DOCSLIB.ORG

Broadbills and Bristleheads Mount Kinabalu Extension

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Broadbills and Bristleheads Mount Kinabalu Extension Tropical Birding Trip Report BORNEO tour July 2017 (group 2) A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE tour Lowland Jungles of Borneo: Broadbills and Bristleheads and Highlands of Borneo: Mount Kinabalu Extension 1st – 17th July 2017 Borneo is rich in hornbills. This White-crowned Hornbill at Sukau was the most popular of these with the group Tropical Birding Tour Leader: Sam Woods Assisted by Azmil Bin Pillantong in Danum and Hazwan Suban in Sukau Thanks to participants Frank and Susan Gilliland for most of the photos in this report 1 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report BORNEO tour July 2017 (group 2) INTRODUCTION: Borneo is an island rich in island endemics, the majority of which are centered in the mountains of the Crocker Range and Mount Kinabalu, both of which visited on this tour. It also famed for its dazzling lowland rainforest birds, and some great places to bird for these, like Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the Danum Valley Conservation Area, and Sukau Rainforest Lodge on the banks of the Kinabatangan River, a region famed for its great birding by boat, and exceptional primate watching. We began our journey in the mountains combining visits to the distinctively-shaped Mount Kinabalu with Tambunan in the Crocker Range. Kinabalu yielded some stellar birds, many of them endemic to the island, such as several sightings of delectable bright scarlet male Whitehead´s Trogons (photo right Susan Gilliland) the stunning Bornean Green Magpie, a gorgeous Golden-naped Barbet that fed in a low fruiting tree within feet of us all, the odd Bare-headed Laughingthrush, and a very cooperative Bornean Forktail that spent an age foraging in the road. In the Crocker Range, barbets were front and center, and endemic ones at that, with 4 endemic species seen: (Bornean) Brown, Bornean, Mountain, and Gold-faced, all of which gave us quality looks by the tour end, to add to a number of striking Bornean Leafbirds seen in the same range. However, for many the last half of the trip, in the lowland jungles of Sabah, eclipsed the first part, in spite of lower overall numbers of endemic species, the sheer quality of the birds and lodging made it a standout time: 4 species of glittering pittas were seen, and all were seen well: Black-headed, Bornean Banded, Hooded, and Blue-headed Pittas. Of course, any trip to the lowlands centers around trying to find the single endemic bird family confined to Borneo, the strange Bornean Bristlehead, which were seen twice in the vicinity of the luxurious Borneo Rainforest Lodge. Both of the endemic wren-babblers were seen there too, with less fuss than is often required (Bornean and Black-throated Wren-Babblers), although other species like White-fronted Falconet, a confiding Large Frogmouth, Barred Eagle-Owl, Diard’s and Red-naped Trogons, as well as Banded, Black-and-red, Black-and-yellow Broadbills may be better remembered by many. Danum will be remembered equally however, for its extraordinary mammal watching as it will be for the birds; our first night activity produced none other than a Bornean Clouded Leopard, a rare and lucky sighting of an animal that plodded along the entrance road while on our private night drive, which immediately leapt to the top mammal of the tour list and never left there. Not far behind was one particular observation of a male Bornean Orangutan that appeared right behind the lodge for several days, allowing exceptional close ups as it effortlessly stripped off the bark of a tree for food. A brief visit to the world class canopy walkway at Sepilok added only a few birds, but among them was a pair of enormous Great Slaty Woodpeckers, which sat in full view of us for more than 20 minutes, an impressive woodpecker that is one of the largest on Earth. Our final destination was Sukau Rainforest Lodge on the banks of the Kinabatangan River, where mammals were arguably as prominent as the birds, with Bornean Pigmy Elephant swimming across the main river, a baby Orangutan hanging in view of our boat, and multiple Proboscis Monkeys were unquestionable highlights (photo pages 3 and 17, Susan Gilliland). Birdwise, this place franked highly too, providing two of the top five birds of the tour. A Bornean Ground-Cuckoo that was watched at length from the comfort of our boat, (while having a 2 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report BORNEO tour July 2017 (group 2) field coffee no less), and an extraordinary viewing of an Oriental Bay Owl for more than ten minutes at close range were hard to beat, and worthy entries on the list. Regular sightings of the rare Storm´s Stork were also appreciated at what must be the world stronghold for the species too. More than 40 endemic birds and over 30 mammals were seen on the trip. TOP FIVE BIRDS OF THE TOUR: 1 Bornean Ground-Cuckoo Kinabatangan 2 Whitehead’s Trogon Mount Kinabalu 3= Oriental Bay Owl Sukau Rainforest Lodge 3= Bornean Banded Pitta Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley 5 White-crowned Hornbill Kinabatangan TOP FIVE OTHER ANIMALS OF THE TOUR: 1 Bornean Cloud Leopard Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley 2 Bornean Pigmy Elephant Kinabatangan 3 Bornean Orangutan Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley 4 Proboscis Monkey Kinabatangan 5 Reticulated Python Sukau Rainforest Lodge (see photo page 35) Proboscis Monkeys were typically prominent near Sukau (Photo by Susan Gilliland) 3 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report BORNEO tour July 2017 (group 2) TOUR SUMMARY: Day 1: Arrival in Kota Kinabalu; Pulau Manukan Due to some early arrivals in Sabah, a short add on to our usual itinerary was taken on the arrival day, to the offshore island of Manukan. A dark morph Pacific Reef-Heron at the dock in KK, and then, after a twenty-minute boat ride from the Sabah capital we were greeted with a sandy beach, where most tourists choose to hang out snorkeling. However, we were here to walk the jogging track, a paved trail that passes through dense jungle. Being an afternoon visit, we knew the activity would be somewhat depressed. However, we were here for a handful of birds only, and largely we got them. We picked up Plain-throated Sunbird and Asian Glossy Starling shortly after our arrival. However, our walk through verdant, humid jungle, produced first the hoped-for Mangrove Whistler, and then several views of the ground-dwelling Tabon Scrubfowl, a bird we could not expect in the draining heat at this time of day, and so one we were well pleased to see. Mangrove Blue- Flycatcher turned out to be vocal that afternoon, but altogether cooperative, although one was seen by some after considerable effort, before we departed the island, with several Green Imperial Pigeons noted flying along the island edge in the late afternoon, before we returned to Kota Kinabalu. HIGHLANDS OF BORNEO MOUNT KINABALU EXTENSION Golden-naped Barbet Mount Kinabalu (Frank Gilliland) 4 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report BORNEO tour July 2017 (group 2) Day 2: Tambunan (Crocker Range) A very early start was necessary to make the drive up into the Crocker Range, near the town of Tambunan. We started out by picking up a very cooperative Temminck’s Babbler at one of our first stops, an often-tricky species to see well. Our main focus here was fruiting eating birds, and in particular the endemic barbets of the mountains. However, in general, barbets were quiet, indicating a lack of fruiting trees near the road. In spite of this, by the end of the day we managed to find several Mountain Barbets, after having struggled for a while with this species. We also got some short looks at our first Brown Barbets of the tour too, making two endemic barbets for the site. However, try as might, and in spite of a number heard, we simply could not get looks at any of the Bornean Barbets that were heard there. Another couple of birds for which this site represented the only reliable place for the tour, was Bornean Bulbul, and Bornean Leafbird (photo left Frank Gilliland), both of which were readily seen on a handful of occasions. A Whitehead’s Spiderhunter was heard, then seen, by a few of the group before it disappeared, and in spite of considerable effort, could not be relocated. We also picked up some of the more abundant mountain endemics, like Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Chestnut- hooded Laughingthrush, and Bornean Treepie. Our first looks at Pygmy White-eye also came there, one of the most subdued of the endemic bird species on the island. Other notable finds included a number of Black-and-crimson Orioles, our first typically tame Sunda Bush-Warbler, and our only Yellow-bellied Warblers of the tour. As rain started to fall in the afternoon, we headed off to Kundasang, our base for exploring Mount Kinabalu in the coming days, but were persuaded to stop when Mary spotted a Black-shouldered Kite by the roadside, and while we pulled over Susan and Frank noticed a confiding Gold-faced Barbet feeding right beside the road! Days 2-5: Mount Kinabalu Mount Kinabalu represents the highest mountain between the island of New Guinea and the Himalayas. It also happens to be the most accessible place for the lion’s share of the montane endemics for which Borneo is a big draw for birders. Our time there featured plentiful rain, mostly concentrated in the afternoons, 5 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report BORNEO tour July 2017 (group 2) and plenty of good looking birds and specialty birds too.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Laws of Malaysia
    LAWS OF MALAYSIA ONLINE VERSION OF UPDATED TEXT OF REPRINT Act 716 WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ACT 2010 As at 1 December 2014 2 WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ACT 2010 Date of Royal Assent … … 21 October 2010 Date of publication in the Gazette … … … 4 November 2010 Latest amendment made by P.U.(A)108/2014 which came into operation on ... ... ... ... … … … … 18 April 2014 3 LAWS OF MALAYSIA Act 716 WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ACT 2010 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS PART I PRELIMINARY Section 1. Short title and commencement 2. Application 3. Interpretation PART II APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS, ETC. 4. Appointment of officers, etc. 5. Delegation of powers 6. Power of Minister to give directions 7. Power of the Director General to issue orders 8. Carrying and use of arms PART III LICENSING PROVISIONS Chapter 1 Requirement for licence, etc. 9. Requirement for licence 4 Laws of Malaysia ACT 716 Section 10. Requirement for permit 11. Requirement for special permit Chapter 2 Application for licence, etc. 12. Application for licence, etc. 13. Additional information or document 14. Grant of licence, etc. 15. Power to impose additional conditions and to vary or revoke conditions 16. Validity of licence, etc. 17. Carrying or displaying licence, etc. 18. Change of particulars 19. Loss of licence, etc. 20. Replacement of licence, etc. 21. Assignment of licence, etc. 22. Return of licence, etc., upon expiry 23. Suspension or revocation of licence, etc. 24. Licence, etc., to be void 25. Appeals Chapter 3 Miscellaneous 26. Hunting by means of shooting 27. No licence during close season 28. Prerequisites to operate zoo, etc. 29. Prohibition of possessing, etc., snares 30.
    [Show full text]
  • Checklist of the Mammals of Indonesia
    CHECKLIST OF THE MAMMALS OF INDONESIA Scientific, English, Indonesia Name and Distribution Area Table in Indonesia Including CITES, IUCN and Indonesian Category for Conservation i ii CHECKLIST OF THE MAMMALS OF INDONESIA Scientific, English, Indonesia Name and Distribution Area Table in Indonesia Including CITES, IUCN and Indonesian Category for Conservation By Ibnu Maryanto Maharadatunkamsi Anang Setiawan Achmadi Sigit Wiantoro Eko Sulistyadi Masaaki Yoneda Agustinus Suyanto Jito Sugardjito RESEARCH CENTER FOR BIOLOGY INDONESIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCES (LIPI) iii © 2019 RESEARCH CENTER FOR BIOLOGY, INDONESIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCES (LIPI) Cataloging in Publication Data. CHECKLIST OF THE MAMMALS OF INDONESIA: Scientific, English, Indonesia Name and Distribution Area Table in Indonesia Including CITES, IUCN and Indonesian Category for Conservation/ Ibnu Maryanto, Maharadatunkamsi, Anang Setiawan Achmadi, Sigit Wiantoro, Eko Sulistyadi, Masaaki Yoneda, Agustinus Suyanto, & Jito Sugardjito. ix+ 66 pp; 21 x 29,7 cm ISBN: 978-979-579-108-9 1. Checklist of mammals 2. Indonesia Cover Desain : Eko Harsono Photo : I. Maryanto Third Edition : December 2019 Published by: RESEARCH CENTER FOR BIOLOGY, INDONESIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCES (LIPI). Jl Raya Jakarta-Bogor, Km 46, Cibinong, Bogor, Jawa Barat 16911 Telp: 021-87907604/87907636; Fax: 021-87907612 Email: [email protected] . iv PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION This book is a third edition of checklist of the Mammals of Indonesia. The new edition provides remarkable information in several ways compare to the first and second editions, the remarks column contain the abbreviation of the specific island distributions, synonym and specific location. Thus, in this edition we are also corrected the distribution of some species including some new additional species in accordance with the discovery of new species in Indonesia.
    [Show full text]
  • Borneo: Broadbills & Bristleheads
    TROPICAL BIRDING Trip Report: BORNEO June-July 2012 A Tropical Birding Set Departure Tour BORNEO: BROADBILLS & BRISTLEHEADS RHINOCEROS HORNBILL: The big winner of the BIRD OF THE TRIP; with views like this, it’s easy to understand why! 24 June – 9 July 2012 Tour Leader: Sam Woods All but one photo (of the Black-and-yellow Broadbill) were taken by Sam Woods (see http://www.pbase.com/samwoods or his blog, LOST in BIRDING http://www.samwoodsbirding.blogspot.com for more of Sam’s photos) 1 www.tropicalbirding.com Tel: +1-409-515-0514 E-mail: [email protected] TROPICAL BIRDING Trip Report: BORNEO June-July 2012 INTRODUCTION Whichever way you look at it, this year’s tour of Borneo was a resounding success: 297 bird species were recorded, including 45 endemics . We saw all but a few of the endemic birds we were seeking (and the ones missed are mostly rarely seen), and had good weather throughout, with little rain hampering proceedings for any significant length of time. Among the avian highlights were five pitta species seen, with the Blue-banded, Blue-headed, and Black-and-crimson Pittas in particular putting on fantastic shows for all birders present. The Blue-banded was so spectacular it was an obvious shoe-in for one of the top trip birds of the tour from the moment we walked away. Amazingly, despite absolutely stunning views of a male Blue-headed Pitta showing his shimmering cerulean blue cap and deep purple underside to spectacular effect, he never even got a mention in the final highlights of the tour, which completely baffled me; he simply could not have been seen better, and birds simply cannot look any better! However, to mention only the endemics is to miss the mark, as some of the, other, less local birds create as much of a stir, and can bring with them as much fanfare.
    [Show full text]
  • Gtr Pnw343.Pdf
    Abstract Marcot, Bruce G. 1995. Owls of old forests of the world. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW- GTR-343. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 64 p. A review of literature on habitat associations of owls of the world revealed that about 83 species of owls among 18 genera are known or suspected to be closely asso- ciated with old forests. Old forest is defined as old-growth or undisturbed forests, typically with dense canopies. The 83 owl species include 70 tropical and 13 tem- perate forms. Specific habitat associations have been studied for only 12 species (7 tropical and 5 temperate), whereas about 71 species (63 tropical and 8 temperate) remain mostly unstudied. Some 26 species (31 percent of all owls known or sus- pected to be associated with old forests in the tropics) are entirely or mostly restricted to tropical islands. Threats to old-forest owls, particularly the island forms, include conversion of old upland forests, use of pesticides, loss of riparian gallery forests, and loss of trees with cavities for nests or roosts. Conservation of old-forest owls should include (1) studies and inventories of habitat associations, particularly for little-studied tropical and insular species; (2) protection of specific, existing temperate and tropical old-forest tracts; and (3) studies to determine if reforestation and vege- tation manipulation can restore or maintain habitat conditions. An appendix describes vocalizations of all species of Strix and the related genus Ciccaba. Keywords: Owls, old growth, old-growth forest, late-successional forests, spotted owl, owl calls, owl conservation, tropical forests, literature review.
    [Show full text]
  • Tc & Forward & Owls-I-IX
    USDA Forest Service 1997 General Technical Report NC-190 Biology and Conservation of Owls of the Northern Hemisphere Second International Symposium February 5-9, 1997 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Editors: James R. Duncan, Zoologist, Manitoba Conservation Data Centre Wildlife Branch, Manitoba Department of Natural Resources Box 24, 200 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg, MB CANADA R3J 3W3 <[email protected]> David H. Johnson, Wildlife Ecologist Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, WA, USA 98501-1091 <[email protected]> Thomas H. Nicholls, retired formerly Project Leader and Research Plant Pathologist and Wildlife Biologist USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station 1992 Folwell Avenue St. Paul, MN, USA 55108-6148 <[email protected]> I 2nd Owl Symposium SPONSORS: (Listing of all symposium and publication sponsors, e.g., those donating $$) 1987 International Owl Symposium Fund; Jack Israel Schrieber Memorial Trust c/o Zoological Society of Manitoba; Lady Grayl Fund; Manitoba Hydro; Manitoba Natural Resources; Manitoba Naturalists Society; Manitoba Critical Wildlife Habitat Program; Metro Propane Ltd.; Pine Falls Paper Company; Raptor Research Foundation; Raptor Education Group, Inc.; Raptor Research Center of Boise State University, Boise, Idaho; Repap Manitoba; Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada; USDI Bureau of Land Management; USDI Fish and Wildlife Service; USDA Forest Service, including the North Central Forest Experiment Station; Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; The Wildlife Society - Washington Chapter; Wildlife Habitat Canada; Robert Bateman; Lawrence Blus; Nancy Claflin; Richard Clark; James Duncan; Bob Gehlert; Marge Gibson; Mary Houston; Stuart Houston; Edgar Jones; Katherine McKeever; Robert Nero; Glenn Proudfoot; Catherine Rich; Spencer Sealy; Mark Sobchuk; Tom Sproat; Peter Stacey; and Catherine Thexton.
    [Show full text]
  • Endemism and Diversity of Small Mammals Along Two Neighboring Bornean Mountains
    Endemism and diversity of small mammals along two neighboring Bornean mountains Miguel Camacho-Sanchez1,2,*, Melissa T.R. Hawkins3,4,5,*, Fred Tuh Yit Yu6, Jesus E. Maldonado3 and Jennifer A. Leonard1 1 Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain 2 CiBIO—Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal 3 Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, USA 4 Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, USA 5 Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA 6 Sabah Parks, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia * These authors contributed equally to this work. ABSTRACT Mountains offer replicated units with large biotic and abiotic gradients in a reduced spatial scale. This transforms them into well-suited scenarios to evaluate biogeographic theories. Mountain biogeography is a hot topic of research and many theories have been proposed to describe the changes in biodiversity with elevation. Geometric constraints, which predict the highest diversity to occur in mid-elevations, have been a focal part of this discussion. Despite this, there is no general theory to explain these patterns, probably because of the interaction among different predictors with the local effects of historical factors. We characterize the diversity of small non-volant mammals across the elevational gradient on Mount (Mt.) Kinabalu (4,095 m) and Mt. Tambuyukon (2,579 m), two neighboring mountains in Borneo, Malaysia. We documented a decrease in species richness with elevation which deviates from expectations of the geometric constraints and suggests that spatial Submitted 14 February 2018 Accepted 9 September 2019 factors (e.g., larger diversity in larger areas) are important.
    [Show full text]
  • BORNEO: Bristleheads, Broadbills, Barbets, Bulbuls, Bee-Eaters, Babblers, and a Whole Lot More
    BORNEO: Bristleheads, Broadbills, Barbets, Bulbuls, Bee-eaters, Babblers, and a whole lot more A Tropical Birding Set Departure July 1-16, 2018 Guide: Ken Behrens All photos by Ken Behrens TOUR SUMMARY Borneo lies in one of the biologically richest areas on Earth – the Asian equivalent of Costa Rica or Ecuador. It holds many widespread Asian birds, plus a diverse set of birds that are restricted to the Sunda region (southern Thailand, peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo), and dozens of its own endemic birds and mammals. For family listing birders, the Bornean Bristlehead, which makes up its own family, and is endemic to the island, is the top target. For most other visitors, Orangutan, the only great ape found in Asia, is the creature that they most want to see. But those two species just hint at the wonders held by this mysterious island, which is rich in bulbuls, babblers, treeshrews, squirrels, kingfishers, hornbills, pittas, and much more. Although there has been rampant environmental destruction on Borneo, mainly due to the creation of oil palm plantations, there are still extensive forested areas left, and the Malaysian state of Sabah, at the northern end of the island, seems to be trying hard to preserve its biological heritage. Ecotourism is a big part of this conservation effort, and Sabah has developed an excellent tourist infrastructure, with comfortable lodges, efficient transport companies, many protected areas, and decent roads and airports. So with good infrastructure, and remarkable biological diversity, including many marquee species like Orangutan, several pittas and a whole Borneo: Bristleheads and Broadbills July 1-16, 2018 range of hornbills, Sabah stands out as one of the most attractive destinations on Earth for a travelling birder or naturalist.
    [Show full text]
  • New Birds in Africa New Birds in Africa
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NEWNEW BIRDSBIRDS ININ AFRICAAFRICA 8 9 10 11 The last 50 years 12 13 Text by Phil Hockey 14 15 Illustrations by Martin Woodcock from Birds of Africa, vols 3 and 4, 16 reproduced with kind permission of Academic Press, and 17 David Quinn (Algerian Nuthatch) reproduced from Tits, Nuthatches & 18 Treecreepers, with kind permission of Russel Friedman Books. 19 20 New birds are still being discovered in Africa and 21 elsewhere, proof that one of the secret dreams of most birders 22 23 can still be realized. This article deals specifically with African discoveries 24 and excludes nearby Madagascar. African discoveries have ranged from the cedar forests of 25 northern Algeria, site of the discovery of the Algerian Nuthatch 26 27 (above), all the way south to the east coast of South Africa. 28 29 ome of the recent bird discoveries in Africa have come case, of their discoverer. In 1972, the late Dr Alexandre 30 Sfrom explorations of poorly-known areas, such as the Prigogine described a new species of greenbul from 31 remote highland forests of eastern Zaïre. Other new spe- Nyamupe in eastern Zaïre, which he named Andropadus 32 cies have been described by applying modern molecular hallae. The bird has never been seen or collected since and 33 techniques capable of detecting major genetic differences Prigogine himself subse- quently decided that 34 between birds that were previously thought to be races of the specimen was of a melanis- 35 the same species. The recent ‘splitting’ of the Northern tic Little Greenbul Andropadus 36 and Southern black korhaans Eupodotis afraoides/afra of virens, a species with a 37 southern Africa is one example.
    [Show full text]
  • Snakes of South-East Asia Including Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Bali
    A Naturalist’s Guide to the SNAKES OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA including Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Bali Indraneil Das First published in the United Kingdom in 2012 by Beaufoy Books n n 11 Blenheim Court, 316 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 7NS, England Contents www.johnbeaufoy.com 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Introduction 4 Copyright © 2012 John Beaufoy Publishing Limited Copyright in text © Indraneil Das Snake Topography 4 Copyright in photographs © [to come] Dealing with Snake Bites 6 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. About this Book 7 ISBN [to come] Glossary 8 Edited, designed and typeset by D & N Publishing, Baydon, Wiltshire, UK Printed and bound [to come] Species Accounts and Photographs 11 Checklist of South-East Asian Snakes 141 Dedication Nothing would have happened without the support of the folks at home: my wife, Genevieve V.A. Gee, and son, Rahul Das. To them, I dedicate this book. Further Reading 154 Acknowledgements 155 Index 157 Edited and designed by D & N Publishing, Baydon, Wiltshire, UK Printed and bound in Malaysia by Times Offset (M) Sdn. Bhd. n Introduction n n Snake Topography n INTRODUCTION Snakes form one of the major components of vertebrate fauna of South-East Asia. They feature prominently in folklore, mythology and other belief systems of the indigenous people of the region, and are of ecological and conservation value, some species supporting significant (albeit often illegal) economic activities (primarily, the snake-skin trade, but also sale of meat and other body parts that purportedly have medicinal properties).
    [Show full text]
  • Mount Kinabalu & the Rainforests of Borneo
    Mount Kinabalu & the Rainforests of Borneo Naturetrek Tour Report 25 September - 15 October 2011 Golden Birdwing courtesy of Derek Brown Sunda Clouded Leopard courtesy of Fredoline Florence Slow Loris courtesy of Derek Brown Western Tarsier courtesy of Derek Brown Report compiled by Chris Kehoe Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0)1962 733051 F: +44 (0)1962 736426 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Mount Kinabalu & the Rainforests of Borneo Tour Leaders: Chris Kehoe Naturetrek Tour Leader Osman Assan Local guide Wangkong Intal Local guide Participants: Janice Fiske David Davis Derek Brown Catherine Brown Alison Bourne Gillian MacPhail Day 1 Sunday 25th September Outbound to Kuala Lumpur via Abu Dhabi We set off from the UK in the afternoon to Abu Dhabi. Day 2 Monday 26th September Outbound to Kota Kinabalu, en route to Kinabalu Park Weather: warm and overcast on arrival in KK, cooler at Kinabalu Park, dry On arrival in Abu Dhabi in the early hours there was a short wait before an onward flight to Kuala Lumpur, arriving there in the early afternoon. After a few hours in transit at Kuala Lumpur, we flew to Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, a few minutes ahead of schedule at 20.00. Osman, Danny (our driver) and I were waiting in the arrivals area and a 90 minute drive delivered us to the Rose Cabin Lodge near the entrance to Kinabalu Park. After the long journey everyone was keen to get to bed. Day 3 Tuesday 27th September Kinabalu Park Weather: heavy rain at dawn, thereafter mostly overcast but dry after 08.30.
    [Show full text]
  • Indonesia Highlights of Western Indonesia (Flores, Komodo, Bali, Java & Sumatra) 15Th to 28Th July 2019 (14 Days)
    Indonesia Highlights of Western Indonesia (Flores, Komodo, Bali, Java & Sumatra) 15th to 28th July 2019 (14 days) Trip Report Javan Banded Pitta by Glen Valentine Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Glen Valentine Top 10 list as voted for by the tour participants: 1. Javan Trogon 2. Red-crowned Barbet 3. Green Broadbill 4. Javan Frogmouth 5. Buffy Fish Owl 6. Pygmy Cupwing 7. Rufous-collared Kingfisher 8. Javan Banded Pitta 9. Red-bearded Bee-eater 10. Bali Myna Bali Myna (Starling) by Dennis Braddy Tour Summary… This short but extremely productive and varied tour, covering a fine selection of hand-picked “top birding sites and destinations” throughout Western Indonesia was an immense success, once again and was an absolute joy to lead due to our enthusiastic, fun and very good-natured group. Our quick-fire, two-week tour of western Indonesia, kicked off in Denpasar, on the island of Bali where we all met up at the Harris Hotel for an introductory dinner and flight the following morning to the island of Flores, situated in Nusa Tenggara (The Lesser Sundas), a chain of islands running mostly east/west to the east of Wallace’s line, therefore having a distinctly Australasian flair about their avifauna. After arriving in the large, coastal town of Labuan Bajo, the gateway to the popular and famous Komodo Island, we boarded our minibus and began the windy drive east, up into the hills, towards our first biding locality of the tour, the forest reserve of Puarlolo. This small reserve was initially set aside to protect the endemic and highly threatened Flores Monarch that was only discovered from this area as recently as 1971 and is still only known from a few scattered localities in the sub-montane forest on Flores.
    [Show full text]
  • Borneo) in Two Different Ways
    Contributions to Zoology, 78 (4) 141-147 (2009) Estimating the snake species richness of the Santubong Peninsula (Borneo) in two different ways Johan van Rooijen1, 2, 3 1 Zoological Museum Amsterdam, Mauritskade 61, 1092 AD Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2 Tulpentuin 313, 2272 EH Voorburg, The Netherlands 3 E-mail: [email protected] Key words: Chao I estimator, negative exponential function, rarefaction curve, Santubong Peninsula Borneo, snakes, species richness, Weibull function Abstract stantial investments in terms of search effort. This is particularly true for snakes which are hard to find (e.g. The distribution of Borneo’s species across the island is far Lloyd et al., 1968; Inger and Colwell, 1977; Hofer and from well-known. This is particularly true for snakes which are hard to find. Given the current rate of habitat destruction and Bersier, 2001; Orlov et al., 2003). As a consequence, consequent need for conservation strategies, more information estimation techniques are of interest when the intend- is required as to the species composition and richness of spe- ed objective is to assess species richness, an elemen- cific areas of potential conservation priority. An example is the tary criterion conservationists may use when identify- Santubong Peninsula, Sarawak, Malaysia, part of which has re- ing priority areas. One such estimation technique con- cently been gazetted as a National Park. In this paper, the snake species richness of the Santubong Peninsula is estimated on the sists of extrapolating the species accumulation curve. basis of data obtained during 450 survey-hours. Thirty-two spe- Species accumulation curves are regularly applied in cies were recorded.
    [Show full text]