Avian Sighting March 2018 - Oriental Honey Buzzard

Stumble upon this raptor while birding in Malim Nawar. It was resting in the shade that late morning The month of March 2018  is the period for them to return home to Siberia  and China side of country. Oriental Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus) is one of the most common migrant raptors  It belongs to Family Accipitridae.

There are six subspecies – 
ptilorhyncus, torquatus, palawanensis, philippensis, ruficollis and orientalis. The nominate race is found in Java; torquatus in Peninsula Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo; 
 palawanensis in Palawan and west Philippines; philippensis in north and east Philippines; ruficollis in India and Sri Lanka through Myanmar to south China. orientalis is the migratory race, being resident in Russia to east Asia; and wintering south to Southeast Asia . The local peninsula OHB has a tiny crest

It preys mainly on larvae and honey of bees and wasps, but also lizards, frogs and other insects.

I was shooting from the car in search of returning migrants along the stream opposite the fish ponds

Yuhina 2/2 - Chestnut-crested Yuhina (lifer 515 - Bornean 25/100)

Another  Bornean endemic; the Chestnut-crested Yuhina is  another  tough bird to shoot with its active feeding frantic jumping here and there looking for grubs and insects. The bird also was ring-tagged on its leg. It is definately a more beautiful Yunina than the White-bellied (Epornis) one of peninsula Malaysia.

This is another common bird to see in bird wave here in KNP so not to worry to chalk up this lifer.

Kingfisher 3A/13 - Stork billed Kingfisher (Bornean subspecie - Bornean 24/100)

Photo1 Borneo Stork-billed Kingfisher Pelargopsis capensis innominata 

Photo2 Peninsula's Stork-billed Kingfisher Pelargopsis capensis malaccensis

      The Bornean subspecie Stork-billed Kingfisher have a paler head color compared to the peninsula one which have a darker brown head ( malaccensis). See  photo2  above.


I would not call it a different specie or lifer but to let you guys know. Who know the birding faternity may split them as a different specie in the near future  ......... I doubt it as there is not much difference other than color of the head.

Please note the paler color head at an angle

 The latest  sighting 0n 01.1218 at Malim Nawar Perak of the peninsula subspecies. Note the darker head and face

Flowerpecker 9/12 - Brown-backed flowerpecker ( lifer 514)

I only managed to get a single pose and away it went  with  my gang lead by Robertus. We  were shooting at the fruiting ficus tree at the far end monsoon drain away from RDC  carpark. I do not know whether the guys notice the bird as they left the post earlier  to seek other lifers at the back entrance of RDC.

The particular flowerpecker has pinkish to orangy  eye. It has dull  brown coat with a faint buffy streaking underpart from its breast to belly. It is rather stout and puffy in shape. It  stayed in the canopy top (25ft) in the  tree and never came down ever vigilant of my present.  It was feeding amongst the Blue-eared Barbet and Yellow-vented flowerpeckers and several bulbuls at that time


The other place to see this bird is in Panti Johor but I have yet to set foot to that Forest reserve down south of Peninsula Malaysia.

juvenile blue eared barbet in all green "attire"

Yellow-vened Fp

Forktail 4/4 - Bornean Forktail (Lifer 513 - Bornean 22/100)

I was not patient enough to wait for an open shot like N'azmi that day as my target is to get lifers. For me the photo here is good enough for id for me to post as a lifer and I rather move on to other opportunities.

Taking Reyes  write-up - the Bornean Forktail (Enicurus borneoensis) (BF) was split (Moyle et al 2005) from White-crowned Forktail (Enicurus leschenaulti) (WCF) based on the followings :

• The white shield stop on top of its forehead whereas WCF extended on the crown.
• Much bigger in size than WCF with longer and has 4 pair of white patches on its tail
• Different vocalizations
• Different habitat with BF mostly found at the mountains e.g Kinabalu National Park and WCF further down lowland forest e.g Danum Valley

WADER 17/60 - Little Heron

Little Heron

Very difficult to get close to this buggers unless u set up a hide or camouflage yourself. Digiscoping from 100 ft is the best . Little Herons are very adaptive. They have  invaded OD ponds all over the urbanscapes whilst their natural habitats are destroyed by man.

Its also called the Striated Heron. Below new photo of an immature bird.

Warbler 6A/16 - Bornean Mountain Leaf- Warbler [Bornean 21/100 ( kinabaluensis subspecie)]

Phylloscopus trivirgatus kinabaluensis

Kinabalu have a separate endemic Mountain  Leaf-Warbler  which is paler in colors to its cousin of Peninsula Malaysia. There has an inconspicuous  barring to its  wing. It is distinguished  from the latter with pale grey greenish underparts and head. I not sure to consider it a lifer but I will put it as a subspecie for now.

The bird I saw was in a mixed specie bird wave of crimson sunbird, tailorbird, fantail & yuhinas. It was ever moving hunting for grubs and insects amongst the shrub-trees. Thus the soft photos.

White-eye 3/3 - Black-capped White-eye (Lifer 511 - Bornean 20/100)

This black-capped is a sure see with the  endemic Yuhina when they feed together from tree to tree at KNP especially at the Cafeteria . You can encounter them daily but to shoot them is another story. Those guys who are digiscoping or using compact zoom camera like the Nikon P900 or Sony will endure  hard  time to photogragh them. 

Even with my Fuji XT-2 I was struggling to shoot them abet the opportunity of  open perch sighting is least of time ....... I would usually glue to my viewfinder and  anticipate the bird to pop out at open branch when follow their movement behind foliage. 

The Black-capped is endemic to Borneo and Sumatera side. It can reach a length between nine and eleven centimetres and looks slightly similar to the Oriental White-eye
of Peninsula Malaysia. The forehead and the crown are blackish and its upperparts and underparts are darker than at the Oriental white-eye. The back is olive green and the iris is brown. The bill and the feet are coloured black. The voice is characterized by soft twitters.

Kingfisher 15/16 - Rufous-backed Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher (Lifer 509 - Bornean 19/100)

This is a resident Kingfisher in Sepilok Sandakan. It is a Sabah race.

It has a purplish to reddish back compared to the black-backed  which the latter has a  bluish back. Then there is the Rufous backed Kingfisher of peninsula Malaysia which have a rufous winged with little blue and no ear-covert.


Below I have an illustration and comparison write-up of the 3 birds under the category of Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher

As a reference please refer the different race and specie of the Oriental Dwarf below

Robin 3A/5 - Oriental Magpie Robin ( Bornean Subspecie - Bornean 13/100)

Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis adamsi

Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis adamsi (male)

The Oriental Magpie Robin of Borneo has an all black body as shown in the following pictures. I did not notice it until Dennis pointed out to me. On my first trip to Sepilok I did not bothered to shoot this lapsap bird hehehe until the last trip here again in October. 

Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis musicus (male)

 The peninsula male  OMR have  white belly  is shown here. So guys should I consider them as separate species.............................for the moment I will take them as subspecies.

Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis musicus

Laughingthrush 5/6 - Sunda Laughingthrush (Lifer 510 - Bornean 12/100)

There are three Laughingthrush you can in Sabah. The Sunda is one of the two common birds you can encounter almost everywhere in KNP. Usually in a flock of half dozen or more and at times together with Chestnut-headed. The rarity is the Bare-headed ........................

I really do not know why the two former Laughingthrushes are so buddy-buddy. I guess they are of the same size and feeding in large number has its advantageous. They would feed on the ground and at middle storey rather than at canopy level ala the Treepie.

24–25 cm in size the Sunda LT is a dull slate-grey medium-sized laughingthrush with greyish  face and dull chestnut back and wings. This is Nominate race G. p. schistochlamys of Borneo & Sumatera. The other subspecies have a dark face. The eye have a obvious pale bluish eye-ring and that it. Easy id rite.

LT are very vocal and they are curious enough to pop out in the open whenever there is activity of noise amongst birds. You can says they are busybody and inquisitive.

On the last day we were in KNP we missed to see the Bald-headed which was seen by a visiting couple along the Road to Timpohan in the late morning. Lucky fellows................It was a matter of right time and right place to see any lifers in KNP as the site is too wide to be at every locale.

Stubtail / Bush Warbler 2/2 - Bornean Stubtail (Bornean 11/100 - Lifer 508)

For this  shoot-out session I like to thank our borneo birder NorAz for his guidance. We got to see this rarity only once . We visited the same locale at Silau-silau for the subsequent 2 days but the bird was not to be seen. I pitied Azlina who was struggling with her gear and missed good photos of this tiniest of birds in KNP. Even my photos was not tad sharp due to the misty and dark condition of the trail. We were shooting from a close distance of only 20-25-ft.

It is 4 inches or   9·5–10 cm in size.The Stubtail is a  ground-loving warbler. It  has pale long-legged with very short tail. It has a brown crown and upperparts, long buffish-brown supercilium and equally long and broad dark
brown eye-stripe. Its breast is much freckle greyish white upto its belly.

Wren Babbler 5/6 - Bornean Mountain Wren Babbler (lifer 507 - Bornean 14/100)

                                                                       

This is another endemic bird  that you can see in KNP.  Mountain Wren-babbler from a distance looks similarly to our peninsula Streaked Wren Babbler in looks and antics.



It is another crooner and will fly in out and over you as it duet loudly with our playback. 



It is about 14 cm in size. Pale-streaked dark chunky small babbler with dull white throat and dull rufous belly, bristly forecrown feathers projecting forwards.Its crown to lower back has  blackish streaky feathers and the white faint supercilium /brow.