Monday, 21 July 2025

Borneo for Bird's Wildlife & Nature - Day 14 - 16th June 2025

Blue sky greeted us in the Danum Valley as we walked out on our final post early breakfast walk.  It was leaving day and we tried to get as my on foot time as possible.  It began well with an Orangutan way up and slowly working her way through the canopy.  Amazing to think that we manged to see this iconic species on four days.  Finding them is never guaranteed.


The river was back to normal and the Grey-bellied Bulbuls were seen again

The White-capped Forktails were singing and moving around us.  They would often approach close and then fly through the trees and reappear just a few yards behind us. Every one of these walk produced new birds amongst those seen on previous ambles. The mixed flocks included the expected Bulbuls but as ever there was a new one with a striking couple of Scaly-breasted feeding high up and amongst the Babblers we added Chestnut-rumped and Short-tailed along with far better views of Ferruginous.  All three Tailorbirds were found along with Yellow-breasted and Yellow-rumped Flowerpeckers and Bornean and Little Spiderhunters in the lower storeys.

White-capped Forktail

White-capped Forktail

White-capped Forktail

White-capped Forktail

Gratuitous White-capped Forktail pics as I loved them!


Short-tailed Babbler

Charlotte's Bulbul


The higher flocks contained both Rufous-winged and Maroon-breasted Philentomas, Raffle’s and Black-bellied Malkohas (another new one), Barbets and a good selection of Woodpeckers.  Crimson-winged, Buff-necked and Orange-backed were seen and a pair of Rufous Woodpeckers filled another hole on the list.  Plaintive Cuckoos sung and we saw and heard both Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo and Indian Cuckoo (looks like our one). Lee had heard Blue-rumped Parrots several times but it took an age to look up at the right time and see flashing red underwings as they rocketed over.  There were Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots too which were even smaller and amazingly we even got to scope a couple these at long last as they poked around a stump hole and we could even see the red breast band and rump and the little blue cap.  While watching them a stunning male Ruby-cheeked Sunbird appeared and we had seen so few full male Sunbirds of any species that it was a real treat.


White-capped Shama


Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot

Rufous Woodpeckers - I was still having camera humidity issues!



Day moon

Clifford found a male Fireback much to the relief of some of the troop quick enough to get onto it and Sabah Partridges were heard.  We were all pleased to have had them so well at Sepilok.  At the furthest point we watched Whiskered Treeswifts hunting low around a river glade and the hooting bellows of Helmeted Hornbills gave us the chance to find and scope a male preening in the upper sunshine.  I am sorry to say that it is officially the ugliest bird I have ever seen.  The plumage is amazing and the tail magnificent but that head is just odd!  Perhaps if it had a big bill it would feel more balanced but perhaps it just adds to the prehistoric feel of this endangered bird.

Whiskered Treeswift

Whiskered Treeswift

Whiskered Treeswift



Helmeted Hornbill


Helmeted Hornbill

Helmeted Hornbill - Mr Lee


Whiskered Treeswift - Mr Lee

Those of us who had made it to the end took the slow final walk back to the lodge for lunch seeing so many Butterflies and a few Dragons on the way while the Gibbons continued their morning serenade between distant troops.  A pair of Rhinoceros Hornbills greeted us when we got back and we even saw another pair of Helmeted Hornbills headed off over the trees across the river - a fitting end.

Algia fasciata fasciata

Cepora iudith hespera 

Charaxes bernardus repetitus

Chersonesia rahria rahria


Papilio demolion demolion




Moth larva in hanging cocoon 

My 1st Bornean Hoverfly - looks a like a Syprhus sp

Prevost's Squirrel



Helmeted Hornbill - a final fly by - so odd

It was a leisurely lunch and a final pack and then we were back in the 4x4s and heading back out on the 77km of track to the main road.  A stop at one of the security gates had some of us getting hastily out as a male Blyth’s Paradise Flycatcher with a full length flowing white train was mobbing a pair of Bornean Black Magpies. What a fantastic farewell from the mighty Danum Valley.

Once back on the main road we made our way back into Lahad Datu through the palm groves and were deposited at the little airport for our flight back to Koto Kinabalu.  Once through the tiny security we spread out in the waiting room but I got distracted and found some Paddyfield Pipits striding around the runway and as we taxied for take off we could see Nankeen Night Herons, Brahminy Kites and Javan Mynas!




The flight was only an hour and it was distressing to spend 48 minutes of it flying over an endless green sea of uniform palm oil plantations.  You could see rivers and but the palms came down to the edges and the only break in the monotony was the occasional oil refinery belching white vapour into to the air from towering chimneys.


palm...

more palm...

Only when Mount Kinabalu came into view did the forest skirting the mountain reappear.  We swung out over a sea shimmering with the impending sunset and landed smoothly.  We were soon back at the Shangri-La Hotel in town.

Mount Kinabalu 

pointy like Godzilla's back breaking through the cloud

KK below us


And sunset on the other side of the plane - Helen Stedman

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