Sepilok, Kinabantangan, Sabah, Borneo 21-28 of July 2011.

By Peter Ericsson
pkknjj@yahoo.com


Prior to this trip I had been to Sabah 3 times. Each time I only visited Mt Kinabalu as I fell in love with the mountain. Thus I post phoned a visit to the low land rainforests of Sepilok and Kinabantangan until now.

I pre booked my tickets with Airasia quite some time back. Flew Bangkok – Kuala Lumpur – Sandakan and back for 200$US.
The flights went well and I found myself at Sandakan around 8:30pm.
A half hour taxi ride driven by an elderly gentleman took me to Sepilok B&B some 400m from my birding spot: Rainforest Discovery Center.

The B&B has an older section and a newer. It is run more as a hostel then anything and I would best classify it as adequate as the personnel were friendly but rather untrained. Breakfast is a cup of coffee and two slices of bread plus a banana if you are lucky. Eggs have to be bought. Breakfast served 7 am.


Wi Fi is free and there are cold Tiger beers available howbeit twice as expensive as
in Thailand at 7 Ringit per can. The closeness to RDC makes up for any lacks though and I would use the place again if on my own but would choose other lodging if bringing a group. Rooms were clean.

I google earthed the Sepilok area before I left home and it showed the RDC being at the Northern edge of a larger forested area. I enjoyed 2 and a half days of absolutely
great birding, walking the many trails in a varied landscape. It felt like magic land and as I look over the birdlist I can only marvel at the diversity and beauty of what I saw in this rather small area.

I had booked a tour with 'Nature Lodge' to see the wildlife along the Kinabantangan river a couple of hours drive from Sepilok.
It was recommended by a friend who is an avid birder. The place was run superbly.

Pick up on time, welcome drink and instructions clear. 2 nights stay, 4 boat rides, one morning walk, 2 night walks, all meals and great rooms (I had their best room). The food was very good, rooms clean and spacious, guides dedicated.

There was a great network of trails adjacent to their grounds. They also had a long boardwalk surrounding their property from where I saw several good birds.
Only drawback with a trip like this is that one has to share the boat with general
tourists and so evidently one ends up spending too much time on monkeys. I was told they would give us our own boat if we were a company of 4-5 or one could rent a boat alone as well.

The wildlife along the river was as good as it gets. I never counted on the Bornean
Ground Cuckoo as I believe that requires help from a couple of well known
guides. I had views of 6 Hornbill species, Lesser Adjutant, several Storm’s Stork,
and of course Orang Utan, Proboscis monkeys, Silver Langur, Small-clawed Otter,
Bearded Pig, crocs, Pygmy and Black Squirrel, just to name a few.

I extended my tour with another day as I enjoyed myself so much.
Then I went back to Sepilok and the B&B for another afternoon and morning at the RDC.

Light wasn’t very good throughout the trip with most days being gloomy so I struggled a bit to get clear pictures.

There were a good amount of birders at the RDC, many from Thailand but also Jason Bugay from KK and Robert Hutchinson from BirdtourAsia.
At the Sepilok B&B there were several groups of students so it was good I had booked in advance.

Anyone interested in a tour to Borneo should check out this offer http://www.birding2asia.com/tours/Borneo.html .

Here is my list.

1. Chestnut-necklaced Partridge - heard at Kinabantangan
2. Storm’s Stork – lifer seen 4 times along the river
3. Lesser Adjutant – seen twice at KB
4. Black-crowned Night Heron – seen in flight at KB
5. Purple Heron – two birds seen at KB
6. Little Egret – 1 seen
7. Intermediate Egret – several at the river and the ox lake
8. Great Egret – a couple along the river
9. Rufous-bellied Eagle – one adult at KB
10. Changeable Hawk Eagle – one pale morph at KB
11. Wallace’s Hawk Eagle – one perched at KB
12. Jerdon’s Baza – a couple along the river
13. Crested Serpent Eagle – common along the river
14. White-breasted Waterhen – seen near the B&B
15. Spotted Dive – common
16. Emerald Dove – seen twice at KDC
17. Cinnamon-headed Pigeon – lifer 2 seen in flight over canopy of RDC
18. Pink-necked Pigeon – a few flocks seen at the RDC and surroundings
19. Green Imperial Pigeon – common at KB
20. Long-tailed Parakeet – daily flocks at Kinabantangan Nature Lodge
21. Violet Cuckoo – a lovely male seen snatching insects from the canopy walkway
for prolonged times.
22. Plaintive Cuckoo – heard often
23. Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo – heard at the RDC
24. Banded Bay Cuckoo – heard at KB
25. Greater Coucal – commonly heard
26. Chestnut-bellied Malkoha – only Malkoha seen, RDC
27. Glossy Swiftlet – common at RDC
28. Edible Nest Swiftlet – swiftlet with pale rump should have been this one at RDC
29. Black-nest Swiftlet – dark rumped swiftlet seen at KB
30. Silver-rumped Spinetail – 1 seen drinking water at RDC
31. Diard’s Trogon – one male showing well on a few occasions at RDC
32. Red-naped Trogon – lifer - ¬¬ a pair seen at both the RDC and the KB
33. Collared Kingfisher – common in secondary growth
34. Chestnut-collared Kingfisher – 1 female taped in at RDC
35. Ruddy Kingfisher – 1 at RDC
36. Blue-eared Kingfisher – a few along the river
37. Stork-billed Kingfisher – a few along the river
38. Banded Kingfisher – a pair taped in at the Bristletower
40. Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher (black-backed) – seen well at the RDC
41. Blue-throated Bee-eater – a few at RDC and KB
42. Red-bearded Bee-eater – heard at RDC
43. Dollarbird – seen twice in secondary growth
44. Bushy-crested Hornbill – group of 3 seen at KB
45. Wreathed Hornbill – pair in flight across the river
46. Wrinkled Hornbill – a few groups along the river
47. Rhinocerous Hornbill – seen well twice
48. Pied Hornbill – common
49. Black Hornbill – common
50. Blue-eared Barbet – 1 seen at RDC, heard often
51. Brown Barbet – seen a couple times at RDC
52. Olive-backed Woodpecker – heard frequently at RDC but unfortunately not seen
53. Maroon Woodpecker – 1 at RDC
54. White-bellied Woodpecker – seen a few times at RDC
55. Crimson-winged Woodpecker – 1 seen at RDC
56. Orange-backed Woodpecker – a group of 3 seen extremely well on two days at
RDC
57. Buff-rumped Woodpecker – 1 at RDC, 1 at KB
58. Buff-necked Woodpecker – 1 RDC, 1 KB
59. Grey and buff Woodpecker – a pair at the Bristlehead tower on my last morning.
Such lovely birds that I hadn’t seen for years.
60. Black-red Broadbills – seen at both places, pretty common in the right habitat
61. Black-yellow Broadbills – the most common of the Broadbills….seen at both
Places
62. Banded Broadbill – 1 seen at close range at RDC
63. Black-headed (black-crimson) Pitta – lifer and my main target bird, love them
Pittas….seen at RDC and photographed at Kinabantangan Nature Lodge
64. Hooded Pitta – heard at RDC , seen at KB
65. Green Iora – seen RDC
66. Common Iora – seen RDC
67. Lesser Green Leafbird – RDC
68. Fiery Minivet – flock at RDC, haven’t seen for years so a nice one
69. Lesser Cuckoo Shrike – 1 female along the Kingfisher track at RDC
70. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch – seen at both places, quite different colors from the Thai
Version
71. Asian Fairy Bluebird – 1 seen at both places
72. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo – a few at RDC
73. Black Magpie – a flock of 4 at RDC, very different looking from the Thai
version…surely a split one day.
74. Slender-billed Crow – a few at RDC, lovely call
75. Crested Jay – 1 at RDC, very different from Thai version, brown, smallish, not as
loud, must be a future split
76. Bristlehead – lifer – saw a flock of 4 on two different days, birds way up high,
very happy to have this one under the belt.
77. White-breasted Woodswallow – common in suitable habitat
78. Pacific Swallow – common
79. Rufous-tailed Tailorbird – common at KB
80. Ashy Tailorbird – common at KB
81. Dark-necked Tailorbird – seen once
82. Yellow-bellied Prinia – seen once, heard often
83. Black-headed Bulbul – seen at KB
84. Puff-backed Bulbul – a pair at RDC, hadn’t seen it for years
85. Olive-winged Bulbul – common
86. Yellow-vented Bulbul – common
87. Cream-vented Bulbul – common, Bornean race has red eyes, hard to tell from
Red-eyed.
88. Red-eyed Bulbul – common in secondary growth
89. Spectacled Bulbul – 1 bird at RDC
90. Streaked Bulbul – a pair at RDC
91. Hairy-backed Bulbul – 2 at RDC
92. Yellow-bellied Bulbul - heard at KB
93. Buff-vented Bulbul – 1 at RDC
94. Black-capped Babbler – seen at both places
95. Short-tailed Babbler – 2 at RDC
96. White-chested Babbler – readily seen at both places
97. Ferruginous Babbler – 1 at RDC
98. Sooty-capped Babbler – a group of 4 came in to bath at RDC, only my 2nd ever
sighting
99. Scaly-crowned Babbler – 1 at RDC
100. Crimson-winged Babbler – common at both places
101. Bold-striped Tit Babbler – lifer, very different from the Thai Tit Babbler
102. Javan Myna – a pair
103. Common Myna – common
104. Hill Myna – common at RFC
105. Asian Glossy Starling – common
106. Oriental Magpie Robin – common, better called ‘black-bellied magpie robin’
107. White-crowned Shama – lovely endemic bird seen at both places
108. White-crowned Forktail – seen daily at RDC
109. Malaysian Blue Flycatcher – lifer - twice at KB
110. Verditer Flycatcher – RDC
111. Asian Paradise Flycatcher – 1 white phase at KB
112. Pied Fantail – common
113. Black-naped Monarch – seen at both places
114. Purple-throated Sunbird – once at RDC
115. Olive-backed Sunbird – common
116. Crimson Sunbird – the most common sunbird
117. Purple-naped Sunbird – once at RDC
118. Plain Sunbird – 1 at RDC
119. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird – seen at both places
120. Little Spiderhunter – seen at both places
121. Yellow-eared Spiderhunter – seen once
122. Chestnut Munia – very common at RDC
123. Eurasian Tree Sparrow - common