Birds of Borneo

Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassina) male, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassina) male, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Over 600 bird species have been recorded in Borneo and boy are they magical. When you are only used to seeing North American bird species, like me, with the exception of the bird species I saw in Yemen, your bird world changes quite drastically when you come to this tropical island. All of a sudden you realize that bird watching or in my case bird photography has a whole new dimension to understand and explore. Due to the extreme density and diversity in trees, birds specialize in what part of the forest they forage and hang out in. Is it the understory, middle story, upper story, or canopy?

At first I was getting extremely frustrated because I couldn’t seem to find any birds, but this was simply due to the fact that I had not learned to read the forest. I had to stop trying to see birds the way I did in the States and instead adopt the jungle view of bird life. Since I was stationed at Tawau Hills Park I was limited to looking for understory birds, which was quite the task in itself. With vegetation being extremely dense, (as I described in this blog post), it was tough going but with time I learned to be more patient and take a sit and wait approach rather than my usual stalk and pounce method. When I would hear a bird call, I would simply stop and wait until I spotted movement and then I followed the bird until it came close enough for pictures (which as you know is most often not the case) . So, first came the understory birds:

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) in breeding plumage, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) in breeding plumage, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) pair on Elephant Ear Taro (Alocasia macrorrhizos) flower, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis) pair on Elephant Ear Taro (Alocasia macrorrhizos) flower, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker (Prionochilus xanthopygius) male feeding on flower nectar, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker (Prionochilus xanthopygius) male feeding on flower nectar, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis), Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis), Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

After a month at Tawau I took a quick side trip further north in Sabah to Sepilok, and more specifically Sepilok Rainforest Discovery Center,a nature reserve set up by a former forest ranger. It is comprised of the same jungle I was used to in Tawau, with one major difference. There was a canopy walkway. These metal paths and towers, propped up up to 90 feet in the air, provided the access to see the birds of the middle and upper story, as well as the canopy. All the birds I only heard in Tawau were now only feet away, going about their business as if it wasn’t weird that a human being is casually walking through the trees.

The birds of the middle story:

Black-and-yellow Broadbill (Eurylaimus ochromalus) female, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Black-and-yellow Broadbill (Eurylaimus ochromalus) female, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Rufous Woodpecker (Celeus brachyurus) female, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Rufous Woodpecker (Celeus brachyurus) female, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Red-naped Trogon (Harpactes kasumba) male, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Red-naped Trogon (Harpactes kasumba) male, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

The birds of the upper story and canopy:

Brown Barbet (Calorhamphus fuliginosus) female, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Brown Barbet (Calorhamphus fuliginosus) female, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) female, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) female, Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus), Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus), Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Most special of all the birds though was the endemic Bristlehead. This is an incredibly unique bird, in fact, it is the only species in its whole bird family (which is Pityriaseidae). I only got to see this bird one time, but it was nice enough to hang around for 1-2 minutes which provided enough time to marvel at its beautiful yellow and red feathers and to get a close look at its uniquely shaped bill.

Bornean Bristlehead (Pityriasis gymnocephala), Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Bornean Bristlehead (Pityriasis gymnocephala), Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Borneo was a huge learning curve, but one I was happy to undergo. The shapes, colors, and behaviors of these birds is just magical. I can only recommend you checking them out yourself!

*If you are interested in purchasing any of the pictures displayed in this post, please check out my fine prints page for pricing.*

Borneo: My First Time to the Jungle

Rainforest in mist at sunrise, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, M

Rainforest in mist at sunrise, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

It’s hard to describe the feeling you get in the tropical rainforest.  It is an extremely dense forest where animals abound, and when you walk through it, you can feel the biodiversity surrounding you. I fell in love with it instantly.

I spent six weeks in the Sabah region of Malaysian Borneo for a ‘top secret’ project to be released soon. As always, the trip would not have been possible without the help of a lot of people, who will also be named soon. Am I getting you excited yet? Let’s just say we were able to photograph an animal never before photographed with high resolution cameras (though several pictures taken with point and shoot trail cameras do exist)!

Exploring in the rainforest is a totally different experience from anything else I have done.  Between the large trees covered with epiphytes and undergrowth plants competing for light you are totally surrounded by vegetation. When it gets dark, a person with claustrophobia may get rather (understandably) uncomfortable. The sounds are truly spectacular, with katydids and all kinds of other insects making incredible noises. You can even set your watch by the six o’clock cicada that starts its distinct, patterned, and somewhat shrill sound at 6am and 6pm (it was never early or late by more than 10 minutes).

Here is a small sampling of images from this magical place:

Rainforest in mist, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Rainforest in mist, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Fern with water droplet, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Fern with water droplet, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Can you find the leaf-mimicking katydid?

Can you find the leaf-mimicking katydid?

Saturniid Moth (Antheraea larissa), Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Saturniid Moth (Antheraea larissa), Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Common Water Monitor (Varanus salvator), Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo

Common Water Monitor (Varanus salvator), Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus brachyotis) roosting, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus brachyotis) roosting, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) female, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) female, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus) female in tree, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus) female in tree, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Don’t worry the birds will come in the next post!

I would highly recommend going to the rainforest if you can, it will alter your life view and you will want to protect it as badly as I do. There is no doubt about it!

Now, I know some of you are thinking: what about all those parasites? I do have to say those worries are mostly unwarranted and overblown, but they do exist. I got a nice hookworm that was tunneling under my skin for a good month before I took some pills that killed it. It was my own fault, I stepped into dog poop while wearing flip flops and wasn’t careful enough to not get any on my foot. I know, it’s gross, but I am just wanting to make sure you learn the lesson!

Warning: The following image will be disturbing to some viewers ! 🙂

 

 

 

This is what happens when you step into dog poop in the tropics....a nice hookworm tunnel.

This is what happens when you step into dog poop in the tropics….a nice hookworm tunnel.

*If you are interested in purchasing any of the pictures displayed in this post, please check out my fine prints page for pricing.*