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.