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One of the foremost (of many!) highlights of our tour was watching a pair of beautiful Whitehead's Trogons in the humid cloud forest of Kinabalu Park. Endemic to undisturbed montane forest above 900m in N Borneo, this species was but one of an amazing 6 species of trogons we saw on the trip; that's all the trogons of Borneo! This male was photographed above the Silau-Silau by participant Bob Rodrigues.
The island of Borneo is a magical place. Though acre after acre of the Malaysian state of Sabah is continually being converted to oil palm plantations, there are still vast swaths of primeval forest, cloaked with some of the tallest trees on earth. For sixteen days, we explored luxuriant, tangled lowland jungle and hill forest, venturing even into the heady heights of its great canopy, thanks to a series of fabulous canopy towers and walkways. Via tidal rivers and tiny, meandering streams, we poked into otherwise inaccessible seasonally flooded forest near Sukau. For the final quarter of our stay, we climbed into the cool highlands of the spectacular Mount Kinabalu massif, where we wandered through a beautiful cloud forest with its masses of mosses and ferns and epiphytes. Throughout it all, there were so many sights and sounds and experiences to enjoy....
Our adventure began at Sepilok, where we spent several days recovering from our long flights and coming to grips with some of the more common lowland species. From the wonderfully sturdy towers and walkways at the nearby Rainforest Discovery Center, we watched an ever-changing cast of characters, including a Banded Woodpecker clinging for minutes to a nearby branch, a Black-bellied Malkoha rummaging through nearby foliage, a stunning male Violet Cuckoo displaying at close range, a Verditer Flycatcher that returned again and again to the same branch, a spiffy Black-and-yellow Broadbill that approached to within arm's length, and Red Giant Flying Squirrels sailing through the canopy at dusk. Along the trails below, we watched two male Fluffy-backed Tit-Babblers arguing over a (presumed) female (with much flaring of bright blue eyebrows and gular patches), a pair of Rufous-collared Kingfishers swinging on their viny perches, a tiny Rufous-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher perched beside a meandering stream, calling male Red-naped and Diard's trogons, a host of colorful sunbirds visiting a patch of equally colorful flowers, and a Large-tailed Nightjar hovering right overhead and then singing from a distant snag.
En route to Sukau, we detoured slightly to visit the Gomantong Caves (which we would visit again in the coming days). Though most of the edible nests in the cave we toured had been harvested recently (resulting, sadly, in a lack of renesting Black-nest and White-nest swiftlets), we did see Mossy-nest Swiftlets sitting atop their distinctive moss-incorporated nests (they're too messy to warrant cleaning for bird's nest soup). And a host of additional highlights awaited us between the cave and the beginning of the Gomantong entrance road. Among them were: a female Orangutan nursing her baby on the slope above the cave; a gang of seven Bushy-crested Hornbills snuggling shoulder-to-shoulder on their roosting branch; a dazzling Black-headed Pitta whistling from a shadowy perch in the understory and a striking Hooded Pitta that sat surprisingly high for scope views; a pair of scarce Spotted Fantails flitting nearby, their tails waving jauntily; a small flock of Endangered Storm's Storks circling overhead, one even parading right down the road ahead of our bus; hunting Bat Hawks in the sunset, picking off victims from the thousands of Wrinkle-lipped Free-tailed Bats exiting the caves; and a dramatic pair of Helmeted Hornbills whooshing overhead after delivering their maniacal calls.
From our base at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, we explored the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, by day and by night, via a network of rivers and streams and a conveniently close boardwalk. Among our highlights there were a pair of tiny White-fronted Falconets making repeated hunting forays from atop a tall dead tree; a family of White-crowned Hornbills that called from a great distance and then came to the river's edge in the late afternoon; pairs of big Wrinkled Hornbills bounding through the riverside treetops; a tree full of scarce green-pigeons (including Large and Cinnamon-headed) in the afternoon light; a beautiful Ruddy Kingfisher that sat for scope views off the Sukau boardwalk; the various Buffy Fish-Owls hunting from low perches along the rivers and the dramatic Brown Wood-Owl that flew in close while we were owling along the Menanggul; an abundance of big Water Monitors basking in the sun (of which there was plenty!), a black-and-yellow Mangrove Cat Snake cryptically coiled in an overhanging tree, and a big Reticulated Python foraging along the riverbank one night; the many primates in this primate-rich refuge, from a big male Orangutan to the playful macaques and the iconic Proboscis Monkeys that inhabit the forest corridors along the rivers. But our foremost highlight in the Kinabatangan may have been watching a cow Bornean Pygmy Elephant and her calf feeding at leisure on "elephant grass" on the banks of the Kinabatangan.
At Borneo Rainforest Lodge, a family of monotypic Bornean Bristleheads appeared and disappeared as they moved through the canopy, their bizarre, featherless, red-and-yellow heads bright against the green leaves. A singing Bornean Wren-Babbler lured us up and down a VERY steep hill before finally hopping right out onto the trail. Handsome and confiding Whiskered Treeswifts made frequent short forays from their favorite perches, where they constantly turned their heads left and right, seemingly covering 180 degrees in each direction! Crested Firebacks nibbled tidbits in a patch of tall grass behind the staff quarters. A Bornean Banded-Pitta calling from its song post was like a displaced bit of sunlight reflected through the trees. From the canopy walkway we scoped Yellow-crowned Barbets and Orange-backed Woodpeckers and watched a procession of sunbirds and spiderhunters sip nectar from the blossoms of an eye-level canopy vine. Winding along trails through the forest interior, we watched fabulous Asian Paradise-Flycatchers, Green Broadbills, and Cinnamon-rumped Trogons. And our night forays produced an array of critters, from big tarantulas and sleeping lizards to flying frogs, a Barred Eagle-Owl, and the amazing Horsfield's Tarsier!
We welcomed the cool, refreshing highlands, where we finished the tour amid a host of montane endemics. We watched Golden-naped Barbets above blooming rhododendrons at Gunung Alab, scoped Mountain and Bornean barbets at premontane levels in the Crocker Range, where we enjoyed a rush of other new species, from Bornean Leafbirds to elegant Long-tailed Broadbills. Our first morning at Kinabalu Park was a highlight in itself, with dozens of species showing well in the calm, sunlit trees right outside our rooms! A quartet of Mountain Serpent-Eagles screamed and circled in cloudless skies right overhead at a Kinabalu vista. BIG, green Whitehead's Broadbills burst from the forest, crossing the road, and posing briefly on mossy branches. Whitehead's Spiderhunters proved surprisingly responsive this trip, flicking into some roadside trees and chasing each other around. And a pair of highly prized Whitehead's Trogons--among the fanciest of the world's trogons--gleamed from the forest understory. Whitehead's Pygmy Squirrels charmed us as they scrambled through the vines, their fluffy, white ear tufts exposed. Tiny Bornean Stubtails--Urosphena whiteheadi, also named for Whitehead--belted out their incredibly high-pitched song, their mouths opened wide, exposing their yellow mouth linings. One group watched a Friendly Bush-Warbler dance back and forth across a mossy stretch of ground at the tip of our boots (!) on the Summit Trail; while the other group watched a pair of tail-teetering White-crowned (Bornean) Forktails on a rushing stream at Mesilau, where we climbed the Nepenthes Trail to see four species of pitcher plants, including the world's largest. Together we made an afternoon trip to Poring to view a spectacular blooming Rafflesia, on its third day open, and to bird a bit near the hot springs, where we ended the day with a wonderful Crested Jay. Back at the Hill Lodge, we marveled at--and photographed--the wondrous array of moths that gathered each night around our porch lights.
On our return to KK, we made a final birding stop in an open-country marsh near Tuaran. There we sorted through rafts of Wandering Whistling-Ducks, finding a scarce drake Garganey in breeding plumage and a vagrant hen Cotton Pygmy-Goose, as well as Cinnamon and Yellow bitterns in lovely afternoon light. It was a nice way to end a wonderful trip with a wonderful group of participants.
It's been fun reliving the trip while sorting through photos and annotating the list. Hopefully, the comments below--and the media embedded in the online version--will enliven your memories and contain a few new "gee whizzes," as well as identify some of the many "other critters" we enjoyed in the field.
In the following list--which we've annotated jointly--SNR refers to Sepilok Nature Resort, RDC refers to the Sepilok Rainforest Discovery Center, and BRL refers to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge. Taxonomy follows the Cornell/Clements checklist with online updates, including the most recent version (6.9, Aug'14).
We thank our great local guides (Hazwan, Paul, and Adrian), our support staff (Karen at FGI & Cindy and all of our captains at BET), and the attentive staffs at our great accommodations. Thanks to everyone who shared photos, with special thanks to Bob Rodrigues for contributing so many fabulous photos for the online triplist. And many thanks to all of you for your fine companionship throughout; we had a great time sharing with you some of the magic of Borneo.
--Rose Ann (Grebe) & Megan (Kestrel)
KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant
BIRDS
Borneo boasts the tallest tropical rainforest trees in the world. We began our adventure in the lowland rainforest at Sepilok, where everyone arrived early for some "extra birding." (photo by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
Our best looks at the Endangered Storm's Stork came along the Gomantong road, where several birds circled overhead and one actually landed on the road! They feed back inside the rainforest. (photo by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
Fortunately, our introductory birding in the tall rainforest forest was made easier by one of the sturdiest canopy walkways we've experienced: that at the Sepilok Rainforest Discovery Center. The Bristlehead Tower didn't yield any bristleheads this year, but we certainly found plenty of other things to look at! (photo by guide Megan Edwards Crewe)
Mountain Serpent-Eagles are tough to find some years; so watching FOUR birds at once, circling over our heads and uttering their wild screams, was a real treat. The dry-weather period we experienced probably contributed to our success with raptors. (photo by guide Megan Edwards Crewe)
Various invertebrates entertained us throughout our tour, from a colorful dragonfly (Rhyothemis triangularis) at the Sepilok Nature Resort to a tiny spider (10 would have fit on a thumbnail!) at the RDC Hornbill Tower; to iridescent green beetles (Pseudochalcothea spathifera) and cicadas (Dundubia vaginata) that came to the lights at Kinabalu. (photos by participant Barbara Williams, guide Megan Edwards Crewe, and guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
Like cormorants and Anhingas, the Oriental Darter has a vestigial preen gland and its plumage gets wet during diving. To dry its feathers, it moves to a safe location and spreads its wings. Participant Bob Rodrigues captured this one drying in the sun along the Menanggul River, where they were quite common.
While based at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, we birded by boat in the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. Here, we're starting on an early morning excursion on the big Kinabatangan River itself. (photo by guide Megan Edwards Crewe)
One of the commonest birds along the tributaries of the Kinabatangan was the big Stork-billed Kingfisher, here photographed hunting above the Menanggul by guide Rose Ann Rowlett. We saw them by day and by night, when they slept on similar perches above the water's edge.
Water Monitors (Varanus salvator), here photographed on the grounds of the SNR, were common throughout the lowlands, especially in the Kinabatangan region, where we saw many basking in the warm sun. (photo by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
Big Mountain Imperial-Pigeons were courting and nest-building at Kinabalu during our visit, making them easier than usual to see well. (photo by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
Three of many fancy butterflies we encountered, all members of the Nymphalidae: a big Common Tree Nymph (Idea stolli), flying tissue-paper-like above the forest (by Bob Rodrigues); a Clipper Butterfly (Parthenos sylvia) in the undergrowth along the Sukau boardwalk (by Bob Rodrigues); and a striking "mapwing" (Cyrestis maenalis) at roadside mud in the foothills of the Crocker Range (by Barbara & Dan Williams)
This singing Sunda Cuckoo was but one of a rush of birds new to us on our first morning at Kinabalu Park, just outside our rooms at the Hill Lodge. It's a brood parasite known to target Mountain Warblers and Yellow-breasted Warblers at Kinabalu. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
We had nice, if quick, views of the beautiful little Violet Cuckoo from the RDC Trogon Tower, where a displaying male paused briefly between song flights. Plain-throated Sunbird is known to be one host for its brood parasitism at Sepilok. (photo by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
Sunning behavior is well known in coucals. When their feathers get wet after a shower or as they walk through wet foliage, they sit up, spreading their feathers and exposing their black back, underwings, and tail to the sun. We lucked into this Greater Coucal sunning along the Menanggul around 8:00AM one morning. (photo by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
This Black-bellied Malkoha is eyeing us from some of the closest vegetation to the upper level of the lofty RDC Hornbill Tower. Like the coucals, malkohas are nest-building cuckoos, not brood parasites. (photo by participants Barbara & Dan Williams)
Participant Bob Rodrigues captured this adult Brown Wood-Owl shortly after takeoff, inside the forest at Borneo Rainforest Lodge. With their powerful legs, sharp talons, and keen sense of hearing, Brown Wood-Owls prey primarily on mice and rats, of which there are 24 species in Borneo!
Returning to our riverfront lodge for dinner, we enjoy a Kinabatangan sunset with a promise of much-needed rain. (photo by guide Megan Edwards Crewe)
Elegant and confiding, Whiskered Treeswifts were among our favorites. Their foraging behavior--usually consisting of short sallies for insects from a favorite perch to which they return--contrasts with that of their larger cousin, the Gray-rumped Treeswift, which we watched sailing around almost continuously. (photo by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
The beauty and richness of the primary forest, along with the exceptional level of comfort and service at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, conspire to make it perhaps the finest lowland rainforest destination in Borneo. We reached the main building in the late afternoon, with our first Crested Firebacks already under our belts. (photo by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
The tiny Rufous-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher, of the race motleyi (which is confined to Sabah), is a compact combination of exquisite colors! We saw it well several times in the understory of primary forest, nowhere better than here, at the Sepilok RDC. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
Another exquisite combination of colors, the Red-bearded Bee-eater often takes bees, as some of us watched it doing at SNR. It has been suggested that its bright red beard may deceive passing bees into approaching what they mistake for a flower, hence attracting a meal. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
The Bushy-crested Hornbill is a cooperative breeder, traveling in family groups and having helpers at the nest. They put on good shows in the lowland rainforest on several occasions, especially when lining up to roost shoulder-to-shoulder at Gomantong Caves. This bird, captured by guide Megan Edwards Crewe, shows the complex bill pattern of a young female.
The BRL canopy walkway connects a number of viewing platforms--smaller than those at the RDC, but equally rich--from which we watched some great birds, from eye-level sunbirds and spiderhunters to Orange-backed Woodpeckers, Yellow-crowned Barbets, and, yes, Bornean Bristleheads! (photo by participant Sally Marrone)
Borneo is a land of "flying lizards," usually of the genus Draco, which we saw make some impressive glides. But even this Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella, family Agamidae) can make short glides. It's common throughout the lowlands. This one was photographed on the grounds of our lodgings at SNR by guide Rose Ann Rowlett.
Borneo is the world center of barbet distribution, with 9 species occurring, of which we saw eight (all but Red-crowned, which prefers degraded forest). The endemic Golden-naped Barbet, here photographed at Kinabalu by participant Bob Rodrigues, occurs at higher elevations than any other Bornean barbet--up to 3200m (10,500').
This handsome male Banded Woodpecker stopped by OUR canopy perch in the RDC walkway. (photo by guide Megan Edwards Crewe)
With five species, three of them endemics, Borneo is also a world center of wren-babbler distribution. Here, one group on the trail at BRL is watching the endemic Bornean Wren-Babbler, a.k.a. Bornean Ground-Babbler for its terrestrial foraging habits. (photo by participant Sally Marrone)
The loud, haunting calls of Smith's Giant Geckos (Gekko smithii) were heard throughout the lowlands, usually from a hidden haunt. But we managed to see a couple of these green-eyed insectivores that inhabit the rafters near the outdoor dining area at Sukau Rainforest Lodge. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
The spectacular, big Whitehead's Broadbill, here photographed at Kinabalu by participant Bob Rodrigues, is one of the three rare montane endemics that comprise "Whitehead's Trio": the Broadbill, the Trogon, and the Spiderhunter. They were all named for the British naturalist and explorer, John Whitehead, who collected rare birds throughout SE Asia until his death from malaria at age 38. We were lucky on our trip, not only to have seen all three of the Trio, but for the relative ease and safety of our birding explorations.
Though Dusky and Long-tailed broadbills are cooperative breeders--and usually seen in groups--the Black-and-red Broadbill seems to be a pair breeder, with both sexes helping build the messy-looking nest that appears as debris caught in some branches, usually over a stream or other opening. We encountered a number of nests hanging over the waterways in the Kinabatangan. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
Like the Black-and-red Broadbill, this spiffy Black-and-yellow Broadbill is insectivorous and a pair breeder--with a pink breast that is an unusual color in birds. Their accelerating calls are among the most characteristic of the Bornean lowland forests, where we encountered them daily. This one, photographed by participant Bob Rodrigues, came in close to the RDC Bristlehead Tower, where we looked down on it.
Pittas are notoriously shy and yet territorially responsive. With persistence, we managed to locate this Black-headed Pitta that was uttering its thin, whistled song from a perch near the Gomantong caves. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
Recently split from its closest relatives in Java and Malaya, the scarce and distinctive Bornean Banded-Pitta has become yet another Bornean endemic. We were lucky to have encountered this male that was calling and responsive along the Hornbill Trail during our visit; everyone (except the Grebe) got to see it! It was not to be found on the following tour. (photo by participant Melinda Crowe)
On the one afternoon that we were rained out at BRL, we birded from the open-air dining area, seeing Yellow-rumped and Yellow-breasted flowerpeckers and Bornean Spiderhunters feeding in the nearby flowering shrubs. (photo by participant Sue Rice)
Hard to believe it's in the Vireo family! But that's what genetic studies have shown about the Blyth's Shrike-Babbler, recently split from what were formerly called "White-browed Shrike-Babbler." We had good looks at males, as shown here, and females alike in the highlands of the Crocker Range and Kinabalu Park. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
After a shower the previous afternoon, we had several foggy/soggy mornings at BRL. It's the normal condition to have early morning fog along the river, which then lifts as the sun warms up. (photo by guide Megan Edwards Crewe)
The handsome Bornean Green-Magpie, endemic to the highlands of Borneo and here seen in Kinabalu Park, was a real favorite among our group. The epithet jeffereyi honors Jeffery Whitehead, John's father, who outlived his famous explorer son. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
Occurring from sea level to high on Mt. Kinabalu, the striking Velvet-fronted Nuthatch has one of the widest altitudinal ranges of any forest bird in Borneo. We saw in in the lowlands at BRL and at Kinabalu, where participant Bob Rodrigues took this photo.
In contrast to the fruit-eating green broadbills in the newly recognized family Calyptomenidae, the five Bornean broadbills in the family Eurylaimidae are primarily insect-eaters. They use their wide beaks (and probably those long bristles) to grasp and demolish their large insect prey. This photo, taken at SNR by guide Megan Edwards Crewe, illustrates the amazingly wide gape of a Black-and-red Broadbill.
Common throughout Borneo's montane forests, the Yellow-breasted Warbler serves as a brood host to Sunda Cuckoos. We saw it with mixed flocks of small insectivores at Kinabalu, where participant Bob Rodrigues took this photo.
A view of the Kinabalu massif on a good day for pursuing Friendly Bush-Warblers and soaring raptors--as were most of our days at Kinabalu Park during our visit (photo by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
The Dark-necked Tailorbird, named (like other tailorbirds) for its ability to "sew" leaves together using spider silk as thread in the construction of its nest, is common throughout the lowlands. Guide Megan Edwards Crewe caught this one as it danced through tangled vegetation along the Gomantong entrance road.
An inquisitive Mountain Black-eye checks us out along the Kinabalu Summit Trail, where this aberrant white-eye is one of the commonest birds. With their brush-tipped tongues, they often sip nectar from blooming rhododendrons. (photo by guide Megan Edwards Crewe)
A Black-throated Babbler paused beside the group, distracting us briefly from an engaging trio of nearby Fluffy-backed Tit-Babblers, which share a similar song. Both species seem to prefer secondary or disturbed primary forest and are common throughout the lowlands. (photo by guide Megan Edwards Crewe)
Nine species of carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants have been recorded on Mt. Kinabalu, four of them endemic to the mountain, including N. rajah, the largest in the world. Most grow on open areas with loose, nutrient-poor soils; hence the need to consume and digest animals. While one group climbed the Summit Trail in pursuit of Friendly Bush-Warblers, the other group climbed the Nepenthes Trail at Mesilau in pursuit of pitcher plants. This composite photo identifies species we saw along a trail across a landslide area and compares them to N. stenophylla, the one we all saw in a field near Poring. (photos by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
A view of Mt. Kinabalu from the Nepenthes Trail at Mesilau, home to four species of pitcher plants and to Mountain Black-eyes. (photo by participant Sally Marrone)
Endemic to the mountains of north-central Borneo, the Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush is the commonest of the three big laughingthrushes at Kinabalu. All three sometimes move together in "big-bird" flocks, no doubt partitioning the resources by slightly different foraging behaviors. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
The handsome Indigo Flycatcher, occurring only on Sumatra, Borneo, and Java, is a common resident of montane Sabah, here photographed at Kinabalu by participant Bob Rodrigues.
The chunky, unobtrusive Eyebrowed Jungle-Flycatcher is quite a distinctive endemic. Participant Barbara Williams captured this one along the Nepenthes Trail at Mesilau, where it sat cooperatively. Borneo is the center of distribution for the jungle-flycatchers.
Participant Bob Rodrigues photographed this lovely White-crowned (Bornean) Forktail below the restaurant at Mesilau, where we watched a pair foraging and interacting. Looking down on this one, it's easy to imagine that its black-and-white pattern serves as effective camouflage, simulating the pattern of ripples reflecting the light.
We were enraptured by the many fabulous moths that gathered nightly on the walls of our lodgings under the porch lights. Here's a tiny sampling, clockwise from the upper left: Spilosoma ericsoni Noctuidae), Lyssa zampa (Uraniidae), Amerila cf astreus (Arctiidae), and a big Eupterote cf asclepiades (Eupterotidae). And we weren't the only ones interested; a Bornean Whistling-Thrush was there each morning for breakfast! (photos by guides Megan Edwards Crewe & Rose Ann Rowlett)
We traveled to Poring to see a blooming Rafflesia keithii, the second largest flower in the world, on its third day open. It will only last for another couple of days, during which time it needs to have attracted pollinators who have visited (or will visit) an individual of the opposite sex that is simultaneously in bloom. We couldn't get down to sniff it, but the flies gave us an inkling of how good (not!) it was going to smell; it may be well on its way to attracting the right pollinators. (photo by guide Megan Edwards Crewe)
The endemic Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, here photographed by participant Bob Rodrigues, was feeding on flowers and fruits just below the dining room at BRL.
Despite the dry spell we encountered at Kinabalu, we did get to see it in a more typical state. One afternoon we had clouds and mist moving through, here seen from the road to the Timpohon gate. (photo by guide Rose Ann Rowlett)
We watched sunbirds feeding. and chasing about, in a wonderful row of roadside flowering shrubs near the entrance to the RDC. Scarcest of the lowland sunbirds on our route is this Copper-throated Sunbird; it's more common in coastal mangroves. Participant Bob Rodrigues captured this male as it stopped briefly in some of its preferred flowers.
The brilliant Temminck's Sunbird, replacing the Crimson Sunbird in montane Borneo, is common in the Crocker Range and at Kinabalu; their repeated, two-note song was almost always in earshot during our birding near the Tambunan Rafflesia Center and near our lodge at Kinabalu. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
Although named for their habit of snatching spiders and their victims from spiderwebs, spiderhunters are primarily nectar feeders. This Thick-billed Spiderhunter, photographed from the BRL canopy walkway by participant Bob Rodrigues, is the scarcest of the lowland spiderhunters in Borneo--where 8 of the world's 9 species occur! We were lucky to be able to watch, at close range and eye level, a parade of spiderhunters and sunbirds that found these spiky canopy flowers irresistible.
In the understory of Borneo's lowland rainforest are the trap-line feeding spiderhunters, like this Little Spiderhunter; it specializes in sipping nectar from bananas and gingers (like the one pictured), flying from one to another in an often regular routine. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
MAMMALS
The tiny Horsfield's Tarsier, a.k.a. Western Tarsier, stems from an ancient lineage of primates. It's strictly nocturnal and carnivorous, hunting through the forest understory for a wide range of insects and small vertebrates like bats, snakes, and even sleeping birds! Recorded prey items include spiderhunters, warblers, small kingfishers, and pittas! The species is restricted to Sumatra, Borneo, and adjacent islands. Seeing the one Paul spotted along the BRL Nature Trail was one of the real highlights of the trip. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
It's a female Proboscis Monkey with two tails!? No, she has a good-sized young one clinging to her underparts. Participant Bob Rodrigues photographed this domestic scene along the Kinabatangan River in the late afternoon, when groups of dozens were gathering into tall trees along the banks to roost.
On a tree trunk covered with its main food source--mosses and lichens--the miniature Plain Pygmy Squirrel is right at home, scurrying along the trunk and nibbling here and there. Common throughout the lowland rainforest and edge, these little endemics were enjoyed by all. (photo by participants Barbara & Dan Williams)
This distinctive File-eared Treefrog (Polypedates otilophus) was one of several that had congregated over the limited water at the BRL "frog pond." Males and females meet here, after which the female lays her fertilized eggs into a foam mass that will harden on the outside while remaining liquid on the inside, providing the tadpoles a suitable environment until the mass falls into the water below. (photo by participant Bob Rodrigues)
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
One of the joys of birding in Borneo is encountering so many fabulous "other critters," both plant and animal in nature. In the space below, we'll list a few of particular interest, with emphasis on those we've been able to identify.
Among the plants:
--Rafflesia keithii - We detoured to Poring to see the flower of this fascinating Bornean endemic, the largest of the genus in Borneo and the second largest flower in the world. An endoparasite, it has no stems, leaves, or true roots, deriving its energy entirely from its host, a woody grapevine in the genus Tetrastigma (Vitaceae). We discussed how scientists and the Kinabalu Park staff work with locals to enhance the environmental conditions favorable to this rare flower, namely by making its host vine available for distribution on nearby private lands and encouraging a thriving ecotourism business among locals and travelers alike. It has worked well, increasing the probability of our encountering an ephemeral Rafflesia flower somewhere near Poring on our tour. On this tour we saw a flower on its third day open--complete with flies crawling on it--as well as numerous buds and old, decaying flowers. A recent study on its congener, Rafflesia cantleyi, determined that the parasite was not only absorbing nutrients from its host, but was actually stealing genes! For details on this horizontal gene transfer, a rare phenomenon among organisms more complex than bacteria, go to: http://www.biomedcentral.com/presscenter/pressreleases/20120608.
--Carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants - The pitcher plant center of Borneo (and the world!) is upper-elevation Mt. Kinabalu. Recent research has revealed the "evolutionary incentive" for high-elevation pitcher plants (like N. rajah, the largest in the world) to have evolved bigger and bigger pitchers: It's to serve as a toilet for treeshrews! Mountain Treeshrews, which are common at these high elevations (where insects become increasingly scarce), are attracted by the sweet secretion on the underside of the pitcher's lid. To reach it, they climb onto the pitcher's sturdy rim, which fits them perfectly, and sip away, meanwhile defecating into the pitcher to mark their feeding territory--thus supplying all the nitrogen critical to these normally carnivorous plants. (See the following link for a full explanation, with photos: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8552000/8552157.stm.) The pitcher plant we saw near Poring was Nepenthes stenophylla, an insect-eater. The four species on the Nepenthes Trail at Mesilau were N. burbidgeae, N. fusca, N. rajah, and N. tentaculata (see photo). Back in the garden at Mesilau were a hybrid, a N. villosa, and a N. lowii, the latter two of which grow naturally higher up the mountain.
Among the many invertebrate critters we encountered were:
--Bornean Pill Millipedes (Glomeris connexa, family Zephronidae) at BRL. They feed on dead leaves and wood in the leaf litter, contributing to decomposition of organic matter and releasing nutrients back into the soil. They curl into a protective ball like a pillbug when disturbed. There were other, more traditional millipedes as well.
--Long-legged centipedes (Scutigera spp.), on the Gomantong cave walls, are generally nocturnal. They devour spiders, stick insects, and beetle larvae.
--Among the many spiders, outstanding was the big hole-living tarantula in its den in the bank of the road to the BRL staff quarters. That's not mentioning the hundreds of tiny spider eyes reflected in the spotlights on our nocturnal forays.
--Lantern bugs (Pyrops species, family Fulgoridae, order Hemiptera). The species we saw, on trunks along the path at Poring Hot Springs, was P. sultana. It is basically white with a long, red, snout-like head process. Contrary to the belief of Linneaus, who described several species, the inflated head process does not light up at night. Lantern bugs are in fact sap suckers, their slender proboscis (below the head process) probing into the sap of certain trees, where they sometimes congregate in numbers. They excrete excess sugars as droplets that certain ants have become specialized to collect!
--Giant Forest Ants (Camponotus gigas), seen at BRL, are among the largest ants worldwide. They are primarily nocturnal, nest underground mostly (though sometimes in the canopy), and feed on dead insects and plant material. They are similar to Neotropical "bullet ants."
--Of the many butterflies, perhaps most memorable would be the Common Wood Nymph or Tree Nymph (Idea stolli) that floats, tissue paper-like, throughout the lowlands (and is replaced by a montane counterpart in the highlands); the big, striking black-and-yellow Common Birdwings (Trioides helena) that were especially common at the bright-orange flowers at Gomantong; the lovely Clipper Butterfly (Parthenos sylvia) we photographed along the Sukau boardwalk; and the collection of colorful butterflies in the mud near the Masakob waterfall (one of which was Cyrestis maenalis, one of the mapwings). We've included a composite photo of three of these species in the online triplist).
--We were amazed and overwhelmed by the diversity and beauty of the many fabulous moths attracted nightly to the lighted walls of our lodgings at Kinabalu Park. Among them was the long-tailed, brown-and-white Lyssa moth (L. zampa), one of which we saw taken by a Bornean Whistling-Thrush. We've included a composite photo of a few of the many we were able to ID, using multiple excellent websites, including: http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Malaysia%20thumbs.htm and https://www.flickr.com/groups/1073122@N24/
--Among the many other fascinating insects were iridescent green beetles, big green cicadas, some nice dragonflies, and the masses of cockroaches clumped together on the walls of the Gomantong Cave.
--And we can't forget the leeches. Despite the surprisingly dry conditions, we did "experience" a few, including both Brown Leeches (Haemadipsa zeylanica) and Tiger Leeches (H. picta), which are probably the most talked about of Borneo's diverse fauna. They informed our fashion and left some of us with "battle scars" and official Tiger Leech Survivor certificates.
Additional vertebrates of particular interest:
--Harlequin Flying Frog (Rhacophorus pardalis) - A canopy inhabitant that sails to the forest floor to breed. We saw this one at the BRL "frog pond," one of very few forest pools we encountered during this dry period. Like other "flying frogs," it's able to "fly" by spreading its toes, which are connected by broad membranes that allow it to sail from branch to branch or across gaps in the forest canopy.
--File-eared Treefrog (Polypedates otilophus) - These yellowish frogs tend to congregate over water, where they lay their fertilized eggs into a foam mass that will harden on the outside while remaining liquid on the inside, providing the tadpoles a suitable environment until the mass falls into the water below. Ours were above the "frog pond" at BRL.
--Bornean Horned Frog (Megophrys nasuta) - Adzal found a small one along the trail to the Jacuzzi Pool on 9 March, showing it to half the group. With its tan and brown mottling and its pointed ears and snout, it so blends into the leaf litter that it constitutes an exceptional example of camouflage!
--Smith's Giant Gecko, or Giant Forest Gecko (Gekko smithii) - As split from Tokay Gecko (G. gecko), this was the one that we heard so frequently uttering its surprisingly loud calls throughout the lowland forests. We saw it, green eyes and all, at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, where it played hide-and-seek along the covered section of the boardwalk back to the rooms. Of course, there were also oodles of common house geckos, gathering around any lighted area.
--Horned Flying Lizard (Draco cornutus) - This was the bright green lizard with spiny scales over the eyes and an orange-tipped, triangular dewlap erected in courtship. We watched several different individuals sail from one trunk to another, first right on the grounds of the SNR, and then elsewhere in the lowlands. They expand a winglike patagium of skin on their sides that allows them to glide between trees, sometimes as far at 60m!
--Crested Green Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) - This was the brilliant green lizard with the extremely long, thin tail that some of us saw at SNR and everyone saw at Gomantong and Sukau. It's common and widespread throughout the lowlands of Borneo.
--Borneo Angle-headed Lizard (Gonocephalus borneensis) - This one, endemic to Borneo, was seen at the RDC.
--Comb-crested Agamid (Gonocephalus liogaster) - A.k.a. Blue-eyed Angle-headed Lizard, this was the species, two of which we saw sleeping on eye-level branches on our night walk with Paul at BRL.
--Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) - We saw some big ones, especially in the Kinabatangan, where we had them along the tributaries in the sun. Also in the gardens and swimming across the lake at the Sepilok Nature Resort.
--Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) - Though the little ones were more commonly spotlighted, we had one really big in the Kinabatangan. Considered to be very intelligent and sophisticated animals, they communicate by barks and are thought to display four different calls. Widely distributed, Saltwater Crocs are the largest living reptiles, males reaching 6-7 m and weighing more than 2500 lbs. Females are much smaller.
--Paradise Flying Snake (Chrysopelea paradisi, most likely though there are two species in Borneo) - A few very lucky folks (Nancy, at least) got to see one "fly" across the road near the sunbird flowers at RDC! Its body was flattened and ribbon-like, its motion undulating in curves, basically, "snaking" through the air. Several more folks got to see once it landed. But it disappeared quite quickly. It was a lifer for the Grebe! For a neat video of this species in "flight," see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtlpfTwzziY.
--Mangrove Cat Snake (Boiga dendrophila) A.k.a. Yellow-banded Cat Snake, this pretty black and yellow snake is nocturnal, eating birds (especially their nestlings & eggs), amphibians, lizards, & other snakes. It's even known to take mouse deer! It's usually seen coiled on a branch over water during the day, as where we saw it along the Menanggul.
--Reticulated Python (Broghammerus reticulatus) - Found in Sundaland and the Philippines, it's nocturnal and feeds primarily on homeotherms near water; it kills its prey by constriction. We saw a big one on a night cruise near the mouth of the Menanggul into the Kinabatangan.
--Red-sided Keelback Water Snake (Xenochrophis trianguligerus) - This was the small snake, of which we saw two, at the BRL "frog pond" on our night walk.
--"Common Bronzeback" was what Hazwan called the smaller of the two snakes we looked down upon from the little bridge over the forested stream at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehab Center. The genus is Dendrelaphis, but there are various species in Borneo, D. caudolineatus probably being the most common. At the same spot, we watched a 2m-long, large-headed, dark snake with a pale dorsal stripe which Hazwan thought was a "White-bellied Rat Snake," Ptyas fusca. I couldn't confirm these with photos.
--Brown-tailed Racer (Gonyosoma oxycephalum), a.k.a. Red-tailed Racer - The long bronze-olive snake with the very pointed nose, yellow throat, and contrasting gray-brown tail, which we found dead (unfortunately) along the entrance road to BRL, belonged to this species. Its slender, compressed body is normal for the species, which feeds on birds and rodents.
Like Kinabalu itself, that's just the "tip of the batholith." There are LOTS of fabulous critters out there, and we encountered but a small (yet wonderful!) sampling.
Totals for the tour: 301 bird taxa and 31 mammal taxa