Besra

Here’s a beauty from Mt Kinabalu.  The Besra, Accipiter virgatus,  is usually seen in the morning where it makes short flights to its favorite perch.  From here it will on the lookout for small birds and reptiles.  When in flight, look for its rounded wings and long tail.

Pale Blue Flycatcher

The Pale Blue Flycatcher Cyornis unicolor usually stays in the canopy of lowland forest making it one of the harder flycatchers to see.  On a particularly hot afternoon this male came down to take a shower in a small stream, allowing me to take this photo.  It is sometimes confused with the Verditer Flycatcher which has dull blue on its underside as compared to the grey on the underbelly of the Pale Blue.  

White-fronted Falconet

white-fronted-falconet by Ck Leong

The falconets are the smallest raptors in the world.  There are 2 species in Borneo, the endemic White-fronted Falconet Microhierax latifrons found in the northern region (mainly Sabah) and the Black-thighed Falconet M. fringillarius which resides south of Sabah.  These birds like to perch on dead branches from where they would take off to hunt prey which are mainly larger insects and small birds.

Broad-billed Sandpiper

broad-billed-sandpiper ny Ck Leong

Here’s a rather rare sighting for the west coast of Sabah.  The Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus is comparatively easier to find along  the eastern coastline of Borneo, probably on its way to northern Australia and Indonesian islands.  Easily distinguished by its double supercilium and downwards curve at the end of its bill.  Good luck guys.

 

Bar-tailed Godwit

bar-tailed-godwit by Ck Leong

The Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica holds the record for the longest not-stop flight of any bird on migration.  It is very scarce in Borneo, this particular bird seen last month was only my second sighting.  I can only assume that the bird only stopped here briefly to refuel and would have continued on its way to Australia.