DMW
Well-known member
I recently spent a little under two weeks in Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo. Rather than attempt a comprehensive itinerary, I focused my efforts on Mt Kinabalu, with a brief visit to the lowland forest at Sepilok.
Despite very little prior preparation (this was tagged-onto the end of a longer trip in the region), it was an easy and very enjoyable couple of weeks. Late April / early May is probably not the optimum time to visit, but the weather was mainly dry and I lost little birding time to rain. Low cloud and often dense fog was, however, prevalent on most days after about 9.00 a.m. and this sometimes hampered birding.
I flew into Kota Kinabalu from Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia, and spent a night at Lucy’s Homestay in KK. While nothing special, this inexpensive backpacker’s hostel is very conveniently located. Borneo Books, which stocks a good range of natural history books including bird and mammal field guides, is located in the nearby Wisma Merdeka mall; and minibuses to Mt Kinabalu leave from the bus stand two minutes’ walk away.
Getting to Mt Kinabalu by public transport is straightforward. Buses and minibuses destined for Ranau depart throughout the day, and will drop you at the park entrance en route. The journey takes about 1.5 hours.
Accommodation (and food) inside the national park is expensive, and most birders stay at one of the many private lodges just outside the park. I stayed at the Mountain Resthouse, which is the closest to the park entrance (200m away in the direction of Ranau). Single occupancy in a twin room cost me MLR 30 per night. It’s very basic but perfectly adequate for the backpacking birder. I ate at the restaurant directly across the road from the park entrance – good and cheap, with a resident Mountain Scops round the back to distract you from those early morning thrush-yomps up the hill.
As far as I could tell, the national park entrance is open 24/7, so there is no problem entering very early or late. The daily entrance fee for foreigners is MLR 15: I paid this whenever there was a conscious attendant manning the booth.
You can get a barely-legible trail map (free) from the information centre at the entrance, but all the trails are well-marked and easy to follow. The park entrance fee allows you to climb as far as the Timpohon Gate at the top of the Powerstation Road. You can then buy an additional permit at the Timpohon Gate (MLR 10) that allows you to climb 4km along the summit trail to the Layang-Layang Shelter. You probably need to go at least as far as the km 1.5 marker to find Friendly Bush Warbler, and I only saw Mountain Blackeye along the summit trail; otherwise all the endemics can be found on the lower trails or along the road. The Timpohon Gate seems to be opened around 8.00 a.m.; the kiosk opposite the ticket desk sells snacks including cup noodle and hot coffee, the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.
Climbing to the summit requires prior booking and a mandatory guide, and is very expensive.
As far as I can tell, most of the endemics can be seen almost anywhere: there are few stake-outs, and seeing them is mostly a matter of putting in the hours; having said that, I did find the Bukit Ular Trail to be consistently good, and the Mempening Trail good for a couple of the trickier species. The Powerstation Road is also very good and not to be neglected.
Rather than giving a blow-by-blow account of each day, I think it’s probably more useful to provide notes on the various key species I saw during my visit.
Red-breasted Partridge – often heard, although less frequently than the next species, I had 4 sightings, all along the Bukit Ular Trail. My first sighting was, rather bizarrely, of a pair that ran up to me and started doddering around my feet. I wondered if they were habituated birds, but next day I saw presumably the same pair with 2 tiny chicks, which probably explains their previous behaviour. The best way to see this and the next species is probably simply spending plenty of time on the Bukit Ular Trail.
Crimson-headed Partridge – common by voice, but I only had a single sighting, on the Bukit Ular Trail. One started singing close to the trail, and with playback, I had it come in warily to within a few metres to investigate. I made no particular effort to see the species again.
Mountain Serpent Eagle – a single sighting of a bird soaring along the ridge below the Timpohon Viewpoint. During most of my stay on the mountain, thick low cloud and fog set-in by mid-morning, making for poor raptor-viewing conditions. A good strategy is to spend the middle part of any clear days at this viewpoint until you score. One is bound to show sooner or later.
Bornean Swiftlet – I’m convinced this is an April Fool’s joke (I mean, dodgei – come on!), and simply proves the notion that if you invent a species, birders will start seeing it! The conventional way to see this bird is to climb up to Layang-Layang, where it nests on the shelter. I couldn’t see any swiftlet nests here, so I descended 100m to the small side-trail that leads to a helipad and TV mast. There were 4 or 5 nests on the main building here, and when the dense fog cleared a little, I saw a couple of swiftlets hanging around these.
I also regularly saw birds lower down the mountain that appeared to have green rather blue glossed upperparts, notably around the Timpohon Gate (several appeared to be prospecting under the roof of the viewing platform above the gate), and from the Timpohon View.
Whitehead’s Trogon – my only encounter at Kinabalu was a silent male near the start of the Bukit Ular Trail. A typical trogon sighting, attention being drawn by movement as it moved perch in the mid-storey, then sat motionless for several minutes before flying off.
Whitehead’s Broadbill – two sightings of “singing” males. The first was half way along the Bukit Trail, the second along the Power Station Road between the painted 1.3 and 1.4 markers above Silau Silau. Both responded to playback, but were still quite difficult to see as they tended to remain in dense foliage most of the time.
Whitehead’s Spiderhunter – I had two sightings of this sometimes tricky species. The first was a bird that started calling above my head about 250m from the start of the Mempening Trail, where I had heard one the previous day. It responded quite strongly to playback, moving around in the lower canopy giving superb views. The second sighting was an extremely distant view of one perched on top of a dead tree on the ridge in front of the Timpohon Viewpoint. Apparently they habitually perch up like this during the middle of the day, so it’s always worth scanning when the opportunity arises.
Fruit-hunter – Apparently scarce this year, I had just a single observation - a male seen above the boardwalk on the summit trail between the first two shelters. It seemed quite inquisitive and gradually came in closer until it was within 15 metres, giving fantastic views. I heard no calling birds at all.
Everett’s Thrush – the cause of much sleep deprivation, owing to the need for early starts to get in-situ before dawn. Prior to my visit, this tricky species had been staked-out above the 1.2 marker painted on the road above Silau-Silau. I faithfully climbed-up every morning to wait for first light at this spot, and waited here most dusks, with no success. The sharp corner just below 1.2 provided Orange-headed Thrush on a couple of mornings, and Eye-browed Jungle Flycatcher often foraged on the road just above 1.2, but no ET. On my penultimate morning, I walked uphill from 1.2 when it was fully light and discovered a stonking Everett’s Thrush feeding in broad daylight on the grassy verge at 1.4. Which was nice. It wasn’t at all shy: I stood 30m away in the open and it was unconcerned by my presence. After 5 minutes, it was flushed by a vehicle, but soon returned and fed for 5 minutes until the vehicle came back down the hill at 6.20 a.m. There was no sign of the bird the following morning.
Bare-headed Laughingthrush – I only had a single encounter with this seemingly rather scarce species. This involved 4-5 birds in a mega mixed flock of laughingthrushes, Short-tailed Magpies and woodpeckers, half way along the Mempening Trail. They weren’t vocal and tended to be much less active than the accompanying Chestnut-hooded and Sunda Lauthingthrushes, quietly foraging in epiphytes in the mid canopy. The yellow skin on the head seemed much duller than depicted in Myers.
Friendly Bush Warbler – this is the only endemic bird species that requires ascent above the Timpohon Gate. It took me two attempts to see it. Perhaps the lowest and easiest place is just below the km 1.5 marker on the summit trail. About 15m below this marker, there are 3 metal fence posts with a few strands of fencing wire. Climb through these and burrow into the dense bracken a little way (i.e. 1-2 metres) until you find a decent “window” where you can see the ground. Sit or crouch and play a recording (or pish if you don’t have one), then wait. With any luck, you should have a Friendly Bush Warbler hopping around your feet within a couple of minutes, but be patient. If the bird responds by singing nearby out of sight, just sit tight and play the recording again: let it come to you.
More frequently encountered endemics included Golden-naped Barbet (mostly along the Powerstation Road); Bornean Whistler (everywhere!); Bornean Treepie (ditto); Black-sided Flowerpecker (the fruiting bushes planted around the accommodation were especially good); Bornean Whistling Thrush (not especially common, but seen once or twice most days. A rather tame one forages around the steps on the summit trail just below the Timpohon Gate early in the morning, and there are generally birds along the lower stretches of the road at dusk); Bornean Forktail (quite scarce; the stream at the very bottom of the Bukit Ular Trail was quite reliable, otherwise the drainage channels along the lower stretches of the road at dusk was also quite reliable); Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher (the Bukit Ular Trail is quite good, but I found the Power Station road at dawn and dusk the best bet, with the area around the white painted 1.2 marker on the road above Silau Silau being reliable. At these times, the birds forage on the road itself); Pale-faced Bulbul (one singing next to the power station, otherwise only seen along the summit trail, where it seems quite uncommon. The bushes around the TV mast below Layang-Layang were a good area); Bornean Stubtail (common by voice and seen on several occasions, this species can be extremely confiding. The Bukit Ular Trail is as good as anywhere); Mountain Blackeye (common and conspicuous along the summit trail from just above the Timpohon Gate upwards); Mountain Wren-Babbler (just a single party seen, about half way along the Liwagu Trail. I didn’t try using playback to see this species, which would no doubt have produced more sightings); Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush (everywhere).
Among the more interesting non-endemics, I saw a male Pygmy Blue Flycatcher about half-way along the Liwagu Trail (apparently the only trail along which this scarce species occurs on the mountain); an immature Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle perched within a few metres along the Mempening Trail; a Mountain Scops flushed from its day roost along the Bukit Ular Trail; several singing Dark Hawk-Cuckoos, with one near the ablution block high up the Powerstation Road being particularly reliable; and a pair of Temminck’s Babblers along the road not far above the entrance.
After birding for 6 days on Mt Kinabalu, I fancied a change of scenery and caught a Sandakan-bound bus from outside the park entrance. This dropped me off at Sepilok after a 4 hour journey, and I got a taxi from the main road for the 1.5kms to the Sepilok B&B where I got a room with fan for MLR 48 per night, including breakfast.
Sepilok B&B is a 5 minute walk from the Rainforest Discovery Centre: a rather strange but very birdy place. I spent two full days here, dividing my time between the superb canopy walkway and towers, and the trail system. Entrance to the RDC costs MLR 10 per day. Access is theoretically limited to between 8.00 a.m. and 7.00 p.m., but my watch was unreliable and nobody seemed to mind my bending the rules ever so slightly.
The headline act at the RDC is unquestionably Bornean Bristlehead, and this is probably the best place in the world to see this curious bird. That isn’t to say that it’s guaranteed here, but I think you would be pretty unlucky to miss it here if you put in the effort. I had three sightings: two from the Trogon Tower and one from the boardwalk between the Bristlehead and Trogon Towers. All my sightings were in the late afternoon, and the best strategy is probably to head up to the Trogon Tower at around 4.00 p.m. and stay there until dusk.
Other endemics I saw here included Black-and-crimson Pitta, which I whistled out for stunning views from the gully to the left of the first set of wooden steps along the Pitta Trail; Bornean Black Magpie (noisy and conspicuous from the towers and walkway); White-crowned Shama (a singing bird along the Pitta trail); Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker (one from the walkway); and Dusky Munia (common in grassy areas inside the RDC and along the access road).
There are plenty of widespread Sundaic lowland forest species at the RDC. Among my more interesting sightings were Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher (or whatever you want to call this taxon (!) at various locations along the Kingfisher Trail); Rufous-collared Kingfisher (a very responsive male at the “Rufous Collared Kingfisher” sign along the Kingfisher Trail!); Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle (two from the Trogon Tower); and a pair of Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeons (from the Trogon Tower).
From Sepilok, I got a bus to Ranau, and from there a minibus to Tambunan. From here, I got a taxi to the Gunung Alab Resort, where I got a room for MLR 50. I spent a full day plus a couple of hours the next morning birding along the road between the Resort and about 3km below the Rafflesia Reserve.
Although there is considerable overlap with the birds at Mt Kinabalu NP, the Rafflesia Reserve has a number of mid-altitude endemics that seem peculiarly scarce there. I concentrated on looking for these, and saw 4 of my 5 hoped-for species. My search for the two barbets among these wasn’t helped by their complete lack of vocalisation!
Among the more interesting birds were Bornean Leafbird (quite common, with superb views of several); Bornean Bulbul (ditto); Cinereous Bulbul (common); and Mountain Barbet (only two seen, with superb views of one). I also heard a Whitehead’s Trogon very close to the road at the km 25 marker, but couldn’t spot it. Missing Bornean Barbet was a significant but containable disappointment.
From Gunung Alab Resort, I got a shared taxi back to KK, where I spent the night before flying back to KL. I visited Borneo Books and bought the mammal guide to Borneo (so much more sensible than buying it at the start of the trip), and discovered with a sinking heart that squirrels in Borneo are the mammalian equivalent of Phylloscopus warblers in China.
Despite very little prior preparation (this was tagged-onto the end of a longer trip in the region), it was an easy and very enjoyable couple of weeks. Late April / early May is probably not the optimum time to visit, but the weather was mainly dry and I lost little birding time to rain. Low cloud and often dense fog was, however, prevalent on most days after about 9.00 a.m. and this sometimes hampered birding.
I flew into Kota Kinabalu from Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia, and spent a night at Lucy’s Homestay in KK. While nothing special, this inexpensive backpacker’s hostel is very conveniently located. Borneo Books, which stocks a good range of natural history books including bird and mammal field guides, is located in the nearby Wisma Merdeka mall; and minibuses to Mt Kinabalu leave from the bus stand two minutes’ walk away.
Getting to Mt Kinabalu by public transport is straightforward. Buses and minibuses destined for Ranau depart throughout the day, and will drop you at the park entrance en route. The journey takes about 1.5 hours.
Accommodation (and food) inside the national park is expensive, and most birders stay at one of the many private lodges just outside the park. I stayed at the Mountain Resthouse, which is the closest to the park entrance (200m away in the direction of Ranau). Single occupancy in a twin room cost me MLR 30 per night. It’s very basic but perfectly adequate for the backpacking birder. I ate at the restaurant directly across the road from the park entrance – good and cheap, with a resident Mountain Scops round the back to distract you from those early morning thrush-yomps up the hill.
As far as I could tell, the national park entrance is open 24/7, so there is no problem entering very early or late. The daily entrance fee for foreigners is MLR 15: I paid this whenever there was a conscious attendant manning the booth.
You can get a barely-legible trail map (free) from the information centre at the entrance, but all the trails are well-marked and easy to follow. The park entrance fee allows you to climb as far as the Timpohon Gate at the top of the Powerstation Road. You can then buy an additional permit at the Timpohon Gate (MLR 10) that allows you to climb 4km along the summit trail to the Layang-Layang Shelter. You probably need to go at least as far as the km 1.5 marker to find Friendly Bush Warbler, and I only saw Mountain Blackeye along the summit trail; otherwise all the endemics can be found on the lower trails or along the road. The Timpohon Gate seems to be opened around 8.00 a.m.; the kiosk opposite the ticket desk sells snacks including cup noodle and hot coffee, the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.
Climbing to the summit requires prior booking and a mandatory guide, and is very expensive.
As far as I can tell, most of the endemics can be seen almost anywhere: there are few stake-outs, and seeing them is mostly a matter of putting in the hours; having said that, I did find the Bukit Ular Trail to be consistently good, and the Mempening Trail good for a couple of the trickier species. The Powerstation Road is also very good and not to be neglected.
Rather than giving a blow-by-blow account of each day, I think it’s probably more useful to provide notes on the various key species I saw during my visit.
Red-breasted Partridge – often heard, although less frequently than the next species, I had 4 sightings, all along the Bukit Ular Trail. My first sighting was, rather bizarrely, of a pair that ran up to me and started doddering around my feet. I wondered if they were habituated birds, but next day I saw presumably the same pair with 2 tiny chicks, which probably explains their previous behaviour. The best way to see this and the next species is probably simply spending plenty of time on the Bukit Ular Trail.
Crimson-headed Partridge – common by voice, but I only had a single sighting, on the Bukit Ular Trail. One started singing close to the trail, and with playback, I had it come in warily to within a few metres to investigate. I made no particular effort to see the species again.
Mountain Serpent Eagle – a single sighting of a bird soaring along the ridge below the Timpohon Viewpoint. During most of my stay on the mountain, thick low cloud and fog set-in by mid-morning, making for poor raptor-viewing conditions. A good strategy is to spend the middle part of any clear days at this viewpoint until you score. One is bound to show sooner or later.
Bornean Swiftlet – I’m convinced this is an April Fool’s joke (I mean, dodgei – come on!), and simply proves the notion that if you invent a species, birders will start seeing it! The conventional way to see this bird is to climb up to Layang-Layang, where it nests on the shelter. I couldn’t see any swiftlet nests here, so I descended 100m to the small side-trail that leads to a helipad and TV mast. There were 4 or 5 nests on the main building here, and when the dense fog cleared a little, I saw a couple of swiftlets hanging around these.
I also regularly saw birds lower down the mountain that appeared to have green rather blue glossed upperparts, notably around the Timpohon Gate (several appeared to be prospecting under the roof of the viewing platform above the gate), and from the Timpohon View.
Whitehead’s Trogon – my only encounter at Kinabalu was a silent male near the start of the Bukit Ular Trail. A typical trogon sighting, attention being drawn by movement as it moved perch in the mid-storey, then sat motionless for several minutes before flying off.
Whitehead’s Broadbill – two sightings of “singing” males. The first was half way along the Bukit Trail, the second along the Power Station Road between the painted 1.3 and 1.4 markers above Silau Silau. Both responded to playback, but were still quite difficult to see as they tended to remain in dense foliage most of the time.
Whitehead’s Spiderhunter – I had two sightings of this sometimes tricky species. The first was a bird that started calling above my head about 250m from the start of the Mempening Trail, where I had heard one the previous day. It responded quite strongly to playback, moving around in the lower canopy giving superb views. The second sighting was an extremely distant view of one perched on top of a dead tree on the ridge in front of the Timpohon Viewpoint. Apparently they habitually perch up like this during the middle of the day, so it’s always worth scanning when the opportunity arises.
Fruit-hunter – Apparently scarce this year, I had just a single observation - a male seen above the boardwalk on the summit trail between the first two shelters. It seemed quite inquisitive and gradually came in closer until it was within 15 metres, giving fantastic views. I heard no calling birds at all.
Everett’s Thrush – the cause of much sleep deprivation, owing to the need for early starts to get in-situ before dawn. Prior to my visit, this tricky species had been staked-out above the 1.2 marker painted on the road above Silau-Silau. I faithfully climbed-up every morning to wait for first light at this spot, and waited here most dusks, with no success. The sharp corner just below 1.2 provided Orange-headed Thrush on a couple of mornings, and Eye-browed Jungle Flycatcher often foraged on the road just above 1.2, but no ET. On my penultimate morning, I walked uphill from 1.2 when it was fully light and discovered a stonking Everett’s Thrush feeding in broad daylight on the grassy verge at 1.4. Which was nice. It wasn’t at all shy: I stood 30m away in the open and it was unconcerned by my presence. After 5 minutes, it was flushed by a vehicle, but soon returned and fed for 5 minutes until the vehicle came back down the hill at 6.20 a.m. There was no sign of the bird the following morning.
Bare-headed Laughingthrush – I only had a single encounter with this seemingly rather scarce species. This involved 4-5 birds in a mega mixed flock of laughingthrushes, Short-tailed Magpies and woodpeckers, half way along the Mempening Trail. They weren’t vocal and tended to be much less active than the accompanying Chestnut-hooded and Sunda Lauthingthrushes, quietly foraging in epiphytes in the mid canopy. The yellow skin on the head seemed much duller than depicted in Myers.
Friendly Bush Warbler – this is the only endemic bird species that requires ascent above the Timpohon Gate. It took me two attempts to see it. Perhaps the lowest and easiest place is just below the km 1.5 marker on the summit trail. About 15m below this marker, there are 3 metal fence posts with a few strands of fencing wire. Climb through these and burrow into the dense bracken a little way (i.e. 1-2 metres) until you find a decent “window” where you can see the ground. Sit or crouch and play a recording (or pish if you don’t have one), then wait. With any luck, you should have a Friendly Bush Warbler hopping around your feet within a couple of minutes, but be patient. If the bird responds by singing nearby out of sight, just sit tight and play the recording again: let it come to you.
More frequently encountered endemics included Golden-naped Barbet (mostly along the Powerstation Road); Bornean Whistler (everywhere!); Bornean Treepie (ditto); Black-sided Flowerpecker (the fruiting bushes planted around the accommodation were especially good); Bornean Whistling Thrush (not especially common, but seen once or twice most days. A rather tame one forages around the steps on the summit trail just below the Timpohon Gate early in the morning, and there are generally birds along the lower stretches of the road at dusk); Bornean Forktail (quite scarce; the stream at the very bottom of the Bukit Ular Trail was quite reliable, otherwise the drainage channels along the lower stretches of the road at dusk was also quite reliable); Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher (the Bukit Ular Trail is quite good, but I found the Power Station road at dawn and dusk the best bet, with the area around the white painted 1.2 marker on the road above Silau Silau being reliable. At these times, the birds forage on the road itself); Pale-faced Bulbul (one singing next to the power station, otherwise only seen along the summit trail, where it seems quite uncommon. The bushes around the TV mast below Layang-Layang were a good area); Bornean Stubtail (common by voice and seen on several occasions, this species can be extremely confiding. The Bukit Ular Trail is as good as anywhere); Mountain Blackeye (common and conspicuous along the summit trail from just above the Timpohon Gate upwards); Mountain Wren-Babbler (just a single party seen, about half way along the Liwagu Trail. I didn’t try using playback to see this species, which would no doubt have produced more sightings); Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush (everywhere).
Among the more interesting non-endemics, I saw a male Pygmy Blue Flycatcher about half-way along the Liwagu Trail (apparently the only trail along which this scarce species occurs on the mountain); an immature Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle perched within a few metres along the Mempening Trail; a Mountain Scops flushed from its day roost along the Bukit Ular Trail; several singing Dark Hawk-Cuckoos, with one near the ablution block high up the Powerstation Road being particularly reliable; and a pair of Temminck’s Babblers along the road not far above the entrance.
After birding for 6 days on Mt Kinabalu, I fancied a change of scenery and caught a Sandakan-bound bus from outside the park entrance. This dropped me off at Sepilok after a 4 hour journey, and I got a taxi from the main road for the 1.5kms to the Sepilok B&B where I got a room with fan for MLR 48 per night, including breakfast.
Sepilok B&B is a 5 minute walk from the Rainforest Discovery Centre: a rather strange but very birdy place. I spent two full days here, dividing my time between the superb canopy walkway and towers, and the trail system. Entrance to the RDC costs MLR 10 per day. Access is theoretically limited to between 8.00 a.m. and 7.00 p.m., but my watch was unreliable and nobody seemed to mind my bending the rules ever so slightly.
The headline act at the RDC is unquestionably Bornean Bristlehead, and this is probably the best place in the world to see this curious bird. That isn’t to say that it’s guaranteed here, but I think you would be pretty unlucky to miss it here if you put in the effort. I had three sightings: two from the Trogon Tower and one from the boardwalk between the Bristlehead and Trogon Towers. All my sightings were in the late afternoon, and the best strategy is probably to head up to the Trogon Tower at around 4.00 p.m. and stay there until dusk.
Other endemics I saw here included Black-and-crimson Pitta, which I whistled out for stunning views from the gully to the left of the first set of wooden steps along the Pitta Trail; Bornean Black Magpie (noisy and conspicuous from the towers and walkway); White-crowned Shama (a singing bird along the Pitta trail); Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker (one from the walkway); and Dusky Munia (common in grassy areas inside the RDC and along the access road).
There are plenty of widespread Sundaic lowland forest species at the RDC. Among my more interesting sightings were Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher (or whatever you want to call this taxon (!) at various locations along the Kingfisher Trail); Rufous-collared Kingfisher (a very responsive male at the “Rufous Collared Kingfisher” sign along the Kingfisher Trail!); Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle (two from the Trogon Tower); and a pair of Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeons (from the Trogon Tower).
From Sepilok, I got a bus to Ranau, and from there a minibus to Tambunan. From here, I got a taxi to the Gunung Alab Resort, where I got a room for MLR 50. I spent a full day plus a couple of hours the next morning birding along the road between the Resort and about 3km below the Rafflesia Reserve.
Although there is considerable overlap with the birds at Mt Kinabalu NP, the Rafflesia Reserve has a number of mid-altitude endemics that seem peculiarly scarce there. I concentrated on looking for these, and saw 4 of my 5 hoped-for species. My search for the two barbets among these wasn’t helped by their complete lack of vocalisation!
Among the more interesting birds were Bornean Leafbird (quite common, with superb views of several); Bornean Bulbul (ditto); Cinereous Bulbul (common); and Mountain Barbet (only two seen, with superb views of one). I also heard a Whitehead’s Trogon very close to the road at the km 25 marker, but couldn’t spot it. Missing Bornean Barbet was a significant but containable disappointment.
From Gunung Alab Resort, I got a shared taxi back to KK, where I spent the night before flying back to KL. I visited Borneo Books and bought the mammal guide to Borneo (so much more sensible than buying it at the start of the trip), and discovered with a sinking heart that squirrels in Borneo are the mammalian equivalent of Phylloscopus warblers in China.
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That track behind looks incredibly like the (oh too familiar) Bukit Ular trail too!
