[tony.saw]

Just a quick review of our 3 days in Cameron Highlands in December. We had decided to go there as a change from Frasers Hill etc. We had also heard that the area was good for Mountain Peacock Pheasant and Yellow breasted Warbler. We stayed at the Equatorial Hotel near Brinchang, which was perhaps a little further from the trails than many of the others. It is beginning to look run down from the outside, but the room was fine. Breakfast was part of the deal and was generally good, although we ate all other meals in Taman Rata, especially masala dosai. Most of the birding here is along well marked trails, however finding them in the first place was slightly difficult. We tried to get a map, but the information office in Taman rata was closed. We eventually got a poor photocopy from one of the local trip sellers. However, we were then fortunate enough to bump into an older local couple who were walking the trails and mapping them with a GPS. They were intending to put the results on the web for download. He can be contacted at yoongsuanatyahoo.com. Unfortunately they told us that they used to see the pheasant on the trails, but knew that at least one, if not two, had been caught by locals for its feathers. (We did not see one!)
As for the trails, once on them, they were well marked and generally easy walking (except for being uphill!). We did trail 5 twice, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon, when, in common with other trails, we saw little. Trail 5 starts from the MARDI agro-park and initially goes uphill past the park staff quarters. We found that trail 4, past the Parit falls and up to the collapsed watchtower, then on around to the campsite and finally back to the falls was the best and walked this trail in both directions. We tried Trail 2, starting from the Sam Poh temple, this proved to be very steep and overgrown and we saw little and turned back. We also went past the Robinson Falls on Trail 9, but this was late in the day and it was quiet.
Birds seen included
Trail 4 etc Black & Crimson oriole, Long tailed Sibia, Mt Hawk Eagle, Slaty grey Forktail, yellow breasted warbler, Fire breasted flowerpecker and other flowerpeckers and sunbirds, Lesser racket tailed drongo, Siberian Blue Robin, Oriental white eye, Mt leaf warbler, white browed shrike babbler etc.
Trail 5 Little pied flycatcher, Large niltava, green magpie, golden throated barbet, mountain bulbul, Sultan tit, crimson winged woody, little spiderhunter etc
In general, very pleasant - plenty of birds and no leaches (at the time!)