Spiderhunter ( 7/12) ) Borneo Endemic - Bornean Spiderhunter (Lifer 556/688)

 

There are a few endemic spiderhunter in Borneo. One of them is this Bornean Spiderhunter. Apparently this tree with its longish pinkish is a favorite of spidenhunters (with their long beak) and even sunbirds. I not sure of the plants name but it may be epiphhytic rhododendron flowers.

We were hoping to see the rarity Whitehead's spiderhunter but it was absent. Instead we got   this lifer. By the way there was a same tree in KNP right behind the canteen as pointed out by Ikwan but it was not flowering. Now you know look for the tree with this flower to get a glimpse of this elusive Whitehead's for many who have yet to see including yours truly.....

We were shooting from a distance of almost 200 feet range  up in this tall tree. The picture is fully cropped. Unfortunately  we were shooting in the late afternoon after the session in hide. If it was in the morning we may have got a chance to see the Whitehead's .....sign.

Medium-sized spiderhunter with an olive back and streaked gray underparts. Inhabits lowland and submontane forests and forest edges, where it feeds primarily on nectar in the understory; favors blossoms of banana and ginger. Very similar in appearance to Gray-breasted Spiderhunter; range overlap is poorly understood but appears to be minimal. Look for Bornean’s more intensely streaked underparts and slightly larger size. Long-billed Spiderhunter can show some streaking on the breast but is much larger and longer-billed, with yellowish underparts. Sometimes noisy, giving loud raspy nasal calls. (ebird)

Avian Encounter October 2022 - Coucals in Langkap

I was in Langkap to search for lifer in the coming migration period. It was a surprising find to shoot both the Lesser and greater Coucal at close range. Many of the roadside reeds and undergrowth were been prune and cut down So it was no surprise birds keep to the remaining  areas. After a short drizzle in the morning helps my finds of these big birds of Chui Chak's  padifields. Birds will come out to dry themselves.

I was shooting full frame of this Greater Coucal on the ground less than 15 ft away. The bird was not intimidated as I shoot from my SUV. The bird remain at the cutdown reeds even after I left the spot. 

 

PITTA ( 8/12) Bornean Endemic - Bornean Banded Pitta (Lifer 555/688)

This is my second Bornean pitta amongst the other 3-4 more. The first one was the easy catch in Sepilok - Black-headed Pitta another split from our peninsula  Garnet. In Tambunan about 1.15 hours from Ranau you can visit a privately operated hide  by KKLee. With the reopening of borders and open sky flying the place is happening and advance booking is necessary because of limited seats. We were lucky to bum into Leong at Gng Alab who so willingly connect us to shoot there The rate was reasonable too. Apparently there were some cancellation by another group due to Covid ...... A blessing in disguise. 

Snappy-looking pitta with a broad egg-yolk-yellow eyebrow, black mask, coffee-brown back, and finely barred underparts. Male has a yellow throat, black crown, and indigo belly patch. Female is similar but duller, with no indigo belly patch, a whitish throat, paler underparts, and a pale brown crown. Listen for its song, a series of well-spaced explosive but mellow “byow!”s. Widely distributed but uncommon to locally common; inhabits hill and lowland dipterocarp forests, where it seems to favor dry ridges, hilltops, and limestone areas.

I still think our peninsula (Malayan) Banded Pitta male with its vivid orange mixed banding and head is much better looker. The latter can be seen at Lancang Pahang and Merapoh Kuala Tahan.

 

Bornean Endemic Oct 2022 - Mountain Black-eye (Lifer 554/688)

 This was our third visit  to the 2000m asl port in Gunung Alab forest Reserve during our trip. We were glad that we have two session of shooting of this tiny passerine in a bird wave of Mountain Warbler and Bornean Whistler. The condition then was wet and misty against the glaring opaque white sky. You have to  plus +2 exposure compensation. So plenty of post editing. I shoot only in Jpeg so to recover details a bit lacking.

We were fortunate that there were a few trees that were fruiting there that attracted the birds to feed on. This is in mid October as a record. The rainy season came early this year 2022 which bring some good misty condition The local birders says if it is not misty you will encounter less birds. Next time we will hunt for the Bare-headed Laughingthrush  here  as we only heard it call-in KNP Ranau side but did not show. 

The mountain blackeye, sometimes referred to as the olive blackeye or simply black-eye, is a species of passerine bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is endemic to the highest mountains on the island of Borneo. It is known from both Malaysian states on the island, and four of the five Indonesian provinces, but has never been recorded in Brunei. Typically found at elevations above 1,800 m, the mountain blackeye sometimes moves to lower altitudes during periods of drought. There are four subspecies, which show clinal variations in size and coloring. Birds in the north are largest, darkest, and proportionately longer-tailed, while those further south are smaller, paler, and proportionately shorter-tailed. Adults are dark olive-green with a sharply-pointed, bright yellow-orange bill and a small dark mask connecting black lores with a black eye-ring. The subspecies show varying amounts of yellow in their plumage, particularly on the face and underparts. Young birds resemble their parents, but have less brightly colored bills. It feeds on insects, nectar, pollen, and small fruits, and is a major pollinator of several species of Rhododendron. It is also a minor partner in a symbiotic relationship with the pitcher-plant Nepenthes lowii. Little is known about its breeding ecology. Its nest is a shallow cup made of rootlets and lined with bits of moss. The female lays a single egg, and the nestling takes 14–15 days to fledge after hatching. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as a species of least concern. Although its population has not been quantified, it is very common across much of its range.

Waterbird 61/70 October 2022 Rail - Buff Banded Rail (Lifer 553/688)

We were on a 9 days Ranau bird trip We have planned to try out Penampang Padifield on our last day in Sabah for the "Strawberry Finch".  While we were shooting at Gunung Alab we were fortunate to meet many fellow birders who give many insights and bird sightings. I personally like  to thank CM for his tip off for this rare sighting and photo shot of Buff Banded Rail. This lifer make up for the target bird which they say have to catch them in the early morning session and not at 10 am onwards. 

Penampang Padifield unlike Sg Balang or Batang Tiga  is a chunk of open field without accessibility of grid laterite roads. Birds can stay put 100 metres  away from you with least of concern.  To shoot birds here you need anything shorter than 800mm with TC you will be in big trouble to get your lifer. Fortunately, I brought my Nikon P1000 with a 3000mm telezoom. Though we did not manage a full body open shot we were happy as beggar cannot demand.

 

From my observation its looks like the Water Rail in Craig Robson's. From its scientific name  "Hypotaenidia philippensis" it is likely a visitor  from Filipina 

It is a largely terrestrial bird the size of a small domestic chicken, with mainly brown upperparts, finely banded black and white underparts, a white eyebrow, chestnut band running from the bill round the nape, with a buff band on the breast. It utilises a range of moist or wetland habitats with low, dense vegetation for cover. It is usually quite shy but may become very tame and bold in some circumstances, such as in island resorts within the Great Barrier Reef region.

The buff-banded rail is an omnivorous scavenger which feeds on a range of terrestrial invertebrates and small vertebrates, seeds, fallen fruit and other vegetable matter, as well as carrion and refuse. Its nest is usually situated in dense grassy or reedy vegetation close to water, with a clutch size of 3–4. (Extract from Wiki)

Photo by Subki in Tawau 2022

Parrot (3/3) October 2022 - Blue-naped Parrot (Lifer 552/688)

This parrot is a feral/introduced from Filipina. In Kota Kinabalu. it can only be seen  Tanjung Aru. It is a sure see bird there as a dozen or so parrot reside permanently in the larger (dead now) Ru tree at the far corner of the beach from away from the human activities below. Once it gone I am not sure it will go.

This was my second attempt after the failed sighting with Theresa team sometime back Luckily the keen eyes of AT got them as I was lured by the call of parrots to the opposite side. Do not expect the local traders to tell you. they will says "di sana dan another di situ dengar dia " 

This is a medium size parrot, around 31 cm (12 in) in length, primarily green except for a light blue rear crown and nape, pale blue lower back and rump, scalloped shoulders with orange brown on black coverts, and blackish underwings with green underwing coverts.

The blue-naped parrot feeds on mangoes, berries, seeds, nuts and grains. It nests in tree holes.

It was a good start to our birding excursion ....................

Avian Shooting October 2022 - Banded Kingfisher

 I never shoot kingfisher as close as this. A full framed photo at a close distance of 15ft . This is in Benta. The guy can lure him out by feeding it grasshopper or crickets. It was like its pet. We get to shoot it pretty long time The Banded Kingfisher is  one most vibrant  and striking king. More often you can hear its call but   nowhere to be seen.

guided by Cham

If you are fast you can get a shot with its feed for a quick seconds before it gulped its prey.

You have to compose your shot from a back perspective or side view to get nice features

Frogmouth 4/8 - Blyth's Frogmouth

It was an adventure into the Benta's rubber & durian plantation heartland I managed to join Denise & hubby Loo and Stella for a foursome guided hunt of this rarely seen resident bird. The trip from Kl is about less then 2 hours  to Benta chinese village town.....but for me who drive like the demon maybe 1.5 hours for the 100 odd klicks  journey. Upon arrival it was breakfast before I tapau nasi lemak for lunch for all. We then switch car onto Cham's 4x4 single cabin truck as the trail into the plantation is not  conducive for even my SUV as its hilly,  scarred and muddy. 

I was given the privilege to sit shotgun ....oldest guy ma; while the others sit in the open back They were so nice .....Thanks guys. The slow journey to the port take him about half an hour. Upon arrival we were asked to wait at the trail  as he walk into the pocket jungle growth in the rubber plantation. Within 15 minutes he already spotted the pair at a ravine as I was tagging along as his  "spotter" Amazing right. So I walk out to call the guys to the port.

Shooting frogmouth while they are roosting in the day is very easy as they don't move much from its perch. We were lucky they were together. Unlucky it was not an open perch as the female was partially obscured by foliage. 

The Blyth's Frogmouth is split from its conspecific & identical Javan cousin but it is smaller in size from my observation. The Javan is more stout & broader too.

So anyone interested to see this pair can contact the resident guide Cham He can only accommodate a foursome at a fix guide fee. Hp 012-3161863. Yes he can also  out a friendly male Banded Kingfisher  for you  to shoot till your heart content. Amazing guy.