Day 7
Having arranged the previous evening for a taxi to pick Jakob up from his lodge, and then me from mine, at 05.30, we were soon on our way to Poring Hot Springs, the journey along the windy, but wide, mountain roads taking about 45 mins.
On arrival there was as usual no-one to pay our entrance fees to (we paid them on the way out) so we went straight in.
We only had around 5 hours birding here so only a Poring taster, as my flight to Shanghai via HK was as 16.30 and I planned to be at the airport by 15.00 latest, leaving Poring at 11.30, returning to the lodge (I had arranged a 2 hour later check-out, for an extra 20 ringgit, than the 11.00 permitted) shower, pack the camera gear away, have a quick lunch in their decent on-site restaurant and check-out. Leaving the KNP for Kota Kinabalu at 13.00.
First off the Hot Springs, which will by the time we leave have bathers and tourists, was pretty impressive and looked a fun way to relax for many walkers / mountain climbers with sore muscles !
By the various hot tubs, pools there were some large trees before exiting this cleared area to the Rain-forest edge and the trails and canopy walkway (a little different to the one at the RDC in Sepilok) ! These trees seemed to be bearing some tiny fruit that the smaller birds found irresistible and with no-one around small parties were losing no time making up for the previous night’s fast.
Although tough to photograph (low light, tree canopy) these birds held our attention for the best part of 30 mins, trying to get on one, before it departed only to have another one instantly replace it !
Sunbirds, Flowerpeckers, White-eyes etc., all enjoying the fruit or more likely nectar of this one tree.
Moving around the pools to the forest-edge we went into the forest via one of the trails and soon found ourselves in the usual dimly lit interior, where a
White Crowned Shama did it’s best to entertain us and a disturbance in the canopy high above indicated a couple of larger birds that were for the moment hidden from view by massive leaves. Eventually a shot of a wing here and a shot of a tail there enabled to figure out that the two birds were
Raffle’s Malkoha, very nice birds, just a pity we couldn’t see more of them ! Unable to waste time today we reluctantly moved on.
Again we found that birding (and photographing in) the interior is tough and after an hour on a circulatory route we headed for the Canopy Walkway. Unlike the fixed walkway at the RDC this was a swinging affair of a 6” wide piece of bamboo with nets angled out on both sides and slung between 3 towers, it was also higher than the RDC walkway, I estimate circa. 30m (100ft) high at it’s highest point – and with some great views out of the rainforest. Great fun !
Though it was tough walking the bamboo with camera/lens/gimbal/monopod slung over one shoulder with the back-up camera/lens for environmental shots in the other hand !! As usual with canopy walkways it seems, even though we spent about 30 mins up there, birds were very few, and literally very far, between.
After descending the walkway we took the trail to the waterfall, which leads past a very small Botanical Garden, the first waterfall is man-made and we didn’t take the path down to the picnic area, now being wary of time, in retrospect it may be worth a look if you get there before the Hot Springs customers arrive and walk the trails. All of these areas were relatively quiet though an odd bird would appear, and then just as quickly disappear, from time to time.
On the way back I went in to check out the orchard-like open land higher up at the back of the Botanical Garden, here I was able to pick up the flash of sparkling crimson that we had seen earlier as it went past but not figured out what the bird was, it was my second
Temminck’s Sunbird, nice ! Though again not able to get off a shot as the bird investigated the far side of the tree. Pity.
I would entreat anyone looking for life ticks to photograph every Bulbul they see – with all 23 Bornean species found in Sabah, many of them very plain and very similar in appearance, you don’t know what you may be missing by ignoring them – as I am finding out IDing the birds in the thousands of shots I took !
It was now time to wind down the trip, we walked back through the Hot Springs now entertaining a smattering of bathers here and there, with more arriving by the minute, picked up some cold drinks and ice-creams to cool us down and headed out back to the waiting taxi.
Soon I was back in the lodge, packed, showered, sated with Chicken Fried Rice and a cold Blackcurrant Aloa drink and paid up. Leaving at 13.00 I expected it to take around 90 mins to the airport (as it had done on the way out) however traffic when we got to KK was building up and I was glad of the 30 minute buffer I’d built into the planning, arriving at 15.00 with just enough time to say my goodbyes to Jakob, whose wife and young child were waiting for him not 10 mins drive away, check-in (some hassle with my 26kgs bag this time as they made me remove 2 kgs - which just went into my now 12kgs hand-luggage - before accepting it) and grab a snack and a cold drink before boarding. BTW if you fly Malaysian Airlines internationally they give you 30kgs per person – nice !
The only birds of any import spotted on the way back (though plenty heard out of the windows) were maybe
30 - 40 egrets on one of the small lakes passed driving through KK. Difficult to pick out at that speed and distance with much certainly but definitely
Little and
Intermediate were there, no Greats for sure.
The return journey via Hong Kong on the Hong Kong Express plane was uneventful, likewise the connecting flight, and I finally landed in Shanghai close to midnight, picked up a taxi and 45 mins later was home.
So as I am sitting writing this in Shanghai, listening to the chirping of Chinese Bulbuls and Vinous Throated Parrotbills, suffering outside my window in the excruciating 40C+ Summer heat, I am imagining a trip back to Sabah ; to Danum, to Tabin, to hire a boat to explore further up the tributary at Kinabatangan, on finding those early morning Pittas at the Sepilok Jungle Lodge and the Bristleheads at the canopy walkway at the RDC, to spending more time wandering the trails of the KNP and the unexplored areas of Poring.
Hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m again landing in Kota Kinabalu to renew acquaintance with the people, sights and sounds of wonderful Sabah !
26 Species (6 Lifers)
Bulbul, Hairy-Backed (Poring)
Bulbul, Pale-Faced (Poring)
Bulbul, Puff-Backed (Poring)
Bulbul, Scaly-Breasted (Poring)
Bulbul, Red Eyed (KNP - from Day 6 but I can no longer edit that post)
Bulbul, Yellow-Vented, (Poring)
Drongo, Bronzed (Poring)
Drongo, Greater Racquet Tail (Poring)
Egret, Intermediate (KK)
Egret, Little (KK)
Fantail, Pied (Poring)
Flowerpecker, Orange-Bellied (Poring)
Flycatcher, Little Pied (Poring)
Kite, Brahminy (probable) (KNP - from Day 6 but I can no longer edit that post)
Laughing Thrush, Chestnut-Headed (Poring)
Leafbird, Greater (Poring)
Malkoha, Raffle’s (Poring)
Munia, Dusky (Poring)
Shama, White-Crowned (KNP)
Sparrow, Tree (KNP & Poring)
Spiderhunter, Little (Poring)
Sunbird, Temminck’s (Poring)
Sunbird, Brown-Throated (Poring)
Swiftlets, Glossy (KNP)
Swiftlets (sp.) (Poring)
White-Eye, Black-Capped (Poring)
A few more photos are pending ID.
Mammals & Reptiles
Squirrels
Sorry but some heavy crops, of very small birds at up to 30m distant, in the attached pics !
