11th December
We departed Manila three hours late, which could have led to us missing our car rental as the office shut at 8pm. Rather astonishingly, the AVIS Car Rental kept their office open just for our rental by over 45-minutes and was very chirpy too, fantastic customer service which got us off to a flying start. We stayed close to the airport in an apartment ready for our next adventure to commence the following day.
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| Manila at night!! |
12th December
We awoke to many Plume-toed Swiftlets swirling around the building, in addition to an Osprey and Chestnut Munia. Instead of making a heading straight for Kinabalu NP, we opted to walk Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre as an introduction to the region. Despite mostly mangrove, we did see a good number of birds including a highly sought-after Chestnut-winged Cuckoo! A group of Common Flameback, Brown-throated Sunbird, Ornate Sunbird, many Ashy Tailorbird and a Malaysian Pied Fantail was all we could muster. Therefore, after grabbing a hefty amount of supplies from a nearby supermarket, we headed for the hills along the bumpy highway until we ascended towards Kinabalu Mountain.
We stopped at a cafe area to admire the views and do our first mountain birding where we found our first and only Scaly-breasted Bulbul and Bornean Bulbul of the trip, the former being absolutely stunning! Also here were Dusky Munia, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker and the rather dull Asian Red-eyed Bulbul. By the time we had reached our accommodation in Kundasang (10-mins away from Park HQ) after several market stops for general shopping purposes, it was too late to hit the park, but knowing we had three full days to cover it meant we weren't in a desperate rush.
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| Common Flamebacks |
13th December
We arrived at the Park HQ perhaps 45-minutes before it got light, paid our entrance fee and parked at the first barrier (remains shut except for mountain hikers getting taxied up) and walked almost flat out to the Kiau Gap viewpoint maybe 5km up the road from the closed barrier. Our thermal picked out a roosting Eyebrowed Thrush, a few Bornean Whistling Thrush and Eye-browed Jungle Flycatcher but little else, but in the dull gloomy light on the main road, out stepped a Banded Linsang - an awesome mammal sighting! When it got properly light, who were we to know this was going to be a quite sublime day and maybe one of my finest birding days abroad ever!! Bird flock after bird flock were found as we ascended, with significant highlights being Indigo Flycatcher, White-tailed Flycatcher, Blyth's Shrike Babbler, Temminck's Sunbird, Black-sided Flowerpecker, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, Grey-throated Babbler and the stunning Checker-throated Woodpecker. Higher up brought in a host of new species, best being Pale-faced Bulbul, but on the way back down perhaps highlight of the day was the first of the Whitehead's, this being the Whitehead's Trogon (one down, two to go).
With the weather turning slightly wet during the afternoon, we thought we had used up all of our luck, but instead along the Kiau Gap Trail we came across yet more awesome species, including a significant laughingthrush flock containing surplus amounts of Chestnut-hooded and Sunda Laughingthrushes, plus some Mountain Wren-babblers were very inquisitive! A rustling in the grass led us onto a pair of Crimson-headed Partridge and along a wet gulley was a beautiful Bornean Forktail! We finally emerged from the path and quickly headed to the car as the rain had well and truly set in mid-afternoon and therefore we retreated back to the accommodation having had a quite brilliant day. We stopped for some shopping at a local market stall for dinner. The rain stopped maybe 30-minutes before it got dark, meaning tomorrow was surely going to be another blinder... it was!!
Totals for today:
Crimson-headed Partridge - 2
Little Cuckoo Dove - 2
Mountain Imperial Pigeon - 2
Mountain Serpent Eagle - 1
Whitehead's Trogon - 1
Golden-naped Barbet - 2
Maroon Woodpecker - 2
Checker-throated Woodpecker - 1
Grey-chinned Minivet - 4
Blyth's Shrike Babbler - 3
Bornean Whistler - 10
White-throated Fantail - 15
Ashy Drongo - 5
Bornean Treepie - 8
Pale-faced Bulbul - 2
Yellow-breasted Warbler - 12
Mountain Leaf Warbler - 5
Mountain Tailorbird - 3
Aberrant Bush Warbler - 4
Chestnut-crested Yuhina - 8
Black-capped White-eye - 15
Grey-throated Babbler - 15
Mountain Wren-babbler - 4
Sunda Laughingthrush - 12
Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush - 10
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch - 4
Eyebrowed Thrush - 1
White-tailed Flycatcher - 2
Indigo Flycatcher - 2
Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher - 1
Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher - 5
Bornean Forktail - 1
Mugimaki Flycatcher - 5
Snowy-browed Flycatcher - 1
Little Pied Flycatcher - 1
Black-sided Flowerpecker - 1
Temminck's Sunbird - 4
Bornean Spiderhunter - 1
Bornean Leafbird - 2
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| Blyth's Shrike-babbler |
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| Bornean Whistler |
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| Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher |
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| roosting Eyebrowed Thrush |
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| Golden-naped Barbet |
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| Grey-throated Babbler |
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| Maroon Woodpecker |
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| Mountain Wren-babbler |
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| Sunda Laughingthrush |
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| Whitehead's Trogon |
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| Mountain Imperial Pigeon, taken by Em |
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| Little Cuckoo Dove, taken by Em |
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| Chestnut-crested Yuhina, taken by Em |
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| Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, taken by Em |
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| Mt Kinabalu from the Kiau Gap Viewpoint |
14th December
We awoke even earlier today and set out to the Park a long time before it got light in order to walk up to the stretch of mountain road which had a few recent eBird sightings of Everett's Thrush. As we approached the kiosk to pay, it became clear there was no one about and therefore we sneaked the vehicle around the barrier and continued without paying. We marched up in army fashion to the Kiau Gap View area and from here used the thermal to spot any hotspots along the road. Bornean Whistling Thrush after another kept us interested, but after a while and in now good light, as we crept around a corner and scanned the road and banks, a stationary thrush was spotted facing away from us and it was only identified as it flew out of view as a passing car came our way... EVERETT'S THRUSH!! It didn't come back and so we continued up the road with no joy, but retracing our steps, the thermal again worked wonders and picked out a superb Everett's Thrush feeding in a gulley and coming out onto the road, coming within 20 metres of us as we stood stunned by having such an incredible view of this mega skulker. We also lucked into a trio of Sunda Cuckooshrike here.
Afterwards we descended and walked the Silau Silau Trail, which although ran parallel with a loud stream, we conjured up some brilliant birds. Towards the botanical garden area, a large bird flock moved through, which initially commenced with a family group of Whitehead's Trogon, but soon transformed into many great birds including Bornean Treepie, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, Grey-chinned Minivet, Bronzed Drongo, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, amongst other things. Em then drew my attention to a bird she had just found, which turned out to be the incredible Fruithunter!!
Once this flock has passed, a short while later brought us onto another flock, comprising a few Penan Bulbul and the spectacular Bornean Green Magpie. A coffee and snack was had but despite such an incredible list of birds, the lack of any large green birds was starting to aggravate me and therefore we kept on persisting without any luck, but finding a pair of Temminck's Babbler and a Yellow-bellied Warbler was some consolation. We walked around until 4.30pm and with light fading we gave in, but still knowing we had another full day tomorrow!
Totals for highlights today:
Sunda Cuckooshrike - 2
Bornean Treepie - 3
Grey-chinned Minivet - 7
Whitehead's Trogon - 4
Yellow-breasted Warbler - 4
Temminck's Babbler - 2
Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush - 10
Fruithunter - 2
Eyebrowed Thrush - 1
Everett's Thrush - 2
Penan Bulbul - 2
White-tailed Flycatcher - 2
Indigo Flycatcher - 4
Snowy-browed Flycatcher - 4
Little Pied Flycatcher - 1
Mugimaki Flycatcher - 4
Black-sided Flowerpecker - 3
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| Everett's Thrush |
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| Bornean Green Magpie |
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| Penan Bulbul |
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| Whitehead's Trogon |
15th December
Our final day and last chance of finding the Whitehead's Broadbill. Concentrating on the lower slopes seemed to be the best option and we therefore parked at our usual spot just as it got light and slowly walked the road uphill. In addition to the broadbill, we were planning a big day and so were going to walk the entire road up to the Timpohon Gate and walk back down again. It was slightly busier with birders today (in fact, the first day we had seen anyone) and one guide stood out as proving to be an expert of the area, and we got some good gen from him as he led two others.
Anyway, our first bird flock comprised a Bornean Blue Flycatcher, and as we progressed I heard the call of a broadbill, although it was frustratingly distant. I played the call and slowly but surely the response got closer and closer, when suddenly an eruption of noise above us turned things mildly chaotic, but it soon was apparent it was the announcement of an arriving Whitehead's Broadbill!! Three of these stunning birds posed for us for a short time before melting away into the forest, leaving me almost shaking with excitement. It was a mission complete and I for one could now enjoy the day as the pressure was well and truly off. As we were waiting for the broadbills to potentially come back, I heard the mega high-pitched song of a Bornean Stubtail and one was soon coaxed into view and showed for a while. An ex-pat now living in Brunei informed us of a roosting Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel and we went and observed the hole, and sure enough, out popped one. A short while later a Cream-coloured Giant Squirrel was found. On the ascent we bumped into more flocks finding nothing different, although a brief spiderhunter was sadly just a Bornean, but we had pretty much given up on Whitehead's Spiderhunter due to the wrong season and no flowers. We had a much needed coffee and snack up at the cafe at Timpohon Gate, then descended into another excellent bird flock where Em found a pair of Long-tailed Broadbills - something of a local rarity, but sadly not Mountain Black-eye. From the viewpoint, a swiftlet was tentatively identified as a Bornean Swiftlet, but apparently these are impossible to tell in the field, so this was soon expelled from the notebook, despite it being very convincing in these higher climes. It was gentle walk down, enjoying the sunshine and plentiful birds on offer (Orange-backed Woodpecker the best) before we called it a day at around 4.30pm.
Kinabalu NP was simply brilliant throughout, with not only excellent birds, but the mammal list was also special.
Totals for highlights today:
Mountain Serpent Eagle - 2
Crested Goshawk - 3
Golden-naped Barbet - 3
Orange-backed Woodpecker - 2
Checker-throated Woodpecker - 1
Whitehead's Broadbill - 3
Long-tailed Broadbill - 2
Sunda Cuckooshrike - 4
Bornean Green Magpie - 3
Penan Bulbul - 6
Pale-faced Bulbul - 3
Mountain Leaf Warbler - 13
Chestnut-crested Yuhina - 20
Grey-throated Babbler - 9
Temminck's Babbler - 2
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch - 2
Eyebrowed Thrush - 3
White-tailed Flycatcher - 2
Indigo Flycatcher - 3
Bornean Blue Flycatcher - 1
Mugimaki Flycatcher - 5
Snowy-browed Flycatcher - 2
Black-sided Flowerpecker - 9
Ornate Sunbird - 1
Temminck's Sunbird - 5
Bornean Spiderhunter - 1
Bornean Leafbird - 3
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| Whitehead's Broadbill |
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| Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel |
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| Bornean Stubtail |
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| Indigo Flycatcher |
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| Orange-backed Woodpecker |
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| Pale-faced Bulbul |
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| Kinabalu from our accommodation |
