Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary: Borneo, Day 5, 30 March 2016

We were due to move on a short distance to Poring Hot Springs today but I had enough time to have a last early morning assault on the Kinabalu park trails. Once again solo I initially checked the area around the Hill Lodge which was quieter than the previous day by gave nice views of Little Cuckoo-dove, Black-capped White-eye, 3 Bornean Green Magpies and 2 Bornean Treepies. Next I moved onto the Bukit Ulat trail again and this yielded a superb Long-tailed Broadbill, 2 Orange-backed Woodpeckers, Grey-throated Babblers and Mountain Leaf Warbler. I then decided to concentrate my efforts on the Upper Silau-Silau trail where it joins the road. Within 30 minutes I'd hit gold with 2 Whitehead's Trogons, 3 Whitehead's Broadbills and 3 fly-over Wreathed Hornbills. I was a happy boy as I bid farewell to the park and made my way back to Kundasang for breakfast and check-out before moving onto Poring Hot Springs.

Little Cuckoo-dove

Bornean Treepie

Whitehead's Broadbill (honestly!)

Whitehead's Trogon

We arrived at Poring Hot Springs in the heat of the day but luckily our luxurious bungalow within the park was ready for us so we settled in and enjoyed the birds around our garden and the grounds. It was the easiest birding we did in the whole trip! Blue and White Flycatchers were numerous and obvious, Black-headed Bulbuls equally so and within a few minutes sitting on our patio we had visits from a Cinereous Bulbul, a gorgeous Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Plain Sunbird, Ashy Tailorbird and Orange-breasted Flowerpecker. Despite the heat we walked the area around the football pitch and the bamboo garden adding Buff-vented Bulbul, White-crowned Shama and a surprise Rufous-tailed Shama while back at the bungalow in the trees from the living room shuttered windows 2 Maroon-breasted Philentomas, a Mugimaki Flycatcher and a showy Bornean Blue Flycatcher added to the growing list. We then had a dip in the hot springs for a while and in that area I had Rufous-tailed Tailorbird, Crimson Sunbird and a stunning Black and Crimson Oriole.