Sabah, Borneo

Custom Tour

27th June - 12 July 2009

Leader: Rob Hutchinson

Participants:
Kit Britten, Chris Gooddie, Bob Harris and Graham Hogan

Blue-headed Pitta, Kinabatangan River      © Rob Hutchinson/Birdtour Asia

This custom tour to the magical island of Borneo gave us the hoped-for array of avian highlights including great views of Bristlehead, Bornean Ground Cuckoo, Bornean Ground Babbler, Black-throated and Mountain Wren Babblers, the unique Fruithunter, three endemic montane barbets, good views of the elusive Everett’s Thrush, Bornean Stubtail, Crimson-headed and Red-breasted Partridges, Hose’s Broadbill, Whitehead’s Spiderhunter and Whitehead’s Broadbill were found quite quickly but the third member of the trio – Whitehead’s Trogon – saved its star performance for the last morning.
Added anticipation, pressure and ultimately excitment was provided by Chris Gooddie’s quest to see all the worlds pittas inside a single calendar year (see www.pittasworld.com). Fortunately we had great success in this respect, finding the six possible species – Giant, Blue-headed, Blue-banded, ‘Bornean’ Banded, Black-crowned and Hooded in record time!
Special mention must go to Borneo’s very special mammals which provided almost as much entertainment as the birds. Orang-utan, fantastic encounters with Proboscis Monkey’s, groups of Pygmy Elephants, Colugo, several flying-squirrels, Binturong, Flat-headed Cat, Leopard Cat and a marvellous Marbled Cat headed an impressive 49 species.
The tour began with an early afternoon arrival into Sandakan in east Sabah and after a swift transfer to our comfortable resort at Sepilok we set out to explore the nearby Sepilok forest reserve. The recently constructed canopy walkways provided excellent afternoon entertainment including our first Grey-and-buff Woodpeckers feeding on the ground far below, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Violet Cuckoo and finally great views of a Bristlehead party – one of the most desirable Bornean endemic secured in the first few hours of birding! Our first Orang-utans were sighted swinging through the nearby treetops and down on the ground a Rufous-collared Kingfisher gave some final excitement before we retired to toast our early success.

 

White-crowned Hornbill (left) was one of eight species of hornbills seen during the tour. This male Violet Cuckoo gave eye-level views at Sepilok.

 Male Giant Pitta (left) and Blue-headed Pitta (right), Kinabatangan River, just two of the six stunning species of pitta seen on the tour.

The next morning a few hours spent in the forest added Jerdon’s Baza, Bornean Black Magpie, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, Puff-backed Bulbul and several showy Red-bearded Bee-eaters before leaving to Gomantong Caves picking up a surprise target in the form of circling Bat Hawks en-route. At the cave we found another, more regular pair of Bat Hawks plus Rufous Piculet in the forest. The caves themselves were an impressive spectacle hosting thousands of roosting bats, various gruesome creepy-crawlies and four species of nesting swiftlet; Glossy, Mossy-nest, Black-nest and Edible-nest Swiftlets. From here we continued to our lodge of the banks of the Kinbatangan River and in the afternoon made of first boat trip onto the river and its tributaries. The birds were a little quiet on this first excursion but we did find yet another perched Bat Hawk and the endangered Storm’s Stork, then our calls drew an instant response from a Giant Pitta so we excitedly disembarked onto the river bank and after some careful stalking enjoyed firstly a female then a blue-backed male Giant Pitta – to describe finding this incredibly difficult bird as early as the second day as a bonus would be a huge understatement!!
In the evening we ventured out for a night-spotting boat ride and soon found several Buffy Fish Owls plus fine views of roosting day-birds like Red-and-black Broadbills, Blue-eared Kingfisher and a rather mouldy looking Hooded Pitta before finishing with a Flat-headed Cat.
Three more boat trip over the next 1 ½ days provided some relaxed but profitable birding with highlights perhaps the six species of hornbill including a very obliging White-crowned Hornbill, the universally scarce Wrinkled Hornbill and the grotesque but impressive Helmeted. Blyth’s and Wallace’s Hawk Eagles, Lesser and Grey-headed Fish Eagles, 'Bornean' Firebacks and river-loving White-chested Babblers where also appreciated and even the lodge garden produced a noisy group of Dusky Broadbill.
We also made good progress with our pitta-quest with great views of some obliging Blue-headed Pittas enjoyed at leisure from the comfort of the boats!

 

  Two of the colourful highlights in the rainforest at Danum Valley were Black-and-yellow Broadbill (left) and male Diard’s Trogon (right)

 

  The often skulking Black-throated Wren Babbler (left) and the striking ‘Bornean’ Banded Pitta (right) both showed well at Danum Valley

Mammals are of course a major attraction here and we found entertaining Proboscis Monkeys (one making the very long swim across the main river), Sunda Silvered Langur, more Orang-utans, our first Bornean Gibbon and cute Plain Pygmy Squirrels. We were also fortunate to have daily encounters with groups of Pygmy Elephants grazing along the river banks.
The greatest prize on the river is the endemic and enigmatic Bornean Ground Cuckoo, a species that was regarded as near-mythical until its vocalisations were learnt and the birds found here along the Kinabatangan. In spite of many hours of searching it was our final morning before we finally heard the distinctive calls in the distance. We settled down to wait and called back until they steadily approached us then suddenly one bird was spotted and hoped up onto an open bow allowing all good views before retreating again into the forest to continue duetting with its partner.
Next on the agenda was the bird-rich lowland rainforests of Danum Valley which we explored from the very comfortable and ideally-situated Borneo Rainforest Lodge where we arrived in the early evening having disturbed a large King Cobra from the road en-route.

 

 The endangered Storm’s Stork (left) was found along the Kinabatangan River. This Marbled Cat (right) was an exciting find during a spotlighting drive at Danum Valley, one of 49 mammals recorded during the tour.

 

  Non-avian highlights included Pygmy Elephants on the Kinabatangan River and a flowering Rafflesia Keithii at Poring Hot Springs

Danum was the key site for our remaining pittas and we enjoyed several Black-crowned and more Blue-headed Pittas, one of the latter even viewed from directly above, 30 meters up on the canopy walkway! The other endemic – Blue-banded Pitta – is one of the hardest to find and our first encounter was frustrating with a calling bird remaining hidden and unseen in the understory. Undeterred we tried a different area and after some patient waiting we were able to watch this stunning bird hopping right around us and even a juvenile nearby. All the pittas seen in the first 5 days of the tour!
Other elusive forest-dwellers also performed well with Bornean Ground Babbler, Black-throated Wren Babbler and Striped Wren Babbler all seen very well. Moustached Hawk Cuckoo came in to investigate us several times but never stayed long and likewise a skulking pair of Short-toed Coucal. Also in the forest an inconspicuous set of flycatchers were located; Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher, endemic Bornean Blue Flycatcher, Large-billed Blue Flycatcher (a Bornean specialty, rarely being seen in Sumatra) and a sneaky Rufous-chested Flycatcher. More open areas found Orange-backed Woodpecker, Buff-rumped, Buff-necked and the cute Grey-and-buff Woodpeckers. Trogons are always a favourite and we had good close views of Red-naped, Diard’s and Scarlet-rumped here. Grey-bellied and Cream-vented Bulbuls joined their commoner congeners and a Great-billed Heron graced the adjacent river.
Several fruiting trees in the area resulted in an abundance of frugivores; Green Broadbill, Gold-whiskered Barnet, Red-throated Barbet, Blue-eared Barbet and Yellow-crowned Barbet, plus many hornbills including Bushy-crested and Wreathed which completed our set of the eight possible hornbill species.
The impressive canopy walkway became our popular afternoon birding destination and produced new birds daily including great views of Green Iora, close studies of Chestnut-breasted, Raffle’s and Red-billed Malkoha at eye-level, Lesser and Greater Green Leafbirds, Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Lesser Cuckooshrike and a nice flock of Blue-rumped Parrots which even perched in the tree tops for us. A juvenile Malaysian Bronze Cuckoo was a big bonus here and it was fascinating to watch this youngster being fed by its hosts.
Our night-time spotlighting excursions were equally exciting with more Buffy Fish Owls and a Brown Wood Owl providing the avian highlights but equally exciting were Wallace’s Flying Frogs, multiple sightings of Thomas’s, Black and Giant Red Flying Squirrels, Binturong, Slow Loris, Colugo, Banded Palm Civet, a Leopard Cat sitting close to the roadside and a magnificent Marbled Cat lounging high in a tree. During the day other mammals included daily Orang-utan sightings, more Bornean Gibbon, Maroon Langur, Yellow-throated Marten and a noisy Oriental Short-clawed Otter on the river just before our departure.
Returning to Kota Kinabalu for an overnight stay we departed early the next morning for the mid-montane forest of the Rafflesia reserve in the Crocker Mountain Range. We were pleased to find that there were plenty of fruiting trees on offer and we began in style with the first of several Fruithunters found within minutes of arrival, then Whitehead’s Spiderhunter and Bornean Bulbul appearing in rapid succession. Further along the roadside more fruiting trees attracted Bornean Leafbirds (a recent split from Blue-winged Leafbird), Cinereous Bulbul, brutish Mountain Barbets and the decidedly more attractive and petite Bornean Barbet. Yellow-bellied Warbler and a Long-tailed Broadbill visiting its suspended nest were also highlights.
By the afternoon we were already at the impressive Mountain Kinabalu where a typically rainy afternoon was enlivened by our first Temminck’s Sunbird, Bornean Whistler, Bornean Whistling Thrush and particularly good views of Eye-browed Jungle Flycatcher.

 

  Whitehead’s Trogon took some finding during our visited but we then scored fantastic views of five individuals including this stunning male.

The next morning we made an earlier than scheduled visit to Poring hot springs in order to see an impressive flowering Rafflesia keithii, one of the largest flowers in the world. Before enjoying this impressive flower however there were some good birds to find so we set off into the forest. Good views of Grey-headed Babbler and Brown Fulvetta were soon followed by a great performance from the rarer White-necked Babbler. Simultaneously we heard the calls of Hose’s Broadbill which had us scrambling through the forest and starring into the canopy but without joy until a few hundred meters along the trail an immature Hose’s popped into a tree right in front of us! This or another bird then showed for some time sat motionless nearby being joined just very briefly by a blue-bellied adult. Grey-cheeked Bulbul, Banded Woodpecker and Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler added further interest.
The next morning we began our serious exploration of the forest higher up Mount Kinabalu and over the next few days found comical Short-tailed Magpies, sneaky Bornean Stubtail, Golden-naped Barbet, Crimson-headed and Red-breasted Partridges, Sunda Cuckooshrike, Bornean Treepie, Rufous-hooded and Sunda Laughingthrushes.  On one occasion a pair of huge, green Whitehead’s Broadbills cackled in the canopy and we enjoyed great views of Everett’s Thrushes which hopped about on the trail ahead of us. Mountain Wren Babblers gave typically obliging, close views, and the surprisingly attractive Temminck’s Babbler was seen well. On the streams and rivers we found the borneensis taxon of White-crowned Forktail, visually rather similar to the birds in the lowlands but suggested by recent genetic studies to be a different (endemic) species. Our nocturnal excursions finally produced nice views of a Mountain Scops Owl, a welcome new bird for most of the group having heard many in the past but typically never managed views. The final member of the famous ‘Whitehead’s Trio’, kept us waiting and working hard however, and it took a few days of walking and searching before we were enthralled by a family party of Whitehead’s Trogon, then ironically found another pair just minutes later!!

On one morning we headed higher up the mountain to find Mountain Black-eyes and Kinabalu Friendly Warbler, the latter living up to its name by singing away at super close range. Chunky Giant Swiftlets flew overhead here and we found breeding Bornean Swiftlets (a recent split from the Cave Swiftlets of Java) and our first Whitehead’s Pygmy Squirrel with its cute white ear-tufts.
Finally we had time one afternoon for a visit to the small marshes on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu where Cinnamon Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, impressive Eastern Great Egrets in breeding garb,  Black-backed Swamphen, Germain’s Swiftlet and Pied Triller added diversity to the trip list.

  Eye-browed Jungle Flycatcher (left) and Kinabalu Friendly Warbler (right), at Mount Kinabalu. Both species are endemic to the montane forest of Borneo.

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