Sungai Seria, end of August

I've been checking the river mouth of the Seria river the past 2 weeks, as this is the time when most waders pass by. Usually a couple of sand plovers are around and with high tide they can come sufficiently close for some nice pictures. Here is one resting on a single leg:

Lesser sand plover (Charadrius mongolus).

And this bird rather doesn't use any legs at all.

Lesser sand plover (Charadrius mongolus).

This is also a good time to see sanderlings. Even on their way south, these are very active feeders, constantly running on the shoreline looking for little morsels.

Sanderling (Calidris alba).

Their dutch name is "drieteen strand loper", which means as much as three-toes sandpiper. An adequate description; sanderlings miss a fourth hind toe as can be seen in the picture below.

Sanderling (Calidris alba).

August and September are also good months to spot terns on the sandy shores next to the estuary. Mostly the flocks consist of little terns, which is a breeding species in Brunei.

Little and common terns

But now and again some other tern species join their smaller cousins, such as these common terns.

Common tern (Sterna hirundo).

The gull-billed terns are a size bigger and easily spotted. They're not always around and never numerous, typically just one or two birds. This bird is still in breeding plumage.

Gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica).

 I think this bird is already loosing its breeding plumage.

Gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica).

Whimbrels are never seen in large numbers here. This was one of three birds, that flew in only for a very short period. Here it is taking off on its way further south.

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus).

The grass lands are getting a little busier too. The number of egrets is clearly on the rise and little ringed plovers can be seen here and there. A few golden plovers were seen foraging just behind the beach wall in the shallow grassy pools.

Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva).

The last pic is not of a migrant, but of a thinly scattered forest species: a young male scarlet-breasted flowerpecker. I bumped into this bird in the weekend and I think this is my best shot of this species (or at least the sharpest…) so far.

Scarlet-breasted flowerpecker (Dicaeum thoracicus).

I am possibly planning a small recce to the Baram estuary this week or next, which should be a good location for some additional waders.

Folkert, 31/08/2014

Updates from Panaga

I haven't been posting a lot on this blog this year. The fact of the matter is that I have still been out a few times, but just haven't found the time to document it here.  So, without ado…here are some brief highlights of the last few weeks. 

Mid July I spend a couple of early morning hours in the Badas area. First time that I came across a small bird wave there. In its wake I heard and spotted this male green broadbill. 

Green broadbill (Calyptomena viridis)

Obviously a nice encounter as this is a stunning species. What's more, this was also the first time I encountered a green broadbill in the peat swamp forest, so not a bad record either.

The most prominent species in the bird wave were some drongo's, two different malkoha species and a pair of crimson-winged woodpeckers. A couple of scaly-crowned babblers also passed close by.

Scaly-crowned babbler (Malacopteron cinereum)

And the wave wouldn't be complete without a couple of hook-billed bulbuls, this is after all a peat swamp area. I am still hoping to get that killer shot one day...

Hook-billed bulbul (Setornis criniger)

Another highlight was an evening walk through the Teraja forest last week. We walked in late afternoon and walked back when darkness had fully set in. The real aim was to record some night birds. Of course we didn't hear a single owl, nightjar or frogmouth (the real target) on the way back, but the walk was still excellent. It is always a special feeling to walk in perfect darkness surrounded by all the sounds of the forest. We still managed to see some animal life, like this rough-sided frog, a common lowland species.

Rough-sided frog (Hylarana glandulosa)

We also came across a stunning huntsman spider. Not sure if these awesome colors serve a specific purpose, but I did know that I wasn't going to pick it up!

Huntsman spider sp.

A pair of bright eyes in the canopy proved to be a black flying squirrel. Only the second time I've ever seen this species.

Black flying squirrel (Aeromys tephromelas)

Finally, the migration season has started in earnest. I had a spare hour last Sunday after lunch and decided to try for some pictures of the terns that can typically be seen close to the shore this time of year. While looking for the terns a flock of mixed waders landed right in between some foraging plovers. I was quite pleased to see 3 curlew sandpipers.

Curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

The curlew sandpipers were joined by close to 10 terek sandpipers, which is a species that is not often recorded on the beaches close to Panaga.

Terek sandpiper (Xenus cinerea)

The plovers were also showing well. Here is a greater sand plover.

Greater sand plover (Charadrius leschenaultii)

And here 2 lesser sand plovers.

Lesser sand plover (Charadrius mongolus)

In addition to species shown here I also saw red-necked stints, redshank, golden plovers and numerous common sandpipers and wood sandpipers in the coastal grasses and mudflats. 

A final update is that I recently learned that my time in Brunei is coming to an end. End October we will move on to our next location in the United States. Still a few weeks to reach the magic 400 species in Borneo - I'll either need a good dose of luck in Brunei or another venture across the border!

Folkert, 19/08/2014

Badas again

The Badas area is one of my favorite spots in Brunei. It is mostly prime peat swamp forest with some smaller areas of Kerangas. One plus point is that it is close to home. The other is that the area hides some type specialists that are hard to find elsewhere, examples are hook-billed bulbul, bristlehead, grey-breasted babbler and cinnamon-headed green pigeon.

Besides these specialists the species diversity is relatively large, abundance however not so much. Especially in the forest itself birding can put a real test to your patience. What's more, when you do finally get to see a bird it will typically do anything in its power to ensure that you will not leave with a good picture.

A small group of dusky broadbills I saw recently pretty much stuck to the canopy. Of course, when one of the birds decided to come down it chose the only branch directly overhead.

Dusky broadbill (Corydon sumatranus)

Due to the habit of rarely perching still for more than a few seconds flowerpeckers are not the easiest birds to get on camera under any circumstance. But this rare brown-backed flowerpecker also valued a rather large personal space and for 20 minutes I was chasing only brief glimpses after which it left the scene completely; these heavy crops are the best material I ended up with.

Brown-backed flowerpecker (Dicaeum Everetti)

Brown-backed flowerpecker (Dicaeum Everetti)

To offset this frequent frustration there are of course also the more satisfying sightings. I think someone wise once mentioned that the best sighting for a birder is a mammal (… or reptile in this case). I don't believe that is entirely true, but a second sighting of this Malaysian brown snake last weekend on the Badas road came pretty close.

Malaysian brown snake (Xenelaphis Hexagonotus)

Malaysian brown snake (Xenelaphis Hexagonotus)

Malaysian brown snake (Xenelaphis Hexagonotus)

I had seen this species once before on KB road and the picture I then managed even made it to the second edition of the Snakes of Borneo field guide by Robert Stuebing et. al. that was launched recently. Supposedly good pictures of this snake are hard to come by - this part of Brunei seems to be the exception to the rule.

Folkert, 03/07/2014

Brunei, 1st and 2nd of June

On occasion we get some visitors in the tiny state of Brunei. Claude is a consultant for SEA ALARM, which is an organization that facilitates in oiled wildlife response planning (see also their website: http://www.sea-alarm.org) and he is in Brunei to give a course for BSP. Claude had asked if I'd be OK to show him some good birding sites.

So, on Sunday morning I took Claude to Teraja for some lowland forest birding. We were a little unfortunate with some of the brighter plumaged birds; we heard 3 different trogon species, but didn't see a single one! But, we still managed to rake up a good number of birds and I was particularly pleased with good sightings of both long-billed spiderhunter and grey-bellied bulbul. Attached 2 pictures from this morning. Firstly, this Horsfield's babbler that provided some very un-babbler like good views.

Horsfield's babbler (Malacocincia sepiaria).

On our way back we came across this Green crested lizard and I couldn't resist a few shots.

Green crested lizard (Bronchocela cristatella).

Yesterday evening I took Claude for a night drive through the forest. One of the first animals we saw was this slow loris. By far the best views of a loris I ever had, a fantastic moment! The Bornean slow loris is a very small primate that unfortunately is threatened (listed as vulnerable) both by habitat loss and illegal poaching, primarily for the pet trade.

Slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis).

What both pictures nicely show is the 'grooming claw' on the hind foot, which the loris uses for, you guessed it, grooming.

Slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis).

I had seen a distressed looking loris last year for sale in the Jerudong market. A very sad sight and I hope these pics attest to the fact that it is far better to view them in the wild!

Folkert 03/06/2014

KB road, May 27th

It's been a while since my last writings on this blog. The main reason is that I've hardly been out; mostly   busy with work and we went on a short holiday to Western Australia in between. I did manage to shoot some pictures there, which I will share later.

Last Tuesday we had a day off and I took the opportunity to spend a couple of morning hours on KB road, where I hadn't been in ages. KB road has lost a little of its appeal in the last two years. I still like the area, but favor it for evening and night drives. During the day, and especially in the morning, I find the ever present bird catchers a little off-putting and prefer to go to quieter areas around Badas and Labi road.

Still, there is usually always something interesting to be seen. Driving up the road this purple heron was on a high look-out.

Purple heron (Ardea purperea).

I spend at least 30 minutes trying to call in a white-chested babbler. The bird was only a few feet away but I never got more than a short glimpse. Two great slaty woodpeckers where a little easier to see. The male almost looks black against the bright blue sky. I hadn't seen this species, the largest of all woodpeckers, for a long time and it was nice to get re-acquainted.

Great slaty woodpecker (Mulleripicus pulverulentus).

I got some good views of a banded bay cuckoo, a bird more often heard than seen. Alas, as soon as I moved for my camera the bird flew of.  Blue-throated bee-eaters are a very common sight. This is a juvenile, its blue throat just starting to appear.

Bleu-throated bee eater (Merops viridis).

Finally, a picture of a small crab species that can be frequently seen scuttling sideways across the road. I am certain that they form a delicious snack for the local kingfishers.

Crab species

All in all, a very enjoyable morning.

Folkert, 29/05/2014.

Sabah, end of March

Last weekend we went for a small family get away; a couple of days in Kota Kinabalu and 1 night on Mantanani island. The weather was close to perfect and the hotel swimming pool a big hit with my son. I did get up one morning for a little walk around the Tanjung Aru area. The pacific reef egrets were showing well in the soft light of the early morning.

Pacific reef egret (Egretta sacra)

Pacific reef egret (Egretta sacra)

A group of night herons flew overhead in the direction of Gaya Island, which I expect is where they roost. I guess this could also be a group of migrant birds.

Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

On Sunday we left Kota Kinabalu for a 1 night stay at Pulau Mantanani. Mantanani is a group of 3 small islands of Sabah's West coast and can be reached from Kota Kinabalu in roughly 3 hours by bus and boat. We stayed at the Mari Mari backpackers lodge. A blue rock thrush had its foraging grounds in front of our hut.

Blue rock thrush (Monticola solitarius)

The islands are mostly known for good diving and snorkeling. It is not just the aquatic life that is on offer in Mantanani; there is also has some good avian fauna. 

Every evening, literally hundreds of frigate birds come to roast on the two smaller islands, and both lesser and Christmas island frigate bird can be seen well. With the setting sun and the water lapping at our toes we got a little lost in the moment - so no pics...

In the evening I went out to search for the scops owl that shares its name with island. This small owl species is only known from Mantanani and some islands in the Philippines. I had been told that the owls are commonly heard, but are very challenging to see. And indeed, the first owl was already heard from the grounds of the Mari Mari lodge, but didn't show. Luck was with me however this evening and on the small trail I had chosen I saw no less than 4 different individuals and the one below posed very well!

Mantanani scops owl (Otus mantananensis)

Mantanani scops owl (Otus mantananensis)

Besides the frigatebirds and the scops owl, the islands are also good for a couple of other island specialists and the next morning I had an hour or so to explore the island a little more. I decided to walk north towards the limestone hills on the main island. The forest and coconut groves that I passed were  very good for the Philippine megapode and saw a couple birds, mostly flying off. I also flushed a pair of Nicobar pigeons, which was an unexpected bonus. High up in the trees, grey imperial pigeons could be heard but proved very difficult to see well. 

Grey imperial pigeon (Ducula pickeringii)

The remainder of the morning was spend leisurely relaxing next to the beach. Early afternoon the boat left again for the mainland, and our journey home.

Folkert, 06/04/2014

Paradise flycatcher

One of the birds in Brunei that I always wanted to get on camera is the asian paradise flycatcher. Occasionally these birds are seen in the forests surrounding Labi road and Teraja. Last weekend, during a morning trip to Teraja, we encountered a loud and active male. It flew around us for several minutes - seeing it was one, getting a picture proved a different matter.

Asian paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi).

Asian paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi).

I finally did get a couple of shots that nicely illustrate how the species got its name. No mistaking this bird, what a splendid little fellow!

Folkert, 27/02/2014