Sunday, 20 July 2025

Borneo for Bird's Wildlife & Nature - Day 13 - 15th June 2025

It dawned misty and close in the Danum Valley with almost none of the trees visible above those on the opposite bank of the river.  The Lesser Fish Eagle was seen again briefly and an Oriental Darter looked a little incongruous sat up in a tree here while six Bushy Crested Hornbills flew silently across the valley. Our walk after breakfast was saw us on the track as the jungle came to life.  The heat was oppressive and the weather apps said 36c – feels like 41c – never seen that before and the humidity was just shy of 100%.  You stepped outside your room and watched your shirt change colour within a couple of minutes.  It was a good job that we were all friends! I have never felt so sweaty and malodorous in my life and we all agreed that it was our bodies leeching out who knows what from our pores!

Bushy Crested Hornbills




Pacific Swallow

Stork-billed Kingfisher




A lot of those first four hours of the day was spent staring up into the canopy as we tracked roving mixed flocks and at this late stage I was at last getting my eye and to some degree my ear in.  There were Barbets singing and we saw Red-throated and Black-eared and with some persistent searching a couple of fine Yellow-crowned which was new. An all green juvenile Red-bearded Bee-eater sat up on the wires and amongst the flocks of birds moving through we saw the ‘usual’ Bulbuls along with Yellow-bellied and Hairy-backed once again.  There were Scarlet Minivets, Black & Yellow Broadbills, Velvet Fronted Nuthatches, Brown Fulvettas, Greater Green Leafbirds, Ventriloquial Orioles, Raffle’s Malkohas and even Sunda Crows.  Large Wood-shrikes were seen for the first time since Poring Springs but Lesser Cuckoo-Shrike was a new addition.  It was neck breaking work but the concrete slope up to the monstrous red and white telecom mast (apparently people complained about poor wifi at the Lodge…) helped reduced the angle somewhat and the best flocks were in that area too.




Down at ground level we repeated most of the Bulbuls (they are happy up or down) and there was plenty of Babbler action with Black-capped, Horsfield’s and Ferruginous seen and pesky Black-throated Wren-Babblers once again giving us the run around.  The Striped Babbler was my favourite and on two occasions came right out onto the track to feed around us.  One of my trip favourites along with his Black-capped buddy.

Striped Babbler

A short loop down to the river took us through our first leechy spot although we escaped unscathed.  There were Babblers here too with good views of White-chested on the river bank and a brief look at Moustached on the way back out.  A female Scarlet-rumped Trogon gave us the evil eye and Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher sung in the gloom.  It was so dark under the trees and I do not really know what any of the tourist who get taken off the main track actually see?


Tiger Leech

Scarlet-rumped Trogon 

You can't have too many Stork-billed Kingfishers

A Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher was feeding a fledged youngster but the colours bled away with ease down there but we did see a Large Treeshrew fossicking in the leaf litter.  The Blue-headed Pitta was not where we saw him yesterday but one was up by the main path and we saw him a couple of times.  If he stood still it just faded away unlike the brazen White-capped Forktails that paraded up and down the track around us where Yellow-eared and Little Spiderhunters were zipping in and out of the Gingers once again.

It had gone dark and the air was so heavy but it was only 10am and rain is apparently meant to be an afternoon thing.  Piece of advice; always take your poncho out with you regardless of the hour! The sky split asunder and a deluge of biblical proportions descended on us.  There was just time to cover the gear and start walking but we were a good 20 minutes from the Lodge.

I am not sure we could have got any wetter.  There was no point running or lurking under a Taro leaf.  It pulsed, almost like a warm shower on power mode with a little air in the pipes. I back marked to make sure everyone was accounted for but you can’t turn off my birding ears and I heard a couple of raucous Woodpeckers coming in.  They landed in the tree in front and I could see the white upper back and orangey lower telling me I had found Orange-backed Woodpeckers, the only bird seen by others and not me on the trip so far!  As such I risked taking a couple of shots to prove my luck!

Orange-backed Woodpecker



I caught up a lagging Jane and we found the others sought of sheltering under a roofed display board but I was so wet by then that I said ta ta and kept going the Lodge a few hundred metres further on where we were met by dry staff with huge towels!


Roger was so far past wet...


There was just time to dry out back in the rooms before sloshing back for lunch but not before I had seen a Dwarf Kingfisher from my room fishing in the now flowing stream outside! I put my swimming shorts and vest and found a pair of flipflops and for the only time this trip actually looked like a tourist.

Rufous-backed Dwarf Kingfisher from my veranda

After food we all headed back to change in to more appropriate clothing and a small gaggle of people on my porch suggested something good and indeed there was with a young Orangutan slowly grazing in the trees above my room.  She seemed quite content and was as happy sucking moss and lichen on the trunks as plucking leaves. 

Orangutan 

Afterwards, I walked back down to the river where Yvonne and Jane were chilling and watching the river, the flow of which had somewhat changed in the preceding couple of hours and was now at least a metre higher than in the morning and was a raging brown torrent.


The rain made itself felt

While Jane had some nice young bar man help her in the removal of a Brown Leech that was slowly working its way up her belly, I was trying to find a mystery calling bird and soon picked up a very smart Grey-bellied Bulbul in the riverside trees.  An easy species to identify decked out in bright olive and grey with a sulphur yellow vent.  A pair of Rufous-tailed Tailorbirds showed below us along with a stunning male Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker which put on quite a show.  A glance to the right and the Lesser Fish Eagle was back but now sitting on a log and posing nicely.  A fierce looking eagle and surprisingly slight compared to the very similar Grey-headed Fish-Eagle. 

Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker


Grey-bellied Bulbul

Rufous-tailed Tailorbird

Lesser Fish Eagle 

The Bold-striped Tit-Babblers were in the garden with some Charlotte’s Bulbuls and I found a very slender Brown Striped Bronze-back snake lounging across some lower branches.  The rain had changed one thing – Leeches.  Stripy Tiger Leeches were now everywhere and once we all reconvened there was a quick heads up about being even more aware of not brushing against trackside vegetation.  They were questing off so many leaves!

Brown Striped Bronze-back




It was still trying to rain and I had left my camera behind to dry out and the ponchos were already on but it was so sweaty underneath! We started well with a wonderful display from the White-capped Forktails.  The black disappeared but the white shone through.  We spent more quality time searching flocks and got better views of the Yellow-bellied Bulbuls and added Cream-eyed too while associated Babblers gave us Sooty Capped and two new ones together – Rufous Crowned and Scaly Crowned. 

The Barbets were still tocking away and we added Brown Barbet to the day tally which as usual were in a small group and a solitary Great Slaty Woodpecker bounded over and at the other end of the scale we again saw Rufous Piculet. An Indian Cuckoo was singing – another Sri Lankan ‘heard only’ and remained so and Blue-headed and Black-crowned Pittas were whistling as the evening wore on Sabah Partridges started up deep in the jungle.  A pair of Rhinoceros Hornbills were heading off to roost switching from single calls when perching to double when in flight.




The sapping heat had dwindled our numbers somewhat and only Yvonne and Jane had made it to the end of the walk and thus only they were treated to the sight of two male and a female Bornean Crested Fireback appearing on the track in front of us. There was enough light to appreciate the petrol sheens, blue face, burgundy back and glowing orange upper tail feathers and they seemed quite unconcerned by our presence and slowly ambled ahead before heading off down one of the tracks and into the darkening jungle.

Bornean Crested Fireback - Mr Lee



The rain returned not too long after we got back and danced a tattoo on the roof that aided in an already easy slumber.












Friday, 18 July 2025

Lowestoft Life - 12th-18th July 2025

Last week I was in the New Forest for Oriole (will get to that shortly I promise!) and my route home was somewhat obscure and via the Global Bird Fair where I was helping out on the Bird’s Wildlife & Nature Tours stand as well as floating around.

I have only ever been to Fair on a Friday – either as a visitor ambling around randomly reconnecting with friends or loosely ‘working’ on the now sadly absent RSPB Birders stand.

This time was different and I was there for both weekend days. I am now ‘me’ – the Blue Eyed Birder. I now have the opportunity thanks to Bird’s Nature & Wildlife Tours and Oriole Birding to see the world and broaden my natural history horizons.

I spent the weekend engaging with the birding public and promoting the adventures planned for me to lead. Finding the people to join me on them turns the paper dreams into magical reality.



For the first time I felt a proper part of the travel community despite being on the general birding scene for forty years now. I was introduced to guides, ground agents, travel companies and seemingly a few legends within their own countries. I was welcomed in and the prospect of trips to new countries in the coming years left my head spinning at times. I still have to pinch myself to believe that my time since leaving the RSPB has developed into the dream I had longed for. I am still having a little trouble with talking about planning two or three years ahead but this is now the world in which I live. Plan, promote, enjoy and share.

As I hoped, I bumped into many of my birding friends from over the years some of whom came to the fair seemingly just to catch up with me, others who I knew from my happy days at RSPB Rainham Marshes and some newly acquired ones from recent trips.

A catch up drink with Su Delve who opened the door at the BTO to me 25 years ago at the Lee Valley Bird Fair with the London Bird Project was a long overdue reunion. That post inevitably led to other opportunities that I subsequently had within the conservation sector for both the RSPB and BTO. There was no looking back. Su also guides and we talked about Madagascar and that my BW&N tour in November 2026 may be in the nick of time. I spent quality time with Mr Lindo (and Lisa) and The Beard Pearson and Rich Bains and his lovely Rarity Garden book. Eleni was encouraging people to visit our beloved Lesvos and I snaffled catch ups with Richard Allen, Adrian Thomas and Alan Davis along with a host of others who I shall apologise to later for missing out.

Our two teams for the end of Saturday quiz merged Limosa, Bird’s Wildlife, Sunrise Birding, the Blue Eyed Birder with a brief first round input from the Urban Birder too and my little team – The Splitters – came close to winning! How on earth did I know that Chairman Mao caused a huge famine by slaughtering Tree Sparrows? The marquee was full and had people watching from outside. It was such a great atmosphere and Messers Moss and Glenn did a fine job at managing the rabble.

Over the two days I became aware of the sheer number of young people attending the fair both on the stands and as punters. It was refreshing. During my time at Rainham I would like to think that I made a difference; that I encouraged a new wave of birders, conservationist and wildlife advocates. Max Hellicar is off working around the world at observatories and adding to the ornithological migration story and many of the others were there at the Fair too. Ben Rumsby, Zach Pannifer and Arjun Dutta were all involved on the glowing yellow Wild Space stand with Ben doing moth talks and id sessions with Nick Baker and Zach also involved with Spurn Bird Obs , Sam Levy was enjoying a day out at the fair but is now a key part of the BTO Youth Advisory Panel and Kabir Kaul is a prominent environmental lobbyist for London’s wildlife and the communities that live there and carries with him a matureness well beyond his years. I felt very proud to have been involved on that journey with them.

The disco after the quiz made it even more apparent and I chuckled at the ‘youf’ singing along to songs that are now 25 years old for me (Teenage Dirtbag if you must know) let along the ones double that and beyond. There was even a snaky conga. I felt old (Steve B felt older) as we sat there with a drink but I was strangely filled with a glimmer of hope that there is now a movement within the younger generation to properly become involved in enjoying, educating and preserving what we have left.

Mothing at the quaint little cottage in Uppington where the Bird’s were based was quite productive with about 40 species including Smoky Wainscot, Poplar and Elephant Hawk-moth, Large fruit Tree Tortrix, Brown-line Bright Eye, V Pug and Peppered Moth.  I had Hawfinch and Red Kite over the garden too and a Crossbill while at the actual fair.

Poplar Hawkmoth

V Pug

Peppered Moth

Hoary Footman

By the time I got home late on Sunday 13th it felt like a month rather than a little over two weeks.

There were lots of jobs to catch up on at home but a poodle out on Wednesday saw me picking up at least eight Spoonbills at Breydon Water on the way through on what was to become a traffic related somewhat longer circuit!  I put the moth trap back on that night and did quite well with a couple of Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing again along with Euzophora pinguis, Least Carpet and Scarce Footman.

Endotriche flammealis

Euzophora pinguis

Rustic agg


The garden is in full high summer mode with the Ragwort being  the focal point for countless Dasypoda hitirpes along with Andrena flavipes, Heriada truncorum and plenty of Hovers although they seem to favour the Fennel at the moment which has had several Scaeva pyrastri in attendance.  My Buddleia is just beginning to bloom having been given a new lease of live from the aphid munching Ladybird invasion while I was in Scotland and has had a mixed bag of Whites, Peacocks and Browns so far.  There will be more!

Dasypoda hitirpes

Dasypoda hitirpes

Heriada truncorum

Scaeva pyrastri

Scaeva pyrastri

Out the front the local Privet hedges are full of Caloptilia cuculipennella mines and rolls and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth was my first this season.  The local Swifts have done very well by the look and sound of things and there are parties zooming around in close knit screaming groups which are always a pleasure to see.

Antony had kept a few moths back from the previous night to show me.  All new ones!

Acleris spectrana

Ethmia bibunctella

Fenn's Wainscot

Vitula biviella 

Wormwood Pug - AW

This morning I headed over to Somerleyton to carry out a Butterfly survey on a very small part of the estate.  It was a few hours well spent and I amassed 422 butterflies of 17 species.  Thirty Brown Argus was a good count and finding Wall and Painted Lady was pleasing. Most butterflies were on the field margin Ragwort with some on the last of the Bramble.

Meadow Brown

Meadow Brown

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper

Common Blue

Brown Argus

Brown Argus

Brown Argus

Brown Argus

Small Copper

Small Copper

Small Copper

Comma

Comma

Red Admiral

Peacock

Peacock

Peacock

Small White


Hoverflies were in the ascendance although the species range was quite limited but there were hundreds of Eristalis and plenty of Episyrphus balteatus, Helophilus, Syrphus, Eupeodes, Sphaerophoria and a couple of Scaeva pyrastri too. 

Helophilus pendulus

Eristalis tenax

Eristalis intricaria

Episyrphus balteatus

Scaeva pyrastri

Oddly there were no Dasypoda hirtipes here but I did find a few whining Anthophora bimaculata.  Field Grasshoppers were everywhere and I found a single Speckled Bush Cricket while amongst the flies there were a vast number of Sarcophaga and Lucilia on the Ragwort and I was pleased to find a Nowikia ferox and Tachina fera as well as a scouting female Sicus ferrugineus.

Cinnabar cats were everywhere

Seven Spot Ladybird

Sicus ferrugineus

Sarc and a Red Soldier Beetle

Tachina fera

Nowikia ferox

Field Grasshopper

Chicory

Yarrow

Musk Mallow

Beech mast

Common Cudweed

It was Hawker time and I counted a surprising 16 Brown Hawkers and a more expected 27 Migrant Hawkers along with a single male Emperor and both Ruddy and Common Darters.

Ruddy Darter

But the invert find of the day came in the woodland where the smell of a decaying corpse invaded my nose and a quick glance around revealed the a rather proud but weathered Stinkhorn and on it a staggering 27 Oiceoptoma thoracicum – the rather poorly names Red-chested Carrion Beetle.  I had only seen one before (on a dog poo bag at Lynford Arboretum) so this was a pleasant if somewhat malodourous diversion.


Oiceoptoma thoracicum

Caliphora vicina  on Oiceoptoma thoracicum


Bird wise it was a quiet as you might expect with a few calling Chiffchaffs and a brood of recently fledged Buzzards while two Crossbills were in the pine trees but soon moved on.  The pond had two Kingfishers and there were plenty of signs to suggest all the local Deer were depending on that small waterbody.

The temperature was still climbing and it was only just midday and I sought the shelter of my car and headed for home.  A brief visit to Chez Wren to drop Aidan off a little later resulted in a rather incongruous juvenile Cuckoo flying low over the rooves and north down the road as we left!  A Banded General was in their garden - very smart!

Banded General - Stratiomys potamida 

Grapholita delineana - seen them a couple of times around the Hop in Antony's garden this week. None of this new coloniser on my Hop yet


I think I might just put the moth trap on again tonight.