58) This was a pretty successful cleaned up trip in the Northern Highlands of Sarawak for Neil and John just before Malaysia implemented travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, although we were forced to end the tour 3 days earlier but we were lucky to clean up most of the lifers for Neil and John except the Black Oriole, which's supposed to be ticked during the last 3 days.

We worked hard during the 1st part of the tour and managed to tick Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Bornean Banded Pitta, Blue-banded Pitta (A Pitta which John dreamed of seeing for 22 years), Dayak (Hill) Blue Flycatcher and Narcissus Flycatcher for both of them, and Mountain Serpent Eagle, Whitehead's Broadbill, Bornean Barbet, Pygmy Heleia, Temminck's Babbler, Indian Cuckoo, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Bornean Flowerpecker, Green-winged (Cinereous) Bulbul, Thick-billed Green Pigeon and Black-thighed Falconet for John and also Philippine Cuckoo Dove for Neil before we left for next destination to fly back home.

Other good birds enjoyed to see during the tour includes Black-throated Wren-babbler, Red-breasted Partridge, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Golden-naped Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Spiderhunter, Bock's Hawk Cuckoo, Orange-backed Woodpecker, Long-tailed Broadbill, Wreathed Hornbills, Yellow-eared Spiderhunter, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Crested Shrikejays and Orange-breasted Trogon, to name a few..

Next, John wish to see Long-billed Partridge, Bornean Crestless Fireback, Malaysian Honeyguide, Red-legged Crake, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, Grey-breasted Babbler, Gold-whiskered Barbet, Brown-backed Flowerpecker, Large-billed Blue Flycatcher, Cinnamon-rumped Trogon, Waterfall Swift, Short-toed Coucal, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Malaysian Hawk Cuckoo, Blue-rumped Parrot, Jambu Fruit Dove, Little, Large and Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeons, Bonaparte's Nightjar, Sunda frogmouth, Sunda Scops Owl and perhaps Black-browed Babbler ~ an enigma Babbler which was rediscovered after 170 years, and some animals like Bornean Banded Langur, Southern Bornean Gibbon, Slow Loris, Flat-headed Cat, Marbled Cat, Sunda Clouded Leopard, Leopard Cat, Sun Bear ..seems like another pretty challenging trip but some species are quite promising..

Some images sharing by Neil & John as below:

Dulit Frogmouth

Hose's Broadbill

Blue-banded Pitta

Bornean Banded Pitta

Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Mountain Serpent Eagle

Red-breasted Partridge

Dayak (Hill) Blue Flycatcher

Crested Shrikejay

Long-tailed Broadbill

Orange-backed Woodpecker

Orange-breasted Trogon

Black-thighed Falconet

Red-throated Barbet

57) Björn Anderson had birded in Borneo for 03 times, this trip he wished to clean up the below birds:-

1) Long-billed Partridge 

2) Crimson-headed Partridge 

3) Red-breasted Partridge 

4) Hose's Partridge 

5) Black Partridge 

6) Crestless Fireback 

7) Bornean Peacock-Pheasant 

8) Grey Imperial Pigeon 

9) Dulit Frogmouth 

10) Bornean Frogmouth 

11) Sunda Frogmouth 

12) Bornean Barbet 

13) Olive-backed Woodpecker 

14) Whitehead's Broadbill 

15) Giant Pitta 

16) Black Oriole 

17) Blue-wattled Bulbul 

18) Hook-billed Bulbul 

19) Grey-breasted Babbler 

20) Cream-eyed Bulbul

21) Brown-backed Flowerpecker 

22) Spectacled Flowerpecker 

23) Pin-tailed Parrotfinch

24) Reddish Scops-Owl 

So we planned Kinabalu Park, Klias, Highlands in Sarawak and Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest Lodge for most of the birds in the list, but left over a few for future as we have limited time to travel too many places, and also some species beyond the right season/timing. 

Good enough, we nailed the 02 endemic Partridges and Whitehead's Broadbill in Kinabalu Park, followed by the Sunda Frogmouth, Hook-billed Bulbul, Grey-breasted Babbler and Brown-backed Flowerpecker in Klias. Then in Sarawak Highlands we managed to clean up those mega endemics ~ the Dulit Frogmouth, Black Oriole and Bornean Frogmouth and also Bornean Barbet and Cream-eyed Bulbul. Meanwhile Hose's Broadbill was a bonus for Björn, and a perfect encounter of the Olive-backed Woodpecker, mission accomplished. 

As for Danum Valley Giant Pitta only left us a single call but Reddish Scops-Owl was a good compensation. 

Other species will be in the future as below :-

1) Long-billed Partridge ~ better chance in Kuching Sarawak.

2) Hose's Partridge ~ a mystery Partridge with no recent record since 1999.

3) Black Partridge ~ Better chance in Kuching Sarawak. 

4) Crestless Fireback ~ Better chance in Kalimantan. 

5) Bornean Peacock-Pheasant ~ Better chance in Kalimantan. 

6) Grey Imperial Pigeon ~ Better chance in a small Island offshore Sabah but unable to arrange during monsoon season. (Dec till Feb month) 

7) Blue-wattled Bulbul ~ another mystery bird, no recent record since 05 possible sightings at Brunei in 1992. 

8) Spectacled Flowerpecker ~ better chance in Brunei.

9) Pin-tailed Parrotfinch ~ Better chance in Sabah and Sarawak but depends on Padi harvesting season. 

We will keep in touch with Björn again for another challenging clean up mission in the near future. 

Some images sharing by Björn as below :

Whitehead's Broadbill

Red-breasted Partridge

Crimson-headed Partridge

Black Oriole

A day roosting Dulit Frogmouth

Bornean Frogmouth

Dayak (Hill) Blue Flycatcher (female)

White-necked Babbler

Olive-backed Woodpecker

Hook-billed Bulbul

Grey-breasted Babbler

Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker

A day roosting Sunda Frogmouth

56) Hung Ming loves Borneo very much, after he joined a 05 days birds photography tour in Sandakan Sabah in 2009, he brought his son Wei Jets to Kuching Sarawak in 2013 to experience the endless excitement of this Island. This year 2019 they wished to see more endemic birds so surely Kinabalu Park is the right place to go. We went for a week and good enough we managed to get those highly sought-after species in the Park and also other common endemic and resident birds, namely the Whitehead's Trio, Fruithunter, Everett's Thrush, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Bornean Stubtail, Mountain Wren-babbler, Crimson-headed Partridge, Red-breasted Partridge, Short-tailed Green Magpie, Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher, Mountain Black-eye, Pale-faced Bulbul and others.. 

We were supposed to be at Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest Lodge for Bristlehead, Pittas, Wren-babblers and Frogmouths in 2020 but due to the Covid pandemic we were forced to defer our tour to the near future.. 

Some images sharing by Hung Ming and Wei Jets during the tour as below :

Photography moment

Whitehead's Trogon

Whitehead's Broadbill

Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Fruithunter (female)

Bare-headed Laughingthrush

Everett's Thrush

Bornean Stubtail

Crimson-headed Partridge

Red-breasted Partridge

Bornean Green Magpie

Sunda Collared Owlet

A day roosting Sunda Frogmouth

55) A scouting trip in the Northern Highlands of Sarawak for Keith Barnes from Tropical Birding, we picked up our key species ~ The Dulit Frogmouth, Black Oriole, Bornean Frogmouth and Hose's Broadbill, along with other common endemic ~ The Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Bulbul, Pygmy Heleia and other..

Tropical birding is organizing a Borneo extension tour to Sarawak for 2021, however the Covid pandemic messed up everything so we forced to reschedule the tour to 2022 or 2023..

Some images sharing by Keith as below:

Black Oriole

Dulit Frogmouth

Bornean Frogmouth

Mountain Serpent Eagle

Bornean Leafbird

Mountain Barbet

54) Another successful birding tour for Birdtour Asia, this was the first visit for Toy and Maartje to Sarawak Borneo, we spent 01 night at the lowland and 04 nights at the Northern Highlands of Sarawak. From the lowland we picked up our main target which includes Hook-billed Bulbul, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Red-crowned Barbet and Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, and also some good birds like Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, Fluffy-backed Tit-babbler, Black-throated Babbler, Black-&-yellow Broadbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Gold-whiskered Barbet, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Crested Shrikejay, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Finsch's Bulbul, Red-naped Trogon, Yellow-eared Spiderhunter and Rufous-backed Kingfisher, to name a few.

As for Highlands we managed to pick up our key target birds which includes Black Oriole, Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Bornean Banded Pitta, Blue-banded Pitta, Black-throated Wren-babbler, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Rail Babbler, White-necked Babbler and heard Hose's Broadbill, in the mean time some good birds which includes Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Spiderhunter, Pygmy Heleia, Cream-eyed Bulbul, Dayak (Hill) Blue Flycatcher, Ruddy Cuckoo Dove, Maroon-breasted Philentoma and others. 

Some images sharing by Toy as below :

While birding in Borneo, good opportunity for photography as well..

Hook-billed Bulbul

Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker

Red-crowned Barbet

Chestnut-bellied Malkoha

Blue-banded Pitta

Bornean Banded Pitta

Black Oriole

A day roosting Bornean Frogmouth 

Dulit Frogmouth

Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Mountain Serpent Eagle

White-necked Babbler

Malaysian Rail Babbler

Pygmy Heleia

Bornean Leafbird

Bornean Bulbul

Bornean Banded Kingfisher

Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker

Bornean Spiderhunter

Dayak (Hill) Blue Flycatcher

Crested Shrikejay

Red-bearded Bee-eater

Scaly-breasted Bulbul

Bock's Hawk Cuckoo

Temminck's Sunbird

 

 

 

53) Again, another successful 08 days 07 nights Sarawak extension tour for Birdquest in 2019, we managed to get all of our key target species ~ Black Oriole, Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill, Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Malaysian Rail Babbler and Hook-billed Bulbul, meanwhile we also managed to get a few sought-after species which includes White-necked Babbler, Hill (Dayak) Blue Flycatcher, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Scaly-breasted Flowerpecker, Bornean Stubtail and some other good species which includes Whitehead's Broadbill, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Barbet, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Pygmy Heleia, Bornean Spiderhunter, Helmeted Hornbill, Eyebrowed Wren-babbler, Green Broadbill, Maroon-breasted Philentoma, Orange-breasted Trogon, Rufous-backed Kingfisher, Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher, Red-billed Malkoha, Crimson-winged Woodpecker, Black-thighed Falconet, Grey-bellied Bulbul, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Finsch's Bulbul, Malaysian-Eared Nightjar and others.. 

 

Some photos shared by Craig Robson as below:

The moment for the Hose's Broadbill

Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker

Hook-billed Bulbul

Black Oriole

Blue-banded Pitta

Bornean Banded Pitta

Hose's Broadbill

Dulit Frogmouth

Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Mountain Serpent Eagle

White-necked Babbler

Eyebrowed Wren-babbler

Bornean Bulbul

Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler

Red-bearded Bee-eater

52) Michael and friends wished to have 10 days birding tour in Borneo so we just covered Sabah. First we visited Kinabalu Park for Highlands endemic, follow by Kinabatangan River for wildlife, Hornbills, Kingfishers, Eagles and others, and ended our tour at Sepilok for Pittas, Forest Kingfishers, Trogons, Broadbills, Woodpeckers, Barbets, Sunbirds and others. 

They were amazed and fascinated by the high endemism and biodiversity of birds and wildlife in Borneo ~ namely the Whitehead's Trogon, Whitehead's Broadbill, Fruithunter, Everett's Thrush, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Bornean Stubtail, Mountain Wren-babbler, Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher, Red-breasted Partridge, Crimson-headed Partridge, Short-tailed Green Magpie and the rest of possible endemic and resident birds in Kinabalu Park, and also the unique birds and wildlife at Kinabatangan River and Sepilok, namely the Bornean Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, Slow Loris, Red Giant Flying Squirrel, Black Flying Squirrel, Bornean Sriped Palm Civet, Black-headed Pitta, White-fronted Falconet, Rhinoceros Hornbills, Wrinkled Hornbill, Rufous-backed Kingfisher, White-bellied Woodpecker, Orange-backed Woodpecker, Ruddy-breasted Crake, Sunda Frogmouth, Reddish Scops Owl, Sunda Scops Owl, Barred Eagle Owl, Buffy Fish Owl and others.. 

With this successful and fruitful trip, they wish to have another 16 days 15 nights Sarawak + Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest Lodge birding and wildlife tour in year 2021 to enjoy more endemic birds and wildlife, so we look forward to serving them again and hopefully the country border is reopening soon. 

Some photos taken during the tours as below:

Kinabalu Park is the most enjoyable birding site in Borneo, lots of endemic birds and very comfort temperature..

Whitehead's Trogon (Male) ~ Came in closely for us to have excellent view!

and also the female..

A lovely male Whitehead's Broadbill, also posted nicely for us to enjoy..  

Fruithunter (Female) ~ very exciting moment to have this female by the road site..

Bare-headed Laughingthrush ~ our hard work paid off!

Everett's Thrush ~ Happy to see it foraging on the forest floor.

Bornean Stubtail ~ very shy individual, trying not to reveal itself..

Bornean Stubtail ~ Better angle by Peter..

Mountain Wren-babbler ~ Another shy & active understorey species..

Short-tailed Green Magpie ~ never felt boring despite seeing them repeated in a day.

Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher ~ We finally found it above a stream at dusk..

Red-breasted Partridge by Peter.

Bornean Forktail ~ usually foraging in the stream but happy to see this guy by the road side.

Chestnut-crested Yuhina ~ common endemic in the highlands of Borneo.

Sunda Collared Owlet ~ The only owl active during daytime.

Bornean Bulbul ~ One of the commonest endemic Bulbul in submontane.

Bornean Leafbird ~ Another common endemic in submontane.

Mountain Barbet ~ also a common endemic in submontane.

Bock's Hawk Cuckoo ~ common resident in the highland, but only active in certain months.

Sunda Cuckooshrike ~ Common resident in the highlands.

Checker-throated Woodpecker ~ One of the commonest Woodpecker in Borneo.

Mountain Imperial Pigeon ~ Common in the Highlands.

White-crowned Shama ~ Common endemic in Sabah but absent in Sarawak.

Fulvous-chested Jungle Flycatcher ~ Uncommon but good chance in mid elevation of Kinabalu Park.

Crested Shrikejay ~ Happy to see this handsome guy, it typical calls is a rapid sputtering which sounds like a machine gun.

White-fronted Falconet ~ One of the smallest raptor in the world, endemic to Sabah & Kalimantan but absent in Sarawak & Brunei.

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha ~ One of the most handsome Malkoha among the 5 in Borneo.

Rhinoceres Hornbill ~ State bird of Sarawak but more common in Sabah.

Wrinkled Hornbill ~ Scarce but locally common.

Black Hornbill ~ Another common Hornbill in Borneo.

Crested Goshawk ~ A locally common resident, feeds on small birds, lizards and snake.

Bat Hawk ~ active mainly at dusk when bats emerge from caves.

Crested Serpent Eagle ~ Common resident

Grey-headed Fish Eagle ~ Scarce resident of coastal areas, estuaries and big rivers.

Wallace's Hawk Eagle ~ Another scarce resident

Storm's Stock ~ The rarest among all Stocks, classified as Endangered, population decline due to the deforestration of its native habitat.

Lesser Adjutant ~ another big bird at Kinabatangan River, classified as Vulnerable.

Stock-billed Kingfisher ~ One of the most commonest Kingfisher along rivers.

 

Long-tailed Parakeet ~ A locally common resident along the coastal forest.

Bornean OrangUtan

A small window to get a record shot of sleeping Slow Loris. 

Bornean Striped Palm Civet

Black Flying Squirrel

Red Giant Flying Squirrel

Giant Squirrel

Rufous-backed Kingfisher ~ One of the most wanted Kingfishers for photographers.

Fluffy-backed Tit-babbler ~ common resident

Rufous-winged Philentoma ~ A locally common resident

Blue-eared Barbet ~ The most commonest Barbet in Borneo.

Lesser Green Leafbird ~ Common resident.

Grey-cheeked Bulbul ~ Common resident.

Hairy-backed Bulbul ~ Common resident.

Copper-throated Sunbird ~ Locally common in mangrove forest.

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch ~ locally common resident.

Blue-throated Bee-eater ~ The commonest Bee-eater in Borneo.

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot ~ Common resident, sleeps hanging upside down like a bat.

Buff-necked Woodpecker ~ Common resident.

Grey-&-buff Woodpecker ~ Locally common in lowland forest.

White-bellied Woodpecker ~ Locally common in primary and secondary forest.

Orange-backed Woodpecker ~ Scarce resident throughout Borneo from lowland to the mountains.

Diard's Trogon ~ Locally common in lowland forest.

Bornean Black Magpie ~ Common resident of lowland forest.

Black-headed Pitta ~ The easiest among the 4 endemic Pittas.

White-browed Crake

Wandering Whistling Duck

Ruddy-breasted Crake 

Buffy Fish Owl

Barred Eagle Owl

Reddish Scops Owl

Sunda Scops Owl

Sunda Frogmouth

51) This was a 04 days 03 nights cleaned up trip for Andrew Pink in Sarawak, his main targets were Rail Babbler and Blue-banded Pitta, meanwhile he took this opportunity to attempt other target birds which includes Hose's Broadbill, Black Oriole, Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth and White-necked Babbler.. 

Lucky enough, our hard work paid off and managed to clean up all of his main target species in 04 days time, on top of that extra 15 lifers for him ~ Olive-backed Woodpecker, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Temminck's Babbler, Maroon-breasted Philentoma, Eyebrowed Wren Babbler, Finsch's Bulbul, Yellow-crowned Barbet, Greater Green Leafbird, Rufous-fronted Babbler, Black-bellied Malkoha, Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Red-throated Barbet, Cinnamon Bittern, Plain Flowerpecker and Sunda Frogmouth. 

During the tour we also enjoyed some other good birds which he had seen before ~ Bornean Banded Pitta, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Barbet, Pygmy Heleia, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Cream-eyed Bulbul, Gold-whiskered Barbet, Crested Shrikejay, Whiskered Treeswift, Helmeted Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Bushy-crested Hornbill, Checker-throated Woodpecker, Grey-headed Babbler, Grey-bellied Bulbul, Fluffy-backed Tit-babbler, Orange-breasted Trogon, Red-bearded Bee-eater and many more.. 

Photos sharing by Andrew as below :

The main target ~ Malaysian Rail Babbler

The jewel of rainforest ~ Blue-banded Pitta

One of the highly sought-after Broadbill for birders ~ The Hose's Broadbill, posted nicley for us to photograph.

A successful night hunt ~ The Bornean Frogmouth (male)

And another fantastic encountered during the daytime ~ A roosting male Bornean Frogmouth again.

The hottest endemic Frogmouth in the recent year ~ Dulit Frogmouth YEAH!!

Another highly sought-after endemic in the recent year ~ The Black Oriole 

White-necked Babbler ~ An uncommon Babbler, also highly sought-after by birders.

Bornean Banded Kingfisher (female) ~ A lovely common forest Kingfisher

Helmeted Hornbill ~ was uplisted from near threatened to critically endangered on the IUCN in year 2015

Another day roosting Frogmouth ~ The Sunda Frogmouth, perfect ending for the tour.

 

 

50) Jak joined one of the birding tours in Sarawak 02 years ago, he was happy with the tour as he got his "Must see bird" in Borneo ~ the Hose's Broadbill, and also he enjoyed very much to see endemic species like Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Black Oriole, Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Pygmy Heleia, Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Spiderhunter and others.. He decided to revisit Borneo this year and his aim was to see/photograph as many endemic as he can in one week's time, so Kinabalu Park definitely is the right place to go, even though he had birded in this Park in 2007 by himself.

The main targets ~ Whitehead's Broadbill and Whitehead's Trogon, follow by the Fruithunter, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Everett's Thrush, Mountain Wren-babbler, Bornean Stubtail, Short-tailed Green Magpie, Red-breasted Partridge, Crimson-headed Partridge and of course other possible endemic in the park. 

Good enough, we saw over 100 species in one week's time which includes 40 lifers for him, and also picked up all of the possible endemic species that he wanted to see in Kinabalu Park, along with few nocturnal birds ~ Sunda Frogmouth, Reddish Scops Owl, Sunda Scops Owl and Mountain Scops Owl during the tour..

(Next, Jak decided to join a 14 days 13 nights Sabah birding tour in year 2022 which includes Kinabatangan River and Danum Valley for more endemic species, look forward to serving him again and hopefully the country's border is reopening as usual soon.) 

Photos sharing by Jak as below :

The exciting moment for the Bare-headed Laughingthrush..

Jak highly sought-after Trogon ~ The Whitehead's Trogon, posted nicely for him to shoot.."pew!!"

And Whitehead's Broadbill on the first day..

Then excellent post for him to shoot on the 3rd day..

Another highly wanted endemic ~ Fruithunter, lucky to get one..

Bare-headed Laughingthrush ~ often moving fast in mixed flock, sometime it's hard to put them in Binoculars, not to say to photograph it by using big lens with tripod.

Better shot on the 2nd encountered..

Another highly sought-after endemic ~ Everett's Thrush, showed off nicely on the only reliable location in this entire island.

An unexpected and excellent encountered while searching for the Everett's Thrush ~ A perching Mountain Serpent Eagle.

The Mountain Wren-babbler, often skulking and foraging actively in bushes, pretty challenge to get a shot as it's small size and the lighting of understory is poor..

 

Another challenge tiny forest floor endemic ~ The Bornean Stubtail, almost impossible to find it without a good hearing..

One of the highly sought-after endemic for photographer ~ The Short-tailed Green Magpie

One of the 02 endemic Partridges in the park ~ The Crimson-headed Partridge

And Red-breasted Partridge..

Some other good endemic ~ The Bornean Shortwing, a recent split..

Mountain Black-eye

Pale-faced Bulbul

Golden-naped Barbet

Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush

Chestnut-crested Yuhina

Bornean Flowerpecker

Bornean Forktail

Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher

Bornean Spangled Drongo

Bornean Whistler

Bornean Whistling Thrush

Bornean Treepie

White-crowned Shama

Bornean Spiderhunter

Bornean Bulbul

Bornean Brown Barbet

Dusky Munia

Sunda Frogmouth

Reddish Scops Owl

Mountain Scops Owl

A record shot of Sunda Scops Owl

Fulvous-chested Jungle Flycatcher

Rufous Piculet

Crimson Sunbird

Black-capped Babbler

Grey-throated Babbler

Temminck's Sunbird

Black-capped White-eye

Sunda Laughingthrush

 

 

49) After a successful 06 days 05 nights birding tour in Sarawak 02 years ago ~ the Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill, Black Oriole, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Blue-banded Pitta, Rail Babbler, Dayak (Hill) Blue Flycatcher, Eyebrowed Wren-babbler, Hook-billed Bulbul, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker and others, Tsai Muchi couple wished to clean up some of their left over species in Borneo so we went for Brunei and Sabah for a week this time. They brought along their 02 grandchild and 02 friends (Mdm Yang & daughter) to experience the excitement of the birding tour in this part of the world. 

Good enough we managed to get their key target species ~ the Fruithunter, Everett's Thrush, Whitehead's Broadbill, Red-breasted Partridge, Crimson-headed Partridge, Mountain Wren-babbler, Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher, Sunda Frogmouth, Reddish Scops Owl, Striped Wren-babbler, Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher and Black-throated Babbler. In the meantime, we also got some other good birds for the kids and Mdm Yang & daughter which included Whitehead's Trogon, Bornean Stubtail, Bornean Shortwing, Pale-faced Bulbul, Short-tailed Green Magpie, Mountain Black-eye, Golden-naped Barbet, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Garnet Pitta, Brown Wood Owl, Hook-billed Bulbul and Red-crowned Barbet, to name a few.. 

Next, Mdm Yang formed a group of friends for a 15 days tour (Sarawak and Sabah) in the year 2021, but we hope the country's border is opening as usual soon.

Some photos taken during the tours as below:

Photographed the Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher

Fruithunter (Male)

Everrett's Thrush

Whitehead's Broadbill

Whitehead's Trogon 

Crimson-headed Partridge

Red-breasted Partridge

Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher

Mountain Wren-babbler

Short-tailed Green Magpie

Pale-faced Bulbul

Mountain Black-eye

Golden-naped Barbet

Bornean Shortwing

Bornean Whistling Thrush

Chestnut-vented (Ochraceous) Bulbul 

Bornean (Hairy-crested) Drongo

Bornean Banded Kingfisher

White-crowned Shama

A day roosting Sunda Frogmouth

Reddish Scops Owl

Brown Wood Owl

Brown Hawk Owl

Hook-billed Bulbul

Red-crowned Barbet

Red-billed Malkoha

Grey-&-buff Woodpecker

Crested Goshawk

Chestnut-winged Babbler

Garnet Pitta

Black-&-yellow Broadbill

Malaysian Blue Flycatcher

Spotted Fantail

Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher

Striped Wren-babbler

Black-naped Monarch

Blue-naped Parrot

Common Iora

Pied Triller

Pink-necked Green Pigeon

Blyth's Shrike-babbler

Indigo Flycatcher

Yellow-breasted Warbler

Mountain Leaf Warbler

Grey-chinned Minivet

Sunda Bush Warbler

Snowy-browed Flycatcher

Sunda Laughingthrush

Banded Bay Cuckoo

Grey-headed Babbler

Black-headed Bulbul

Checker-throated Woodpecker

 

48) Allan Richards had been birding in Borneo in year 2005 but he wishes to clean up some of the birds which he missed during that trip, as for Thomas & Elisabeth Karplus it's the first trip for them to Borneo and they wish to see as many Borneo endemic as possible, especially the Bristlehead, Whitehead's Trio and Pittas. Good enough we managed to get 55 lifers for Allan and we saw 265 bird species during our 16-day tour. Of the 56 realistically possible endemic birds we could have seen based on our itinerary, we saw 54 endemics, with only missed Hose’s Broadbill and Bare-headed Laughing Thrush.

As among the resident birds Short-toed Coucal, Jambu Fruit Dove, Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeon, Great Argus, White-necked babbler and Hook-billed Bulbul were considered great achievement to the list. 

Photos taken during the tour as below:

Birding in the tropical rainforest can be quite challenge as some birds are high up on the tree canopy..

The main target bird for the trip ~ Bristlehead, BOOM!!

The highly sought-after Whitehead's trio ~ Trogon

Broadbill

and Spiderhunter

Fruithunter

Everett's Thrush

Bornean Stubtail

Mountain Wren-babbler

Dulit Frogmouth

Bornean Frogmouth

Bornean Ground Cuckoo

Bornean Banded Pitta

Blue-headed Pitta

Black-headed Pitta

Bornean Wren-babbler

Black-throated Wren-babbler

Crimson-headed Partridge

Red-breasted Partridge

Bornean Green Magpie

Mountain Serpent Eagle

Mountain Black-eye

Pale-faced Bulbul

Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher

Pygmy Heleia

Bornean Bulbul

Bornean Leafbird

Bornean Barbet

Mountain Barbet

Chestnut-vented (Ochraceous) Bulbul

Chestnut-crested Yuhina

Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush

Bornean Whistler

Bornean Treepie

Bornean Whistling Thrush

Bornean Crested Fireback

Sabah (Chestnut-necklaced) Partridge

Bornean Banded Kingfisher

White-fronted Falconet

Bornean Blue Flycatcher 

Bornean Brown Barbet

White-crowned Shama

Hook-billed Bulbul

Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker

Jambu Fruit Dove

Jambu Fruit Dove (Female)

White-necked Babbler

Sunda (Large-billed) Blue Flycatcher (Female)

Striped Wren-babbler

Fulvous-chested Jungle Flycatcher

Temminck's Babbler

Storm's Stock

Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler

Hooded Pitta

Sunda Frogmouth

Large Frogmouth

Blyth's Frogmouth

Sunda Collared Owlet

Reddish Scops Owl

Barred Eagle Owl

Brown Wood Owl

Buffy Fish Owl

Rufous-collared Kingfisher

Rufous-backed Kingfisher

Stock-billed Kingfisher

Blue-eared Kingfisher

Black-&-yellow Broadbill

Banded Broadbill (Juv)

Orange-breasted Trogon

Diard's Trogon

Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher

Banded Woodpecker

Maroon Woodpecker

Checker-throated Woodpecker

Buff-rumped Woodpecker

Bushy-crested Hornbill

Black Hornbill

Rhinoceres Hornbill

Wrinkled Hornbill

Black-throated Babbler

Chestnut-rumped Babbler

White-chested Babbler

Horsfield's Babbler

Blyth's Hawk Eagle

Wallace's Hawk Eagle

Black Eagle

Little Pied Flycatcher

Indigo Flycatcher

Malaysian Blue Flycatcher

 

47) Another 07 days 06 nights customized tour for CY Wong and Vivi, they were in Sarawak 02 years ago and we managed to cover most of the specialties and key species which includes Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Golden-naped Barbet, Pygmy Ibon, Bornean Spiderhunter, Jambu Fruit Dove & etc..

This year it's Sabah turn and their main target species were Bristlehead, Blue-headed Pitta, Whitehead's Trogon and Whitehead's Broadbill, so Danum Valley and Kinabalu Park were the right places for them...Lucky enough, during the 02 nights stayed at Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest Lodge and 03 nights stayed at Kinabalu Park, we managed to nail down the main 04 target birds, in the meantime we also managed to tick most of the highly sought-after species like Bornean Wren-babbler, Black-throated Wren-babbler, Chestnut-necklaced Partridge, Bornean Crested Fireback, Bornean Blue Flycatcher, Great Argus at Danum Valley and also Everett's Thrush, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Red-breasted Partridge, Crimson Headed Partridge, Bornean Stubtail and Mountain Wren-babbler at Kinabalu Park..Other good species during the trip includes Large-billed Blue Flycatcher, White-crowned Hornbill, Jambu Fruit Dove, Black-headed Pitta, Striped Wren-babbler, White-fronted Falconet, Short-tailed Green Magpie, Pale-faced Bulbul, Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher, Bornean Forktail, Collared Owlet and etc.. 

(Their next trip will be to Kalimantan for Bornean Peacock Pheasant, Bornean Ground Cuckoo and Malaysian Honeyguide, look forward to serving them again..)

Some images shared by Vivi as below :

The canopy walk is a good place for Bristlehead at Borneo Rainforest Lodge.

 

The main bird for the trip ~ Bristlehead

Blue-headed Pitta

Whitehead's Trogon (Female)

Whitehead's Broadbill

Bornean Wren-babbler

Black-throated Wren-babbler

Bornean Crested Fireback

Great Argus

White-fronted Falconet

Black-headed Pitta

Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker

Bornean Blue Flycatcher 

Bornean Blue Flycatcher (Female)

Large-billed Blue Flycatcher 

Jambu Fruit Dove (Female)

White-crowned Hornbill

Wrinkled Hornbill

Rhinoceres Hornbill

Striped Wren-babbler

Short-tailed Babbler

Violet Cuckoo

Maroon-breasted Philentoma

Diard's Trogon

Checker-throated Woodpecker

Everett's Thrush

Bare-headed Laughingthrush

Red-breasted Partridge

Short-tailed Green Magpie

Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher

Pale-faced Bulbul

Golden-naped Barbet

Sunda Collared Owlet

Bornean Flowerpecker

Chestnut-crested Yuhina

Bornean Whistler

Bornean Whistling Thrush

Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush

Bornean Spangled Drongo

Temminck's Babbler

Indigo Flycatcher

Mountain Leaf Warbler

Sunda Cuckoo-shrike

Little Pied Flycatcher

Sunda Bush Warbler

White-throated Fantail

46) Hup was happy with a photography tour with Uncle Raymond 02 years ago (Good shots for the Malaysian Rail Babbler in Kuching) so he invited his friends to have a 06 days photography tour in Sabah. In order to cover Highlands endemic and lowland resident birds, we covered Kota Kinabalu for 01 night, Kinabalu Park for 02 nights and Sepilok for 02 nights. 

Good enough, we had quite a number of good species which includes Hook-billed Bulbul, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Sunda Frogmouth, Fruithunter, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Whitehead's Trogon, Crimson-headed Partridge, Short-tailed Green Magpie, Golden-naped Barbet, Bornean Flowerpecker, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Bulbul, Pygmy Heleia, Orange-headed Thrush, Black-headed Pitta, Jambu Fruit Dove, Rufous-collored Kingfisher, Red-naped Trogon, Rufous Piculet, White-bellied Woodpecker, Wallace's Hawk Eagle, Brown Wood Owl and Oriental Bay Owl, to name a few. 

Next, Hup wishes to go Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest Lodge for Bristlehead, Pittas and Wren-babblers, as for Catalina she has invited another 02 friends for 16 days 15 nights Sarawak and Sabah birding tour in 2022. 

We look forward to serving them again and hopefully the country border is reopening soon. 

Some photos sharing by the group as below:

Pressing the camera shutter is the most exciting moment for photographers..

Hook-billed Bulbul

Sunda Frogmouth

Mountain Barbet

Bornean Bulbul

Pygmy Heleia

Bornean Flowerpecker

Fruithunter

Crimson-headed Partridge

Short-tailed Green Magpie

Golden-naped Barbet

Bornean Whistler

Orange-headed Thrush

Black-headed Pitta

Jambu Fruit Dove 

Rufous-collared Kingfisher

Rufous Piculet

Brown Wood Owl

Oriental Bay Owl ~ A very shy individual, flew away before we had good shots.

 

45) This's a 6 days 5 nights customised tour for Shota-san, Mugiko-san and Itaya-san, their main target for this trip ~ Blue-banded Pitta and some specialties of Sarawak which includes the Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth and Hose's Broadbill, in the meantime they also look for other lifers..

Good enough we managed to get Blue-banded Pitta in full view, found a nesting Whitehead's Spiderhunter and also had good views of Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth and Hose's Broadbill. Other good species during the trip were unexpected White-necked Babbler, Rufous-tailed Jungle Flycatcher, Long-tailed Broadbill and other good species like Black-throated Wren-babbler, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Bulbul, Pygmy Heleia, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Barbet, Golden-naped Barbet, Dayak Jungle Flycatcher, Green Broadbill, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Gold-whiskered Babbler, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Temminck's Babbler, Rufous-chested Flycatcher and etc..

(Their next target bird ~ Bornean Wren-babbler, so Danum Valley definately is the right place for them, meanwhile, good opportunity for Bristlehead and Blue-headed Pitta, look forward...)

Some photos during the tour as below :

Blue-banded Pitta by Shota-san

Dulit Frogmouth

Bornean Frogmouth

Hose's Broadbill

Black-throated Wren-babbler

A nesting Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Bornean Banded Kingfisher

Bornean Barbet

Golden-naped Barbet

Pygmy Ibon

Bornean Black Magpie

White-necked Babbler

Long-tailed Broadbill

Dayak Jungle Flycatcher

Orange-breasted Trogon

Scaly-breasted Bulbul

Yellow-crowned Barbet

Rhinoceres Hornbill

Gold-whiskered Barbet

Red-crowned Barbet

Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker

Chestnut-rumped Babbler

44) Li Qiang ~ one of the pioneer birders in China, he had been to Sabah in year 2014 but after he heard about the fruitful and productive trip for Hou XiaoRu from Beijing last year, he decided to organise a trip to Sarawak for 12 days in order to tick his lifers, he invited Sun Dazhen and Ling XiaoJian to visit Kubah, Matang, Bako, Semenggoh, Bakalalan, Paya Maga and Klias. Good enough we managed to see 208 species of bird and Li Qiang managed to tick 40 lifers, these include some good species like Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill, Black Oriole, Blue-banded Pitta, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Whitehead's Broadbill, Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Blue Flycatcher, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Bulbul,  Pygmy Heleia, Bornean Spiderhunter, Bornean Black Magpie, Jambu Fruit Dove, Malaysian Rail Babbler, Hook-billed Bulbul, Red-legged Crake, Hill Blue Flycatcher, Crested Shrikejay, Pygmy Blue Flycatcher, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Green Broadbill, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Philippine Cuckoo Dove, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Reddish Scops Owl, Sunda Scops Owl, Brown Hawk Owl, Long-billed Spiderhunter, Rufous-backed Kingfisher, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Hooded Pitta, Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Common Flameback, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Dark Hawk Cuckoo, Malaysian Hawk Cuckoo and etc..

Some images sharing by Li Qiang as below:

Dulit Frogmouth

A day roosting male Bornean Frogmouth

Hose's Broadbill

Black Oriole

Blue-banded Pitta

Mountain Serpent Eagle

Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Whitehead's Broadbill

Bornean Barbet 

Mountain Barbet

Bornean Blue Flycatcher

Bornean Banded Kingfisher

Bornean Bulbul

Jambu Fruit Dove (Male)

Jambu Fruit Dove (Female)

Malaysian Rail Babbler

Crested Shrikejay

Hook-billed Bulbul

Green Broadbill

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot

Reddish Scops Owl

Sunda Scops Owl

Brown Hawk Owl

Rufous-backed Kingfisher

Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker

Chestnut-bellied Malkoha

Scaly-breasted Bulbul

Philippine Cuckoo Dove

Bock's Hawk Cuckoo

Malaysian Hawk Cuckoo

Orange-breasted Trogon

Gold-whiskered Barbet

Red-throated Sunbird

Rhinoceres Hornbills

Blyth's Hawk Eagle

 

43) Another successful clean-up trip for Susan Bryan, John Geeson, Andrew Duff and Patricia Duff, some highlighted species as follow ~ Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill, Black Oriole, Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta, Whitehead's Broadbill, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Pygmy Ibon, Bornean Forktail, Bornean Spiderhunter, Dayak Jungle Flycatcher, Maroon-breasted Philentoma, Crested Shrikejay, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Philippine Cuckoo Dove, Orange-breasted Trogon, Green Broadbill, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Finsch's Bulbul, Temminck's Babbler, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Malaysian Eared Nightjar, Cinnamon Bittern & etc..

For full tour report please refer to Birdtour Asia website ~ https://www.birdtourasia.com

Some photos during the tour as below :

Dulit Frogmouth

A day roosting male Bornean Frogmouth

Hose's Broadbill

Black Oriole

Mountain Barbet

Bornean Barbet

Bornean Bulbul

Crested Shrikejay

Green Broadbill

Red-bearded Bee-eater

Black-&-yellow Broadbill

Banded Woodpecker

Scarlet-rumped Trogon

Gold-whiskered Barbet

Finsch's Bulbul

 

42) A 12 days 11 nights Sabah bird photography tour for Mr Gnanam & Ajit, some photos shared by Ajit as below:

Settled office work before out of line in the forest..

Blue-naped Parrot

Sunda Frogmouth

Snowy-browed Flycatcher

Chestnut-crested Yuhina

Blyth's Hawk Eagle

Bock's Hawk Cuckoo

Bornean Leafbird

Whitehead's Broadbill

Blyth's Shrike-babbler (Female)

Black-capped White-eye

Indigo Flycatcher

Grey-throated Babbler

Bornean Flowerpecker

Ochraceous Bulbul

Bornean Whistling Thrush

Crimson-headed Partridge

White-crowned Shama

Rufous-collared Kingfisher

Diard's Trogon

Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher

Banded Woodpecker

Black-headed Pitta

Copper-throated Sunbird

Barred Eagle Owl

Bornean Banded Kingfisher

Rufous Piculet

Proboscis Monkey

Black Hornbill

Blue-eared Kingfisher

Wrinkled Hornbill

Oriental Pied Hornbill

Black-&-red Broadbill

Storm's Stock

Scarlet-rumped Trogon

Buffy Fish Owl

Crested Goshawk

Blue-throated Bee-eater

Pygmy Elephant

Brown Wood Owl

Large Frogmouth

Red Langur

Blyth's Paradise Flycatcher

Striped Wren-babbler

Whiskered Treeswift (Female)

Bornean Blue Flycatcher

Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker

Helmeted Hornbill (Female)

Reddish Scops Owl

Bold-striped Tit-babbler

Chestnut-necklaced Partridge

Crested Fireback

Rhinoceres Hornbill

OrangUtan (Female)

Grey-cheeked Bulbul

And some other good birds from Mr Gnanam's camera as below:

Bornean Stubtail

Bornean Shortwing

White-crowned Hornbill

Bornean Bristlehead

White-fronted Falconet

Blue-headed Pitta

Rufous-chested Flycatcher

Dusky Broadbill

Crested Fireback

 

41) A 4 days 3 nights Fruithunter hunting trip for Liu Yang, Li Ke Lai & Li Si Qi, meanwhile they took the opportunity to attempt some of the species where they missed during their previous trip..

Good enough we nailed down the Fruithunter and also managed to cleaned-up their target birds in Kinabalu Park, along with Sunda Frogmouth & Reddish Scops Owl on the 1st night at Kota Kinabalu town.

 

(Their next targets will be Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta, Hose's Broadbill, Bornean Frogmouth, Dulit Frogmouth and Black Oriole..look forward to serving them again soon) 

Some photos shared by Li Si Qi as below:

 

40) Another successful 08 days 07 nights extension tour in Sarawak for Birdquest, Craig Robson listed almost 70 species of target birds after their 2 weeks tour in Sabah, we managed to get our key target species ~ Black Oriole, Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill and Hook-billed Bulbul, meanwhile we also managed to get a few sought-after species which they missed in Sabah, these included Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta, Mountain Serpent Eagle and Whitehead's Spiderhunter. Apart from these we also managed to get Jambu Fruit Dove, White-necked Babbler, Collared Owlet, Hill (Dayak) Blue Flycatcher, Eyebrowed Wren-babbler, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Orange-breasted Trogon, Bornean Banded Kingfisher and some other good species which includes Finsch's Bulbul, Rufous-collored Kingfisher, Phillipine Cuckoo Dove, Rufous-chested Flycatcher, Blue-winged Leafbird, Red-billed Malkoha, Crimson-winged Woodpecker, Black-thighed Falconet, Grey-headed Babbler, Bornean Bulbul, Pygmy Heleia, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Forktail and etc..

Some photos shared by Craig Robson as below:

Blue-banded Pitta

Bornean Banded Pitta

Hose's Broadbill

Dulit Frogmouth

A day roosting Bornean Frogmouth

Black Oriole

Mountain Serpent Eagle

Sunda Collared Owlet

Orange-breasted Trogon

Banded Woodpecker

Scaly-breasted Bulbul

 

 

39) A 6 days 5 nights clean-up trip for Henk Hendriks & friends, mainly target for Jambu Fruit Dove ~ a bird where Henk sought for many years in South East Asia, Blue-banded Pitta, Hose's Broadbill, White-necked Babbler and of course other popular target species for tours to Sarawak ~ The Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Black oriole, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Mountain Serpent Eagle, Bornean Banded Pitta, Black-throated Wren-babbler, Pygmy Ibon, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Barbet, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Hook-billed Bulbul, Rufous-tailed Jungle Flycatcher, Hill (Dayak) Blue Flycatcher, Rail Babbler & others..

Good enough we cleaned-up most of the target birds, especially the Jambu Fruit Dove ~ a perfect encountered, the Rufous-tailed Jungle Flycatcher ~ a surprised encountered, the Black-&-white Bulbul ~ an unexpected encountered, the Blue-banded Pitta+Hose's Broadbill ~ a stunning achievement and the day roosting Dulit Frogmouth ~ an exciting finding.

Apart from those target species, we also had handful of good sighting which includes Great Slaty Woodpecker, Red-crowned Barbet, Black-bellied Malkoha, Maroon-breasted Philentoma, Finsch's Bulbul, Grey-breasted Spiderhunter, Helmeted Hornbill, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Crested Shrikejay, Barred Eagle Owl, Bornean Forktail, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Orange-breasted Trogon, Red-throated Bee-eater, Temminck’s Babbler, Black-thighed Falconet and also other common species.. 

Few images sharing by Henk as below:

Jambu Fruit Dove in scope

 

A day roosting Dulit Frogmouth

 

Bornean Frogmouth

 

Blue-banded Pitta

 

Black Oriole

 

Buff-rumped Woodpecker

 

Whiskered Treeswift

 

 

38) A 4 days 3 nights Blue-banded Pitta hunting tour for Ikumi-san, meanwhile he took the opportunity to tick some of his lifers.

Before we off to the Northern Highlands of Sarawak for Blue-banded Pitta, we stopped by a remnant patch of Peat Swamp forest near Sabah/Sarawak border for Hook-billed Bulbul and also Brunei for Garnet Pitta (A Pitta which is absent in Sabah). Good enough we nailed down these 02 target birds smoothly and along with some good species like Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Red-crowned Barbet, Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Grey-&-buff Woodpecker, Bornean Black Magpie, Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher, Spotted Fantail and etc..

The next day we took a flight into a remote Highlands for our main target ~ the Blue-banded Pitta, and lucky enough we had it hopping only 6 meters in front of us, giving a mind blowing views and good opportunity to photograph. While waiting in the forest a male Hose's Broadbill was a big bonus for us, landed right above us and showing the blueish underpart, what a bird!! 

With all of these good start we had leisure birding for the rest of the time and managed to get other key target endemic ~ the Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Frogmouth, Black-throated Wren-babbler, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Barbet, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Pygmy Ibon, Bornean Forktail and along with some good resident birds like Orange-breasted Trogon, Ruddy Cuckoo Dove, Malaysian-eared Nightjar, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Black-thighed Falconet, Rufous-chested Flycatcher, Chestnut-backed Scimitar Babbler, Cinnamon Bittern and other common species like Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo, Chestnut-rumped Babbler, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Blue-eared Barbet, Red-eyed Bulbul, Raffle's Malkoha, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot,  Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Moustached Babbler, Hairy-backed Bulbul, Purple-naped Spiderhunter, White-bellied Erponis, Black-&-yellow Broadbill, Sunda Ashy Drongo, Cinereous Bulbul, Red-throated Barbet, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Little Spiderhunter, Dusky Munia, Green Iora, Malaysian Pied Fantail, Bushy-crested Hornbill, Black-headed Bulbul, Bornean Treepie, Brown Fulvetta, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush & etc..

Blue-banded Pitta by Ikumi-san

Hose's Broadbill

Dulit Frogmouth

Bornean Frogmouth

Black-throated Wren-babbler

Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Mountain Barbet

Bornean Leafbird

Hook-billed Bulbul

Garnet Pitta

Red-crowned Barbet

Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher

Orange-breasted Trogon

Black-&-crimson Oriole

Rufous-chested Flycathcer

Black-&-yellow Broadbill

Spotted Fantail

Scaly-breasted Bulbul

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

37) Ann Ang had a holiday with her family in Sabah, she took the opportunity to spend 2 days in Kinabalu park for birding. Lucky enough we had a male Whitehead's Broadbill feeding chicks and also a pair of Whitehead's Trogon with a young bird, other good sighting includes male and female Fruithunter, a group of Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Mountain Wren-babbler, Mountain Black-eye, Bornean Shortwing, Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher, Bornean Green Magpie, Pygmy Heleia, Temminck's Babbler, Orange-backed Woodpecker and etc.. 

Whitehead's Trogon & Whitehead's Broadbill captured in telescope..

Whitehead's Trogon in scope..

Whitehead's Broadbill in scope..

Images sharing by Poh Bee as below:

Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Eyebrowed Wren Babbler

Ferruginous Flycatcher

Dark Hawk Cuckoo

31) Hou XiaoRu and friends visited Sabah for 10 days in year 2011 by themselves but they missed a lot of star birds and key species of Borneo, especially no sighting of Pitta, Frogmouth, Bristlehead and many highly sought-after species like Everett's Thrush, Whitehead's trio, Bornean Stubtail, Mountain Wren-babbler, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Crimson-headed Partridge, Red-breasted Partridge, Fruithuter and etc...so they planned to have a bird guide for Pittas, Frogmouths and those highly sought-after endemic tour this year. 

Group photo at the camp site

Blue-banded Pitta

Bornean Banded Pitta

Black-headed Pitta

Hooded Pitta

Garnet Pitta

Dulit Frogmouth

Bornean Frogmouth (Nesting)

Black Oriole

Hose's Broadbill

Black Oriole (Nesting)

Whitehead's Trogon

Whitehead's Broadbill

Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Everrett's Thrush

Crimson-headed Partridge

Bornean Stubtail

Bare-headed Laughingthrush

White-fronted Falconet

Large Frogmouth (Nesting)

Jambu Fruitdove

Reddish Scops Owl

Barred Eagle Owl

Brown Wood Owl

Olive-backed Woodpecker

Orange-backed Woodpecker

Green Broadbill

Orange-breasted Trogon

Bornean Banded Kingfisher

Rufous-backed Kingfisher

Bornean Barbet

Red-bearded Bee Eater

Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker (Female)

Diard's Trogon

Red-naped Trogon

Scarlet-rumped Trogon

Yellow-bellied Bulbul

Pale-faced Bulbul

Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher

Dark Hawk Cuckoo

Sunda Cuckoo

Chestnut-rumped Babbler

Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler

30) Another sucessful clean up trip for John Clark & Mary Ward-Jackson and Ron Hoff & Dollyann Myers.

For full tour report please refer to Birdtour Asia website ~ https://www.birdtourasia.com

29) A 05 days 04 nights birding tour to the Highlands of Sarawak for CY Wong and Vivi, meanwhile we took the opportunity to spend one night in Brunei since the Garnet Pitta, Large Frogmouth & Reddish Scops Owl are very promissing..lucky enough we managed to clean up those key species in the Highlands which includes the Dulit & Bornean Frogmouth, Hose's Broadbill and Bornean Banded Pitta..Other common species like Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Golden-naped Barbet, Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Whitehead's Spiderhunter, Bornean Spiderhunter, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush were captured in camera as usual..In Brunei the Garnet Pitta, Large Frogmouth & Reddish Scops Owl also very cooperative...

Images sharing by Vivi as below :

Bornean Banded Pitta

Dulit Frogmouth

Bornean Frogmouth

Whitehead's Spiderhunter

Bornean Spiderhunter

Golden-naped Barbet

Mountain Barbet

Bornean Barbet

Bornean Bulbul

Jambu Fruit Dove

Hose's Broadbill

Garnet Pitta

Large Frogmouth

Reddish Scops Owl

A very tame Hose's Langur in Brunei..

The Blue-banded Pitta photographed by Vivi at Borneo Highlands in year 2015

28) Ricky Joe has never seen any of the Pitta and Frogmouth before and he loves owl very much. We have only 5 days available during his travelling period so we planned a trip to Brunei and Kelabit Highlands for those species..lucky enough we managed to photograph the Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta and Garnet Pitta, also the 2 biggest Frogmouths ~ the Dulit and the Large, and saw the Reddish Scops Owl and Brown Hawk Owl..other good species includes photographed the Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Blue-eared Kingfisher & etc..(Images sharing by Ricky Joe)

Blue-banded Pitta

Bornean-banded Pitta

Garnet Pitta 

Large Frogmouth 

Reddish Scops Owl

 

After 2 nights stay we headed to Miri and picked up few species of Pitcher plants which includes N.mirabilis var.echinostoma, N.bicalcarata, N.glacilis, N.mirabilis, N.rafflesiana, N.ampullaria, and also some of the hybrid species includes N.mirabilis var.echinostoma x rafflesiana and N.gracilis x bicalcarata.

After one night stay at Miri we headed to another village in the Highlands, our main reason here is because of the Pitcher plants and also the Hose's Broadbill, lucky enough we managed to get the Broadbill and Brian was happy to have it in camera. Later we went for Pitcher plants and picked up the N.vietchii, N.vogelii and N.reinwardtiana..

After this successful trip in the Highlands we headed to Kuching for our final target bird, the Blue-banded Pitta, again we were lucky to have it posting on a big log for few minutes and also we added Jambu Fruit Dove, Scarlet-breasted Flower & Buff-banded Rail into the list. In the mean time we also had our final unique pitcher plant ~ N.northiana which is native to a small limestone hills near Kuching. (Images sharing by Brian)

Waiting for the Bornean Banded Pitta

First shot of Bornean Banded Pitta by Brian but out of focus

Better shot by Brian

Better angle and shot by Lyn

Dusky Broadbill

Hose's Broadbill by Brian

Another shot of Hose's Broadbill

First shot of Blue-banded Pitta under poor lighting

24) A little bit surprised bird photography trip for Uncle Raymond x 4 persons, this was his 4th visit to Kuching ever since year 2009, he brought his friends along and attempted to photograph the Blue-banded Pitta as 2 years ago he only managed to get few shots but not sharp enough. 

This time the Pitta was calling next to us but unfortunately it was too shy to the cameras..however the Malaysian Rail Babbler was a big surprised to everyone and 5 White-crowned Hornbills were flying around the forest edge, 2 were very kind enough to show off on open branches for everyone. Other than these the Bornean Frogmouth, pair of Bornean Blue Flycatcher and Bornean Banded Kingfisher were shots  the Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Green Broadbill were the highlighted species during the trip especially a moment of Bornean Banded Kingfisher disturbed by a Spectacled Spiderhunter was caught in the cameras.

Malaysian Rail Babbler

Bornean Frogmouth

White-crowned Hornbill

2nd day we were lucky to encounter a pair of Grey-breasted Babbler foraging and a single Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker feeding on a fruiting tree, later we managed to photograph Purple-throated Sunbird, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker and Scarlet-backed Sunbird.

3rd day our target was the Black Oriole, without failed we saw a pair and meanwhile we managed to photograph a few lifers ~ the Finsch's Bulbul, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Rufous-tailed Shama, Checker-throated Woodpecker, Whiskered Tree Swift, Bornean Bulbul, Rufous Woodpecker and Chestnut-crested Yuhina. Evening a big surprise that a female Bornean Frogmouth was responded to call.

4th day we drove to higher elevation and lucky to photograph the elusive Rail Babbler, and also some life's ~ Yellow-crowmed Barbet, Little Cuckoo Dove, Little Green Pigeon, and saw the Wallace's Hawk Eagle, Created Serpent Eagle, Greater Coucal, Lesser Coucal, Wreathed Hornbill, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Red-bearded Bee Eater and etc..

5th day. Another surprised for us as we managed to photograph the Bornean Banded Pitta and almost the Blue-banded Pitta, it's aimed in the camera but moved away before Gnanam pressed the shuttle. Another two more life's for Gnanam were the Rufous Woodpecker and Yellow-eared Spiderhunter.

6th day Today, we finally photographed the Blue-banded Pitta, it emerged behind a fallen log for few second but Gnanam managed to get few shots.

(Images sharing by Gnanam)

Grey-breasted Babbler

Bornean Green Magpie

A Borneo Flying Frog Rhacophorus borneensis caught by Bornean Green Magpie

Malaysian Rail Babbler

Bornean Frogmouth

11) Alphine tour ~ Ken-san

Another successful trip for hunting the rare and uncommon species for Alphine tour Ken-san x 6A. The mission was searching for the trio Whitehead's, Black Oriole, Hose's Broadbill, Borneo Frogmouth, Dulit Frogmouth, Bornean Banded Pitta, Blue-Banded Pitta, Pygmy Ibon, Grey-breasted Babbler, Hook-billed Bulbul and Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker in 8 days 8 nights at 4 different locations.

For the first day the result was really graceful, even though with dizzying morning we were rewarding by a pair of Jambu Fruit Dove and few Red-crowned Barbets on a fruiting tree. The rain stop in the late morning then birds activities getting busy, a pair of Grey-breasted Babbler were foraging in the lower storey and a single Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker was feeding on a fruiting tree. Later a pair of Hook-billed Bulbul also singing and allow us to have a good view. At the end of the trip, we were rewarding by a roosting Western Tarsier. Other good sighting includes Rufous Woodpecker, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot,

After lunch we continue journey to Paya Maga. Alone the way we get a glimpse of Hose's Broadbill flew over the logging road, but we were lucky to get the Bornean Frogmouth before dinner.

The next day morning we aim for the Blue-Banded Pitta, in 30 min time it showed closely to everyone. We continue journey and alone the way we were rewarding by a singing Collared Owlet, a Bornean Barbet, a preening Mountain Barbet, a pair of Rhinoceres Hornbill, Helmeted Hornbill and 02 groups of Wreathed Hornbill. Weather was bad in the afternoon but a pair of Black Oriole showed closely to us during a shot period of good weather.

One the third day early morning 3 Hose's Broadbill were flying across the logging road into the forest, later 1 individual emerged and allow us to have full view. As usual, endemic species like Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Barbet, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Pygmy Ibon, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, Bornean Treepie were commonly found. Other good sighting includes Green Broadbill, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Hill Blue-flycatcher, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Chestnut-backed Scimitar-babbler, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Red-throated Barbet, Bushy-creasted Hornbill, Cinereous Bulbul, Rusty-breasted Cuckoo, Crested Jay.

4th day morning we saw Fuffy-backed Tit-Babbler, Straw-headed Bulbul, continue journey to Bakalalan. along the way we picked up Ruddy Cuckoo Dove, Black-&-Crimson Oriole, Everett's White-eye, Temminck's Sunbird and Scarlet Minivet. Upon arrival at Bakalalan, Dulit Frogmouth was sighted as usual.

5th day morning we were birding at higher elevations and sighted those endemic species like Whitehead’s Spiderhunter, Bornean Spiderhunter,  Bornean Bulbul and Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Forktail, Checker-throated Woodpecker,
Bornean Frogmouth was sighted again during in the evening.

6th morning a single juvenile Bare-headed Laughingthrush was calling around, a fruiting tree with Golden-naped Barbet, Mountain Barbet and Red-throated Barbet, Black-&-crimson Oriole also came for the fruits. Banded Woodpecker, 2 Whitehead's Broadbill flew across the logging road, Bornean Banded Pitta calling down on the hill.

7th Morning Everett's Thrush, Whitehead’s Trogon, Whitehead's Broadbill, Bornean Green Magpie, Bornean Whistle, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Bornean Stubtail, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush

8th Morning Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher, Pale-faced Bulbul, Mountain Wren-babbler, Crimson-headed Partridge, Red-breasted Partridge, Orange-headed Thrush, Bornean Whistling Thrush, Bornean Forktail, Bare-headed Laughingthrush,

10) Very successful trip for Borneo extension for Mr Teet (Avifauna) x 4 adults, Andrew Siani had guided them for 2 weeks from Kinabalu Park to Sukau, Sepilok and Danum Valley, they sighted and heard more than 300 species of birds. We started from a Peat Swamp Forest early in the morning and a pair of Grey-breasted Babbler were responded to the call but kept silent and hoping in the bushes, soon the Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker was calling on the tree top, while observing the Flowerpecker through the scop a single Hook-billed Bulbul was calling and everyone had a fantastic view eventually.

Hook-billed Bulbul

Grey-breasted Babbler

Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker

Other good sighting includes the White-bellied Woodpecker, Grey-&-buff Woodpecker, Banded Woodpecker, Red-crowned Barbet, Raffles's Malkoha, Black-capped Babbler and Greater Racket-tailed Drongo.

We continue journey to Paya Maga, it was raining while we were trekking up to the camp site but stop in the mid way, birds were active after rain, a fig tree is fruiting where giving us a chance to get the Hose's Broadbill. Along the way to camp site we had great sighting for Bornean Barbet, Bornean Bulbul, Pygmy Ibon, Gold-whiskered Barbet and not forgot the target species ~ Black Oriole.

Hose's Broadbill

Black Oriole

Before dinner, a single Bornean Frogmouth was calling and everyone had a fantastic view while it perched only 10 meters away on an open tree branch.

Bornean Frogmouth

The next day we continue to get our target birds ~ the Bornean Leafbird and Blue-Banded Pitta. Without failed, a pair of Borneo Leafbird were foraging on the tree canopy and a the Blue-banded Pitta also very corporative and sit on a liana which was only 10 meters away.

Bornean Leafbird

Blue-banded Pitta

After lunch we continue journey to Bakalalan. A single Dulit Frogmouth was sighted during dust and it was perching almost eye level ~ the final target species for the entire trip.

Dulit Frogmouth

The next day morning we just have a casual birding around the village and Whitehead's Spiderhunter were active on the flowering tree, 2 pairs of Whitehead's Broadbill seem like in the breeding mood, other endemic includes Golden-naped Barbet, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Barbet, Bornean Stubtail, Bornean Forktail, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Treepie, Bornean Flowerpecker,  Bornean Wren-babbler, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, and also heard the Crimson-headed Partridge, Red-breasted Partridge, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush calling. Other good sighting includes the Dark Hawk Cuckoo, Golden-bellied Gerygone and heard Eyebrowed Wren-babbler call, this made the list up to 320 species which includes 46 endemic. (Sighted 44 and heard 2)

Whitehead's Broadbill

Mountain Barbet

Fruithunter

Bornean Stubtail

Dark Hawk Cuckoo

9) A half day Kubah birding trip for Alastair, the weather for the 1st 2 hours was dizzying and misty but still we managed to get 21 species for the next 3 hours, some good sighting includes Rufous Piculet, Blue-winged Leafbird, Yellow-bellied Bulbul, Crested Jay, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Bornean Banded Kingfisher and the Bornean Blue Flycatcher.

8) A 12 days 11 nights Sabah birding trip for a group of Taiwanese birders x 10 persons which was organised by Endemic Guide ~ www.endemicguides.com, the owner Mr Lee Kok Chung handled the first 8 days from Tambunan, Kinabalu Park, Poring to Kinabatangan River, with his undoubtedly skills in finding birds he managed to get 173 species for the group which includes some exciting endemic species like Crimson-headed Partridge, Red-breasted Partridge, Mountain Serpant Eagle, Whitehead's Trogon, Mountain Barbet, Bornean Stubtail, Mountain Wren-babbler, Everett's Thrush, Pygmy Ibon, Bornean Bulbul, Bornean Leafbird, Short-tailed Green Magpie, Bare-headed Laughingthrush, Bornean Forktail, Black-headed Pitta, Bornean Banded Kingfisher and notably the Bornean Bristlehead.

The remain 4 days was handled by me at Sepilok and we managed to find the remain target birds which includes the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Indian Cuckoo, Raffles's Malkoha, Red-billed Malkoha, Brown Hawk Owl, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Diard's Trogon, White-bellied Woodpecker, Banded Woodpecker, Buff-necked Woodpecker, Crimson-winged Woodpecker, Grey-&-buff Woodpecker, Rufous Woodpecker, Large Wood-Shrike, Rufous-winged Philentoma, Fiery Minivet, Puff-backed Bulbul, Black-capped Babbler, Chestnut-rumped Babbler, Fuffy-backed Tit-Babbler, Bold-striped Tit-Babbler, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker, Copper-throated Sunbird, Long-billed Spiderhunter, Yellow-eared Spiderhunter, Spectacled Spiderhunter and etc, the additional of 40 species at Sepilok make the list total at 213 species at the end of the trip.

7) A half day Kubah bird photography trip for Dr.Cesar and his wife, they extended this trip to photo their target birds and they were lucky to get the Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Chestnut-naped Forktail, Red-naped Trogon, Diard's Trogon, Indian Cuckoo, Malaysian Hawk Cuckoo, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and unexpected rare endemic ~ the Bornean Ground Babbler.

6) A very successful 4 days 4 nights bird and frog photography trip for Dr.Ronald and friends x 6A in Kubah, Semenggoh and Borneo Highlands. We photoed 46 species of birds which includes the endemic species ~ Dusky Munia, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Bornean Brown Barbet, Bornean Black Magpie, Bornean Frogmouth, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, Pygmy White-eye and Mountain Serpant Eagle.

Other attractive species includes: Black-thighed Falconet, Blyth's Hawk Eagle, Little Green Pigeon, Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Black-bellied Malkoha, Raffles's Malkoha, Scarlet-rumped Trogon,  Gold-whiskered Barbet, Red-throated Barbet, Buff-rumped Woodpecker, Black-&-yellow Broadbill, Banded Broadbill, Green Broadbill, Scarlet Minivet, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Dark-throated Oriole, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Cinereous Bulbul, Verditer Flycatcher, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker, Temminck's Sunbird, Yellow-eared Spiderhunter, Spectacled Spiderhunter, Little Spiderhunter, Thick-billed Spiderhunter & etc..

As for frog 12 species which includes Lowland Litter Frog, Spotted Stream Frog, Wallace's Flying Frog, Bornean Horned Frog, Red-legged Tree Frog & etc

5) A half day Kubah birding trip for Dr.Vijaya, despite with the very wet weather we still managed to get 21 species, some good sighting includes Indian Cuckoo, Raffles's Malkoha, Banded Broadbill, Maroon Woodpecker, Horsfield's Babbler, Chestnut-backed Scimitar-babbler, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Crested Jay, Blue-winged Leafbird, Red-naped Trogon
Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher and etc..

4) A half day Kubah birding trip for Dominic and wife, despite with the wet weather we still managed to get 31 species, some good sighting includes
Little Green Pigeon, Violet Cuckoo, Banded Broadbill, Rufous Piculet, Rufous Woodpecker, Banded Woodpecker, Horsfield's Babbler, Chestnut-backed Scimitar-babbler, Bornean Black Magpie, Blue-winged Leafbird, Yellow-bellied Bulbul, Spotted Fantailand Chestnut-naped Forktail.

3) The first birding group for year 2016, Mdm Gillian Liu and family x 10A1C visited Kuching for 10 days and did a 5 days birding trip to Semenggoh, Borneo Highlands and Kubah. Most of the bird species were active and responsive. They sighted more than 150 species of birds which includes some uncommon and hard to get species, notably the Bornean Frogmouth, Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Reddish Scop Owl, Pygmy Ibon and Bornean Barbet. Other good sighting includes Blyth's Hawk Eagle, Black-thighed Falconet, Malaysian Hawk Cuckoo, Red-billed Malkoha, Black-bellied Malkoha, Buffy Fish Owl, Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Red-naped Trogon, Diard's Trogon, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Red-bearded Bee-eater, White-crowned Hornbill, Red-crowned Barbet, Gold-whiskered Barbet, Red-throated Barbet, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Rufous Piculet, Banded Broadbill, Green Broadbill, Hooded Pitta, Bornean Black Magpie, Creasted Jay, Scaly-breasted Bulbul, Cinereous Bulbul, Chestnut-naped Forktail, Horsfield's Babbler, Chestnut-backed Scimitar-babbler, Everett's White-eye, Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, Spectacled Spiderhunter, Grey-breasted Spiderhunter and etc..

2) Another successful bird photography trip for Mr Matsumura Nobuo, Mr Yamamoto Masahiko & Mr Komori Hisao, their main target species for this trip were Hook-billed Bulbul, Black Oriole, Blue-banded Pitta, Bornean Banded Pitta, Trio Whitehead’s and Dulit Frogmouth. We began our trip from Kota Kinabalu early in the morning and drove to a Peat Swamp Forest for Hook-billed Bulbul. After 20 minutes walk we heard a pair of them singing and chasing each other, this allowed us to get a good shot for our first target species. Other notable species for them included Black-throated Babbler and Red-crowned Barbet.

Hook-billed Bulbul

Black-throated Babbler

Red-crowned Barbet

We continue journey to Lawas and transferred by 4WD to Paya Maga drop off point, overnight stay at based camp. Bornean Frogmouth was captured as usual during the night time as this is the most commonest frogmouth found in sub-montane forest throughout Sarawak state.

The next day morning we ascent to another campsite for Black Oriole, without failed a single bird was calling next to the campsite even though it’s drizzling. Our main target bird Blue-banded Pitta was quite and Bornean Banded Pitta was too shy to show off but Pygmy Ibon, Bornean Leafbird, Bornean Bulbul, Hose’s Broadbill were sighted along the way to the campsite. Notably a Bornean Frogmouth was nesting nearby the campsite, this probably the first record shot of this Frogmouth in nest.

Black Oriole

Bornean Bulbul