Fraser's Hill, Bukit Rengit 22-24Jun07

From JS

We visited Telekom Loop, Old Gap Road, Jalan Mager, Part of Hemmant Trail, Part of Bishop Trail, Jalan Lady Maxell, Jeriau Waterfall, Jelai and Methodist house. A total of 80 birds was seen, including two wren babbler sp., two trogons sp., speckled piculet, all three laughingthrush and two Long-tailed Broadbill nests.

Day 1

Jalan Lady Maxwell: A green magpie with a pink worm in its beak caught our attention before two more appear making a threesome gathering. During some quiet moments, a streaked wren babbler came close to the stream. As I was having some good view of the streaks and dark brownish patterned back of the bird, the leeches had a quick bite. Subsequently, a blue whistling thrush responded to payback and flew across the road. Only managed a glimpse of its silhoutte.

Telekom Loop: As mentioned in the Birds of Fraser's Hill book, we saw the chestnut-crowned laughingthrush and other mountain birds. There was a mini-birdwave that I have little memory of, except for it being our trip's first.

Male Red-bearded Bee-eater

Day 2

Old Gap Road: At the 5km bend, there was a birdwave, which produced mentionable three long-tailed broadbill, two rufous piculets and a female red-headed trogon.

Jeriau Waterfall: Along the road towards the waterfall, we had a big bird-wave and sightings of a pair of black laughingthrush. The birdwave yielded both male sp. of trogons, fulvettas, warblers, minlas, laughingthrush, green-billed malkoha, chequer-throated woodpecker, flycatcher and babblers. The return journey had a speckled piculet and shrike-babblers in the dispersed birdwave.

Jalan Mager: A short birdwave comprising of three blue nuthatch, a black-and-no-crimson oriole, white-browed shrike babblers, grey-chinned minivets and minlas, appeared as per what my father told me.

Blue-winged Minla

Hemmant Trail: Just as we entered the trail, a bird race team headed our direction and caught sight of a pygmy wren babbler scurrying up the slope. As I playback its call, a small bird hopped in the undergrowths but no call and no details, so I would leave it as another unid bird. The team was surprised by our usage of a playback but we assured them that they have not breeched the rule but had accidentally met a group of leisure birders trying to draw out the bird. Unable to wait any longer, they left with some tip-offs on a lesser shortwing and a family of bar-backed partridge campbelli. Heard the white-tailed robin calling but didn't use the playback. Having walked 20m into the trail, we headed for the exit, a male lesser shortwing wrayi darted out in response to my playback into the valley. After some more playback, the bird perched on a branch about 3m nearly and gave our naked eyes 5s some good view of the half white eye-brow, darkish belly/wing and the very short tail. That was our last hunt for the ground birds.

Jalan Lady Maxwell/Bishop Trail: Not meant for birding but just to show my sister a good view of the mountainous l andscape for the former while the latter was for the experience. The only bird of note is a brown, barred-back, round-headed woodpecker, likely to be a bay woodpecker given the alttitude.

Verditer Flycatcher

Day 3

Old Gap Road: The star bird of the day is a eye-browed wren babbler perched on a moss rock in bright sunlight. The bird was thought to be short-tailed babbler on Day 2 but due to height restriction, it could not be. Distinct thick white supercilium, greyish face, brownish wing with spots and shortish tail were noted in the background of a forested stream.

1) Asian Fairy Bluebird (W)
2) Banded Woodpecker (J)
3) Black Laughingthrush (W/OG-h)
4) Black-and-Crimson Oriole
5) Black-Browed Barbet (TL-h/OG)
6) Black-Crested Bulbul (OG/NR)
7) Black-Throated Sunbird (JR)
8) Black-Winged Flycatcher-Shrike (OG)
9) Blue Nuthatch (JMa)
10) Blue Whistling Thrush (JM)
11) Blue-Crowned Hanging Parrot (OG)
12) Black-Eared Shrike-Babbler (JM/W)
13) Blue-Winged Minla
14) Bronzed Drongo (TL/BT)
15) Buff-Vented Bulbul
16) Chequer-Throated Woodpecker (W)
17) Chestnut-Capped Laughingthrush
18) Chestnut-Crowned Laughingthrush (TL)
19) Chestnut-Crowned Warbler (W)
20) Common Iora (W)
21) Common Tailorbird (NR-h)
22) Dark-Necked Tailorbird (NR-h)
23) Edible-Nest Swiftlet
24) Everett's White-Eye (TL/NR/OG)
25) Eye-Browed Wren Babbler (OG)
26) Fire-Tufted Barbet
27) Glossy Swiftlet (TL/OG)
28) Golden Babbler (W/J)
29) Gold-Whiskered Barbet (h)
30) Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo (NR)
31) Greater Yellownape (J)
32) Green Magpie (JM)
33) Green-Billed Malkoha (W)
34) Grey-Chinned Minivet
35) Grey-Headed Flycatcher (W)
36) Grey-Throated Babbler (W)
37) House Swift (OG)
38) Javan Cuckooshrike (JM/J)
39) Large Niltava (TL)
40) Lesser Racquet-Tailed Drongo
41) Lesser Shortwing (HT)
42) Lesser Yellownape (JM)
43) Little Cuckoo-Dove (TL/OG)
44) Little Pied Flycatcher (TL/J/JMa)
45) Long-Tailed Broadbill (OG/J)
46) Long-Tailed Sibia
47) Malayan Whistling Thrush (NR-h)
48) Mountain Bulbul (OG)
49) Mountain Fulvetta
50) Mountain Imperial Pigeon (OG)
51) Mountain Peacock Pheasant (BT-h)
52) Mountain Tailorbird
53) Ochraceous Bulbul
54) Orange-Bellied Leafbird (J)
55) Orange-Breasted Trogon (W)
56) Oriental Magpie Robin
57) Pacific Swallow (TC/OG)
58) Red-Bearded Bee-eater (OG)
59) Red-Headed Trogon (W/OG)
60) Red-Rumped Swallow (OG)
61) Rufous Piculet (OG)
62) Rufous-Browed Flycatcher (HT/JMa)
63) Silver-Eared Mesia
64) Slaty-Backed Forktail (W/OG)
65) Speckled Piculet (W)
66) Streaked Spiderhunter
67) Streaked Wren Babbler (JM)
68) Thick-Billed Spiderhunter (W)
69) Verditer Flycatcher (J)
70) White-Bellied Yuhina (W)
71)White-Browed Shrike-Babbler (JMa)
72) White-Rumped Munia (OG)
73) White-Rumped Shama (h)
74) White-Tailed Robin (HT-h)
75) White-Throated Fantail
76) Yellow-Bellied Prinia (W-h)
77) Yellow-Bellied Warbler
78) Yellow-Vented Bulbul (W-h)
79) Wrinkled Hornbill (OG-h)
80) Buff-Breasted Flowerpecker (OG-h)

Con took these while at Bukit Rengit.

Javan Frogmouth nesting

Long-tailed Broadbill nesting