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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Sabah for 5 days/nights (2 Viewers)

Thank you Horukuru ! All noted and the RDC info added to the schedule (not sure I have time to get to the cave though - which is a shame because everything you have listed is high up on my hit list).
 
For anyone reading this thread and planning a trip to Sabah : I purchased both the Phillips' 'Birds of Borneo' and the Susan Myers version (same title).

I have to say the Phillips' version is much better; plates always on one side, larger images (colours and drawing style look very similar in both books) and most importantly when you try to find a family by flipping through the book the family names are always at the top in bold on the left hand pages - so easy to do and find. The Susan Myers family titles are smaller and all over the place (sometimes left hand page and sometimes right) so almost impossible to flip through at speed.

Text in the Phillips' book is much larger and titles properly bolded and the bird sizes in cms are also in bold next to the Latin. Good for those of us with age challenged vision !
There are also excellent write-ups on birding the different locations in Borneo (not found in the Myers book), with maps, and sections on the vegetation (with images), migration, rainfall and conservation. The book is slightly heavier though as a consequence (800g vs 528g on my scales) !

Neither of the Borneo books can be adulterated (plates only removed for field use) as is possible with e.g. MacKinnon's 'Birds of China' (I have two copies one adulterated and one complete) where plates are all in one section and text another. It is possible with the Phillips' book (not Myers because images are next to text for each bird) as the plates are on separate pages opposite the text, however you'd need to write each name by hand on the plates, as they are only numbered not titled, and so remove each page one at a time, labourious !

Myers does give a website address to download printable pdfs (small Borneo maps and bird chart of 261 species, numbered to reference the book) at press.princeton.edu./titles/9000.html

Myers also has a removable correction (I nearly missed this) of two bird images inside the front cover - these can be taken out and glued in the correct place (Bornean Barbet and Temminck's Babbler).

I'll be taking only the Phillips' book with me.
 
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I like Quentin's book too but in order to identify Nest Swiftlets in flight, Susan's illustration is better than Quentin if Gomantong Cave is not in the list to visit.

At Sepilok Jungle Resort, you can get the Edible Nest Swiftlet in flight because there is a Swiftlet House rearing the white nests. Upon careful inspection, there is also Black Nest Swftlet in small number than the Edible Nest Swiftlet.

There is also online checklist at http://printablebirdchecklists.homestead.com/5-FieldGuideCheckLists.html for both books. Scroll to the bottom.
 
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horukuru said:
I like Quentin's book too but in order to identify Nest Swiftlets in flight, Susan's illustration is better than Quentin if Gomantong Cave is not in the list to visit.

At Sepilok Jungle Resort, you can get the Edible Nest Swiftlet in flight because there is a Swiftlet House rearing the white nests. Upon careful inspection, there is also Black Nest Swftlet in small number than the Edible Nest Swiftlet.

There is also online checklist at http://printablebirdchecklists.homestead.com/5-FieldGuideCheckLists.html for both books. Scroll to the bottom.
Click to expand...

Thanks Horukuru - I've made a note, checked out the images and printed off the checklists ( I like the Phillips' one for the Endemic reminders) !
 
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Expecting a full blast of species in this thread! Sorry mate, didn't check your travel dates properly, i was thinking you will be in Sabah this whole week. The fluids are knackered by the heat wave ;-) Glad that you escaped it.
 
thirudevaram said:
Expecting a full blast of species in this thread! Sorry mate, didn't check your travel dates properly, i was thinking you will be in Sabah this whole week. The fluids are knackered by the heat wave ;-) Glad that you escaped it.
Click to expand...

Hi Dev. Got home late last night / early this morning (01.30). Full report to come in the Vacational Trip Report forum. I'll put links up here, and also in my thread in the China section, once I start posting it.

As a 'Reconnaissance Mission' it went very well ! Definitely need more time over there (to focus on specific birds) though as Jungle birding is tough, very tough, no matter whether in 'real' lowland jungle as in Kinabatangan / Sepilok or the mountain jungles of Mt Kinabalu NP and Poring. They are all dark (especially when the mist swirls around or the heavy rains come down) and a real challenge photographically (many shots at 1/125 and high ISOs @ 600mm !), plus narrow, dark pathways make spotting birds, before they spot you and disappear, very difficult too !
 
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Looking forward to your report Frogfish! Which lodge did you stay at on the Kinabatagan? I'm heading that way in January and am having difficulty figuring out which lodge will be the best to stay at, catering for the needs of birders. Recommendations anyone?
 
Joshua-B said:
Looking forward to your report Frogfish! Which lodge did you stay at on the Kinabatagan? I'm heading that way in January and am having difficulty figuring out which lodge will be the best to stay at, catering for the needs of birders. Recommendations anyone?
Click to expand...

I stayed at the Bilit Rainforest Lodge however that was because there was an electrical fire in the room I was supposed to have stayed at in the Nature Lodge and as they were full they had to move me across the river (2 mins away).

However the food at the Nature Lodge (I had breakfast there on the final day) was soooo much better, the place was better managed & organised (try getting cold drinks when the manager was not around at Bilit), cleaner and with many more paths to walk to spot birds when not on a river trip, there were NONE across the river unless you went into the leech-infested jungle (terrible for birds during daylight, I spent 2 hours in there) and you were basically confined to a 50m boardwalk.

Trips on the river are basically the same though.

Despite what some on Trip Advisor say the accommodation, food (Western and Malay/Chinese and a Toaster ! Bilit just had a few Chinese dishes every meal) and complete resort is much better at Nature :

http://www.naturelodgekinabatangan.com/index.php

http://www.bilitrainforestlodge.com/home.html

Book through [email protected] (Nasalis Larvatus Tours in KK. He seems really good and everything was arranged well (pick-up in Semilok and dropped back at Sandakan airport in time for my 12.50 flight - after an early morning river trip). These are reasonably priced tours though - if you want to go upmarket then get your wallet out and you'll find better.

Skip the Jungle Walk and book another boat for yourself instead, the JW is awful, an hour slog through the Jungle (leeches, roots, deep mud) stay 20-30 mins by the lakeside (which looks like the river but without any birds) and then slog back again.

Enjoy - the river trips are superb !
 
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Thanks Frogfish! Nature Lodge Kinabatagan is the place we are actually planning on staying, but I have been a bit hesitant as it seems hardly any birders go there! I found one trip report which included it, and all it said essentially was that that NLK did not know how to cater for birders and they had to share with 50 other guests! Very much looking forward to your trip report now - it will be good to finally get an idea of what the birding is like there :)

Cheers,
Josh
 
Joshua-B said:
Thanks Frogfish! Nature Lodge Kinabatagan is the place we are actually planning on staying, but I have been a bit hesitant as it seems hardly any birders go there! I found one trip report which included it, and all it said essentially was that that NLK did not know how to cater for birders and they had to share with 50 other guests! Very much looking forward to your trip report now - it will be good to finally get an idea of what the birding is like there :)

Cheers,
Josh
Click to expand...

Hi Josh. I think that all of these places are generally catering to nature enthusiasts rather than dedicated birders per se. I did not see one other birder (long lens) on the river or at the lodges though lots of people interested in birds and from talking to the few Malaysian birders I met there are but a handful of them so most birders come from overseas.

TBH the river trips cover mainly large birds as they are most visible and are an integral and interesting (to the other clients) aspect of the trip. They seemed to enjoy views of gorgeous birds such as the KFs & Bee-eater too ! Most smaller birds on the river trips disappear into the forest though since there are always a few boats around that will scare them off before you arrive. There are a wide variety of mammals/reptiles to see on the trips and these are fascinating and of course what most people have come to see (Pygmy Elephants, Orang-Utan, Monkeys, Civets, Snakes, Monitors etc. etc.).

BTW on the one morning I spent at NLK, just as I was preparing to leave, I met one of the staff there who saw my long lens and came over, he is a birder (I think he called himself A.J.) and said if I came back to ask for him and we could work out a more dedicated birding program. Worth an enquiry.

Jungle birding is tough, both physically (if you are toting 15kgs in gear around with you as I do !) and in spotting birds, though easier in places like KNP & Poring (and I believe Danum though I didn't have time to visit there on this occasion) and of course I don't need to carry all that gear on river trips so it's very relaxing and enjoyable, the Canopy Walks (RDC and Poring) don't produce many birds, very very few in fact, though the views are great !
There is just so much habitat and bird densities are relatively low though species numbers high. Those 7 days produced about 70-80 species for me (I only count those I photographed or had great views of) though I know many flybys went unrecorded and a guide would find you may more birds and help you ID them too. Probably 90% of those birds are lifers for me though as there is very little species duplication with China !
 
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Ah yes, very good! I shall have to enquire about a dedicated bird program there :) But of course, who can say no to Oran-Utans? ;)
 
robert chong, owner of kinabatangan jungle camp is an excellent birder.

the camp itself is quite basic, but the food is nice (although not great for vegetarians).

it also has a long loop trail through the forest which has some nice birds

storm's stork and bearded pig forage in the swamp next to the dining room

frogfish is right though, forest birding in borneo is hard work!

cheers,
James
 
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