Ferruginous Partridge (Craig Robson) THE MALAY PENINSULA 18 – 28 JULY / 1 AUGUST 2017 LEADER: CRAIG ROBSON After a gap of three years, a highly successful return to Peninsular Malaysia brought a huge range of endemics and regional specialities. Heading the cast of the 284 species that we recorded were: Malaysian and Ferruginous Partridges, ‘Malay’ Crested Fireback, Malayan and Mountain Peacock-Pheasants, Bat Hawk, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Reddish Scops Owl, Gould’s Frogmouth, Malaysian Eared Nightjar, Cinnamon-rumped Trogon, Rufous-collared and Blue-banded Kingfishers, White-crowned and Wrinkled Hornbills, Fire-tufted and Red-crowned Barbets, Bamboo Woodpecker, Garnet and Mangrove Pittas, Maroon-breasted Philentoma, Fiery Minivet, Black-and-crimson Oriole, Spotted Fantail, Rail-babbler, Straw- headed, Black-and-white, Scaly-bellied and Finsch’s Bulbuls, Rufous-bellied Swallow, Grey-headed and Grey-breasted Babblers, Striped Wren-babbler, Black, Chestnut-capped (or Spectacled) and Malayan Laughingthrushes, Mountain Fulvetta, Blue Nuthatch, Rufous-tailed Shama, Malaysian Blue Flycatcher, Chestnut-naped Forktail, ‘Malayan’ Blue Whistling Thrush, and Red-throated, Copper-throated and Temminck’s Sunbirds. 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: The Malay Peninsula www.birdquest-tours.com Interesting mammals included Dusky and Banded Leaf Monkey’s, and a colony of Lesser Sheath-tailed Bats, and we also noted a wide range of reptiles, amphibians, moths and butterflies, including the famous Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing. After meeting up and then departing from Kuala Lumpur airport, it was only a hundred-minute drive to our first birding location at Kuala Selangor. There were a few common birds around the hotel, but after lunch we paid our first visit to Kuala Selangor Nature Park. It was quite birdy for an afternoon in the tropics, and following the trail through the recovering mangrove ecosystem, we notched-up the scarce and retiring Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, as well as Pied Triller, two Mangrove Whistlers, plenty of Golden-bellied Gerygonies and Ashy Tailorbirds, and droves of Pink-necked Green Pigeons and Olive-winged Bulbuls. Laced Woodpecker and Common Flameback were both very showy, and Cinereous Tit was also welcomed. At dusk, Large-tailed Nightjars performed over the car park, and an elusive Sunda Scops Owl (or Collared, taxonomy-dependant) was a leader-only. The attractive Silvered Leaf Monkey was as confiding as ever. White-chested Babbler (Craig Robson) The following morning saw a return to the site, and the addition of Abbott’s and the rather more elusive but on this occasion ridiculously confiding White-chested Babbler, and Mangrove Blue Flycatcher. The hotel grounds produced a reactive singing Little Bronze Cuckoo. After lunch, we drove for a couple of hours to the cooler climes of Fraser's Hill. After a quick turn-around, we found ourselves along one of the resorts quieter back roads. Here we were introduced to our first Malay Peninsula upland specialities, which included the strange and unique Fire-tufted Barbet, somewhat more typical but near-endemic Black-browed Barbet, both Blyth’s and the endemic form of Black-eared Shrike-babbler, Black-and-crimson Oriole, Long-tailed Sibia, and the local form of Black-throated Sunbird. As evening approached at a secluded spot, we enjoyed prolonged close views of three endemics, the normally shy and retiring Malaysian Partridge, and both Chestnut-capped (or Spectacled) and Malayan Laughingthrushes. The next morning, we were out before dawn, in search of whistling thrushes. At the usual spot for Malayan, the bird that showed up in the predawn gloaming turned out to be the endemic and highly distinctive dicrorhynchus form of Blue - itself a potential future split. Higher than its normal range in the area, it seems that the local Malayan has been displaced by this species! After breakfast, we explored the ‘new’ road down to The Gap and in the afternoon, the road to Jeriau Waterfall and the Pine Tree Hill (High Pines) area. 2 BirdQuest Tour Report: The Malay Peninsula www.birdquest-tours.com Malaysian Partridge and Chestnut-capped (or Spectacled) Laughingthrush (Craig Robson) 3 BirdQuest Tour Report: The Malay Peninsula www.birdquest-tours.com A very birdy day brought us a great selection of goodies, including super-tame Pygmy Wren-babbler (or Cupwing), Lesser Shortwing, and Grey-throated Babbler, Rufous-browed and Pygmy Flycatchers, Slaty- backed Forktail and numerous Everett's white-eyes. The most prominent mammal was the attractive Dusky Leaf Monkey. On our second full day, we covered even more ground. The road down to The Gap came up trumps again, with three completely unexpected Ferruginous Partridges that allowed us some surprisingly good views from the main road, as well as Chestnut-naped Forktail. An afternoon walk around the relatively undisturbed Telecom Loop finally brought us a pair of Blue Nuthatches, which had been surprisingly scarce, as well as Red-headed Trogon, Bay Woodpecker, and our only Chestnut-crowned Warbler. At dusk, a lengthy spell chasing after some Brown Wood Owls only resulted in rather poor views. Adult male Mountain Peacock-Pheasant (Craig Robson) Before leaving the Fraser’s Hill area, we spent our last couple of hours birding on the way down to The Gap. A very enjoyable and productive spell brought a perched and scopeable juvenile Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle, a fine Great Hornbill, Checker-throated and Crimson-winged Woodpeckers together, a tour write-in Bamboo Woodpecker, Collared Babbler, and a nice male Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker. It was a relatively short and easy drive to our next birding location at Bukit Tinggi. This new venue for the tour was added with the express aim of seeing Peninsula Malaysia’s most sought after endemic, the sultry Mountain Peacock-Pheasant. Fortunately, this is just a formality these days and, within a few hours of arriving at our accommodation, we were enjoying the most amazing close-ups of four different individuals in a secluded area of forest. Returning early the next morning, we had more great views of the peacock- pheasant, but perhaps even more exciting on this occasion, was an amazing family party of superb Ferruginous Partridges that busily scratched and fed right in front of us. The supporting cast at Bukit Tinggi 4 BirdQuest Tour Report: The Malay Peninsula www.birdquest-tours.com included Black Eagle, Grey-rumped Treeswift, Bushy-crested Hornbill, Green Iora, Scaly-breasted and Ochraceous Bulbuls, and Buff-breasted Babbler. From Bukit Tinggi, we had another relatively short drive to Jerantut for lunch in a Chinese restaurant, before arriving at Kuala Tembeling, where we boarded the river boat to Kuala Tahan in Taman Negara. Based in very comfortable air-conditioned cabins, set in the forest edge, we had four whole days to explore what we could of this enormous and well-protected tropical rain forest reserve. The marvelous Striped Wren-babbler (Craig Robson) Regular stake-outs of fruiting trees and dusk watches in the Tahan Clearing, brought a surprising number of good birds, including three sightings of Bat Hawk, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Little Green Pigeon, Sooty Barbet, Checker-throated and Banded Woodpeckers, up to five Black-thighed Falconets together, Grey- bellied, Puff-backed, Cream-vented, Asian Red-eyed, Spectacled, Buff-vented and Streaked Bulbuls, and Grey-breasted Spiderhunter. Daily pre-dawn owling sessions along the various boardwalk trails were rewarded with very good views of Reddish Scops Owl on three different days, and we also succeeded in tracking down the very tricky Gould’s Frogmouth. Another Sunda Scops Owl (or Collared, taxonomy-dependant) showed much better for all. The boardwalk close to our accommodation was also favoured by the now habituated ‘Malay’ Crested Firebacks and Malayan Peacock-Pheasants, which both put on a fine show. Taking small long-boats along the Sungei Tahan enabled us to find some of the riverine and riparian specialities. The vocally well-endowed Straw-headed Bulbul, much reduced in numbers now by corrupt and 5 BirdQuest Tour Report: The Malay Peninsula www.birdquest-tours.com morally devoid cage-bird traders, still clings on here for the time-being, and we also found Lesser Fish Eagle, Stork-billed and Blue-banded Kingfishers, the awesome Rhinoceros as well as Wrinkled Hornbill, and plenty of Black-and-red Broadbills and Malaysian Blue Flycatchers. The park trail system stretches far and wide from Kuala Tahan, and we explored what we could of it during our stay. Near Yong and Blau hides, we came frustratingly close (but not close enough) to seeing Short-toed Coucal and Rail-babbler. Green and Black-and-yellow Broadbills, Crested Jay, Fluffy-backed, Sooty-capped and Short-tailed Babblers, and a stunning Temminck’s Sunbird proved more obliging. Garnet Pitta (Craig Robson) The riverside walk to Tabing and beyond yielded two different Rufous-collared Kingfishers, Red-naped, Diard’s and Scarlet-rumped Trogons, Maroon-breasted Philentoma, and Black-throated Babbler. The scarce but vocal Cinnamon-rumped Trogon was a leader-only sighting, and a very close Malayan Banded Pitta competed for our attention with the leeches. Our luck with pittas was better along the Bukit Teresek Loop, where we had lengthy views of a lovely singing Garnet Pitta, and the excellent Striped Wren-babbler also showed really well. Leaving Taman Negara behind, we embarked on our longest drive of the tour, which took us south to the state of Johor and the renowned Panti Forest. Passing the entrance to the famous Bunker Trail on our way to the hotel in Kota Tinggi, excitement mounted in anticipation of the next days’ birding. Continuing fine weather, a feature of this year’s tour, helped with an excellent debut at Panti Bird Sanctuary, and by 0930 hrs we had secured our primary target, the wonderful Rail-babbler. Not just that, but we had been lucky enough to witness a displaying pair in full view, tipping forwards and inflating their balloon-like 6 BirdQuest Tour Report: The Malay Peninsula www.birdquest-tours.com bluish neck-skin.