Way Kambas 2

Everyone was eager to be out and birding at first light on our first full day in this wonderful area, so shortly after 5.30am we were already getting to grips with a Leopard Cat crossing the road in the headlights. We followed this with a Red-bearded Bee-eater and a superb pair of Scarlet-rumped Trogons, plus another Dusky Broadbill, Plain Sunbird and Asian Drongo Cuckoo. A fine trio of Black-bellied, Raffles’s and Red-billed Malkohas graced the forest. We also got to grips with more babblers and had really good close views of a pair of Fluffy-backed Tit-babblers, Sooty-capped, Chestnut-winged and Scaly-crowned Babblers. A little later we had a pair of Grey-and-buff Woodpeckers high in the canopy, followed by Whiskered Treeswift, Green Iora, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, several Black Magpies, Hairy-backed Bulbul, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Rufous-winged Philentoma and Dark-throated Oriole. As the morning continued and the temperature began to rise we heard Banded Kingfisher, Green Broadbill, Malayan Banded Pitta, Dark-necked Tailorbird and Ferruginous Babbler.

Bonaparte's Nightjar - one of the rarest nightjars in Asia

The afternoon was quieter as usual but our first Black-and-yellow Broadbill gave repeated views high in the canopy, whilst a Rufous-collared Kingfisher showed at point-blank range after a long wait, but unfortunately the light had gone so it wasn’t possible to get any photos. The night-birding again proved to be top drawer with a Bonaparte’s Nightjar perched on a horizontal branch over the road being the highlight - and this is one of the few places to see it anywhere in Asia. 

Gould's Frogmouth

Reddish Scops-owl

We followed this with a Reddish Scops-owl and then a Gould’s Frogmouth - what a place this is!