Journey to the west. Part 2.

We continued to Rafflesia Centre at 11.00 am after late braskfast. Rafflesia Centre was drizzling when we reached there in the afternoon. Not much bird activity was observed.

Endemic Bornean Barbet Megalaima exima

Endemic Bornean Leafbird Chloropsis kinabaluensis 

Little Cuckoo Dove Macropygia ruficeps

Endemic Black-capped White-eye Zosterops atricapilla

Activity was so low that they have to find something to keep them busy.

We left for Crocker Range Park the next morning, a place that we did not visit before, trying our luck, and managed to photograph the following birds after spending the day there, leaving well after 6 p.m. in the evening, enjoying fellowship with fellow bird photography sifus Ng Chee Peng, Alvin Chang and Vun Soo Kiong.

Gray-headed Canary Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis, a not so common bird elsewhere but was feeding in flocks there.

Common endemic Yellow-Rumped Flowerpecker juvenile Prinochilus xanthopygius

Female Bornean Blue Flycatcher Cyornis superbus, my lifer bird. It perched in the shadow part of the understory, i had no choice but to use high ISO to get a record shot. The similar looking Hill Blue Flycatcher is ruled out because of the rufous belly, the former would have pale lower breast and belly.

A Rofous Piculet Sasia abnormis with a mishappened upper mandible, at first I wondered how it manage to feed.  but it looks active and healthy so it must be able to feed quite well.

Female Rubycheek Chalcoparia singalensis

Endemic Bornean Banded Pitta Pitta schwaneri,  split in 2010 by F. E. Rheindt and J. Eaton. My other lifer bird, this male decided to come out at 5.35 pm, in semi darkness under thick jungle shade, I had to use ISO 6400 just to get the record shot.

The final morning of our trip was spent in Rafflesia Centre, it was dominated by thick mist and heavy downpour. The rain finally stopped and allowing us an opportunity to photograph for 2 hours before starting our journey back to Tawau at noon.

Thick mist and bad light

Walking in the rain.

Endemic Chestnut Crested yuhina Yuhina everetti. One of the commonest montane birds of Borneo, feeding noisily in flocks from tree to tree.

Unmistakable endemic Bornean Treepie Dendrocitta cinerascens.

Endemic Whitehead's Broadbill Calyptomena whiteheadi, but this one was too far away.

Happy birding.

Photodocument of Wild Birds of Borneo.

Standard References for my blog.

Everett's White-eye

The White-eyes Zosterops are tiny birds of greenish-yellow plumage, some more green and others more yellow. They owe their English name to the presence of a circle of white feathers round the eye.  It is a common cage bird of the oriental region.

They are active birds of the canopy that behave rather like sunbirds or flowerpeckers, except that they usually occur in small, loose parties.

Everett's White-eye Zosterops everetti is a scarce resident of Borneo, it is chiefly sub-montane but occuring down close to sea level, being the only White-eye that occurs in inland lowland forests.

It is very similar to the Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus which usually occur along coastal mangrove, swamp and riverine forests.

Everett's White-eye can be distinguished from Oriental White-eye by habitat, darker and greener upper parts, no pale yellow streak above black lores, has semicircle under the eye, with broader yellow ventral stripe to undertail converts (Oriental has thinner yellow ventral stripe). In Sabah, the situation is much easier because no Oriental White-eye had been recorded from the east coast, all existing records were from west coast interior. Borneo records were mostly from Coastal Sarawak and Brunei.

This Everett's White-eye was photographed in Tawau, my number 326 photographed wild birds of Borneo, two of them were seen feeding on a fruiting tree bearing tiny fruits.

Happy birding.

Photodocument of Wild Birds of Borneo

Standard References for my blog

Kinabalu Park 28th and 29th August 2009

Edited on 30 March 2018 text with green background.

Left for Kinabalu Park (KP) on early 28th Morning with usual gang, Mr Kong Ket Leong and Mr Liew Lun Fatt. Another member Mr Ku Kok On was already at Kinabalu Park as he made his ascent to the peak a day earlier.

Reach KP early evening, and the falling rain provided no opportunity for any meaningful birding activity.  Sat at the Liwagu Restaurant veranda, enjoying the cool breeze and the occassional Mountain Leaf Warbler  Phylloscopus trivirgatus (now Seicercus trivirgatus) and Black-capped White-eye Zosterops atricapilla that came to the nearby tree to feed.

We stayed at Zen Garden  Resort, being quite out of the highway and so was not fully booked during this busy school holiday.

Early morning (6.00 am) of 29th August was spent walking the Bukit Ular Trail near the Power Station, hoping to have a glimpse of the elusive Everett's Thrush Zoothera everetti.  Luck was not with us that morning as the only species we saw along the whole stretch of the trail was a family of Grey-throated Babbler  Stachyris nigriceps, most of them having rings on their feet. 

Grey-throated Babbler 

On our walk back from the other exit of the Bukit Ular Trail to our car, there were plenty of Sunda Bush-Warbler Cettia vulcania (now Sunda Bush Warbler Horonis vulcanius) along the road.

Sunda Bush-Warbler (now Sunda Bush Warbler Horonis vulcanius)

The morning was unproductive and we decided to set for Masilau to try our luck and we were rewarded with a group of Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea foraging along a stream. Grey Wagtail is a winter visitor form northern Asia.

 Grey Wagtail

  

Grey Wagtail

A Bornean Flowerpecker Dicaeum monticolum, a Bornean endemic,  near the Information Building,

 

 Bornean Flowerpecker

and a Pale-faced Bulbul Pycnonotus leucops, another Bornean endemic, recent split from Flavescent Bulbul Pycnonotus flavescens.

 

Pale-faced Bulbul 

On our way back to Kinabalu Park for some refreshments at Liwagu Restaurant and managed to capture some Little Cuckoo Dove Macropygia ruficeps feeding along the way. 

 Little Cuckoo Dove

This pair of Black-caped White-eye Zosterops atricapilla preparing for the night's roost next to a nearby  tree.

Black-caped White-eye 

Night time was spent on some beautiful water lily planted by Zen Garden Resort.

 

 To be continued and happy birding.