Peninsular Malaysia tour report 11 –17 April 2014 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 Peninsular Malaysia tour report 2014 Dates of tour: 11-17 April 2014 Leaders: Peter Waanders and local guides next Peninsula Malaysia tour: 17 May 2015 go to our tour program page download 2015 tour brochure Photo gallery of this tour Red-bearded Bee-eater, © LiewWk Tour overview Our Peninsular Malaysia tour has been designed for those birders who have always wanted to bird South-east Asia, but have had some reservations – until now, that is! Jointly guided by Bellbird Tours’ Peter Waanders and one of Malaysia’s top bird guides Terence Ang, participants were treated to a smoothly run tour full of amazing birds. Malaysia has become quite sophisticated and modern in the past decade, and as a result travelling and birding here are a breeze. We stayed at comfortable, quality lodgings with a range of food to suit all taste-buds while the roads were excellent and the locals friendly and helpful. Visiting Krau Forest, Fraser’s Hill, Taman Negara, the Kuala Selangor mangroves and Paya Indau wetlands, we saw an amazing variety of birds, with many highlights including Rhinoceros Hornbill, Banded Pitta, Black-bellied Malkoha, Blue-rumped Parrot, Reddish Scops Owl, Rufous-backed Kingfisher, Banded Woodpecker, Crested Jay, Great Argus, Large Wren-Babbler, Long-billed Spiderhunter, Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker, Malayan Peacock-Pheasant, four species of Leafbirds, and the Peninsular Malaysia tour report 11 –17 April 2014 highly sought-after Malaysian Rail-Babbler, to name but a few. A grand total of 222 bird species were recorded. The full bird list follows at the end of this document. Other sightings of interest included Grey-bellied, Pallas’, Plaintain and Himalayan Striped Squirrel, Three-striped Ground-squirrel, Black Giant Squirrel, Tree Shrew, Common Palm Civet, Silver Leaf Monkey, Long-tailed Macaque, White-handed Gibbon, Eurasian Wild Boar, Indian Muntjac and tracks and dung of Asian Elephant. Banded Pitta, Fire-tufted Barbet, Sultan Tit © Endemic Guides Malaysia Daily account The inaugural tour started in Kuala Lumpur on 11 April. An early departure saw us arrive at Krau Forest not long after sunrise. Birding this lowland forest for a couple of hours yielded, amongst others, good views of a Greater Yellownape, 1 Fire-tufted Barbet, a few Blue-throated Bee-eaters, photographic opportunities of a spectacular Orange-breasted Trogon, while a pair of beautiful but secretive Malaysian Banded Pittas were foraging on the forest floor. Also seen here were two species of Broadbill: Silver-breasted and Black-and-yellow, and we hit the jackpot with views of the elusive Malaysian Rail-babbler! Late in the morning, as bird activity started slowing down, we moved onto Frasers Hill. This attractive hill station is surrounded by excellent broadleaved evergreen forests. A buffet lunch at the restaurant adjacent to our hotel provided us with the energy to bird these cool forest-clad hills for the rest of the day. We were kept busy with birds such as Black-and-crimson Oriole, Grey- chinned Minivet, Rufous-browed Flycatcher, Sultan Tit, Chestnut-capped and Spectacled Laughing-thrush, White- browed Shrike-babbler, the beautiful Blue-winged Minla and equally stunning Silver-eared Mesia. After breakfast early the next morning (12 April) we were out birding again shortly after sunrise, a time of the day that is amazingly cool in these hills. At a fast-flowing stream, a pair of Slaty-backed Forktails entertained us, while luck was with us when a Malaysian Whistling-thrush came flying in for a drink. Focusing on some of the harder-to- find species produced Rufous-browed, Mugimaki & Blue Hill Flycatcher, a Lesser Niltava with a small lizard as prey, Malaysian Cuckoo-shrike, Yellow-browed Babbler and a small party of Malaysian Whistling-thrushes, to name but a few. After lunch and a short break, we continued birding a different part of the reserve, where the elusive Malaysian Hill Partridge was found as well as other good species including Marbled & Pygmy Wren-babbler, Large Niltava, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Crow-billed Drongo, Grey-and-buff Woodpecker and a small flock of Everett’s White-eyes. We finished around dark to be treated to an excellent meal at our hotel, with a variety of authentic Malaysian dishes as well as Western food. Peninsular Malaysia tour report 11 –17 April 2014 Our final morning (13 April) birding at Frasers Hill was once again very productive. Another well-camouflaged Malaysian Hill Partridge was recorded while in the tree above it, a pair of beautiful Black-and-red Orioles were showing off. Woodpeckers weren’t in short supply this morning: both Lesser and Greater Yellownapes were seen multiple times, while Crimson-winged and Buff-necked Woodpecker were also recorded again. We were treated to unusually good views of the normally elusive Large Scimitar-babbler, while a Malaysian Rail-babbler was heard in the distance. Of the small, colourful nectar-feeding birds, we had both Black-throated Sunbird and Fire- breasted Flowerpecker, while an Asian Fairy-bluebird posed for photographs. After lunch we reluctantly departed for the drive into the interior of the peninsula, to the jewel in the crown of Malaysia’s National Parks: Taman Negara rainforest, which protects the largest remaining tract (over 4,000 km2) of virgin rain forest in peninsular Malaysia. On entering the forest one is immediately overwhelmed by the awesome tranquillity and timelessness of this vast natural cathedral. Tall evergreen trees with their huge buttress roots, luxuriant lower storey undergrowth, clambering vines, spectacular butterflies and strange-looking insects are all integral features of this superbly-balanced and stable environment which is the end-product of millions of years of evolution. The jungle here is claimed to be the oldest in the world: none of the Ice Ages had any effect here, and Taman Negara has eluded volcanic activity and other geological upheavals. After settling into our accommodation on the edge of the National Park we did an introductory walk into the park. Birding here, in of the world's most pristine primary rainforests, is an experience not to be missed. Our late-afternoon walk was used to ‘get into the groove’ of rainforest birding, yielding species such as Raffles’ Malkoha, Whiskered Treeswift, Blue-eared Kingfisher, various species of Bulbul and the beautiful, small, ever-active Orange-bellied Flowerpecker. An excellent dinner was had at one of the many establishments surrounding the park entrance, overlooking the river where earlier we’d seen a White-bellied Sea-eagle flying past! The following two days, 14 & 15 April, were spent birding the forest trails of Taman Negara National Park. A gentle pace, largely flat terrain and no rain made for excellent yet relaxed birding. Each day we started early, then retreated to our lodgings for lunch and siesta during the quiet hours of the day (while Crested Firebacks walked around the rooms!) to continue birding again later in the afternoon and into the evening. The resulting bird list was impressive and included specialties as Crested Fireback, various species of Hornbill including the rare Rhinoceros Hornbill, Black-bellied Malkoha, Blue-rumped Parrot, various species of Woodpecker including the sought-after Banded Woodpecker, Crested Jay, the cute Striped & Large Wren-Babblers, Long-billed Spiderhunter, Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker, the tiny Black-thighed Falconet, Large Green Pigeon, Black-bellied Malkoha, Blue- rumped Parrot, Rufous-backed Kingfisher, Banded Woodpecker, Banded Pitta, Black Magpie, Crested Jay, Black- throated and White-necked Babblers, Long-billed Spiderhunter and Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker. We were lucky enough to come across the secretive Great Argus and a pair of Malayan Peacock-Pheasants, allowing photographic opportunities, as well as the elusive Rufous-collared Kingfisher and Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher. A nocturnal spotlighting trip yielded Reddish Scops Owl and Malaysian Eared Nightjars. The morning of 16 April was our last morning in this beautiful park and after a few hours’ birding we reluctantly packed our bags and headed back towards Kuala Lumpur. We still had one major birding destination ahead of us: the Kuala Selangor mangroves. Some welcome cloud cover kept the temperature down to agreeable levels, while we walked the trails through the mangroves. Birds such as Mangrove Whistler and Mangrove Blue Flycatcher were recorded without much difficulty, while Mangrove Pitta and Buffy Fish Owl required harder work but eventually both species rewarded us with good views. Towards dark we moved on to the airport where we Peninsular Malaysia tour report 11 –17 April 2014 dropped off some people for their flight home, while others stayed in the airport hotel. Some of us went to the Paya Indau wetlands near the airport for a couple of hours the next morning (17 April), picking up a good number of additional species including Red Junglefowl, Changeable Hawk-eagle, Black-capped Oriole, Baya Weaver, Barn Swallow and 1 Cinnamon, 1 Black and 4 Yellow Bitterns! For 2015, we’ve slightly changed the itinerary by making the last day a full day, which means we can be at the mangroves in the morning, and we’ll visit the Paya Indau wetlands for the afternoon before saying goodbye to everyone. Read the 2015 brochure here. Grey-whiskered Tree-swift, Silver-breasted