Borneo, Day 8, 2 April 2016 - The Crocker Range

A last chance at some montane birds before dropping back down into Kota Kinabalu and flying straight over to Sandakan in the east. With no breakfast (or anything else) on offer at the Tambunan Inn we headed straight to the Raffelesia Information Centre by the road up and over the Crocker Range. It wasn't open but they allowed us access to the gardens. Sadly these are a bit limited and access to the gated trails out the back is by special arrangement only. Around the carpark and gardens I winkled out several Temminck's Sunbirds, Olive-backed Sunbird, Bornean Whistling Thrush, 2 Chestnut-crested Yuhinas, 3 Black-sided Flowerpeckers, 2 Black-capped White-eyes and Bornean Treepie. Then a stroke of luck - a Black-breasted Fruithunter flew over my head in the carpark!

I found the whole area frustrating to bird because apart from the RIC the birding is limited to roadsides only and the road is busy. We did find a spot to check a few km further on where I finally scored with a nice pair of Bornean Leafbirds plus 2 Fiery Minivets and Raffles Malkoha.

Temminck's Sunbird

Chestnut-crested Yuhina

Dropping back down into KK via a roadside local cafe we returned the car and after a wait and a traditional meal (McDs!) we caught our plane over to Sandakan and the lowlands of eastern Sabah for the next phase of the trip. We arrived after dark so took a taxi to Sepilok Forest Edge Resort where we checked in, had dinner and looked forward to what tomorrow would bring.     

Borneo, Day 7, 1 April 2016 - Poring Hot Springs & Tambunan

I was the April fool today, up at 4.30 and walking the long and steep Langanan Waterfall trail at Poring Hot Springs in the pitch dark with my torch! The resaon being to get to the birding spots by dawn. Belinda bailed out of the fun at the 11th hour so I set out alone.
Reaching the recommended area of bamboo just as the sun was rising was perfect but it was a pity that nobody told the Blue-banded Pittas that. I had a fruitless hour waiting and using playback with absolutely no reward. So I continued on to the waterfall itself which took a long time to reach with just a Yellow-bellied Warbler for my efforts. After an impromptu breakfast at the base of the falls I began my descent and eventually the birds began to appear, 2 peculiar Crested Jays were first up followed by Maroon Woodpecker, Puff-backed Bulbul and then a pocket of babblers including one of the tagets up here - c4 White-necked Babblers a pair of displaying Chestnut-winged Babblers. A little further down a nice White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Little Spiderhunter, White-crowned Shama and Brown-throated Sunbird were added.
Despite trying again on the way down there were still no pittas and I had similarly no luck with the other targets here Green Broadbill and Chestnut-capped Thrush. It seems that my experiences here were the same as many other birders.

I returned rather knackered to our digs and after checking out we had a noodle lunch just outside the park gates and headed on the drive south to Tambunan. The drive was on roads with constant unfinished roadworks but through some lovely mountain scenery. Checking in to the absolutely shit Tambunan Inn we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the town and sampling cafes and street food. Not many birds were around but Cattle Egret, Great White Egret, Pacific Swallow, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Oriental Magpie Robin and Olive-backed Sunbird were seen during the day. 

Borneo, Day 6, 31 March 2016 - Poring Hot Springs

A day to explore the hot springs area which included an early visit to the canopy walkway, a walk up to the bat cave and a circular walk taking in the football field, bamboo garden and back round by the road.
Best bird of the day had to be 2 Crested Partridges which we flushed on a trail and got great views as they ran along a fence unable to get through it! On the same walk we had a nice Maroon Woodpecker, Puff-backed Bulbul, Olive-winged Bulbul and White-bellied Erpornis. Back at our digs the usual birds were still about including the Scaly-breasted Bulbul, a Lesser Green Leafbird and a Long-billed Spiderhunter at close range. In bushes near the football field a lovely Black and White Bulbul showed well as did the regular White-crowned Shama plus Spectacled Bulbul and Asian Red-eyed Bulbuls. In a tree overhanging the river just through the springs entrance gate a great Pale Blue Flycatcher gave some lovely views while a Dark-throated Oriole did likewise in trees near the butterfly garden as the sun began to sink.

We dined that night at the Round Inn opposite the park entrance again. I can thoroughly recommend this place, the guy who runs it has a real passion for Malaysian cooking and even gave me a lesson on how to produce the perfect beef rendang! It is also much cheaper than dining in the restaurant within the park. 

Black-headed Bulbul

White-crowned Shama

 Dark-throated Oriole 

Borneo, Day 5, 30 March 2016 - Mount Kinabalu NP & Poring Hot Springs

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.   

Asian Red-eyed Bulbul

Plain Sunbird

Cinereous Bulbul

Buff-vented Bulbul

Blue and White Flycatcher

Ashy Tailorbird

Bornean Blue Flycatcher

 Mugimaki Flycatcher

Borneo, Day 4, 29 March 2016 - Mount Kinabalu NP & Kundasang

Our 3rd day in the Mount Kinabalu area and it was up and out early again. This time Blin decided on a relaxed start to the day so it was a solo early morning crack at things in the park for me.

Stopping by the Hill Lodge area on the lower Power Station Road proved a good call with the trees there holding Chequer-throated Yellownape and good numbers of both Chestnut-hooded and Sunda Laughingthrushes in the first rays of sun of the day. A Little Cuckoo-dove flew over the road too. Up at the Powerstation itself an Indigo Flycatcher was showing at ridiculous range and an Eyebrowed Thrush was flushed off the path. Ignoring the trail closed signs I then opted for the lower Bukit Ular trail which produced a nice feeding wave of birds which included 2 Hair-crested Drongos, c5 Bornean Green Magpies, Bornean Treepies, Orange-backed Woodpecker, 2 Grey-chinned Minivets and a Brown Fulvetta while 2 fairly low down Flavescent Bulbuls were just below the Timophon Gate. I also clocked up 3 Bornean Whistling Thrushes, Bornean Whistlers, White-throated Fantails, Arctic Warbler, Mountain Leaf Warbler, Yellow-breasted Warbler, 3 Velvet-fronted Nuthatches, numerous Chestnut-crested Yuhinas and 3 Grey-throated Babblers. 

Glossy Swiftlet

Indigo Flycatcher

Flavescent Bulbul

Grey-throated Babbler

Bornean Green Magpie

Back in Kundasang over a late breakfast of chicken floss rolls (don't ask!) a Grey-faced Buzzard was soaring over a ridge plus Grey Wagtail, Pacific Swallows, White-breasted Woodswallow and Chestnut Munias.  

For our late afternoon walk we decided on walking up the Liwagu Trail and then down the Power Station Road to complete a loop. The trail was initially quiet but further up I got onto a surprise Rufous-tailed Jungle Flycatcher that showed very well then a rufous female White-browed Shortwing. Then, as we joined the road a guide with 2 birders kindly put me onto a lovely Eye-browed Jungle Flycatcher. More Grey-throated Babblers and Ashy Drongo were beside the road on the walk back down.    

Borneo, Day 3, 28 March 2016 - Mount Kinabalu NP & Kundasang

An early start to hit the trails in the park again but our plans were thwarted somewhat by closed trails. The biggest disappointment was not being allowed to go beyond the Timophon Gate. Day passes have been suspended indefinately which means unless you have paid mega wonga and want to climb the whole mountain over 2 days you can't access anything above the gate. Effectively this shuts out birders and means none of us are going to get Kinablu Friendly Warbler, Island Thrush, Mountain Blackeye etc.
In addition the upper part of the Bukit Ular trail is blocked by a landslide and even though the bottom end of the same trail is marked as closed it is easily accessible to those of us who like to ignore signs!

This map may help

 
Back to the birding - as our original plan had been thwarted we walked the Mempening, Pandanus, Silau and Klias View trails at various points during the day and early evening. On the drive up the Power Station Road we stopped at some birders scrutinising a small overhanging cliff by the road - it turned out it was a mega rare Bornean Swiftlet on a nest, bingo! Further up we stopped as the sun started to catch the trees and scored with Golden-naped Barbet, then another real stroke of luck - an Everett's Thrush briefly beside the road and on a roadside barrier before quickly disappearing. Also along the road were a Sunda Bush Warbler and around the trails we eventually winkled out 3 +Yellow-breasted Warblers, 3 Mountain Leaf Warblers, several Arctic Warblers, Mountain Wren-babbler, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, 2+ Bornean Whistlers, c5 Black-capped White-eyes, Ashy Drongo (here of the pale grey race), and 3 Bornean Treepies

Bornean Swiftlet

Golden-naped Barbet

Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush

Ashy Drongo

Mountain Leaf Warbler

Mountain Leaf Warbler

Bornean Whistler

  
Back in Kundasang during the day we had 2 Long-tailed Shrikes, c6 Olive-backed Sunbirds, White-breasted Woodswallow and both Dusky and Chestnut Munias.

Borneo, Day 2, 27 March 2016, Mount Kinabalu NP & Kundasang

Collecting our hire car at the airport we were soon leaving the Kota Kinabalu area on a week long loop out into the mountains and back. By lunchtime we were at the entrance gates to Mount Kinabalu NP where we quickly grabbed some lunch in the cafe opposite, paid our entry fee to the park and began exploring. On this first afternoon/evening we walked the Upper Liwagu Trail, the Powerstation Road and the Bukit Burung and Bukit Tupal trails. Birds seen included Blyth's Hawk-eagle, 2 Ochraceous Bulbuls, 2 obliging Bornean Whistling Thrushes, Little Pied Flycatcher, 2 Indigo Flycatchers, a Snowy-browed Flycatcher on the road, White-throated Fantail, 4 Arctic Wablers, a Yellow-breasted Warbler, c5 Chestnut-crested Yuhinas, 2 Grey-throated Babblers, Sunda and Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrushes, Blyth's Shrike-babbler, 3 Bornean Whistlers with their very distinctive song, Black-capped White-eye, a stunningly luminous male Temminck's Sunbird, Bornean Green Magpie and Bornean Treepie.

In Kundasang which was our base for 3 nights we got a half price hotel deal and also a free upgrade - bonus! Around the village were Long-tailed Shrike, Oriental Magpie Robin, Dusky Munias, a fly-over Mountain Imperial Pigeon and Grey Wagtail.    

Bornean Whistling Thrush

Bornean Whistling Thrush

Long-tailed Shrike

Indigo Flycatcher

Borneo, Day 1, 26 March 2016 - Tanjung Aru Beach and Klias Wetlands

Our first day dawned hot and hazy but luckily Tanjung Aru Beach was just a 20 minute walk away from our small guesthouse. After a strange breakfast of cakes and coffee in the cafe below our rooms we strolled towards the beach picking up a few of the common birds en-route - Chestnut Munia, the endemic Dusky Munia, Brown-throated and Olive-backed Sunbirds, an Intermediate Egret on a grass verge (!), Cattle Egrets, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, Common Sandpiper and the ubiquitous Tree Sparrows and Yellow-vented Bulbuls.

Brown-throated Sunbird

Intermediate Egret

Down at the beach and Prince Phillip Park which is just behind the beach I managed to find 3 of the resident Blue-naped Parrots plus a few Dollarbirds, 2 Collared Kingfishers, Crested Mynas, Pacific Swallows, White-breasted Woodswallows, 2 Pacific Reef Egrets, 3 Little Egrets and then back at the beach carpark the only Common Ioras of the whole trip.

Blue-naped Parrot

Dollarbird

Common Iora

For the afternoon and evening we'd arranged a trip south to the Klias Wetlands with Borneo Dream. This included 2 boat trips along the mangrove-lined Klias River and dinner in between. We were picked up on cue at 14.15 and 2 hours later were on the boat. This trip is supposed to be for Proboscis Monkey but in that was quite disappointing as we only found a single female. Several Long-tailed Macaques and Silvered Langur were also seen.  Birds included an obliging Stork-billed Kingfisher, Hill Myna, Ashy Tailorbird, 4 Common Sandpipers and 2 Long-tailed Parakeets. The 2nd boat trip was after dark to see Fireflies which were superb!

Proboscis Monkey

     Stork-billed Kingfisher  

Borneo Introduction and Logistics

The state of Sabah in the Malaysian part of Borneo has long been on my 'bucket list'. With the added lure of plenty of good mammals as well as birds Belinda and I booked flights to Kota Kinabalu last June and planned our trip over the following months.
We flew with Royal Brunei Airlines from Heathrow via Dubai and Brunei on 24/25 March and returned on 18/19 April at the cost of £585 per person.

Our final itinerary of birding sites looked like this:

26 March - Tanjung Aru Beach, Kota Kinabalu and Klias Wetlands
27 - 30 March - Mount Kinabalu National Park
30 March - 1 April - Poring Hot Springs
2 April - Crocker Range
3 - 4 April - Sepilok
5 - 8 April - Kinabatagnan River/Gomantong Cave
9 - 10 April - Sepilok
11 - 15 April - Danum Valley
16 - 17 April - Mantanani Besar Island
18 April - Kota Kinabalu

Our accommodation and main movements were:

25 & 26 March - Hin Loi Guesthouse, Tanjung Aru
27, 28 & 29 March - Nabalu Kundasang, Kundasang
30 & 31 March -  Sutera Resort, Poring Hot Springs
1 April - Tambunan Inn, Tambunan
INTERNAL FLIGHT, KOTA KINABALU - SANDAKAN  
2, 3 & 4 April - Sepilok Forest Edge Resort
5, 6 & 7 April - Kinabatagnan Jungle Camp
8 & 9 April - Sepilok Forest Edge Resort
TAXI, SEPILOK - LAHAD DATU
10 April - Bike and Tours Bed & Breakfast, Lahad Datu
TRANSFER BY SCHEDULED MINIBUS TO DANUM VALLEY FIELD CENTRE
11, 12, 13 & 14 April - Danum Valley Field Centre
TRANSFER BACK TO LAHAD DATU
INTERNAL FLIGHT, LAHAD DATU - KOTA KINABALU
15 April - Jessleton Hotel, Kota Kinabalu
PICK UP AND TRANSFER BY MINIBUS AND BOAT TO MANTANANI BESAR ISLAND
16 April - Mari Mari Backpackers, Mantanani Besar
TRANSFER BACK TO KOTA KINABALU BY BOAT AND MINIBUS
17 April - Jessleton Hotel, Kota Kinabalu

We booked a hire car from 26 March to 1 April to drive the Kota Kinabalu, Mount Kinabalu NP, Poring Hot Springs, Crocker Range loop. The cost was only c£140 and petrol is really dirt cheap being a quarter of the price it is at home.  Driving was easy as Malaysians drive on the left although some of roads are bumpy and have patches of half-finished gravel road works. 
 
Most of our hotel bookings were made on Booking.com or Agoda except Kinabatagnan Jungle Camp and Danum Valley Field Centre which were booked direct by email and the Mantanani Island package which was booked through Amazing Borneo

To contact Robert Chong who runs Kinabatagnan Jungle Camp use kjcjunglecamp@yahoo.com.my or look at their Facebook page

To contact Danum Valley Field Centre is a right pain in the arse because they are notorious for not replying to emails. After at least 10 emails I eventually got a reply from rifhanmar@yahoo.com but if you have real problems Sticky Rice Travel can arrange things with them (but the cost doubles as they insist on providing a guide). Also, the wonderfully friendly owners of Bike and Tours B&B in Lahad Datu (Simon & Tisha) offered to contact DVFC for us for a small admin fee if we continued to have problems.

All of our birding was done without a guide except at Kinabatagnan Jungle Camp where the birding consists of boat trips on the river with an excellent guide called Romzi.

At this point it is probably worth pointing out that the forest birding in Sabah is tough. Sometimes you can walk for an hour or two without seeing a single bird but perseverance is the key. You'll always find something even if it's often not what you're looking for! This year has been very dry in Sabah and most birds are well into breeding meaning there was little response to playback. The good news with that is there are few leeches about although I got one on my leg at Poring Hot Springs and a couple at Danum Valley after rain.       

 

Here is a clickable interactive map showing birding locations and accommodations which may also help. Birding sites are in red and accommodations in orange
   

Redgrave and Lopham Fen, 13 March 2016

A long sunny walk around the 6.5km Waveney Trail today but it was a tad on the boring side for birds. Plenty of signs of spring amongst the common resident birds but nothing too much to bother the scorers. A couple of 'squealing' Water Rails, displaying Little Grebes, 2 Siskins, c4 Reed Buntings, 2 Common Buzzards, Shoveler, Gadwall, Teal and my first butterfly of 2016 - Small Tortoiseshell was about it.
In the summer I'm going to make a point of trying to nail Fen Raft Spider here.

Back at home an Early Bumblebee was my first bumble of the year.