Panti 23Jun18

From KH

Today, Con, Danny, Rob Arnold and I went to Panti after a long hiatus. One of our targets today was the blue morph Rufous-winged Philentoma, and sure enough he was around, so was his mate.

A nearby tree seemed to be a woodpecker magnet. We had a couple of White-bellied Woodpeckers, a banded Woodpecker and a Buff-rumped Woodpecker, all visiting it!

At another spot, Checker-throated Woodpeckers showed well, so did a male Red-naped Trogon.

A couple of bulbuls - Black-headed Bulbul and juvenile Buff-vented Bulbul.

Can you tell this is a White-bellied Erpornis?

And this, a Moustached Babbler?

A faraway Dark-throated Oriole didn't make things easy either.

Luckily, the female Blue-winged Leafbird and male Orange-bellied Flowerpecker were more forthcoming, mainly due to the roadside fruit.

1. 1 Crested Partridge - Heard
2. 1 Great Argus - Heard
3. 1 Red Junglefowl
4. 1 Changeable Hawk-Eagle - Pale
5. 3 Spotted Dove
6. 2 Asian Emerald Dove - Heard
7. 2 Little Green-Pigeon
8. 2 Chestnut-bellied Malkoha
9. 1 Violet Cuckoo
10. 1 Plaintive Cuckoo - Heard
11. 1 Blyth's Frogmouth - Heard
12. 10 dark swiftlet sp.
13. 2 Whiskered Treeswift
14. 1 Red-naped Trogon - Male
15. 1 Diard's Trogon - Male
16. 2 Scarlet-rumped Trogon - Heard
17. 1 Rufous-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher - Heard
18. 1 White-throated Kingfisher
19. 2 Rufous-collared Kingfisher
20. 1 Red-bearded Bee-eater - Heard
21. 1 Blue-throated Bee-eater
22. 5 Sooty Barbet
23. 2 Blue-eared Barbet
24. 3 Red-crowned Barbet
25. 2 Yellow-crowned Barbet - Heard
26. 2 White-bellied Woodpecker
27. 1 Banded Woodpecker
28. 5 Checker-throated Woodpecker
29. 2 Buff-rumped Woodpecker
30. 1 Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot
31. 1 Banded Broadbill - Heard
32. 1 Golden-bellied Gerygone - Heard
33. 2 Rufous-winged Philentoma
34. 1 Green Iora - Heard
35. 1 Lesser Cuckooshrike
36. 4 White-bellied Erpornis
37. 2 Dark-throated Oriole
38. 2 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
39. 1 Black-naped Monarch - Heard
40. 1 Blyth's Paradise-Flycatcher
41. 1 Malaysian Rail-babbler - Heard
42. 5 Black-headed Bulbul
43. 2 Yellow-vented Bulbul
44. 1 Olive-winged Bulbul
45. 2 Red-eyed Bulbul
46. 1 Hairy-backed Bulbul
47. 1 Yellow-bellied Bulbul
48. 1 Buff-vented Bulbul
49. 1 Streaked Bulbul
50. 2 Dark-necked Tailorbird
51. 1 Yellow-bellied Prinia
52. 2 Pin-striped Tit-Babbler
53. 1 Chestnut-rumped Babbler - Heard
54. 1 Gray-headed Babbler
55. 1 Moustached Babbler
56. 1 Sooty-capped Babbler - Heard
57. 1 Black-capped Babbler - Heard
58. 1 Horsfield's Babbler - Heard
59. 1 Asian Fairy-bluebird - Male
60. 2 Oriental Magpie-Robin
61. 2 White-rumped Shama
62. 1 White-crowned Forktail
63. 1 Common Hill Myna - Heard
64. 2 Javan Myna
65. 1 Greater Green Leafbird - Female
66. 1 Lesser Green Leafbird - Male
67. 1 Blue-winged Leafbird - Female
68. 1 Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker
69. 3 Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
70. 2 Little Spiderhunter
71. 1 Paddyfield Pipit

Sepilok 08Jun18

From KH

The strategy today is the same as last couple of days - stay at the tower to wait for the morning bird waves.

Firstly, a male van Hasselt's Sunbird.

And a female Ruby-cheeked Sunbird.

Then, a male Lesser Green Leafbird (left) and a Verditer Flycatcher.

Next, a Red-eyed Bulbul (left) and Asian Glossy Starlings.

A few Slender-billed Crows flew right above us.

So did Aerodramus swiftlets.

A Southern Pig-tailed Macaque (left) was descending a tree, while a squirrel foraged on.

Having had enough of waiting on the towers, Danny and I decided to take a walk down on the tracks.

We got a Rufous-winged Philentoma and a few Hairy-backed Bulbuls.

And a few other birds.

Black-capped Babbler in the undergrowth

Spectacled Bulbul with caterpillar in mouth

An unfriendly Purple-naped Sunbird

The Black-crowned Pitta was still around!

It was nice to see a Cream-coloured Giant Squirrel. The variant in Borneo has black upperparts, unlike the Peninsular Malaysia one, which is all creamy.

Soon, it was about time to leave RDC for Kinabatangan. On the way out, we got a few Little Spiderhunters and an Oriental Darter.

As well as an endemic Sabah Slender Skink to round up the morning's trip.

1. 1 Wallace's Hawk-Eagle
2. 3 Treron sp.
3. 1 Greater Coucal - Heard
4. 1 Violet Cuckoo - Heard
5. 1 Plaintive Cuckoo - Heard
6. 1 Brush Cuckoo - Heard
7. 30 Plume-toed Swiftlet
8. 30 dark swiftlet sp.
9. 1 Diard's Trogon - Heard
10. 1 Black Hornbill - Heard
11. 2 Dollarbird
12. 1 Brown Barbet
13. 1 Blue-eared Barbet - Heard
14. 1 Gold-faced Barbet - Heard
15. 1 Buff-rumped Woodpecker - Heard
16. 10 Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot
17. 2 Black-and-yellow Broadbill - Heard
18. 1 Black-crowned Pitta
19. 2 Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike
20. 1 Rufous-winged Philentoma
21. 1 Green Iora
22. 5 minivet sp.
23. 1 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo - Heard
24. 3 Slender-billed Crow
25. 1 Pacific Swallow
26. 1 Yellow-vented Bulbul
27. 5 Red-eyed Bulbul
28. 1 Spectacled Bulbul
29. 2 Hairy-backed Bulbul
30. 2 Dark-necked Tailorbird
31. 2 Ashy Tailorbird
32. 2 Rufous-tailed Tailorbird
33. 4 Chestnut-winged Babbler
34. 1 Chestnut-rumped Babbler - Heard
35. 2 Black-capped Babbler
36. 1 Verditer Flycatcher
37. 2 Asian Glossy Starling
38. 1 Common Hill Myna - Heard
39. 5 Javan Myna
40. 1 Lesser Green Leafbird - Male
41. 1 Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker
42. 4 Ruby-cheeked Sunbird
43. 1 Van Hasselt's Sunbird - Male
44. 4 Little Spiderhunter
45. 1 Purple-naped Spiderhunter
46. 4 Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Johor 09-10Sep17

From KH

Con, Danny and I went birding in Johor. Oriental Bay Owl and Malayan Banded Pitta heard at Arong.

Maroon-breasted Philentoma

Blyth's Paradise-flycatcher. Male Red-throated Sunbird

Mantis

Panti 01Apr17

From JS

After more than a year, it is nice to be back birding at what used to be our weekend haunt. Panti has definitely changed since we last went birding together. There is a new super-wide road cutting through the forest. There are a lot of truck traffic. There are less bird activities.

Due to a jam at the checkpoint, we reached Panti after dawn. The first stop as a brief tour of the entrance to Elephant trail. We wanted to count the number of birds crossing the super-wide road. There was none. Easy.

Next, we drove to the small swamp with a couple of tiup-tiup trees. No rare flowerpeckers. But the male Blyth's paradise flycatcher was singing readily with its probable mate hanging around in the vicinity. There is a high chance that nesting is taking place at that spot. The only question is where is the nest. For the record, the Silver-rumped Needletails and Grey-rumped Treeswifts were seen at this spot.

At a spot 5m beyond the 5km stream, we found a pair of Spectacled Bulbuls and a feeding Spectacled Spiderhunter. The spiderhunter was an interesting fellow because it could have the whole tree of red flowers to itself but it still wanted to advertise the buffet.

With few birds showing, we decided to check out the trails and the Woodpecker trail came to mind. Upon entering, we flushed a flock of feeding Pink-necked Green Pigeon. True to the name of the trail, we saw woodpeckers. A pair of Olive-backed Woodpeckers kept us entertained until the swarm of leeches became unbearable.

Moving on, we went to check out the deciduous straggling fig near the second stream. Unfortunately, it was not figging. We did see one Black and Oriental Pied Hornbills. Today was beginning to feel like a day out for the Ruby-cheeked Sunbird. There was a male hanging around the last few leaves of the deciduous straggling fig. The best bird so far was the booming call of the Short-toed Coucal, heard in the vicinity.

On our return journey, we stopped at Temple trail. The temple had expanded and so did the population of the bats. The trail was really quiet. Only when we were about to leave did we see a pair of Buff-rumped Woodpecker.

With a bit of time left before noon, we decided to take a look at the Dip Trail. Less than fifty meters into the trail, we had a mini-birdwave consisting of one Spectacled Bulbul, one Chestnut-winged Babbler, one Sooty-capped Babbler, one Buff-rumped Woodpecker and one Arctic Warbler. Apart from a pair of Fluffy-backed Tit-babblers and a small party of Pin-Striped Tit-Babblers, the babblers were not showing and not calling until now. Back at the entrance of the trail, we found our rarest bird of the trip in another mini-birdwave, a blue morph Rufous-winged Philentoma. It was together with a family of Chestnut-winged Babblers, another philentoma with the typical plumage, a Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker, an immature Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker (spotting a small orange crown patch with little yellow on the breast) and Hairy-backed Bulbuls. What a farewell!

Blue morph Rufous-winged Philentoma ©Con Foley

Although we have been birding for more than a decade at Panti over hundreds of trips, we were still able to find something new... Amazing!

1. Crested Serpent-Eagle 1
2. Changeable Hawk-Eagle 2
3. Asian Emerald Dove 2
4. Little Green-Pigeon 3
5. Pink-necked Pigeon 5
6. Short-toed Coucal (H) 1 Heard
7. Chestnut-bellied Malkoha 3
8. Violet Cuckoo (H)
9. Plaintive Cuckoo (H)
10. Fork-tailed/Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo (H)
11. Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo (H)
12. Indian Cuckoo (H)
13. Silver-rumped Needletail 2
14. Brown-backed Needletail 1
15. Germain's Swiftlet 20
16. House Swift 1
17. Gray-rumped Treeswift 2
18. Whiskered Treeswift 2
19. Red-naped Trogon (H)
20. Diard's Trogon (H)
21. Black Hornbill 1
22. Oriental Pied-Hornbill 1
23. Rufous-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher (H)
24. Banded Kingfisher (H)
25. Red-bearded Bee-eater (H)
26. Blue-throated Bee-eater 1
27. Blue-eared Barbet (H)
28. White-bellied Woodpecker (H)
29. Banded Woodpecker (H)
30. Crimson-winged Woodpecker (H)
31. Olive-backed Woodpecker 2
32. Buff-rumped Woodpecker 3
33. Buff-necked Woodpecker 1
34. Gray-and-buff Woodpecker 1
35. Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot 1
36. Banded Broadbill (H)
37. Black-and-yellow Broadbill (H)
38. Golden-bellied Gerygone (H)
39. Large Woodshrike (H)
40. Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike 1
41. Rufous-winged Philentoma 4
42. Green Iora 3
43. Lesser Cuckooshrike (H)
44. White-bellied Erpornis 7
45. Dark-throated Oriole (H)
46. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 1
47. Amur Paradise-Flycatcher 2
48. Blyth's Paradise-Flycatcher 2
49. Malaysian Rail-babbler (H)
50. Gray-bellied Bulbul 3
51. Olive-winged Bulbul 1
52. Cream-vented Bulbul 1
53. Spectacled Bulbul 3
54. Hairy-backed Bulbul 16
55. Yellow-bellied Bulbul 2
56. Buff-vented Bulbul 2
57. Arctic/Kamchatka Leaf/Japanese Leaf Warbler 1
58. Common Tailorbird (H)
59. Rufous-tailed Tailorbird 1
60. Yellow-bellied Prinia (H)
61. Pin-striped Tit-Babbler 2
62. Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler 2
63. Chestnut-winged Babbler 3
64. Moustached Babbler (H)
65. Sooty-capped Babbler 1
66. Black-capped Babbler (H)
67. White-chested Babbler (H)
68. Dark-sided Flycatcher 1
69. White-rumped Shama (H)
70. Pale Blue-Flycatcher (H)
71. White-crowned Forktail (H)
72. Lesser Green Leafbird 1
73. Blue-winged Leafbird 7
74. Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker 1
75. Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker 1
76. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (H)
77. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird 5
78. Spectacled Spiderhunter 1
79. spiderhunter sp. 2

Merapoh 16-21Apr12

From Con

Here are four shots from Merapoh.

Garnet Pitta

Malayan Banded Pitta

Large Frogmouth

Maroon-breasted Philentoma

Taman Negara 07-10Sep07

From Con

The road to Nusa Camp is about 8km long. It took a full hour to drive in, the road was that bad. It has gotten much worse than last year. You were correct to turn around, you would not make it. Heavily rutted and deep channels cut by rain water. Don't really need 4WD, but do need ground clearance. Even the RAV4 was tricky. Better to have the ground clearance of a truck.

We didn't see much. Rino Hornbill, Crow, flowerpeckers, yellow-vented bulbul. I did see one Common Sandpiper!!!, along the sandy banks of the Kuala Tembeling.

This is twice I've been to Nusa Camp and both times it was rather birdless, even though it is got a good reputation from some of the old time birders. By the way, I should add that at Nusa Camp in the tall grasses at the river edge, I got a good sighting of a White-rumped Munia.

I think next time I'll go to Kuala Trenggan. The trick is to notice the River Taxi signs, and the departures and arrivals times. There are regular arrivals and departures and prices. For example, it's only RM20 from Kuala Tahan to Kuala Trenggan. It's only RM10 to the cave.

Grey-cheeked Bulbul

Puff-backed Bulbul

From GC

Spent a few days in Taman Negara Kuala Tahan earlier this month. Saw and heard 80+ species. Those which are of greater interest or lifers for me are highlighted in bold in the list.

Bird of the trip was a male Banded Pitta seen on the last morning.

Other key birds were: Crested Fireback, Bar-Bellied Cuckoo-Shrike, Green Broadbill, Diard’s Trogon, Crested Jay, Black-Backed Kingfisher. Also, managed to see the skulking Rufous-crowned Babbler.

Mammals included Lesser Mousedeer, Muntjac, Sambar Deer, Wild Boar, Horse-tailed Squirrel. Reptiles included Malayan Bridled Snake and Brown Kukri Snake.

I think it's worth saying that it is sufficient to stay on the flat areas, next time anyway :->
The only reason to do any climbing is for a better chance of seeing the ARGUS.

Bird List for Taman Negara 7-10 Sep 2007

1 Great Argus, heard
2 Banded Pitta, male
3 Garnet Pitta, heard
4 Crested Fireback, 2 males with a family in tow
5 Common Sandpiper
6 Changeable Hawk-Eagle, heard
7 Buffy Fish-Owl seen from Tahan Hide at night
8 Collared Scops-Owl, heard
9 Malaysian-Eared Nightjar, heard
10 Oriental Pied Hornbill
11 Rhinoceros Hornbill x 5
12 Diard’s Trogon, male
13 Red-Naped Trogon, heard
14 Green Broadbill, 1 pair and another male
15 Dusky Broadbill, x 3
16 Banded Broadbill
17 Black And Yellow Broadbill, heard
18 Gold-Whiskered Barbet, heard
19 Blue-Eared Barbet, heard
20 Great Slaty Woodpecker, heard
21 Orange-Backed Woodpecker
22 Crimson-Winged Woodpecker
23 Maroon Woodpecker
24 Rufous Woodpecker
25 Buff-Necked Woodpecker
26 Rufous Piculet
27 Black-Backed Kingfisher across Tahan river, on trail to Ear Cave
28 Raffles’s Malkoha
29 Chestnut-Breasted Malkoha
30 Black-Bellied Malkoha
31 Little Bronze Cuckoo
32 Greater Coucal, heard
33 Large-billed Crow
34 Crested Jay, x 2
35 Black Magpie, x 2
36 Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo
37 Asian Fairy Bluebird
38 Black-Naped Oriole
39 Emerald Dove
40 White-Crowned Forktail
41 Chestnut-naped Forktail
42 Red-Bearded Bee-Eater, heard
43 Dollarbird
44 Bar-Bellied Cuckoo-Shrike, 1 pair
45 Large Wood-Shrike
46 Tiger Shrike, Juvenile
47 Striped Throated Bulbul
48 Straw-Headed Bulbul
49 Hairy-Backed Bulbul
50 Buff-Vented Bulbul
51 Yellow-Vented Bulbul
52 Olive-Winged Bulbul
53 Grey-Cheeked Bulbul
54 Red-Eyed Bulbul
55 Puff-Backed Bulbul
56 Common Iora
57 Green Iora
58 Rufous-Crowned Babbler
59 Abbott’s Babbler
60 Chestnut-Winged Babbler
61 Horsfield’s Babbler
62 Sooty-Capped Babbler
63 Black-Capped Babbler
64 Moustached Babbler, heard
65 Striped Tit-Babbler
66 White-Rumped Shama
67 Oriental Magpie Robin
68 Rufous-Winged Philentoma, 1 pair
69 Blue-Winged Leafbird
70 White-Bellied Yuhina
71 Grey-Headed Flycatcher
72 Black-Winged Flycatcher-Shrike
73 Common Tailorbird
74 Dark-Necked Tailorbird
75 Rufous-Tailed Tailorbird, heard
76 Ashy Tailorbird
77 Hill Myna
78 Little Spiderhunter
79 Brown-Throated Sunbird
80 Purple-naped Sunbird
81 Yellow-Vented Flowerpecker
82 Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
83 Eurasian Tree-Sparrow
84 White-rumped Munia

Encounter with the Banded Pitta

We saw the Banded Pitta at 0937 hrs and it was totally silent and rather unresponsive. It didn't help that there were quite a lot of trekkers coming through. Unfortunately the bird was mostly blocked by vegetation.

Before the Pitta, we added 2 Crested Jays, 2 Black Magpies and an unidentified and silent cuckoo along the trail to tree number 13.

We went back to Park HQ side and saw a Black-backed KF and a Rufous Piculet at the bamboo stand 80m into the trail.

Kuala Trenggan should be quieter and better. I've just been told that the place that we saw the Banded Pitta is a known spot for that bird. So it should be worth trying for the bird on your next trip.

Here's the Crested Jay. In the field, it looks all black. With the pic, the wings turn out to be brown instead.

This birdy gave itself away with it's call. The male's a lot more shy.

Worth the trip across the other river.

Signature bird of Taman Negara.

Other birds:

Saw 6 of these (Common Barking Deer), plus a Sambar Deer on 1 night. The guides reported seeing a Tiger on one night while I was there! This one was seen during the day.

I think I was rather lucky to see the lesser mousedeer on 2 different days at 2 different locations. This one was feeding at the forest edge at the camping site.

Horse-tailed Squirrel

Saw this juvenile Brown Kukri Snake Oligodon purpurascens at the Bukit Teresek Trail, around 150m above sea level on hilly terrain. I think the snake was about 30cm long.

Danny has this to add

An unconfirmed bird was a suspected Gould's  Frogmouth seen twice in flight at night off Tahan Hide. It had relatively long brown tail (nightjars have spade tails and grey/black above), brown above and paler/buffy below (effect of our torchlight). 2nd sighting was response to GC's tapeback.