Tunku Abdul Rahman park

 April 27

This morning we went out to the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, a protected area of islands and reefs off the coast of Kota Kinabalu. This was our only opportunity to see several species. Two of the species flitted past us repeatedly in a very unsatisfactory manner. We only got a quick view of these. We also saw a few other birds that weren’t on the target list for the morning, including a reef heron by the dock on the mainland. 

The third, the Philippine Megapode, at least allowed its picture to be taken. The genus of Megapodes is named for the very large feet of this quail/ pheasant type bird. We had seen another of the genus on our north Australian trip some years ago. We also saw a great monitor, some sand skinks and a group of bats sleeping on the underside of palm fronds. 

The weather was hot and humid. Not a surprise but it did likely reduce the bird activity. The rest of the day was spent traveling across Sabah to Lahan Datu on the south east coast of the province. 

Pictured: Philippine Megapode, Rufous-tailed Tailorbird, Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bats, Pacific Reef Heron, Asian Water Monitor

Kota Kinabalu

 April 26 

We arrived in Kota Kinabalu last night. Kota Kinabalu (originally Jesseltown) was initially under the Brunei empire and then a trading center established by a British consortium. The city was largely destroyed by the Japanese in WWII and taken over by the British Government afterwards, as the capital of the newly formed “North Borneo”. In 1963 Malaysia was formed and North Borneo was renamed as Sabah. The city was renamed to Kota (city) Kinabalu (for a local mountain) in 1967. 

The city of Kota Kinabalu is built on a thin strip of flat land between the South China Sea and the Crocker mountain range. Much of the downtown is built on reclaimed land created to widen that strip. On the steep foothills behind the city, and a shallow valley beyond, are remnants of the original forest and wetlands that covered this area before the arrival of concrete. 

Since today was an unscheduled day, we got to sleep in and had a late breakfast at 7:30. Afterwards we went to the Kota Kinabalu Wetlands, a protected section of tidal mangroves with boardwalks and an education center, and spent several hours birding. The tide was out, so the mangrove roots were exposed above the mudflats. We saw many of the same mangrove-loving species as yesterday in Selangor. We were treated to two new sunbird species (these seemed mostly to be hunting spiders on their webs), as well as crabs, skinks and other mud loving creatures.

We met the other two guests for this trip at 6:30 pm and headed out to dinner. We ate at a famous Chinese seafood restaurant. They had tanks to display the live spiny lobsters, prawns, shell fish, etc.  Although we did not, many customers selected their specific dinner source. Our trip leaders are the same as for the Peninsular Malaysia trip.

Pictured: Mangrove Skink, Mud Crab, Ornate Sunbird, Crimson Sunbird, mudskipper, a view of the mangroves

A morning in the mangroves

April 25

In order to get an early start on birding, we left our overnight lodging for breakfast at 5:45. On the way the van suddenly jolted to a stop… a Banded Krait, a brilliantly colored and very poisonous snake about 6 feet long was crossing the road. So of course we hopped out of the van to look at it (from a safe distance). 

We spent this morning’s birding walking through mangroves at the edge of the Selangor River. These areas are tidal, as mangroves generally grow in brackish water. In the past when we have visited mangrove areas it has been by boat; walking on dry (if overgrown) paths was a new experience. We saw nearly 30 species, most of them for the first time in the trip and many of them for the first time ever. We also watched several families of silver leaf monkeys dash through the treetops and jump across the path. 

After a quick shower it was off to lunch and then the drive back to the Kuala Lumpur airport. This concludes the Peninsular Malaysia part of the trip. We fly to Borneo for the second half of the adventure tonight. 

Pictured: Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Brown-throated Sunbird, Ashy Tailorbird, Garden Lizard, Silver leaf monkeys 

Down from the hills

Friday April 24

This morning we traveled back down the mountains from Fraser’s Hill, walking sections of the “gap road” and driving other sections. In the early 20th century the road through the gap was so narrow that it operated one way, alternating at different times of day. There was an inn at the beginning of the road for motorists to rest if they got their timing wrong. Now there are two narrow twisting roads from the valley up to Fraser’s Hill, each one way. The creators of the turns in both roads had passenger vehicles in mind rather than 11-person vans or supply trucks, so navigating was a bit slow and careful. As we came down the hill, the vegetation and temperature changed, first to bamboo and then palms, and a decided increase in warmth. 

As we re-entered the lowlands, it was a bit horrifying to see massive stretches of forest cut down, this time for durian plantations rather than palm oil. Our local guide said “any forest that is not controlled by the government will be developed”. 

In the afternoon we drove on major highways west towards the coastline. The roadsides were again lined with palm plantations, some mature and some recently replanted after a harvest. We did a little birding near our hotel and then drove to rice paddy fields, where we saw many new kinds of birds. 

We have been very lucky with the weather on this trip; rainstorms came at night when we were indoors. That luck ran out today when a huge thunderstorm burst upon us while we were out walking, several of us without our rain gear. We got thoroughly soaked, and then sat in the vans for another hour for the storm to subside and for the lightning to move far enough away for it to be safe to emerge. 

The plan had been to go “owl-ing”, and as it happened one of the owls was roosting just across a water channel from where we sat in the vans. Once we were able to come out to see him properly, we also got to see several other birds. At dusk, a huge number of swallows ( we estimated about 250) gathered over a rice paddy feasting on insects. Then as night fell, two kinds of nightjars flew around us, and, during a short walk, we saw two additional kinds of owls.

All told it was a day that began at 6am and finished at 11pm… but we saw great things. 

Pictured: Large-tailed Nightjar, Sultan Tit, Sunday Scimitar-Babbler, Dusky Eagle-Owl (a little bedraggled from the rain), Bronzed Drongo on nest, Spotted Wood- Owl 

Creatures of all kinds

 April 23

We spent the morning and afternoon exploring more of the area around Fraser’s Hill. We continue to have good luck with some unusual species but less luck with more common ones. Part of the challenge to finding the birds is distinguishing bird calls from the chorus of cicadas, particularly as the temperature rises in the afternoon. 

Near the end of the day, we were able to see a Blue Nuthatch, a bird we had been hoping to see. After it flew off, we stayed and watched for a while. We thought the nuthatch had returned, and then realized that the newcomer was actually a large cicada!

This morning we also listened to the resonant vocalizations of a large male Siamang. Siamangs are the largest gibbon-like apes, and are in a genus of their own. Both males and females have inflatable throat sacs that explain how their calls have such power. They are endangered in both Indonesia and Malaysia, primarily due to habitat loss from the creation of vast palm oil plantations. Fraser’s Hill is one of only four protected areas in Malaysia that host Siamangs. They are so black that they are hard to spot in the trees, until they leap to the next one, as happened today. 

Pictured:  Blue Nuthatch, Silver-eared Musia, Black-throated Sunbird, Chinese Red-headed Centipede, Tacua Speciosa Cicada. 

And mammals too!

 Wednesday April 22

We spent the morning walking on roads around Fraser’s Hill.  Fraser’s Hill began as a mining station in the late 19th century (started by a Scotsman named Fraser). In 1913, the location was re-discovered and imagined as a “hill station”, basically a mountain retreat for British government officials to escape the heat of Kuala Lumpur.  Its location at 1200-1500 meters above sea level creates a cool climate of 17-25 Celsius. The road up the hill hasn’t changed much in a century, adding to the sense of retreat, despite being only two hours from KL. The community of Fraser’s Hill retains the English countryside design elements from the early 20th century. There are classic red phone booths, mailboxes, wrought iron railings, half-timbered houses and cottage gardens. The area is also famous for its biodiversity and it is a noted birding location (over 250 species recorded). 

We started the day an hour before sunrise, and needed wind breakers for the morning chill. Our outings were a combination of “waiting for a particular species to show up” and “ oh good grief there are birds everywhere”. We also saw some wonderful White Thighed Leaf Monkeys, a Red-cheeked Squirrel, a massive millipede, and an impressive rhinoceros beetle. 

One of the amazing birds was the Pygmy Cupwing. Its description in the bird book is “Essentially a tiny brown tennis ball supported by tiny chopsticks... Gives the impression of a tailless rodent as it makes its way furtively through dense shrubbery and leaf litter. “ 

In the afternoon we walked different roads and were rewarded with more new species. One of our targets for the day, the Collared Owlet, came close to us several times, but on two of those occasions a swarm of smaller birds chased it away. 

One of the families of birds that are new to us on this trip are the spider hunters. These are relatives of sunbirds (small, flitting, brightly colored nectar-eating birds with long curved bills that fill the ecological niche of hummingbirds outside the western hemisphere. Spider hunters are much larger, less brightly colored but still quite handsome, and as the name implies are insect eaters (not just spiders). 

Pictured: White-thighed Leaf Monkeys, Red-cheeked Squirrel, Pygmy Cupwing,  Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush, Streaked Spiderhunters, example of Fraser’s Hill architecture. 

Pre-dawn to Dusk

 April 21

After another massive rainstorm overnight, we headed out at 4:45 this morning to go “owling” before dawn. As our guide said, it seems all the owls are on holiday. We were able to see two different types of Frogmouth, after a lot of hard work by our guides to call the birds towards us.

After breakfast we left the national park, ferrying back across the river. We stopped for an hour or more of birding along the side of a busy road, searching for the elusive Crested Jayshrike, a dark nervous bird that flits low to the ground in dense underbrush. We did get a few quick looks at it. Fortunately some other species flew in to amuse us during our search. As we wandered along the roadside, we suddenly heard the trumpeting of elephants. Our guides insisted we quickly reverse our direction; elephants are aggressive and a threat to curious tourists every year. 

The remainder of the afternoon we drove southwest (but not as far as Kuala Lumpur), up out of the lowlands to our next location at Fraser’s Hill. The drive was a bit longer than planned as the drivers had to search for a station with diesel fuel. The price of diesel has increased 300% over the past month and some stations have no supply.  

As we climbed up to higher elevation the landscape changed to hardwood trees and bamboo. We stopped several times to look for “bamboo forest specialist” bird species and did see a few. It is a delight to be in coolish temperatures again.  But 4:45 am to 7:15 pm makes for a long day! 

Pictured: Yellow-breasted flowerpecker, Blyth’s Frogmouth, Large Racket-tailed Drongo chasing a Rhinoceros Hornbill, Yellow-bellied Warbler