Guide for Southern Malaysia: Panti Forest and Rail Babbler (1 Viewer)

[Jose Ramon]

Hi all,

I will have a few days in Singapore in the first half of July and I would like to contact any local bird guide that could take me to watch the Rail Babbler and other birds.

According to eBird, the place to look for it could be Panti forest.

Could you please send me the contact of any local reliable bird guide that could guide me in the area?

Regards,

 

[pbjosh]

I don‘t know any local guides to recommend but beware that Panti has a difficult permit system. You need to be in the area and go to an office (with restrictive hours) to get permits, so it‘s not convenient to leave Singapore early to arrive at Panti the same day, assuming you want to get a permit. Many people seem to bird it without permits, but occasionally birders run into the rangers and have problems (fines / being forced to leave the park, from what I understand). I should think a local guide can help navigate these issues.

Good luck!

 

[Jose Ramon]

I don‘t know any local guides to recommend but beware that Panti has a difficult permit system. You need to be in the area and go to an office (with restrictive hours) to get permits, so it‘s not convenient to leave Singapore early to arrive at Panti the same day, assuming you want to get a permit. Many people seem to bird it without permits, but occasionally birders run into the rangers and have problems (fines / being forced to leave the park, from what I understand). I should think a local guide can help navigate these issues.

Good luck!

Thank you, pbjosh

That is one of the reasons because I prefer to go with a local guide.

Regards,

 

[lammergeier05]

I birded Panti reserve last summer and was fortunate to not see any rangers. There were a lot of locals driving through the reserve but nobody asked any questions. I found the Rail babbler at mid day less than a km from the old entrance road, which appears to be one of the reliable spots. I did hear another further down the road. It took me two days of effort. It appears from other reports that even with a guide, multiple days are sometimes required.

 

[Steve Babbs]

As Rail Babbler is a very obvious omission from my list and I am considering a trip to SE Asia soon, I was wondering if anyone had tried at Panti recently.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

I asked one of the Singapore guides last year and was told it was very difficult (and not worth trying with the very limited time at my disposal).