Early November morning at KB road

I went for a short morning visit to the KB road this morning. It has been well over a month since my last trip to Kuala Balai, so it was about time as well. The morning started a little disappointing with a drizzle and grey skies. While approaching the forested area, I noticed that the clearing they started a few months ago now was adorned with the first signs of construction. I fear the amount of forest disturbance is already increasing and this unfortunately only adds further to the trend.

The birding was really good though this morning.

As I slowly drove up the road I soon noticed this male emerald dove foraging on the tarmac.

Male Emerald dove (Chalcophaps indica).

Though regularly encountered, these doves are usually very secretive. Most views are of birds quickly flying past. I have seen them foraging on riverbanks during boat trips in the past, and they seemed undisturbed by the boat. The early morning light made it very hard to get any great shots. The pictures above and below are the best I could manage of these splendid forest doves.

Male Emerald dove (Chalcophaps indica).

As my first record of the red-billed malkoha at KB road was only last month (see also Another visit to KB road) I was a little surprised to see them yet again this morning. I am not complaining though!

Red-billed malkoha (Phaenicophaeus javanicus)

My best bird of the morning was without a doubt this blue-winged pitta, that was foraging in the grass next to the road. These colorful birds are relatively common winter visitors to Brunei. PNHS historic records show that a couple of birds also wintered in the Panaga gardens in the past (and may still do so today). Pittas are notoriously secretive and unless you have one wintering in your garden, they're not the easiest species to see!

Blue-winged pitta (Pitta moluccensis).

As I was standing in the middle of the road, in plain sight, I couldn't get any closer. Still, the bird allowed me with a couple of minutes of unobstructed views while it was hopping about, occasionally standing upright to take in it's surroundings.

Blue-winged pitta.

Making my way back to the car a couple of wrinkled hornbills landed not too far away. Described as uncommon in Borneo, this species of hornbill is commonly encountered along the KB road and a few birds can be seen flying overhead on most visits. Close-up views are not easy to come by though.

Male Wrinkled hornbill (Aceros corrugatus).

Folkert, 18/11/2012

Another visit to KB road

I hadn't been to the Kuala Balai road for quite some time. This weekend I took my mum there, who is visiting her grandson (and us to a far, far lesser extend), to show her some nature close to our house.

We left the house at around quarter past six and the morning mist was still covering the low-land shrub and fields as we pulled onto the Kuala Balai road. While I was pointing out a dollarbird, a red-billed malkoha flew by and landed relatively close by. Hadn't seen red-billed malkoha's yet at the Kuala Balai road so a great start of the morning! Still waiting for a glimpse of the black-bellied malkoha to complete my malkoha-list along this road.

I did manage to pull of a couple of quick snaps - but with the morning light, distance and the typical malkoha habit of hiding between the foliage, these turned out rather poor. I have therefore also included a better attempt, made sometime last year at Labi ridge.

Red-billed malkoha (Phaenicophaeus javanicus).
Labi ridge, March 2011.

Red-billed malkoha (Phaenicophaeus javanicus).
KB road, October 2012.

The melodious song of the yellow-bellied prinia's was heard a couple of times. The rapid and loud wingbeats of the prinia's are often just as diagnostic as they move around between the long grass.

Yellow-bellied prinia (Prinia flaviventris)

At the far end of the road another nice surprise: this lesser cuckoo-shrike flew into view just as we were about to go back home. While described as a common resident I don't see them that often. I got to see the markedly undulating flight pattern quite clearly this time. The bird is a male, the female is much paler and has a barred underside.

Lesser cuckoo-shrike (Coracina fimbriata)

The morning ended with a flat tire! I had driven over a huge nail that had pierced my tire fully and had to stop the car to put on the spare. The offer to help of several people passing by is a great illustration of Brunei's friendly nature and with some combined effort we were quickly on the road again.

The visit was unexpectedly fruitful with a couple of great species, two of which where new to me at this locality (cinnamon bittern and red-billed malkoha) and white-bellied munia's are also not seen every day. And, most importantly, my mum also definitely enjoyed the whole experience!

Folkert, 08/10/2012

The regulars of KB road

A good birdwatching area close to our house is the Kuala Balai road. This road runs for roughly 16 km to the ghost town of Kuala Balai. The village/kampong used to be the center of the KB district and was an important trading place. The place is now completely deserted, most people having left to the coastal towns to pursue more lucrative jobs sourced by the oil and gas industry. Attempts to breath new life into the village as an eco-tourism attraction have thus far not been successful.

Map of the West Brunei, KB district.

The google map above shows the Kuala Balai road and surrounding areas. The road to kampong Kuala Balai offers some great birding and it is the spot that I frequent most on early morning and late afternoon birding trips. A good starting point for birdwatching along Kuala Balai can be found in an excellent document that Jeremy Moore put together: birdwatching and bird records in brunei.

I will first share some of my favorite regulars of Kuala Balai. The first one is the stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis). This magnificent kingfisher is seen, and heard (!), on most visits. It is the biggest kingfisher in Brunei and the one most commonly found along the second part of the Kuala Balai road. There is no mistaking this bird and the ditches next to the road (and the road itself) seem to be a favorite hunting-ground.

Stork-billed kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis)

The second species, the black-and-yellow broadbill, is a lot smaller then the previous bird. The call of this broadbill species is arguably the most distinct of all Borneo's resident birds and they can be heard on most occasions. Despite their bright plumage they can be surprisingly hard to spot! The bird pictured is the same one pictured in the blog heading. It was very obliging one Sunday morning and allowed me to take some very nice pictures.

Male black-and-yellow broadbill (Eurylamus ochromalus)

Another bird with great presence is the greater racquet-tailed drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus). This species is also hard to miss. They're loud and bold birds; at Kuala Balai I've seen a drongo bullying a pair of Raffles malkoha's and I once saw a drongo chasing off a brahminy kite. Note that the distinctive racquets are not always present.

Greater racquet-tailed drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus)

The fourth and final species I'll share today is also a very common resident: the little spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra). Most of the time they can only been seen whizzing by, calling as they do so. If you do see a flowering ginger- or wild banana tree, it's worth while to wait a while as you'll stand a good chance of seeing the little spiderhunter drop by for a little snack.

Little spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra)

All pictures were taken at the Kuala Balai road. In a future posting I will share some more on the species diversity of Kuala Balai road.

Folkert, 03/08/2012