Birding with Sifu Jason in Penampang on 17th April 2011

Was in KK for a seminar, took time off to shoot some photos of birds with sifu Jason, who was very helpful to bring me around in his car. The target birds for the session were Red Avadavat  Amandava amandava,  Buff-banded Rail Gallirallus philippensis and Banded Kingfisher Lacedo pulchella. Though they are regularly seen in Penampang and some other localities, I have yet to see one.

We set out at 6.00 am from KK, when we reached the Red Avadavat site, I was surprised to note that it is just a patch of land reclaimed with sandstones and clay, sparsely grown with long and short grass, sandwiched between paddyfields and the busy Penampang highway, we parked our car on the road shoulder and started looking. They were quickly sighted far away and were seen feeding on the dry earth with a group of Chestnut Munia Lonchura atricappilla.

Red Avadavat, colorful and cute, is a popular cage bird, and as a result has been introduced to many parts of the world. Borneo population is likewise introduced, race is still uncertain for the Sabah birds, first recorded in June 1969 in Kota Kinabalu, it has since established. Its small size couple with its habits of foraging on earth and underneath short growing grass make them very inconspicuous and must have been overlooked most of the time.

 Female or non-breeding male

Breeding male

Sharing habitat with them are the followings.

 

 Adult and Juvenile Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata, this bird is rare in East coast of Sabah, I have yet to see one in Tawau.

 Chestnut Munia

Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris

Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus, an unexpected lifer, having heard Sifu Jason said he saw one at the vicinity a couple of days ago.

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis moulting into breeding plumage. I have not seen one in full breeding, and they have not been recorded to breed in Borneo.

Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus, another introduced species, first recorded in Tanjung Aru in 1978.

However, luck was not with me when we went to search for the Buff-banded Rail at the same habitat, and rain began to fall when we reached the forest for Banded Kingfisher, both were no where to be found. So they will remain as targets for my next trip.

Happy birding.

Photodocument of Wild Birds of Borneo

Standard References for my blog

31st August. Poring to Tawau

Edited on 1 May 2018 text with green backgound.

The next morning, 31st August, Malaysia National day, on our way back to Tawau, we made a detour to Poring, having heard and seen many reports of desirable birds from there. However, Poring Hotspring was not productive on that day as there was no fruiting tree at this time of the year. We walked the trail to Kipungit Waterfall,  and no Pitta call was heard, we did not attempt to climb to the Bat Cave and Langganan Waterfall as I was carrying my 600 mm rig with me at that time.

Nevertheless, this Barbet was seen feeding on a high brunch, it looks like a juvenile Blue-eared Barbet Megalaima auatralis (Now Psilopogon australis). This could also remotely be a juvenile Golden-naped Barbet Megalaima pulcherrima (Now Psilopogon pulcherrimus) as they have been recorded to descend down to this altitude level. The Yellow-crowned Barbet would have shown some red on the nape.

Juvenile Blue-eared Barbet

 

Juvenile Blue-eared Barbet

This is the Greater Green Leafbird Chloropsis sonnerati, also foraging on a high branch against the brightly lit sky, resulting in a horrible looking record shot.

Greater Green Leafbird

This Draco sp. flying Lizard flew in to feed on ants on this tree trunk, after it left, a Rufous Piculet Sasia abnormis also flew in for a few seconds, there was no no time to take a pciture.

This Grey-cheeked Bulbul Criniger bres (Now Alophoixus tephrogenys) was feeding next to the entrance of the Canopy Walk. Opposite it was the endemic White-crowned Shama Copsychus stricklandii.

Grey-cheeked Bulbul

White-crowned Shama

There are a number of stalls across the road selling handicrafts and stones laced with mineral  and crystals deposits to tourists.

 

On the way we stopped at Nunuk Ragang. Nunuk Ragang is a legendary red banyan tree traditionally located at the intersection of the left (Liwagu Kegibangan) and right (Liwagu Kawananan) branches of the Liwagu River to the east of Ranau and Tambunan in Sabah. The word "Nunuk" is a Dusun word for the Banyan tree, and "Ragang" comes from "aragang", the Dusun word for red. It was under this giant banyan tree that the village of Nunuk Ragang was founded and flourished. Tradition places this village as the original settlement grounds of the Dusun people who inhabit most of central Borneo. In 2004, the quasi-government group Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) set up a memorial near Tampias at the site of what they believe is the original village. The memorial, which was built in the form of a huge fig tree, contrasts with the surrounding modern palm oil plantations. The association conducts annual pilgrimages to the site, timed to coincide with the inauguration of its paramount chief, the Huguon Siou (Wikipedia).

This is how Nunuk Ragang looks like.

Nunuk Ragang

We found this snake on the road there. Our friend, Mr. Ku Kok On was so excited and went to capture it to play play.

Mr Ku holding the snake

Close up of the snake

Saw House Swift Apus nipalensis and Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica flying above the river and open plain in front of Nunuk Ragang.

House Swift

As there was no activity, we left after stopping for a while to take some picture.

Happy birding.