As we returned to Kuching from Sabah Bob's friends Ron and Eileen had also returned from their cruise. Ron is an eminent naturalist and keen birder while his wife Eileen was a prominent government official who set up and established Sarawak Biodiversity Centre. The Centre carries out intensive biotech based research and development on the State’s biological resources – particularly those that have been utilized by indigenous communities. Very importantly it documents the fast disappearing traditional knowledge of indigenous communities on the utilization of biological resources. Who knows what potential benefits to humanity are being lost with the destruction of the forests? SBC is trying to rescue this knowledge before it is gone forever.
Red-throated Barbet - megalaima mystacophanos
Ron very kindly took us to some of the best birding spots around Kuching. The first outing was to Borneo Highlands, an elevated resort set in beautiful rainforest with associated leisure resources such as Golf Course, Country Club and forest trails etc. We went to the highest point where the views were remarkable and the forest held a number of interesting birds. perhaps the best of which were the ones above, a nesting pair of Gaudy, otherwise known as Red Throated Barbets. Ron was used to seeing Gold Whiskered Barbets here which is very similar, but careful comparison with plates in the field guide reveals that these were in fact Red Throated.
Blyth's Hawk Eagle - spizaetus alboniger
As we walked down from the highest point we spotted this magnificent Blythe's Hawk Eagle high up in some tall trees. The photo is therefore quite heavily croppped but I was very pleased to get a shot of such a super bird. That was another lifer for me, as was the Barbet. The Ashy Drongo below I have seen before in Thailand, but I was pleased to get such a good quality image as the bird sat on an open branch in clear view quite close to the clubhouse/restaurant. Quite an attractive drongo as you can see.
Ashy Drongo - dicrurus leucophaeus
The Tufted-eared Ground Squirrel
As we walked down the hill a large and very distinctive squirrel ventured out onto the path right in front of us. It gave us excellent views but turned and ran back into the undergrowth before any of us could get a photograph. This was a shame as Ron recognised it as a very rare species called the Tufted-eared Ground Squirrel. He said that there had been reports of sightings of this rare species here before, but not for some time and not confirmed with a photograph. Well I had extremely good views. It is very distintive in appearance and there was absolutely no doubt that it was in fact this Ground Squirrel as described in reference scources. The highly tufted ears, striped side and incredibly large bushy grey tail could not be mistaken for anything else.
Very little is known about this animal which is endemic to Borneo and is listed as vulnerable. In fact I could not find a single decent photograph on the internet. There is just the illustration below and one short video clip from a fixed camera trap. A fascinating animal and a great sighting.
As we walked down the hill a large and very distinctive squirrel ventured out onto the path right in front of us. It gave us excellent views but turned and ran back into the undergrowth before any of us could get a photograph. This was a shame as Ron recognised it as a very rare species called the Tufted-eared Ground Squirrel. He said that there had been reports of sightings of this rare species here before, but not for some time and not confirmed with a photograph. Well I had extremely good views. It is very distintive in appearance and there was absolutely no doubt that it was in fact this Ground Squirrel as described in reference scources. The highly tufted ears, striped side and incredibly large bushy grey tail could not be mistaken for anything else.
Very little is known about this animal which is endemic to Borneo and is listed as vulnerable. In fact I could not find a single decent photograph on the internet. There is just the illustration below and one short video clip from a fixed camera trap. A fascinating animal and a great sighting.
Tuftedeared Ground Squirrel - rheithrosciurus macrotis
- According to local hunters, Borneo’s endemic tufted ground squirrel can kill a deer by dropping down on it from above and tearing out its jugular vein. Once the deer bleeds out, the squirrel proceeds to eat the stomach, heart, and liver, then leaves the rest to rot.
- That rumor, along with research showing that the squirrel may have the largest tail compared to body size of any mammal on the planet, has sparked public interest in the species.
Our next excursion was an overnight stay at Bako National Park. Although not an Island Bako can only be accessed by boat. Our boatman dropped us on the beach, so we waded ashore and checked into our cabins. The photo below gives an idea of the beach and the generally beautiful tropical landscape.
Sunset over the beach at Bako NP
Bako is well known for being a stronghold of the Proboscis Monkey in Sarawak. There are plenty of Pig-tailed Macaques around and one has to be careful they don't steal your food or raid your belongings. The one below by our cabin for example was very interested in my rucksack and he hissed and showed his teeth when I faced him down.
Cheeky Monkey (Pig-tailed Macaque)
At first I found birding to be extremely slow, in fact I began to wonder if there were any. However in time we gradually started to pick a few up along the trails, particularly one trail that led us through the mangroves fringing the beach. The Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds below being a notable example.
Ruby-cheeked Sunbird - anthreptes singalensis (female)
Ruby-cheeked Sunbird - anthreptes singalensis
After dark we were taken on a guided night walk on the forest trails around the Headquartes. The Fireflies were nice, as was the Bornean Pit Viper.
Bornean Pit Viper
The absolute highlight for me however was the Colugo, otherwise known as the Sunda Flying Lemur. This amazing animal is actually not a lemur and does not fly. Instead, it glides as it leaps among trees. It is strictly arboreal, is active at night, and feeds on soft plant parts such as young leaves, shoots, flowers, and fruits. It is a truly incredible sight to watch as it stretches out its legs connected by "wings" of thin membraneous skin, to glide long distances between the trees.
Colugo/Sunda Flying Lemur - galeopterus variegatus
Other wildlife spotted were nesting Asian Palm Swifts on the roof of a shallow cave, a Tarantula lurking in its lair, rare Catfish in small freshwater pools and a large Monitor Lizard which we also saw in daylight.
 Asian Palm Swifts |  Monitor Lizard |
Our second day at Bako proved to be quite fruitful. Early birds included a few stunning Bold-striped Tit Babblers moving through the mangroves and trees along the shoreline. This is a very attractive Babbler and another lifer for me.
Bold-striped Tit Babbler - macronous ptilosus
Another new species for my list was this Black-winged Flycatcher Shrike which we spotted in the trees along the edge of the beach. I had to chase it as it made its way from tree to tree but with some persistance managed to get a reasonable shot of yet another new one for my list.
Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike - hemipus hiundinaceous
I post a shot of a Common Iora purely because it is a slight improvement on other photos I have taken of this very common species.
Common Iora - aegithina tiphia
The last bird photographed at bako was this little Malaysian Plover. Very similar in appearance to the Kentish Plover but the Malaysian Plover is more sandy in appearance, and more mottled on the upperpart. They also have paler legs and more extensive breast band than the Kentish.
Malaysian Plover - charadrius peronii
At three pm we were picked up on the beach by our boatman and the twenty minute or so ride back to the embarcation dock was very productive. The eastern or Far Eastern Curlew is a new species for me. It is becoming quite rare and is officially listed as Endangered, so we were lucky to see it. It is larger and heavier than our Eurasian Curlew and has a longer bill. We also identified it from its dark/black rump. It was very nice to have Ron's expertise in these matters as we would never have known exactly which species we were looking at.
Far Eastern Curlew - numenius madagascariensis
The Egret below looks similar to our little Egret but it is in fact a quite rare Chinese Egret. Chinese Egret’s bill is dagger-shaped. The lower mandible is yellow for more than half its length, and the base of the cutting edge of the upper mandible is yellow. The upper line of the loral skin (the skin between the eye and the bill base) kinks downward in front of the eye which one can see here when expanded to close-up view. This creates a distinctive expression even at a distance. The loral skin is grey-blue, becoming brighter blue in breeding plumage. What’s left of the head-plumes are ragged and shaggy. The legs are greenish in non breeding plumage, but in the early months of Northern Spring they become dark, as in this case. This is a rare bird which is listed as Vulnerable to extinction but Malaysia, and Boreo in particular is where they are most easily seen.
Chinese Egret - egretta eulophotes
As well as the rare birds along the river we also saw a family group of Smooth-coated Otters. These are quite large otters which are also officially listed as "Vulnerable" to extinction, due to loss of habitat and water pollution with agricultural chemicals.
Smooth-coated Otter - lutrogale perspicillata
All-in-all it had been a very interesting couple of days at Bako NP with some extremely good sightings, including some rare and elusive birds plus the unusual mammals, in particular the Colugo/Flying Lemur and the Otters. I will also post a couple more mammal photos.....
Smooth-coated Otter - lutrogale perspicillata
...the first of which is of a Bornean Bearded Pig. This species is wide ranging in Borneo and in fact we had previously observed a large one swimming across the Kalimantang River right in front of our boat, it was interesting to see it using its long snout upturned like a snorkel. The pig family here at Bako seemed oblivious to the presence of humans and apparently is not considered any threat to people.
Bornean bearded Pig - sus barbatus
...and finally a last look at the incredible Proboscis Monkey which had been very visible amongst the mangroves here. One of my favourite animals.
male Proboscis Monkey
After Bako we made just one more birding trip to Kubah national park which lies very close to Kuching. Although we spent some hours in this forest park, walking up to the highest point, birds were very few and far between. I did manage to photograph this Black-naped Monarch, a very attractive bird that I had captured before in Thailand. We also spotted a large Kingfisher which flew past us along the road at below head height. Unfortunately it went so fast I did not get a photograph or even a very close look. Ron thought it might have been a Ruddy Kingfisher but we will never know.
Black-naped Monarch - hypothymis azurea
