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 grovesand 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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