Jungle Flycatcher (4/5) - Fulvous-chested Jungle Flycatcher (Lifer 564/688)

 

Burly brownish flycatcher with a clean white throat, a warm bib, and a faintly hooked dark bill. Overall plainness and structure separate it from female “blue flycatchers” and migrant “brown flycatchers”. Gray-chested Jungle-Flycatcher has more evident gray wash on the head, overall darker upperparts, and lack of warm tones in the tail; its breast band is thicker overall, and is generally more gray-toned (though it can sometimes appear brownish). Rufous-tailed Jungle-Flycatcher is more slender and has a brighter rufous tail than Fulvous-chested; it is found at higher elevations where the two overlap in range. A bird of lowland forests and forest edges, typically in drier habitat. Flycatches from mid-level perches and sings an indescribably beautiful cascading series of high jingling notes.

Groundbird (Bornean Endemic) Pheasant - Bulwer's Pheasant (Lifer 566/688)

 

Bulwer's pheasant is endemic to the island of Borneo, While the species is locally common in protected areas (e.g. Kayan Mentarang National Park, East Kalimantan) it is rarely found elsewhere. The bird inhabits hill and lower montane tropical forest, likely preferring highland rainforest and rarely visiting the lowlands below an altitude of 300 metres (980 ft). The diet consists mainly of fruits, worms, and insects.

Bulwer's pheasant is sexually dimorphic. Males have a total length of about 80 centimeters (31 in), and are black-plumaged with a maroon breast, crimson legs, a pure white tail of long, curved feathers, and bright blue facial skin with two wattles that conceal the sides of its head. Females have a total length of about 55 centimeters (22 in) and are overall dull brown colour with red legs and blue facial skin.

 (Wiki)

The Male we saw have shredded its fame white bushy tail unfortunately. I got limited opportunity to get better photos as the bird came out in the final hour at 5pm after the rain stopped but stayed for a short time. Some more the low lighting  got me 9/10 blur pictures as I was shooting at 1/15s ISO 2500-3200.

Babbler (17/23) Bornean -Temminck's Babbler (Lifer 560/688)

This was a side show bird but nevertheless my lifer to while we waited for the star bird namely Bulwer's Pheasant.

A very plain/drab babbler in colors but the recognisable streaking grey head define this small babbler. It is a babbler of lowland and foothill forests. Can be difficult to see in the shadowy forest floor and dense undergrowth it often forages in; listen for its song, a repetitive series of descending notes: “wi’DEW, wi’DEW!” Calls include a nasal, rising trill. If seen, note the overall warm brown body, white throat, and dark crown. Face color varies, ranging from gray to cinnamon-brown.

 Temminck's babbler (Pellorneum pyrrogenys) is a species of bird in the family Pellorneidae. It is found in Borneo and Java. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

This bird's common name commemorates the Dutch naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. (Wiki)

Trogon (7/7) Borneo Endemic - Whitehead's Trogon (lifer 558/688) Oct 2022

We were on our first day tour to KNP with Ikwan  in the afternoon After lunch at the canteen  we headed to upper Silau-silau trail . This is the regular section to see the Whiteheads. The valley trail is protected from strong wind and I think it is ideal for birds to roost.  After failing to spot the bird  for 2 hours we decided to walk back to Ligawu which was already pass 4pm. Then we saw excitement from our guide who have returned to usher us back up telling us the Trogon was spotted. And here we go puffing and huffing in quick steps up to the locale; & walla we managed to see this lifer with swelling relieve as we thank the other bird guide who contacted Ikwan. So at times it is good to have some one local to guide you.

The female was also nearby but no good pictures.

So happy that night  I send a photo to Theresa to tell her my encounter. The last time I was birding with her and her girl team we did not manage to see it. Hope she manage to see hers already. So in the month of September - October is a good time to bird here. However in 2022 saw the monsoon rain arriving early. On our third day in KNP was a wash out as we wasted a whole wet day

Whitehead's trogon (Harpactes whiteheadi) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it is an uncommon resident in primary mountain forest. One of Borneo's largest trogons at 29 to 33 cm (11 to 13 in) long, it is sexually dimorphic. The male is crimson on the head, nape, and underparts, with a black throat and grey chest; the rest of his upperparts are cinnamon-coloured. The female is similarly patterned, but cinnamon-brown where the male is scarlet. The species was first described for science by Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1888, who named it for British explorer and collector John Whitehead. There are no subspecies.

It is primarily an insectivore, but also eats various plant materials, including fruits and seeds. Other than the timing of its breeding—typically between April and June—little is known about its breeding biology. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates Whitehead's trogon as a near-threatened species. 

(Wiki)

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Like most trogons, Whitehead's trogon is sexually dimorphic namely the partners are different in apparent; the male is considerably more colorful than the female.  It ranks among Borneo's largest trogons, measuring 29 to 33 cm (11 to 13 in) in length. The male is crimson on the forehead, crown, nape, and sides of the head, with bare blue skin around the eyes. The rest of his upperparts are cinnamon-brown. His throat is black, shading into a grey breast, but the rest of his underparts are crimson. His wings are primarily black, with fine white barring on the secondaries and coverts.  His tail is mostly white underneath; above, the two central tail feathers are cinnamon with a broad black tip, and the remaining tail feathers are primarily black. The outermost tail feathers are white on the terminal half and along the outer web. He has a blue beak, pinkish-brown legs and feet, and reddish-brown irises.  The female is similarly patterned, but duller, with cinnamon-brown replacing the crimson of the male. The barring on her secondaries and wing coverts is cinnamon-brown rather than white. The immature female is similar to the adult female, but her entire ventral side is uniformly coloured, lacking the adult's black throat and grey upper breast. She also has less blue colouring on her beak.

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)

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.

 

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 ....................

Duck 7/15 - Knob-billed/African Comb Duck Lifer 551/688) June 2022

When TK news of this mega lifer  was sighted in Melaka I did not hesitate to go down south the following day before it go awol. Retired already ma I can go anytime. . The first Knob-billed record sighting was in Pulau Burung, Batu Kawan Penang some years back in 2016. So back to our second record sighting ; Facebook was already a buzzed with posting  and we expected a good crowd there during the weekend. We missed the bird in the morning as the bird was skittish and flew away when a farmer on a bike disturbed its feeding. As the crowd get bigger at the site and the duck was not returning to the open field; some left quietly to hunt for it at the vast padi field enclave. Some stayed and waited for its return. At about  4pm we sighted the duck circling the locale but did not land  as we were too intimidating. Some left again to look for it. Almost coming to dusk we got a call Mark as we drive out to the opposite field  to our relieve the duck was roosting in high grass field. And there we have our lifer shot but no full body photo. The guys 15 of us then decide get closer  to flush it out and get some flight shots. 

Never good in BIF shooting Some times birders have two camera setup for handheld with ready BIF setting. Here I was not ready for that with my Fuji XT2. Just set to high speed on auto .

The nearest breeding colony of Comb is in  Thale Noi Southern Thailand. They say there is a 500 strong colony there. The bird seen here is likely an early arrival in late June and  by the looks of it, the bird is an immature  bird. Who know there will be more frequent sighting in the future.  

  

My pathetic BIF shot 

Comb is one of the largest species of duck. Length can range from 56 to 76 cm in length, wingspan ranges from 116 to 145 cm in and weight from 1.03 to 2.9 kg . Adults have a white head freckled with dark spots, and a pure white neck and underparts. The upperparts are glossy blue-black upperparts, with bluish and greenish iridescence especially prominent on the secondaries (lower arm feathers). The male is much larger than the female, and has a large black knob on the bill. Young birds are dull buff below and on the face and neck, with dull brown upperparts, top of the head and eyestripe. Knob-billed ducks are generally larger in size when compared to comb ducks, and flanks are usually lighter (light grey, in females sometimes whitish).

A Black Kite we capture in the morning  ?

Immature knob-billed ducks look like a large greyish female of the cotton pygmy goose (Nettapus coromandelicus) and may be difficult to tell apart if no other birds are around to compare size and hue. However, knob-billed ducks in immature plumage are rarely seen without adults nearby and thus they are usually easily identified too.

The knob-billed duck is silent except for a low croak when flushed.

Uncertainty surrounds the correct systematic placement of this species. Initially, it was placed in the dabbling duck subfamily Anatinae. Later, it was assigned to the "perching ducks", a paraphyletic assemblage of waterfowl most of which are intermediate between dabbling ducks and shelducks. As the "perching ducks" were split up, the knob-billed duck was moved to the Tadorninae or shelduck subfamily.

It breeds in still freshwater swamps and lakes in the tropics. It is largely resident, apart from dispersion in the wet season.

This duck feeds on vegetation by grazing or dabbling and to a lesser extent on small fish, invertebrates, and seeds. It can become a problem to rice farmers. Knob-billed ducks often perch in trees. They are typically seen in flocks, small in the wet season, up to 100 in the dry season. Sometimes they separate according to sex.

African birds breed during and after the rainy season and may not breed if the rain is scanty. Knob-billed ducks nest mainly in tree holes, also in tall grass. Males may have two mates at once or up to five in succession. They defend the females and young but not the nest sites.

Females lay 7 to 15 yellowish-white eggs.

Munia 5/6 -White-capped Munia (Black-headed Munia Lonchura Ferruginosa) Lifer 550/688

The White-capped  are introduced bird  to Singapore first from Central Java Indonesia. They are  released or escape caged bird then. Recently there is a small colony of them sighted in Melaka padi field. Whether they are brought directly over or they have move upwards peninsula we will not know. I was also hoping the Javan Munia will migrate further up from southern Johor (Muar side) but alas they have yet to be recorded here.

They are nicknamed "Tricolors Nun" with its distinct white crown and nape, black throated and brown/chestnut back. In Craig's book it is  labelled as subspecies of the Black-headed.  I would consider its a lifer though as  feral birds from Indonesia which have become residents and breeding. here 

In July we saw them mainly in pairs feeding together  and collecting nesting material. Only at one time I saw them in a flock of  12-15 birds. They are considered pest to padi farmers as they do feed on rice grains. Hope they will not be a nuisance  too much if not they may be eradicated.

Sparrow 4/4 - House Sparrow (lifer 549)

A new year of birding have started as I travelled to Perlis and Kedah with a birder friend to look for migrant birds and northern birds

In Kuala Perlis we stopped for a short while to shoot my first lifer of 2022. House sparrows are considered feral to Malaysia ; most probably from Thailand. Singapore have them too.

It looks almost similar to the Plain-backed The latter  can is also found in Sugar Refinery Chuping nearby less than an hour away.

The male House Sparrow have a dark patch to its neck and breast while the Plain stop at the neck. The Plain have darker coverts wings Both have Grey crown