Danum Valley

 April 28

Today we traveled into the Danum Valley reserve, a precious remnant of the forest that originally covered Sabah and the home of orangutans, clouded leopards and many endemic bird species. We drove the 80 km to our lodge, stopping periodically for important bird sightings. We walked the last two km on the hilly dirt access road. We passed “evidence” of the family of Pygmy elephants that crossed the road about 6:30 this morning. We saw 13 new birds (including some unique Bornean subspecies). One of these, the Bornean Bristlehead, is “the holy grail for birders in Sabah” so we were really lucky. We also saw a “plain sunbird”, quite a contrast to the colorful ones we saw on Sunday. 

This afternoon we went for another bird walk, where we saw a few new species (including red leaf monkeys) and some “old friends” from last week. After dinner we headed out for a night drive, but had to turn back as the elephants were again close to the road. Don’t let the name “Pygmy” fool you— they may be the smallest of the Asian elephants but they still stand 8-10 feet high at the shoulder and weigh 5,000 - 11,000 pounds. Annoying them while riding in an expanded golf cart is not a good idea. We went for a short night walk near the lodge instead, where we saw a Bay-Owl, a pit viper (sleeping) and two kinds of frogs.

Across the previous two weeks in Malaysia we have stayed in a variety of accommodations from “basic” to “interesting”. Today’s accommodation is luxurious, and our airy cabin is an oasis after hiking in the heat and humidity. 

Pictured: Red Leaf Monkey,  Bornean Bristlehead, Bornean Black-capped Babbler, Plain Sunbird, Rhinoceros Hornbill eating berries, Sooty-capped Babbler dissecting a stick insect (he has a leg in his mouth and the rest of the insect pinned under his foot), Oriental Bay-Owl.