been at Gormantong and had gone to meet me at the turnoff. Fortunately someone from the Proboscis Lodge (where I would be staying) appeared and drove up to meet Robert while I got a boat to the Proboscis Lodge and waited. After lunch and a bit of a rest went out on a boat from 15.30 - 18.20. Plenty of birds to see including a pair of Bat Hawks in a tree nr Oxbow Lake, 2 Long-tailed Parakeets and 3 Wrinkled Hornbills. Good views of Proboscis Monkey too.

Nice dinner and a few beers with Robert in the evening.

28th May:   Out on boat with Robert 06.20 - 09.50. Absolutely superb, with highlights being excellent views of 4 Storm's Storks, 1 Lesser Adjutant right over the boat, 2 Hooded Pittas seen on small tributary nr Proboscis Lodge (plus others calling), Black-capped Babbler, Diard's and Scarlet-rumped Trogons, Bar-bellied Cuckoo Shrike.

In Proboscis Lodge gardens at lunch a superb f Bristlehead was a real surprise. Robert said it was the first time he had seen it there.

Afternoon/early evening spent at Gormantong Caves. Walking round the caves for the swiftlets was an "experience" - literally millions of cockroaches and a fairly unpleasant smell from the piles of droppings on the cave floor. Walking back along the entrance road ca 0.5km produced Dark-throated Oriole, then back to car park for dark - 1 Bat Hawk at ca 18.10 and 2 Wreathed Hornbills around hill top but unfortunately the bats decided to go the opposite way tonight so we were not treated to that spectacle.

1 Leopard Cat on road on way back to "main" Sukau road.

20.50 - 22.00 Boat trip on small tributary nr Proboscis Lodge. 4 Buffy Fish Owls - amazing views, plus a roosting m Malaysian Blue Flycatcher.

29th May:   Out on boat again 06.40 - 09.00, mostly along small tributary nr Proboscis Lodge - however there was markedly less activity today. Highlights were a young Drongo Cuckoo being fed by a pair of Chestnut-winged Babblers and 3 White-chested Babblers.

Late morning drove to Sepilok and the Labuk B&B. I had originally planned to travel to Mount Kinabalu National Park (MKNP) today, but bus fully booked so had to spend night at Labuk B&B, which was very pleasant (20 R per night).

16.30 - 18.00 edge of Sepilok reserve with Robert and Aussie backpacker Sue, who was also staying at Labuk. Highlights were cracking views of White-bellied Woodpecker, an apparent Crow-billed Drongo (not sure how likely this is but seemed only possibility) and good views of Wreathed Hornbill.

Stayed up drinking beer with Sue while she entertained me with tales of catching amoebic dissentry in Africa.

30th May:   Labuk B&B early am - Crimson and Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds, and my best ever views of Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot.

Bus to MKNP 10.30 - ca 15.30. All accommodation full in park so had to stay at Rian Ria hotel ca 1km away for next two nights (15 R per night in dorm), then moved to Merryweather Motel over the road (60 R per night double room) after that which was a real pain. Both places were adequate however (bathroom in Rian Ria was a bit unsavoury), and OK food at restaurant.

31st May:    Walked to park, then minibus up to Power Station at 07.00 (paid a lot over odds - only me in it, doesn't seem to be regular transport until later). Walked down Liwagu trail which took until 11.30 . Highlights included superb views of Golden-naped Barbet at top of trail, exc views of 2 Mountain Wren Babblers nr the only hut along path ca 1/3 of way down (Herman et.al. saw Whitehead's Trogon in this area) and plenty of other new birds. Ate at Liwagu Restaurant as heavy shower started - by 1.30pm it was starting to clear, Indigo Flycatcher, Mountain Leaf Warbler and Black-capped White-eye near the restaurant.

Walked the top bit of the Silau Silau trail - nothing.

14.50 - 16.30 Kiau View trail. Highlight was 1-2 Pygmy White-eyes ca.1/3 down from top - quite unexpected. Also Bornean Whistler and Black Laughing-thrush among others.

17.30 good views of m Little Pied Flycatcher nr entrance.

1st June: Road up to top of Silau Silau trail, then to Bukit Tupai shelter 06.45 - 09.00. 2-3 Short-tailed Green magpies - good views along Silau and from road, but little else.

10.00 - 11.30 up road to top of Mempening trail, then down that trail to HQ, mostly in rain. 2 f Crimson-headed Partridge nr upper end of Mempening. Walking down to Rian Ria at 12.00, Black-sided Flowerpecker by road.

14.30 - 17.15 lower half of Liwagu - disappointing.

2nd June:    05.40 - 06.30 lights at picnic site nr generator along loop road. Excellent views of Short-tailed Green Magpie and plenty of other common stuff.

07.00 - 11.00 Tried to get permission to walk up to Laban Rata alone without success. Apparently it is now compulsory to hire guide for this. Didn't have time to argue because it was my last day here, so in a rather bad mood walked up road to bottom of Bukit Ular trail, then along that trail to Power Station. Back down road to Liwagu restaurant.

Little Cuckoo Dove and Sunda Bush Warbler on way up. On Bukit Ular trail, had Whitehead's Broadbill at last ½ way up (and another heard). Also excellent views of Velvet-fronted Nuthatch nr Power Station.

12.15 - 15.30 Pandanus trail then to Bukit Tupai shelter then to Bukit Burung then to Balsam Café. Only Golden-naped Barbet of note. Thick fog 15.30 til dusk.

3rd June:  Bus back to Kota Kinabalu (7 R, wait on road opposite entrance to park). Departed KK 19.15, arriving KL ca 21.45 , departed KL ca.23.20.

4th June:    Arrived Manchester ca 06.00.

MAIN SITES VISITED

Danum Valley Field Centre

As many other people have remarked in other reports, birding here is hard work and can be very slow at times. It is definitely the sort of place where you piece together a decent list over time, and the more time you can spend here the better.

I spent most of my time on the grid trails, which I think is probably the best strategy. The north grid seemed better than the south. My walk out to the waterfall also produced a number of good species not seen in the grid. The nature trail is also a good option if it looks like rain is threatening, since it is easy to leg it back to the Field Centre. Even sitting on the verandah can produce good birds.

Contrary to previous reports it is possible to do night drives at the Field Cente now. The one I went on was not productive from a birding point of view, but we did have memorable views of Giant Red Flying Squirrel.

There is now a large clearing in which construction of new accommodation is going on a short way from the start of the East trail. I believe you can pick up the trail after the clearing although I didn't try.

The trails in the main grid are generally easy to follow. I found that the Tembeling trail however was difficult to follow as you near the waterfall, due to a number of large trees having fallen and not being cleared. Also, there is a point, walking back along the Waterfall trail where a tree has fallen and the path is very tricky to locate (for me anyway.).

Although I didn't attempt to walk the whole of the RR trail, reports in the log suggest that this is blocked at some point.

I didn't have a problem with mosquitoes at DVFC, but leaches were a constant annoyance. As a Brit on holiday, I was obviously wearing shorts the whole time, which didn't help, and my socks were always stained with blood at the end of the day.

With hindsight I think it would have been worthwhile at least once to follow the main West trail beyond W15, since this would have probably increased my chances of seeing Bulwer's Pheasant and Giant Pitta.

Sukau/Kinabatangan River/Gormantong Caves

After DVFC, this area provided much easier birding, with lots of species very visible. I would highly recommend the services of Robert Chong for this part of your trip. Most birding is done by boat, chiefly to look for Storm's Stork, of which I saw 4, although a surprising number of passerines can be seen along the quieter waterways. A particularly productive area for passerines was the first watercourse on the left as you head left from Proboscis Lodge jetty. This was also good for Buffy Fish Owl in the evening. Gormantong caves is not exactly the most inspiring birding in Sabah, but is a must to see the different types of swiftlet. The walk around the bottom of the cave is on a wooden boardwalk, which is covered in huge numbers of cockroaches, particularly in the darker parts of the cave, and I personally didn't want to hang around any longer than necessary to get the swiftlets.

Mount Kinabalu National Park

I had originally planned to spend 5 nights here, however since the bus from Sandakan was fully booked on the day I had planned to travel I had to spend a night at Labuk B&B, thus giving me just 4 nights. This, coupled with problems mentioned earlier with climbing to Laban Rata and having to stay outside the park certainly reduced the number of species seen. This site really needs 6 or 7 days, which is hard to manage on a 2 week trip if Danum Valley and the Kinabatangan River are also on the agenda.

Fortunately a number of the Bornean endemics at the site are common and easily seen, and even my relatively short visit considerably boosted my trip list.

Like at Danum, the birding can be very slow, and sometimes the trails can be almost birdless. In particular, I found the much vaunted Silau Silau trail to be very unproductive. My best birding was along the long Liwagu Trail, the Kiau View Trail and the Bukit Ular Trail.

Rain was a definite problem at this site also. At times it rained heavily and continued for long periods, generally starting late morning. Only one or two leaches, however.

Notes About Accomodation

Email addresses:

Pete Chong (DVFC)  pchongls@icsbrbj.po.my

Robert Chong (Labuk B&B, Sukau trips) Labukbb@yahoo.com or Labukbb@tm.net.my (try yahoo address first)

Accomodation at Mount Kinabalu is tricky to book from outside Sabah - Kinabalu Gold Resorts (or Kinabalu Nature Resorts as they are now known) do not respond to emails in my experience, and will not accept credit card bookings or indeed any bookings without a deposit being paid. Outside of busy times it seems that you can still just turn up at the park and get a bed. If the worst happens and there is nothing available in the park, the places I stayed (Rian Ria and Merryweather) were not bad and if I could get a bed at Harvest Festival weekend then I guess you probably can any time.

Labuk B&B  in Sepilok is excellent and highly recommended.

I can also report that the novelty of the karaoke machine at DVFC (mentioned as a nuisance by a couple of people last year) seems to have worn off, with it now only being wheeled out for "special occasions".

Getting Around

No hassles. I occasionally had to pay over the odds and charter a minibus, but it didn't break the bank.

Money

I took most of my money in travellers cheques and regretted it. It took about 1/2hr to change them at a bank in Lahad Datu; after that I used VISA and Cirrus which seem to be on nearly all ATMs, and would recommend this to others. Paying for anything with notes above 20R invariably produced groans, but it is hard to amass much small change.

Field Guides, Tapes, Trip Reports and Acknowledgements

The standard field guide for this region is A Field Guides to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali, 1993, published by Oxford University Press.

A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Bali John MacKinnon: Buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk This book provides a complete identification guide to the birds of this important region, including descriptions and colour illustrations of all 820 species found there, many of which do not occur anywhere else. Information is provided on where to look for endemic and insular forms and on major birding localities. Introductory chapters discuss habitats, climate, land-use, and conservation. This volume is intended for reference and for pleasure, for amateur and professional ornithologists, for birdwatchers and for tourists to Indonesia and region.

I took Bird Sound Recordings From Sabah, Borneo, and Bird Sound Recordings from Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia, both available from Steve Whitehouse at the Foreign Birdwatching Reports and Information Service, although I found birds to be generally unresponsive during my trip.

Various trip reports, including Seb Buckton's from the early nineties and John Day's from 1997. I found the report by Jon Hornbuckle from 2000 to be the most helpful recent report. Also checked the Worldtwitch bulletin board for recent sightings.

Thanks to Andy Roadhouse for lending me tapes and various trip reports, Graeme and Moira Wallace for advice on accomodation at Mount Kinabalu, Robert Chong for being an excellent guide to the Kinabatangan area, and to Herman van Oosten and sidekicks Marian and Rob for being good company and finding me quite a few birds at Danum Valley.

List of Species Seen

In the following list, DVFC denotes Danum Valley Field Centre, MKNP denotes Mount Kinabalu National Park and KR denotes Kinabatangan River.

Oriental Darter - seen regularly at DVFC and KR.
Great-billed Heron - seen twice btw 6 - 6.30pm nr suspension bridge at DVFC.
Purple Heron - 1 KR.
Cattle Egret - 2 nr Lahad Datu.
Great White Egret - common KR, also seen Kota Kinabalu.
Intermediate Egret - several seen KR.
Little Egret - a few KR.
Storm's Stork - superb views of 4 KR.
Lesser Adjutant - 1 KR.
Jerdon's Baza - 1, W0N3 DVFC.
Oriental Honey Buzzard - 1 from verandah DVFC, several KR.
Bat Hawk - 2 KR, 1 Gormantong Caves.
Brahminy Kite - 1-2 KR.
White-bellied Sea Eagle­ - 1 verandah DVFC, quite a few KR.
Crested Serpent Eagle - several DVFC and KR.
White-fronted Falconet - verandah and W0N7 at DVFC (seen twice at both spots).
Chestnut-necklaced Partridge - 3, Tembeling Trail DVFC.
Crimson-headed Partridge - 2 f, top of Mempening Trail, MKNP.
Great Argus - 1 f, W9N5, 1 f Nature Trail, DVFC.
Crested Fireback - seen a number of times at DVFC, mainly early am.
White-breasted Waterhen - Labuk B&B and Sandakan.
Moorhen - Likas Bay (from bus).
Thick-billed Pigeon - ca 10 W0N7 DVFC, ca 5 KR.
Little Green Pigeon - 1 KR.
Pink-necked Green Pigeon - 1 Labuk B&B .
Green Imperial Pigeon - Seen several times DVFC, common KR.
Mountain Imperial Pigeon - Several MKNP.
Little Cuckoo Dove - a few seen MKNP, mainly along road nr Power Station.
Spotted Dove - Sepilok and Sukau.
Long-tailed Parakeet - 2 KR.
Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot - 1 Labuk B&B.
Drongo Cuckoo - 1 imm being fed by Chestnut-winged Babblers at KR.
Black-bellied Malkoha - 1 W15N2 DVFC.
Raffles' Malkoha - seen twice verandah DVFC, 1 KR.
Red-billed Malkoha - 1 W10S4, DVFC.
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha - 1, Waterfall Trail, DVFC.
Greater Coucal - Mainly seen while travelling between sites.
Buffy Fish Owl - superb views of 4 nr Proboscis Lodge, KR.
Edible-nest Swiftlet
Black-nest Swiftlet
Mossy-nest Swiftlet
Glossy Swiftlet -Gormantong Caves, Glossy definitely seen elsewhere too.
Brown-backed Needletail - 1 DVFC.
Silver-rumped Spinetail - common DVFC.
Grey-rumped Treeswift - 1 DVFC.
Whiskered Treeswift - 1 DVFC.
Diard's Trogon - pr Nature Trail, DVFC, 2m and 1f KR.
Scarlet-rumped Trogon - pr W6N5 DVFC, 1m KR.
Blue-eared Kingfisher - common KR.
Stork-billed Kingfisher - 1 DVFC, common KR.
Collared Kingfisher - 1 Labuk B&B.
Blue-throated Bee-eater - seen a few times DVFC nr suspension bridge.
Dollarbird - 1 DVFC, fairly common KR.
Bushy-crested Hornbill - seen several times nr suspension bridge at DVFC.
White-crowned Hornbill - 2 seen from suspension bridge at DVFC.
Wrinkled Hornbill - 3 KR.
Wreathed Hornbill - 2 Gormantong caves, 1 Sepilok.
Black Hornbill - several at DVFC and KR.
Oriental Pied Hornbill - common KR.
Rhinoceros Hornbill - regularly seen and heard at DVFC and KR. Never fails to impress.
Golden-naped Barbet - several seen at MKNP very well.
Rufous Piculet - several good sightings at DVFC - a brilliant little bird.
Buff-rumped Woodpecker - 1 W10N0 DVFC.
Buff-necked Woodpecker - superb views of 3 KR.
White-bellied Woodpecker - 1 at Sepilok - excellent views of this impressive species.
Maroon Woodpecker - several at DVFC, 1 MKNP.
Black-and-red Broadbill - 2 DVFC, quite common KR and excellent views.
Black-and-yellow Broadbill - 3 DVFC, and a pr nesting in front of verandah at Proboscis Lodge. A truly fabulous bird.
Green Broadbill - 3 W0N5, DVFC.
Whitehead's Broadbill - 1 (+ 1 h), Bukit Ular Trail, MKNP.
Blue-headed Pitta - 1 f briefly W4N0. Incredible views of a pr W0N8 was easily the highlight of the trip. Exc views of 1 f W4N5 (All DVFC). An incomparable bird.
Garnet Pitta - heard relatively frequently at DVFC and also at Gormantong caves, but proved harder to see. Good views of a pr W12N5, and superb views of 1 W10S3.
Hooded Pitta - 1 seen well but briefly nr Proboscis Lodge, and another very briefly. A surpising number heard at that location.
Banded Pitta - 1 m seen briefly nr Waterfall DVFC.
Pacific Swallow - common DVFC, probably also seen at other places.
Large Wood-shrike - 1 DVFC nr suspension bridge.
Bar-bellied Cuckoo-shrike - 1 KR.
Grey-chinned Minivet - seen a few times at MKNP.
Common Iora - DVFC and KR.
Lesser Green Leafbird - common DVFC.
Greater Green Leafbird - 1 W15N2 DVFC. 1 in garden of Labuk B&B.
Black-headed Bulbul - 10-15 Gormantong caves access road.
Yellow-vented Bulbul - mainly seen around the Field Centre at DVFC.
Olive-winged Bulbul - verandah DVFC.
Red-eyed Bulbul - the commonest bulbul DVFC.
Ochraceous Bulbul - 1 Gormantong approach rd, 1 nr Rajah Lodge DVFC.
Yellow-bellied Bulbul - fairly common DVFC.
Hairy-backed Bulbul - 4 DVFC, 1 Sepilok. One of the more attractive bulbuls.
Grey-cheeked Bulbul - seen at least twice at DVFC.
Ashy Drongo - seen a couple of times MKNP.
[Crow-billed Drongo - 1 apparently of this species at Sepilok.]
Bronzed Drongo - 1 KR.
Hair-crested (Spangled) Drongo - 2 MKNP.
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo - only 3 DVFC, common KR, 1 Sepilok.
Dark-thoated Oriole - 2 Gormantong approach road.
Black-hooded Oriole - ca 5 south grid DVFC.
Asian Fairy Bluebird - only 1 seen DVFC from verandah.
Crested Jay - 1 W8 N5 DVFC. Great bird.
Short-tailed Green Magpie - 2-3 upper section Silau Silau Trail, 2 feeding at lights nr generator, MKNP. Brilliant bird when seen well.
Bornean Treepie - common at MKNP.
Black Magpie - 1 btw W0 and W5, DVFC.
Slender-billed Crow - ca 5 W7 DVFC, probably seen on other occasions and not recorded.
Bornean Bristlehead - good views of a party of 6 - 10 in clearing at W0N7, DVFC and superb views of 1 f in Proboscis Lodge garden. Much more attractive than illustrations suggest, the red being very vivid.
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch - 2 upper end Bukit Ular Trail, MKNP.
Black-capped Babbler - 1 good views nr Proboscis Lodge. Really nice bird.
White-chested Babbler - 3 nr Proboscis Lodge.
Short-tailed Babbler - a couple of groups seen well at DVFC. More attractive than illustrated , with an endearing jizz, almost pitta-like at times.
Abbott's Babbler - 1 nr Proboscis Lodge.
Sooty-capped Babbler - only 1 definitely seen at DVFC.
Rufous-crowned Babbler - seemed fairly common at DVFC.
Chestnut-backed Scimitar-babbler - 1 W8N5 - attractive.
Mountain Wren-babbler - 2 Liwagu Trail, MKNP.
Grey-throated Babbler - several seen at MKNP.
Grey-headed Babbler - 1, Rhino Ridge Trail, DVFC.
Chestnut-rumped Babbler - 1+, Rhino Ridge Trail, DVFC. Probably also seen in grid as well.
Chestnut-winged Babbler - common DVFC and Kinabatangan area.
Chestnut-crested Yuhina - very common at MKNP.
Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush - common at MKNP.
Black Laughingthrush - seen a couple of times at MKNP.
Oriental Magpie Robin - common.
White-browed Shama - reasonably common at DVFC and Kinabatangan area.
Rufous-tailed Shama - 1 f caW5N5, DVFC.
Yellow-breasted Warbler - several seen at MKNP.
Mountain Leaf Warbler - several at MKNP.
Sunda Bush Warbler - 3 btw km 2.5 and km 3.5 on Power Station rd at MKNP. Good views obtained with patience.
Dark-necked Tailorbird - only recorded twice at DVFC.
Ashy Tailorbird - fairly common at DVFC.
Rufous-tailed Tailorbird - seen in Proboscis Lodge gardens and probably elsewhere but not noted.
Mountain Tailorbird - several seen MKNP.
Yellow-bellied Prinia - 2 along rd btw MKNP and Rian Ria hotel.
Fulvous-chested Jungle Flycatcher - 1 nr Waterfall at DVFC.
Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher - 1 W10S2 at DVFC.
Verditer Flycatcher - 1 around suspension bridge DVFC.
Indigo Flycatcher - fairly common MKNP. Nice bird.
Snowy-browed Flycatcher - one of the more frequently seen species on trails at MKNP. Attractive.
Rufous-chested Flycatcher - pr seen along Tembeling trail, DVFC.
Little Pied Flycatcher - 1 m MKNP, at viewpoint just above Balsam café.
[Hill Blue Flycatcher - a m apparently of this species nr Field Centre at DVFC.]
Large-billed Blue Flycatcher - 1 m in the south grid at DVFC.
Malaysian Blue Flycatcher - 1 roosting nr Proboscis Lodge.
White-throated Fantail - common at MKNP.
Pied Fantail - several at DVFC and KR.
Black-naped Monarch - seen a number of times DVFC, also Sepilok.
Rufous-winged Philentoma - seen a couple of times at DVFC.
Asian Paradise Flycatcher - seen several times at DVFC, including some nice white males.
Bornean Whistler - 4 seen at MKNP.
White-breasted Woodswallow - several KR.
Asian Glossy Starling - common at Sukau.
Hill Myna - 1 KR.
Plain Sunbird - 1 DVFC.
Plain-throated Sunbird - 1 Labuk B&B.
Red-throated Sunbird - 1 Rhino Ridge trail DVFC.
Ruby-cheeked Sunbird - 1 f Labuk B&B.
Olive-backed Sunbird - 3 Labuk B&B, 2 Lahad Datu.
Crimson Sunbird - 1 m Labuk B&B.
Scarlet Sunbird - fairly common at MKNP. A stunning bird when seen well.
Little Spiderhunter - common DVFC.
Long-billed Spiderhunter - 2 Labuk B&B.
Grey-breasted Spiderhunter - 1 DVFC.
[Also a number of unidentified spiderhunters, including possible Yellow-eared].
Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker - 2 DVFC.
Black-sided Flowerpecker - 1 road btw MKNP and Rian Ria hotel.
Black-capped White-eye - several at MKNP.
Pygmy White-eye - 1-2 Kiau View Trail, MKNP.

Richard Rae, Sheffield, September 2002

Email: rae76richard@excite.com   

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