Aug. 7, Thursday

Barely dawn, I ventured out to check to see if any beetles had arrived during the night. It was still quite dark, though the weather was fair again; but the temperature wasn't as cool as I would expect at the same altitude in Taiwan. I soon found two more female Odontolabis femoralis stag beetles and a male Dorcus/Serrognathus thoracicus? stag beetle on the balcony of the administration office. An ASHY DRONGO was also busy feeding on the numerous moths blanketing the surface of the wall.  At another street lamp, I saw a WHITE-THROATED FANTAIL,  HAIR-CRESTED DRONGO, and a SUNDA WHISTLING THRUSH feeding on the moths.

As the sky lit up, we could clearly see the majestic peak of Mt. Kinabalu, hidden behind clouds the day we arrived. We began birding on the paved road by the lodge, and saw CHESTNUT-CAPPED LAUGHINGTHRUSHES, CHESTNUT-CRESTED YUHINAS, a WHITEHEAD'S SPIDERHUNTER, GOLDEN-NAPED BARBETS, INDIGO FLYCATCHERS, BORNEAN TREEPIES, TEMMINICK'S SUNBIRDS, BORNEAN WHISTLERS, GREY-THROATED BABBLERS, GREY-CHINNED MINIVETS, ASHY DRONGOS, BLACK-AND-CRIMSON ORIOLES, a VELVET-FRONTED NUTHATCH, a BARN SWALLOW, and heard CRIMSON-HEADED PARTRIDGES.

After breakfast, we headed up the road towards the power station. In the forest by the road, we saw SUNDA BUSH-WARBLERS, YELLOW-BREASTED WARBLERS, and ASHY DRONGOS. Then fog set in. We were still able to see a BORNEAN WHISTLER, LITTLE CUCKOO-DOVES, CHESTNUT-CAPPED LAUGHINGTHRUSHES, and GREY-CHINNED MINIVETS before the fog became so thick that we virtually gave up birding, not even lifting our binoculars when flocks of birds chattered loudly nearby.

I finally saw some leeches as we walked into a small trail to search for the Whitehead's Trogon. They were active little worm-like creatures crawling along the ground, and they curled up and died when I sprayed DEET insect repellent on them. The fog was still very thick, and the only bird we saw was an EYE-BROWED WREN BABBLER. We returned to the road and continued on up.

When we reached the power house, the fog was still very thick. We looked for the Mountain Blackeye, but were only able to see flocks of CHESTNUT-CAPPED LAUGHINGTHRUSHES, a SAUNDA WHISTLING THRUSH, and a flock of GREY-CHINNED MINIVETS.

After lunch, the fog finally cleared up, but then it began thundering again. We entered another trail and birded in the dark, dense forest. I thought it felt very much like birding in Taiwan, with the tree trunks densely carpeted with mosses, ferns, orchids, and the famous pitcher plants. In the dark path, we searched again for the Whitehead's Trogon, but only heard its call and didn't find it. In the forest, we saw a TEMMINICK'S SUNBIRD, OCRACEOUS BULBULS, BORNEAN TREEPIES, beautiful green SHORT-TAILED MAGPIES, BLACK and CHESTNUT-CAPPED LAUGHINGTHRUSHES, a SUNDA CUCKOO-SHRIKE, a BLACK-AND-CRIMSON ORIOLE, HAIR-CRESTED DRONGOS, GOLDEN-NAPED BARBETS, and two woodpeckers, one a BANDED WOODPECKER and the other a female ORANGE-BACKED WOODPECKER.

We then reached a shelter at the top of a hill, where we all of a sudden came across a huge mixed flock of birds, including GREY-THROATED BABBLERS, BLACK-CAPPED WHITE-EYES, BORNEAN WHISTLERS, WHITE-THROATED FANTAILS, BLACK-SIDED FLOWERPECKERS, YELLOW-BREASTED WARBLERS, MOUNTAIN LEAF-WARBLERS, TEMMINICK'S SUNBIRDS, a male WHITE-BROWED SHRIKE-BABBLER, HAIR-CRESTED DRONGOS, a VELVET-FRONTED NUTHATCH, GREY-CHINNED MINIVETS, and a GOLDEN-NAPED BARBET. What's interesting is that the name of that shelter was Bukit Burung (Mountain Bird) Shelter, probably named after the unusual congregation of birds there. Then we hiked downhill again, seeing more YELLOW-BREASTED WARBLERS and GREY-THROATED BABBLERS. By the stream on the way back, we tried to search for the White-crowned Forktail, but failed again, only to glimpse a fleeing SUNDA WHISTLING THRUSH.

After dinner, most people didn't feel like hunting for night birds again, so I went with one other birder to look for some beetles. The first one we saw was a female rhinoceros beetle very high up on a tree trunk. It was a different species from the ones we saw at Poring, but there was not way I could reach it unless I climbed the tree. We caught three more female of the large Dorcus sp. stag beetle and a female of a smaller Dorcus sp. stag beetle. Then I found another female of the Odontolabis femoralis stag beetle, the same as the ones I found in the morning. We also saw more long-horned beetles than the previous night, including the pretty Batocera parryi and a gigantic Rhaphipodus hopei. We heard some owls, but still didn't find any nightjars or frogmounths.

Day total: 32 species
Cumulative total: 139 species
 

Aug. 8, Friday

I woke up around 3:30 to check the nearby lamps again, and found a beautiful male Odontalabis gazella stag beetle. I got up again the same time as the previous morning and found the same SUNDA WHISTLING THRUSH and WHITE-THROATED FANTAIL by the same street lamp. On the balcony, there was a HAIR-CRESTED DRONGO busily plucking moths off the wall.

Then we all took the bus to the power house to bird our way down, as to avoid getting caught in fog again. We looked for the MOUNTAIN BLACKEYE again, and we found it along with ASHY DRONGOS, WHITE-THROATED FANTAILS, an INDIGO FLYCATCHER, a male WHITE-BROWED SHRIKE-BABBLER, a BORNEAN WHISTLER, and flocks of BLACK-CAPPED WHITE-EYES, CHESTNUT-CAPPED LAUGHINGTHRUSHES, GREY-THROATED BABBLERS, CHESTNUT-CRESTED YUHINAS and FLAVESCENT BULBULS. On our way down the road, SUNDA BUSH-WARBLERS were everywhere in the grass beside the road. We also saw LITTLE CUCKOO-DOVES, WHITE-THROATED FANTAILS, GREY-CHINNED MINIVETS, YELLOW-BREASTED WARBLERS, BORNEAN TREEPIES, a BROWN-BACKED NEEDLETAIL, a BAR-WINGED FLYCATCHER-SHRIKE, a GOLDEN-NAPED BARBET, and heard CRIMSON PARTRIDGES.

After breakfast, we took a trail again to give the Whitehead's Trogon another try. The forest was incredibly silent, and we saw very few birds during the long walk. This morning was bright and sunny, no signs of fog, but all we saw were a  LITTLE CUCKOO-DOVES, a WHITE-THROATED FANTAIL, CHESTNUT-CRESTED YUHINAS, BORNEAN TREEPIES, and a SPECTACLED SPIDERHUNTER. I saw many leeches on the wet trail, but the insect repellent kept them off me. Even though the birds were disappointing, the walk through the cool mountane rainforest was very pleasant.

After lunch, we headed into the city to our five-star hotel, Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort. We stopped at Ligas Lagoo on the side of the road and picked up some marsh birds, LITTLE EGRETS, PURPLE HERONS, a STRIATED HERON, CINNAMON BITTERNS, LITTLE TERNS, COMMON MOORHENS, EYE-BROWED CRAKES, WOOD SANDPIPERS, a RUFOUS-NECKED STINT, and an unidentified warbler which might be the Middendorff's Warbler.

At the resort, I knew there must be some nightjars around, but I was not in the mood for searching at night and stayed in my comfortable hotel room playing with the beetles.

Day total: 37 species
Cumulative total: 154 species
 

Aug. 9, Saturday

Early in the morning, some birders went to a nearby park and found Blue-naped Parrots and Pied Thrillers. I didn't wake up that early, but joined them later and we went to Ligas Lagoon again. There, we saw the same birds as the previous afternoon, but in much greater numbers. We also added the CRESTED MYNA, STORK-BILLED KINGFISHER, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, INTERMEDIATE EGRETS, a black PACIFIC REEF-EGRET, and a LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. I was a bit disappointed not to see the Purple Swamphen or the Comb-crested Jacana.

After breakfast, we traveled by boat to Manukan Island of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. I rented a mask and snorkeled in the reefs just off the sandy beach. Huge schools of fish gathered around me as soon as I entered water, probably used to being fed. I got out the bread I brought and colorful fish of all shapes and sizes gathered in a frenzy in front of me. The schools of fish followed me wherever I went, and where even annoying at times when the school was so dense that they blocked my view! This was the first time I've snorkeled in this "underwater rainforest" and I was totally fascinated by such an astonishing habitat and its inhabitants. At first, I tried to remember the characteristics of each fish so I could look up what species they were after I returned, but I soon gave up as the number of different species added up so fast that I couldn't keep track; I was seeing a new type of fish like every minute or so! I didn't know the name of the fishes I saw, but I remember seeing many species of parrotfish, anemone fish, damselfish, surgeonfish, angelfish, butterfly and bat fish, puffers and porcupine fish, triggerfish, the barracuda-like garfish, blue starfish, a jellyfish, spiny sea urchins, sea cucumbers and hundreds of other types of marine life.

I had such a great time underwater that I didn't mind missing whatever bird inhabited the forested little island. Before we left, though, I managed to see a PIED THRILLER, a WHITE-BELLIED FISH-EAGLE, and some terns, including a COMMON TERN.

Day total: 23 species
Cumulative total: 159 species
 

Aug. 10, Sunday

On the last day, we were entirely on our own until the afternoon. I went with the guide and a couple other birders to a nearby park to bird one last time. We saw mostly the common sub-urban species, WHITE-BREASTED WOOD-SWALLOWS, CRESTED MYNAS, ASIAN GLOSSY STARLINGS, YELLOW-VENTED BULBULS, COLLARED KINGFISHERS, SPOTTED DOVES, DUSKY and CHESTNUT MUNIAS, a STORK-BILLED KINGFISHER, an ASHY TAILORBIRD, GLOSSY SWIFTLETS, and two immature BRAHMINY KITES. I was able to see three new species, the GREEN IORA, BLUE-NAPED PARROT, and LITTLE SWIFTS. I heard a Zebra Dove, but didn't get a clear look at it, so I didn't count it.

After that, some people went shopping downtown, but I stayed in my hotel room to pack, watch a bit of television, and to catch up on sleep.

Day total: 17 species
Cumulative total: 162 species
 

Field Guide: MacKinnon, John and Karen Phillipps. A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Bali. NY: Oxford University Press Inc., 1993.