Borneo Birds

Babblers are really difficult to digiscope and this White-chested Babbler Trichostoma rostratum is no different.  However it is a noisy bird and easy to find especially along rivers and wet areas in lowland forest.  At 15cm, it makes up its lack of size with its loud call.  Birders who complain about unimaginative common names will probably let this one go.

Pittas are often considered as the jewels of the forest floor in the tropics.  Borneo is lucky to have 4 endemic pittas including this Pitta usherri  (also called Black-headed Pitta) which is only found in the northern portion of the island.  Previously it was lumped together with the Garnet PItta which is found south of the Sabah border.  These birds are ventriloquial, so don’t forget to look upwards where they sometimes are perched on branches.

The Fulvous-chested Jungle-flycatcher Rhinomyias olivacea is one of the rarer of the resident flycatchers in Borneo.  It prefers the lower storey of primary as well as secondary lowland forest.   I saw this particular individual in March this year when it was in the process of nest building.  It does possess a really fine song.

I was first alerted to the presence of the Barred Rail Gallirallus torquatus as a new addition to the Bornean bird list by Michael & Marilyn Burge who went on holiday to Pom Pom island near Semporna in February 2010  and came away with videos and photos of this bird.  I had always wanted to go and see this bird for myself even though it would have been a long trip for me to get to the island.   Since then this bird has turned up on Selingan island, one of the Turtle islands near to Sandakan.  Lady luck was with me when my friend Osman Assan was able to arrange for me to go to Selingan (May 29, 2013).  The island is quite small, about 7.2 hecatares, little vegetation,  and it took us only a few minutes to find the bird.  I was also happy to note that there were 2 pairs of the bird on the island.

Selingan island is one of 3 islands of the Turtle Island Park which boasts of one of the longest green turtle conservation history in the world.  Birders will also find that the Tabon Scrubfowl is easily seen here.

The Barred Rail is also my 500th bird for my Bornean list.  A really nice addition.

Blue-banded Kingfisher male

Blue-banded Kingfisher female

 

The Blue-banded Kingfisher Alcedo euryzona is probably the least common of the resident kingfishers in Borneo.  It prefers flowing clear rocky streams in hill forests which by themselves are increasingly harder to find.  It has the ability to stand in gentle flowing water, allowing it to perch on wet rocks while waiting for fish and other aquatic prey.  You would probably have more joy seeing this behavior after some rain when water levels are higher and fish are more active.