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.  

Yesterday morning I went to visit Dinawan, a small island off Kota Kinabalu,  and was rewarded with this fantastic bird.  The Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina is an uncommon visitor here from the northern winter.  It was quite active, moving among some shorter trees and feeding.  From time to time, it was making that teh teh teh call similar with other flycatchers.  And like other flycatchers it did perched long enough for this photo. 

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 like the notion of fairy flycatchers (family Stenostiridae) in which the Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher is now placed.  It has a nice magical tone to it even though the only resemblance of this bird to the wee folk is its 12 – 13 cm size.  And it is not shy.  Still it behaves like a typical flycatcher, hawking for insects and co. from its perch (in Borneo, it favours the low to mid storey of hill forests).

I remember that in years gone by, most of the nature lodges in Sabah had their resident blue flycatcher.  The Borneo Rainforest Lodge had a Bornean Blue Flycatcher coming near the restaurant and so did the Tabin Wildlife Resort with their Malaysian Blue.  Those were the days.  Recently I was at another lodge in Sukau along the Kinabatangan River and this male Malaysia Blue Flycatcher came to say hello.  It’s all good.