Updates from the Field No. 2 Dec 2012 – Feb 2013 Malaysian Nature Society, JKR 641 Jalan Kelantan, Bukit Persekutuan, 50480 Kuala Lumpur The SEARCH begins…. The month of December has descended upon us which means only one thing for hornbills in Belum- Temengor – the onset of the breeding season. In Malaysia, not much is known about their breeding ecology. Our extant knowledge to date is the result of cumulative observations, mostly birders, reported over many years. This information have been summarised in Wells’ The Birds of Thai-Malay Peninsula (Vol. 1) (1999) for Peninsular Malaysia and the revised Birds of Borneo (4th edition) (1999) by Smythies and Davison. There were no consistent, long-term breeding data on Malaysian hornbills. With this realisation, when the MNS Hornbill Conservation Project (HCP) was established in 2004, addressing this knowledge gap formed one of the cornerstones of this project. But first we have to locate hornbill nest(s). In a forest landscape that spans over 300,000 ha (3,000 km2) coupled with the hornbill’s secretive nature during breeding season, it’s akin finding a needle in a haystack. But it’s not impossible if we are determined. Thankfully, our Thai counterparts from the Thailand Hornbill Project shared with us many lessons learnt and field protocols which the MNS team tried, tested and modified in Belum-Temengor. Soon, the number of nests found begin to grow, slowly but surely. Each nest discovered is celebrated and the ‘picture’ of the hornbills’ breeding cycle becomes more complete. Eventually, we hope to locate the nest of all 10 hornbill species in Belum- Temengor. Before we sign off, we’d like to thank everyone for their invaluable support and interest in this Project. Till the next update, I think I hear a hornbill calling…… Yeap Chin Aik Project Manager / Principal Investigator MNS Hornbill Conservation Project NOTE: The HCP Update No. 1 was Malaysian Nature Society published in the Malaysian Email: [email protected] Naturalist Vol. 66-3 (March 2013) HCP Update No. 2 Dec 2012 – Feb 2013 2 HAVE THE HORNBILLS STARTED BREEDING? 2 1 3 The year started off brilliantly with the discovery of several new nests of five species (Bushy-crested, Oriental Pied, Helmeted, Rhinoceros and Great) in January and February by the MNS team with the help of our Orang Asli guides. Some of the previously discovered nests were occupied as well. Interestingly, a nest that was previously used by Wreathed Hornbills in 2012 was now used by Bushy-crested Hornbills. One wonders if Belum-Temengor lack suitable nest holes despite its forest size. 4 The MNS team continues to monitor selected hornbill nests to gather information about its breeding cycle, ecology and behaviour. As the same time, continuous efforts are being made to search for more nests in the forest complex. We are also promoting the Nest Reward Scheme to as many Orang Asli villages as possible as another search [1] Oriental Pied Hornbill [2] Bushy-crested Hornbill tool. It is also a means to build future [3] Helmeted Hornbill [4] Our ‘welcoming committee’ working relationships. in the evening at Kg Chuweh HCP Update No. 2 Dec 2012 – Feb 2013 3 GETTING EDUCATORS EXCITED ABOUT HORNBILLS A crucial component in the HCP is reaching out to schools and educators on the current plight of hornbills and importance of its forest habitat. Our first education and awareness camp kicked off in late February with a total of 15 State School Nature Club Coordinators and 10 State Co- curriculum Officers (under the Education Department) from various States. The participants were given a lecture on the ‘basics of hornbills’ and how to identify them at the MNS Gerik Resource Conservation Centre and later taken to field to observe hornbills in the wild in Temengor (Sungai Halong and Pulau Besar area). For most of the participants, it was their first time to Belum-Temengor forests and observing hornbills in the wild. During the field trip, they were fortunate to see and/or hear the Oriental Pied and Wreathed Hornbills. They also visited Kampung Chuweh and interacted with the Orang Asli children through a hornbill colouring activity. Before leaving, they presented the village with some provisions as tokens of appreciation. The participants also provided many useful feedbacks for further improvement to the camp programme and materials provided. It was encouraging to note that they found the camp beneficial in helping to better understand hornbills and its conservation. They were later presented with a certificate of participation each by the MNS Vice President 1 Prof. Dr. Ahmad Ismail. HCP Update No. 2 Dec 2012 – Feb 2013 4 Group photo of the educators and MNS team at Kg Chuweh, Temengor. PLAIN-POUCHED HORNBILLS IN FEBRUARY? While surveying hornbills in the Sg Ular area (Temengor), we can across a flock of about 19-20 PPHBs flying northwards. This encounter is of interest as it was outside of usual ‘PPHB months’ i.e. July- Oct. The flock would most likely be comprised of non-breeding adults and/or juveniles tracking fruit resources in this landscape. The question is how many PPHBs stay behind after Oct? HCP Update No. 2 Dec 2012 – Feb 2013 5 THE MNS HORNBILL VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME (2008-2012) Year No. of No. of Days Highest count Lowest count Volunteers (late Jul-Sept) (No. of Ind.) (No. of Ind.) 2008 34 57 3,261 602 2009 53 61 67 2 2010 46 63 988 2 2011 61 58 979 4 2012 50 60 2,734 12 With the successful completion of the HVP2012, the programme has reached a five-year milestone thanks to all the field coordinators and participants. Working together with the villagers of Kg. Tebang (Temengor), over 200 participants have joined this citizen science-based programme and contributed to monitoring the globally PPHBs twice daily. Data collected from surveys and monitoring efforts since 2004 until 2012 are currently being analysed and will be presented in due time. The HVP is not just about the hornbills. It provides an opportunity to the participants to live, albeit briefly, with an Orang Asli community and experience some parts of their lifestyle e.g. building bamboo rafts, planting tapioca, etc. HCP Update No. 2 Dec 2012 – Feb 2013 6 From the MNS HVP album…… THE Hornbill Volunteer Programme IS BACK! Registration is now open for the 6th (2013) installation of HVP. Spread the word and check out the link below: www.mnshornbillvolunteerprogramme.wordpress.com HCP Update No. 2 Dec 2012 – Feb 2013 7 HORNBILL NEWS FROM AROUND THE REGION Saving the Narcondam Hornbill is on the radar of the Indian Government On a remote volcanic island in the Andaman Sea, surrounded by coral reefs and carpeted in thick forest, Narcondam Hornbill Aceros narcondami makes its home. In fact, the tropical evergreen forest on the 12 km2 Narcondam Island is the only place this species is found, giving it one of the smallest natural ranges of any bird species in the world. With a population of just 50-249 mature individuals, this small, distinctive, dark hornbill is classified as Endangered. The island, which is situated within the Andaman and Nicobar Island group, has been a recognised wildlife sanctuary since Narcondam Hornbill has a bluish ring around its 1977 and is an Important Bird Area. Due to eye, almost like eye-shadow. The Endangered conservation efforts and limited threats, the species, found only on Narcondam Island has been saved! population is stable at the moment, but it is (Niranjan Sant; worldsrarestbirds.com) extremely susceptible to new threats and natural disasters because of its size and range. Narcondam Hornbill saved So it comes as great news that a proposal from the Indian Coast Guard to build a RADAR surveillance station has recently been rejected by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (Government of India). The plan included removing virgin forest to build a large RADAR installation, diesel power generator and wide 2km access road. Dr Asad Rahmani, Director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BirdLife in India), was invited by the Indian Government Rohan Chakravarty, to assess the impact of the development. His www.greenhumour.blogspot.in strong rejection and a public campaign led to the successful protection of Narcondam Hornbill. HCP Update No. 2 Dec 2012 – Feb 2013 8 The creation of a small police outpost in 1969 and subsequent forest loss, firewood collection, hunting and goat introduction (which prevents natural forest regeneration) has already greatly affected the population. A larger-scale project, with considerable tree felling, additional human presence and exploitation would have caused major devastation to the species and quite possibly extinction. Committed mothers The hornbills use mature, undisturbed forest with large trees for nesting and roosting. For the duration of egg-laying and chick-rearing, the female hornbills devote complete care to their chicks- so much so that they shed their flight feathers and are incapable of flight. This means that, on top of the existing habitat degradation, any disturbance associated with building and regular functioning of a RADAR system would have likely caused irreversible adverse impacts on this species. The Ministry has highlighted that other options are available for the Indian Coast Guard, through technology choice or alternative off-shore locations. No such option is available for Narcondam Hornbill, so this proposal rejection is a great success for the species. Future conservation work proposed includes enforcing the existing hunting ban and protecting this remote habitat by encouraging regeneration of the existing forest through the removal of all remaining goats from the island, and by providing cooking fuel to the occupiers of the police outpost. Source: www.birdlife.org (25 Sept 2012) Typical coastal forest habitat in the Andaman Islands Photo: M Zafar-ul Islam HCP Update No.