Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd PO Box 2008 BERRI SA 5343 AUSTRALIA Ph. 1800-BIRDING Ph. +61409 763172 www.bellbirdtours.com [email protected] ABN 40 159 352 002 Sabah-Borneo 2017 tour report Go to our Tour Programs page Go to next years’ tour Go to photo gallery of this tour Dates of tour: 1 – 10 June 2017 Leaders: Peter Waanders & Lee Kok Chung Tour overview This 10-day tour took us through the highlights of Sabah, including the montane forests of Mt Kinabalu, across to the lowland forests at the Sepilok Rainforest Centre, up the mighty Kinabatangan River and the huge Gomantong Caves and finally to the spectacular rainforests in the world-renowned Danum Valley Conservation Area, one of the world’s top birding destinations. Total number of birds seen during the tour was a staggering 234 with another 6 heard-only. We also encountered some great mammals, including multiple sightings of Orang-utans, Proboscis Monkeys and various other species of primates as well as various species of Squirrel. The beautiful landscape, great food, friendly locals and excellent infrastructure greatly contributed to the success of the tour. Read on for a daily account and checklist. Daily account Day 1: The tour commenced with a short boat ride to an island just off Kota Kinabalu where the main target, the elusive Tabon Scrubfowl, showed well. Other highlights here included Mangrove Flycatcher, Mangrove Whistler and Malaysian Pied Flycatcher. After lunch we took a flight to Lahad Datu, on the eastern side of Sabah, from where we travelled in 4WD’s to the rainforests of the Danum Valley. Day 2: The entire day was spent in the rainforest paradise of the Danum Valley, where we picked up a great variety of local specialties including 2 species of Malkoha, the beautiful Diard’s Trogon and its close relative the Cinnamon-rumped Trogon, a pair of Bornean Crested Fireback, a Banded Pitta, and canopy flocks including Lesser Green Leafbird, Green Iora, Red-throated Barbet and many more! Day 3: We spent the entire day in the Danum Valley, one of the world's finest rainforests. Here we clocked up no less than 60 bird species, amongst others, great views of Black-crowned Pitta, a pair of the localised Bornean Bristleheads, a small party of Bornean Necklaced Partridges, the cute Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, the intriguingly named Fluffy-backed Tit-babbler and a nesting pair or Rhinoceros Hornbill. Non-bird highlights included 4 Orangutans in a single tree! A spotlighting walk at night resulted in a Large Frogmouth showing well. Day 4: The morning of Day 4 was spent in the Danum Valley, where we had great views of Blue-headed Pitta, White-crowned Forktail, 4 species of woodpecker, Bornean Crested Fireback and more. We then travelled to the Kinabatangan river where we took a late afternoon small boat tour and added no less than 5 species of Hornbill, the rare Storm's Stork and other good species, while Proboscis Monkeys in the trees entertained us. At night, a Brown Wood Owl was seen well close to the lodge. Day 5: was spent on tributaries of the Kinabatangan river by electric-powered boat. Slowly and quietly exploring the maze of waterways criss-crossing these extensive floodplain forests we were delighted by Storm's Stork, Lesser Fish Eagle, a pair of Bat Hawks, Hooded Pitta, nesting Black-and-yellow Broadbills, 3 species of Barbet and Hornbills. Day 6: after a final morning on the river we continued to a nearby cave, home to tens of thousands of swiftlets of four species: Edible Nest, Black Nest, Mossy and Glossy Swiftlets, as well as thousands of bats. We then continued to the Rainforest Discovery Centre at Sepilok where a small but well-protected area of rainforest yielded many good birds - 3 species of Kingfisher and 4 species of Sunbird provided highlights. Day 7: an early morning birding at Sepilok resulted in Green Iora, Buff-rumped Woodpecker, Hooded Pitta, the endemic Van Hasselt's Sunbird and 4 species of Munia. We then travelled to Mount Kinabalu National Park where we appreciated the beautiful Copper-throated Sunbird in remarkably cooler climes! Day 8: We spent the entire day in Mount Kinabalu NP, where we broke through 200 species for the trip. Highlights for the day included Crimson-headed Partridge, Checker-throated Woodpecker, Bornean Whistler, Bornean Treepie, Temminck's Sunbird and many more including 5 species of squirrel. Day 9: Another full day in Mount Kinabalu NP where Whitehead's Trogon was an absolute star performer, assisted by the secretive Stubtail and Mountain Wren-babbler, as well as Bald Laughing- thrush, Bornean Forktail and Bornean Green Magpie. All this in great scenery, good company and pleasant weather made for a very enjoyable day. Day 10: The last day of the tour but certainly not the least, with a fantastic morning's birding in the Crocker ranges delivering 4 good endemics: Whitehead's Broadbill, Mountain Bulbul, Bornean Barbet and Mountain Barbet. The afternoon on the coast in Kota Kinabalu yielded nice views of Oriental Pied Hornbill and a small colony of the rare Blue-naped Parrot. The trip finished with a whopping 234 bird species seen and a further 6 heard only, plus many exciting mammals including multiple sightings of Orang Utans. Join us next year! L: birding the Danum Valley; R: Orang Utan mother with baby Banded Broadbill, Blue-headed Pitta, Copper-throated Sunbird, Brown Wood Owl, Whitehead’s Trogon, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Lesser Fish Eagle, Rufous-collared Kingfisher photos © P Waanders, Bellbird Birding Tours Sabah-Borneo tour, list of birds seen 1-10 June 2017 Tabun Scrubfowl Green Imperial Pigeon Stork-billed Kingfisher Crimson-headed Partridge Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot Collared Kingfisher Red-breasted Hill Partridge Blue-naped Parrot Blue-eared Kingfisher Bornean Necklaced Partridge Long-tailed Parakeet Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher Crested Fireback Greater Coucal Red-bearded Bee-eater Storm's Stork Raffles's Malkoha Blue-throated Bee-eater Lesser Adjutant Red-billed Malkoha Bushy-crested Hornbill Striated Heron Chestnut-breasted Malkoha Oriental Pied Hornbill Eastern Cattle Egret Black-bellied Malkoha Black Hornbill Purple Heron Asian Koel Rhinoceros Hornbill Great Egret Plaintive Cuckoo White-crowned Hornbill Pacific Reef Heron Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Wrinkled Hornbill Oriental Darter Sunda Cuckoo Wreathed Hornbill Black-shouldered Kite Brown Wood Owl Golden-whiskered Barbet Crested Serpent Eagle Large Frogmouth Red-throated Barbet Bat Hawk Grey-rumped Treeswift Mountain Barbet Wallace's Hawk-Eagle Whiskered Treeswift Golden-naped Barbet Crested Goshawk Glossy Swiftlet Blue-eared Barbet Brahminy Kite Bornean Swiflet Bornean Barbet White-bellied Sea Eagle Mossy-nest Swiftlet Brown Barbet Lesser Fish Eagle Black-nest Swiftlet Rufous Piculet Bornean Falconet Edible-nest Swiftlet Sunda Pygmy woodpecker White-breasted Waterhen Silver-rumped Spinetail Banded Woodpecker Rock Dove Little (House) Swift Checker-throated Woodpecker Spotted Dove Diard's Trogon Common Flameback Little Cuckoo-Dove Whitehead's Trogon Maroon Woodpecker Common Emerald Dove Scarlet-rumped Trogon Orange-backed Woodpecker Zebra Dove Oriental Dollarbird Rufous Woodpecker Little Green Pigeon Rufous-collared Kingfisher Buff-rumped Woodpecker Pink-necked Green Pigeon Banded Kingfisher Buff-necked Woodpecker Great Slaty Woodpecker Rufous-winged Philentoma Bornean Stubtail Whitehead's Broadbill Maroon-breasted Philentoma Golden-bellied Gerygone Black-and-red Broadbill Oriental Paradise Flycatcher Mountain Leaf Warbler Banded Broadbill Black Magpie Yellow-breasted Warbler Black-and-yellow Broadbill Bornean Green Magpie Yellow-bellied Prinia Dusky Broadbill Bornean Treepie Rufous-tailed Tailorbird Blue-headed Pitta Slender-billed Crow Ashy Tailorbird Black-crowned Pitta Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Mountain Tailorbird Hooded Pitta Straw-headed Bulbul Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler Bornean Bristlehead Black-and-white Bulbul Grey-throated Babbler White-breasted Woodswallow Black-headed Bulbul Chestnut-rumped Babbler Common Iora Bornean Bulbul Chestnut-winged Babbler Green Iora Scaly-breasted Bulbul Rufous-fronted Babbler Sunda Cuckooshrike Grey-bellied Bulbul Bold-striped Tit-Babbler Lesser Cuckooshrike Puff-backed Bulbul Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler Pied Triller Pale-faced Bulbul Brown Fulvetta Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Yellow-vented Bulbul Bornean Wren-Babbler Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike Olive-winged Bulbul Black-throated Wren-Babbler Large Woodshrike Cream-vented Bulbul Mountain Wren-Babbler Scarlet Minivet Asian Red-eyed Bulbul Striped Wren-Babbler Mangrove Whistler Spectacled Bulbul Horsfield's Babbler Bornean Whistler Finsch's Bulbul Sooty-capped Babbler Dark-throated Oriole Ochraceous Bulbul Rufous-crowned Babbler Ashy Drongo Grey-cheeked Bulbul White-chested Babbler Bronzed Drongo Yellow-bellied Bulbul Temminck's Babbler Hair-crested Drongo Hairy-backed Bulbul Sunda Laughing-thrush Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Buff-vented Bulbul Chestnut-hooded Laughing-thrush White-throated Fantail Streaked Bulbul Bornean Bald Laughing-thrush Malaysian Pied Fantail Cinereous Bulbul Blyth's Shrike-babbler Spotted Fantail Pacific Swallow Bornean Ibon Black-naped Monarch Sunda Bush-Warbler Mountain Blackeye Chestnut-crested Yuhina Greater Green Leafbird Java Sparrow Black-capped White-eye Lesser Green Leafbird Baya Weaver Asian Glossy Starling Bornean Leafbird Eurasian Tree Sparrow Common Hill Myna Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker Germain's Swiftlet Common Myna Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker Javan Myna Orange-bellied Flowerpecker Mammals: Bornean Whistling Thrush Bornean