Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok.

A great day at the Rainforest Discovery Centre full of brilliant birds and I always look forward to seeing some of those classic south-east Asian birds. It began with a Rhinoceros Hornbill in the lodge gardens at daybreak, along with Oriental Pied Hornbill and a flock of Little Green Pigeons. Then we drove just a couple of minutes to the car park at the RDC where we walked just 200m to the canopy walkway to begin our pre-breakfast birding. It was still quite early, around 6am when we arrived so we scoped the surrounding forest of the car park where a group of Bushy-crested Hornbills appeared. Up on the boardwalk the forest was a little quiet but there was an exceptionally confiding Violet Cuckoo that was feeding in a tree right next to the walkway. 

Violet Cuckoo - wow!!

 Then an endemic Black-crowned Pitta began calling and unbelievably I located it perched 30 feet off the ground and only just below the level of the walkway where it was calling away and remained on view for a good 15 minutes - and you could say the photo opportunities were quite good, despite the poor light. 

Black-crowned Pitta (endemic)

We hung around the walkway for a while seeing a group of Chestnut-rumped Babblers moving quickly below the walkway, Hairy-backed Bulbul, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Van Hasselt’s Sunbird, as well as other common species.

Stork-billed Kingfisher from the breakfast table

 After breakfast (and a close Stork-billed Kingfisher) we retuned to the Rainforest Discovery Centre and headed out onto the trails and managed to catch up with Rufous-collared Kingfisher thanks to some great spotting by Kath, and there was also some point-blank views of Rufous-backed (Oriental Dwarf) Kingfisher along a small stream. A pair of Fluffy-backed Tit-Babblers were exceptionally confiding, with the male performing right out in the open for us but it was a shame that a calling Black-capped Babbler didn’t come in and do the same. 

Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler

We also had great looks at a Little Spiderhunter, Black Hornbill, Plaintive Cuckoo, Black-and-red Broadbill, Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Cream-vented Bulbul, Lesser Green Leafbird, Ashy and Rufous-tailed Tailorbirds, and a Red Giant Flying Squirrel poking his head out of a large nestbox high overhead. Meanwhile back in the car park a group of White-rumped Spinetails were circling really quite low overhead and gave outstanding views.

Little Spiderhunter

After lunch in Sandakan we staked out the car park of the Orang-utan Research Centre where a Bornean Black Magpie was teed up in the scope, and an immense White-bellied Woodpecker was also seen. There were lots of Long-tailed Parakeets here as well, plus a group of 8+ Bushy-crested Hornbills and a few Common Hill-Mynas. Afterwards, we returned to the trails but it was very quiet so headed up onto the canopy walkway, where despite the light rain we had our first Bornean Orang-Utan feeding in a nearby tree. There was also an adult Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle, closer Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrikes and Black-and-yellow Broadbills, and a great scope view of White-crowned Hornbill, our 5^th hornbill species of the day.

A distant Wallace's Hawk-Eagle

White-crowned Hornbill

Other species seen today include Intermediate Egret, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Lesser Cuckooshrike, Fiery Minivet, Black-naped Monarch, and several Slender-billed Crows.

Poring Hot Springs - Sepilok

Spent four hours at Poring Hot Springs doing some easy birding this morning and racked up plenty of new birds for the trip as this was the first time we’d birded the lowlands. Upon arrival we walked along the road and saw plenty of endemic Dusky Munias, followed by Asian Red-eyed Bulbul, followed by a Buff-rumped Woodpecker that flew into the palm tree next to us and began feeding. 

Buff-rumped Woodpecker

Walking into the forest we were treated to a migrant Narcissus Flycatcher, along with Yellow-bellied Warbler, Black-naped Monarch, Red-throated Sunbird, Raffles’s Malkoha, Greater Green Leafbird, Green Iora, Purple-naped Spiderhunter (formerly sunbird) and found a Gold-whiskered Barbet excavating a nest hole, followed by the bizarre sighting of a pair of endemic White-crowned Shamas feeding an almost fully grown Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo. 

Gold-whiskered Barbet

Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo

White-crowned Shama

Further along we saw Spectacled and Black-headed Bulbuls, White-bellied Erpornis, Little Spiderhunter, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker and Plain Sunbird. Walking back down to the parking lot an Emerald Dove flew by, a Buff-necked Woodpecker appeared, followed by a fine Fulvous-chested Jungle-Flycatcher and an adult Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo. 

Fulvous-chested Jungle-Flycatcher

Then we followed the Waterfall Trail a short distance and found it very quiet in the rising heat of the day, although there was a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Olive-winged Bulbul, a pair of Red-throated Barbets showed briefly, a Rufous-tailed Tailorbird was called in, a Grey-headed Babbler was seen by two people and a Crimson Sunbird was spotted beside the path. We also scoped a Blue-eared Barbet singing away at the top of a tall tree and this is now split by HBW as Black-eared Barbet and endemic to Borneo.

After a mundane drive of around 4 hours through depressing oil palm plantations we arrived at our lodge at Sepilok at 4pm. After dropping our bags in our rooms we met in the car park and walked around the surprisingly lush vicinity. 

Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker

An endemic Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker and the common Brown-throated Sunbird showed well in the garden. We scoped a distant Dollarbird and Long-tailed Parakeet, with a closer Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker seen before returning for a nice hot shower.

Mount Kinabalu - Day 3

Another whole day on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu proved to be another rollercoaster ride and we began at the Timophon Gate area where we discovered a fruiting tree along one of the trails which only held a pair of Eye-browed Thrushes. We staked it our for a while in the hopes of a Fruithunter but alas it wasn’t to be. In fact it was very quiet here this morning so we descended and staked out the area we’d glimpsed the broadbill yesterday. Another briefest of glimpses followed after a few hours here, but a pair of Whitehead’s Trogons showed incredible well, and in fact the male appeared about 20 feet right in front of me.

The stunning endemic Whitehead's Trogon

What views we had and it was a real privilege to see this beauty up close and personal. From here we followed the Silau-Silau Trail fro a long way seeing very little until all of a sudden the magic happened and a Whitehead’s Broadbill flew into a tree about 100 yards away and remained for some 20 minutes. OMG! 

Whitehead's Broadbill - simply stunning!

What an absolutely stunning bird and I cannot adequately explain our emotions having been trying for 2.5 days for this baby. Nearby an endemic Eye-browed Jungle-Flycatcher showed well – please don’t call it Bornean Shade-Dweller…! 

Eye-browed Jungle-Flycatcher

Once we had all reassembled at the road we refound the broadbill again, but this time much, much closer. Just look at this vision of emerald green and black. Votes are suspended for Bird of the Trip already…!

Whitehead's Broadbill - it doesn't get much better than this..

Lunchtime was enlivened by close Temminck’s Sunbirds and a very vocal Blyth’s Shrike-Babbler. 

Blyth's Shrike-Babbler

Temminck's Sunbird

Afterwards we tried repeatedly for the elusive Whitehead’s Spiderhunter but did get a White-browed Shortwing (split by HBW/Lynx as Bornean Shortwing and yet another endemic), some confiding Black-capped White-eyes, Orange-headed Thrush, the endemic Bornean Forktail, Asian Brown, Blue-and-white, Snowy-browed, Indigo and Mugimaki Flycatchers, and more Bornean Whistling-Thrushes.

Black-capped White-eye

Bornean Forktail

Raptors were more in evidence today between the low cloud, mist and surprising lack of rain with Crested Honey Buzzard and Changeable Hawk-Eagle being seen. We returned to the Timophon Gate late in the day but all we had to show for our efforts was the rare Red Langur.

Other species seen today included Little Cuckoo-Dove, Mountain Imperial-Pigeon, and several Bornean Whistlers.

Mount Kinabalu Day 2

Our second full day on Mount Kinabalu didn’t begin too well as we had driving rain that delayed our departure from the hotel until after 6am. However it soon eased and we set ourselves up in the shelter of the restaurant in the park where we could scan the forest edge, despite the constant drizzle. There was quite a lot of activity here with both Sunda and Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrushes, Bornean Green Magpie, Grey-chinned Minivet, Bornean Whistling-Thrush, Eye-browed Thrush and Blue-and-white Flycatcher all seen here. 

Blue-and-white Flycatcher

With the weather improving we set out on a walk around the lower areas of the mountain and we finally got the tickable views required of the endemic Black-sided Flowerpecker, plus a Crested Goshawk, Mountain Tailorbird and we followed this up with a pair of endemic Red-breasted Partridges showing reasonably well and calling back at us from a heavily forested slope.

Mountain Tailorbird

Black-sided Flowerpecker (female)

Black-sided Flowerpecker (male & endemic)

A close endemic Bornean Whistler was also much appreciated and a close Yellow-breasted Warbler put on a fine show. 

Bornean Whistler (endemic)

The nearby Silau-Silau Trail was quiet so we drove up higher. It was very frustrating here as after a brief Whitehead’s Trogon appeared a Whitehead’s Broadbill called 3 times before flying right over us and across the road before disappearing for good. We spent an age searching for the broadbill without relocating it, but a walk along a narrow trail was very rewarding with a pair of Mountain Wren-Babblers performing just a few metres in front of us.

Mountain Wren-Babbler (endemic)

After lunch in a nearby restaurant we headed back up the mountain and at the Timophon Gate area we had really closed looks at Yellow-breasted Warbler, Mountain Leaf-Warbler, White-throated Fantail, Sunda Bush-Warbler and Grey-throated Babbler before the rain came in again. 

Mountain Leaf-Warbler

Yellow-breasted Warbler

Some of these birds were way too close to photograph and it was a great experience to see these birds right in front of our faces. Just before the rain arrived Lee called in a pair of endemic Mountain Black-eyes – our only sighting of the entire tour. With the day passing all too quickly we made one final stop with a short walk along a gloomy trail and with the mist descending rapidly we called in a trio of endemic Bare-headed Laughingthrushes that came in right over our heads but a little too high for any decent photos. 

Bare-headed Laughingthrush (endemic)

And that was our day.