Borneo Birds

Up to Mt Kinabalu again where you can definitely hear the loud whistles and chatters of the Short-tailed Green Magpie Cissa thalassina. This bird is usually found on the lower half of the montane forest in the company of a small flock of the same species or amongst a mixed flock of laughing thrushes, drongos and treepies.  If you haven’t seen this bird before, listen to the loudest call or look for the maroon of the wings when the bird is in flight.

On a really slow morning at the Penampang hills today, we only had this bird to show.  Not that I am complaining.  After so many previous misopportunities for a decent picture, this Black & Yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus ochromalus showed up well and true.  It reminds me of the excitement it (a common bird here) caused when seen by visiting Taiwanese birders during their trips here.  The broadbill is not represented on that island while on this Borneo island, we have 8 species!  But then they have that pheasant with a Japanese name…

It just occured to me that I don’t have a picture of a woodpecker on this site.  Being a great fan of this family of birds, I guess that just won’t do.  So here is a Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopus moluccensis which I took a while back.   The smaller woodpeckers have such wonderful vocalisation and this one is no exception.  And it also matches its rapid notes with an incredible workrate when foraging.

It was two years ago today when my friend and bird photographer Karim Madoya took photos of the first Buff-banded Rail Gallirallus philippensis in Borneo.  Since then this illusive bird has been seen on different occasions by local birders, most recently in the paddy fields of Penampang near Kota Kinabalu.  The birds we saw were typically secretive, appearing only during dawn and dusk.  However luck was with me with this very confiding bird, preening itself after having taken a dip in the nearby pool.  I must say it is a most welcomed addition to the birds of Borneo.

Golden-naped Barbet by Ck Leong

The Golden-naped Barbet Megalaima pulcherrima is undoubtedly the most common barbet in the mountains of Borneo.  Regular birders to Mt Kinabalu will be very familair with the bird’s took-took-trrook call.  The visitor who has yet to spot the bird will face a lot of frustration as the calls are heard throughout the day.  Having spotted it, you will be amply rewarded with the beautiful blue and green colours of the bird.