Bornean Swiftlet

Bornean Swiftlet by Ck Leong

The Bornean Swiftlet Collocalia dodgei is found in the mountains of Borneo.   It is not uncommon for it to live together with the more common and very similar Glossy Swiftlet.  The Glossy is found in a wide variety of habitat from coastal to montane forest.  In flight both species show its white belly but the Bornean has a dark green sheen to its upper feathers while the Glossy display a dark blue gloss.

Banded Bay Cuckoo

Banded Bay Cuckoo. Crocker Range National Park, Sabah.  06 May 2016

Banded Bay Cuckoo. Crocker Range National Park, Sabah. 06 May 2016

From the few occassions when I was able to spot the Banded Bay Cuckoo, I consider myself to be real lucky this time to be able to get a photo of this bird.  As in previous sightings, the bird was calling from the edge of (disturbed) forest.  If you are not familiar with the call, look for dark eye stripe and pale supercilium with dark eye ring.

Greater Green Leafbird

Greater Green Leafbird by Ck Leong

It is probably easier to id leafbirds by the females.  For the Greater Green Leafbird Chloropsis sonnerati the female has a yellow throat and yellow eye ring.  The male has its throat and face black, quite like the male of the Lesser Green Leafbird.  Both birds are found in primary,  secondary and peatswamp forest but the Lesser is a lot more common.

Sunda Teal

Sunda Teal by Ck Leong

The Sunda Teal Anas gibberifrons is a super rare duck previously only known from Kalimantan.  I would also mention here the Indonesian island of Sulawesi being the other location nearest to where I saw these ducks, at a disused (prawn farming) pond at the Tinagat beach near to the town of Tawau in south-east Sabah.  This duck has been making sporadic visits to this area since the beginning of this year.  On my visit here in October, I was rewarded with a flock of 14 birds!

Thanks to Kok On Ku, fellow birder and photographer who led me to this great spectacle.

Blue-winged Pitta

Blue-winged Pitta by Ck Leong

The Blue-winged Pitta Pitta moluccensis is a winter visitor to Borneo but this particular individual could have stayed over from earlier in the year.  It was discovered in early July in scrub forest near to a housing area in Kota Kinabalu.  Always a favourite with birders and bird photographers, it attracted a lot of attention while at the same time adding more discussion to whether this lends to possible local breeding.