Bird Watching

Articles Tagged with: Bird Watching

8 March, 2008

Maliau Basin Bird-watching

Text by Peter Stevens
Photos by Ian Hall

INTRODUCTION
Heath forest pitcher plants From November 7th to 15th 2005, I had the opportunity to trek and bird watch in the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia. I was accompanied on the trip by Ian Hall, who at that time was working with Yayasan Sabah as a volunteer architect to identify and design ecologically-friendly visitor and research facilities within the conservation area. He has spent many weeks in all of the Yayasan Sabah-run forest reserves (Danum, Imbak, Maliau) and is an observant, if new, birder. Over the 8 days spent inside the reserve proper we recorded 125 species, 6 of which, I believe from past records, have not previously been recorded in the MBCA. Prior to my arrival Ian had been working in the reserve since August 27th and had seen an additional 16 species, 1 of which (Hose’s Broadbill) was new, making a combined list is 141/7.

MALIAU BASIN, BACKGROUND.
In the heart of Sabah is the so-called “Lost World” of the Maliau Basin. This is a huge bowl, some 390 sq km of pristine rainforest surrounded by cliffs that rise to 1700m at their highest. It is just 40km north of the Indonesian border with Sabah and has Danum Valley to its east and Imbak Canyon to the north. In 1997 is was gazetted as a Class 1 conservation area and extended to include a buffer zone of some 200 sq km of unlogged forest outside the rim of the basin. A feature of the basin is its amazing number of waterfalls, of which the Maliau Falls are the biggest, and the upland heath forest, which is both rare and endangered and just dripping with pitcher plants and orchids.

The first organized expedition was as recent as 1982, followed by a much more extensive scientific survey in 1988. There were further trips in 1999 – 2001 which produced a bird list of 271 species. There seems to have been little in the way of casual birding trips by private individuals, I guess mainly because of its remoteness and that you have to trek for several hours every couple of days with all your food and gear! The cold beer and balcony at Danum are much more inviting!

So what was I doing there? Some of you might remember my trip last year into similar habitat in Imbak Canyon while working as a volunteer with Raleigh International. Ian was on the same expedition and when he heard that I was heading down that way anyway, arranged an all expenses-paid trip (except flights and food) into Maliau if I would train some of the rangers in the dark art of birdwatching and produce a bird report of the trip. ‘Rude not to really’, thought I.

Maliau Rangers comparing notes on ‘The Birds of Borneo’

GETTING THERE.
I flew to Kota Kinabalu from Manila, then on to Tawau, where I was met by Ian and started the 5 hour 4 WD trip to the main gate. It was bloody awful. There was major road construction going on for about half the trip so we ran the gauntlet of construction vehicles and logging trucks (lots of them). The good news is that it will make the journey much more bearable sometime next year!

Peter stands by a large Agathis Tree

ACCOMMODATION AND BIRDING
Our base was Agathis Camp (named after a species of very big tree!) which is on the banks of a small river and on the edge of the primary forest. This is the normal starting point for visitors and has accommodation for about 20 people, with a kitchen, clean toilets and showers. There are a number of trails starting from here so I spent the next couple of days exploring and birding. The habitat was typical primary dipterocarp – huge trees, some mid-storey growth and mainly open forest floor. The birding was also typical primary forest – long slow periods interrupted by some spectacular birds, the best of which were stunning views of Banded Pitta. I also heard Blue Headed Pitta but didn’t get onto one. Blue Banded and Giant Pitta are also supposedly in the area.

The access road to the camp was through reasonable secondary forest and was well worth the late afternoon walk. Two White-fronted Falconets, an endemic, topped off a good first day’s birding, in which I saw 32 species.

Juvenile Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike The next day was spent with some rangers, going over bird tapes that I had brought with me and then going out to find the birds. In the afternoon I sat with a warm beer scanning the trees around the camp through the scope. A pair of Scarlet-rumped Trogons were very obliging and complemented the Diard’s Trogon of earlier in the day. Together with the various babblers, bulbuls, broadbills, barbets and big hornbills (Helmeted and Rhinoceros) I ticked off 46 for the day. A few more warm beers and a tot of rum rounded off a good day and set me up for the trek ahead.

Unfortunately Ian, who had been ill with the flu, was not up to the walk, so I birded the same area again the next day, with a little more exploration, and added 9 to the list, out of a day’s total of 41. The new ones included Great Slaty Woodpecker and Jambu Fruit Dove, which was a new record for the camp.

The next day Ian was still not up to it so I set off with two guides for the trek to Camel Trophy Camp. This was built in 1993 by the Camel Trophy team and is 8 km away through the forest. It was also half a kilometer higher than Agathis, most of which was climbed in the first couple of k.’s. It was so steep in places that aluminium (and some wooden) ladders have been erected to help the climber. It was a little knee-wobbling, especially with a heavy pack but I was on an adrenaline rush as we had seen Red-bearded Bee-eater within a few minutes of the start of the ascent. This was pretty close to the top of my ‘must see’ list so I was a happy camper.

After the climb we continued through primary dipterocarp forest. Slowly the character of this changed. The trees got smaller and the canopy got lower. The open, clear floor changed to dense stands of thin ‘treelings’ through which visibility was reduced to a few metres. Underfoot the path became boggy and sandy and the side coated in mosses. This was the heath forest. The canopy was by now only a few metres high and some of the trees were entwined with amazing collections of pitcher plants. These ranged in size from a good beer-mug to a small sherry glass. In fact we were skirting the edge of the main heath forest and it soon reverted to the familiar big trees and after about 4 hours we arrived at Camel Trophy camp. This had a first floor balcony which overlooked a cleared area about 300m by 50m. The effect of this was to provide dense secondary growth and bushes around the clearing which gave a more varied habitat than the primary forest itself.

Hedycuim sp. There were, accordingly, many more birds around the clearing than in the forest, and also a low tree with lots of flowers and small fruits, which fortunately, was at around balcony level and within easy scoping distance. Suddenly the burden of lugging the scope up the escarpment seemed worthwhile. It was soon set up and in use. This particular tree was always busy with birds, come rain or shine, and provided excellent views of several species of spiderhunter as well as flowerpeckers and a white-eye. This was the only venue on the whole trip that produced some good mixed flocks, with bulbuls, scimitar babblers, fantails etc. and, just on dark and as predicted – Malaysian Eared Nightjar. There were also 2 – 3 Great Slaty Woodpeckers which flew across the clearing in the late afternoon every day, as well as a very quick view of what was probably a Besra which drifted across right in front of the balcony late one evening. The Ashy Drongo on the tree right next to us was new for Ian (who joined me the next day), as were the endemic Chestnut-crested Yuhinas, which put in an obliging appearance to the side of the balcony.

Camel Trophy Camp tree platform In the morning I plucked up the courage to tackle the 100 rungs on the vertical ladder up a huge Agathis tree to a canopy platform (similar to, but not so rickety, as the one in Danum). It was a trip well worth the effort and yielded several birds new to our list in just a few minutes. These included Scarlet Minivet, Grey and Buff Woodpecker and Purple-throated Sunbird, together with fantastic, right-in-front-of-my-nose views of the common, but beautiful, Temmink’s Sunbird.

As the days were passing rapidly, we packed up and headed out another 10ks to Lobah Camp, passing through the core heath forest en route. I guess it was the relative dampness of the heath forest, followed by deep leaf-litter, but I collected 49 leeches from on, in and around my boots at the end of this walk. Thank goodness for leech-socks and good insect repellent below my shorts!

Lobah camp is less sophisticated than Camel Trophy (hammocks under blue tarps) but has a great view from the heli-pad of a huge area of the basin. It will also be the site of new accommodation in the next year or so. It also has great views of Grey-rumped Treeswifts and the aerodynamic kings of the skies Brown Needletails. These guys whooshed past at head-height, living up to their reputation as the fastest bird in straight flight in the world.

We were enjoying the spectacle when I happened to look behind me and nearly fell over – a small, very dark, falcon was circling the lookout, harassed by the Treeswifts. It passed directly overhead a couple of times, at very close range in the failing light. It was dark rufous underneath, without any white or streaking. The head was also quite dark, with no white contrasts around the ‘teardrops’. ‘Hobby’ was the first word into my head, but no hobby that I had ever seen. A quick look at the book soon came up with Oriental Hobby a rare vagrant to Borneo. Double rum ration all round! (Ian has subsequently seen one perched near Agathis Camp).

A late afternoon flurry also added Pale Blue and Blue and White flycatcher to the list, the latter being a new record for the MBCA.

The next day was the long (10k) but relatively downhill walk back to our starting point at Agathis. ‘Downhill’ was purely ‘relative’ and included a couple of steep ups and downs into and out of river valleys, particularly near the beautiful Ginseng Falls. After that it was easy walking with a couple of birding highlights, including around 5 Bornean Bristleheads high in the canopy, and a female Blue-headed Pitta on the track. It was good pheasant country too and the guides said that Bulwer’s was fairly regularly seen by them along this trail.

Our trip finished back in the 4WD heading out of the reserve. On the way we picked up the delightful Silver-rumped Swift on the road and a Tiger Shrike at the gate. Ian had previously seen Oriental Darter on a very scruffy pool from the access road.
If you like to combine your birding with some tough, but exciting trekking through pristine rainforest, some of the last in this part of the World, then Maliau Basin is the place for you. I’d be happy to supply further details on request.

Ginseng Falls

Pete will not thank me for publishing this photo, I suspect [ Ed 🙂 ]

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25 October, 2007

MNS at Royal Belum

I had heard of the Save Belum-Temengor Postcard Campaign but had no idea where Belum-Temengor was. An invitation to join the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Bird Group trip to Belum was a great incentive to find out more. The sum of my knowledge was that MNS had successfully motivated the Malaysian public to lobby the government on an issue of environmental conservation. The cessation of logging in Temengor and the gazettement of Royal Belum as a State Park are remarkable achievements and a source of optimism for protection of other threatened ecosystems. I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to explore a tiny part of this 117,500ha ParkMy initial observation was disappointment at the disturbed forest and low quality development at Banding. This faded as we took to the water and an MNS flotilla buzzed toward the upper reaches of Temengor Lake. Here I was quickly lulled into the beauty of the landscape characterised by an intact jungle canopy with many tall emergent trees. I couldn’t quite shake the feeling however of floating above a submerged forest. Bleached white tree trunks at the lake margin are eerily photogenic and a nagging reminder of the many more skeletal branches reaching for the underside of our fragile craft.

As the lake narrowed I kept a keen eye out for Belum’s most famous resident, the Malayan Tiger. Apparently not constrained by water, it would be my ideal scenario to meet a wild tiger while it was swimming and I was on a boat with the engine running. For birdwatchers Belum-Temengor has the cachet of being the only place where you can see all ten of Malaysia’s Hornbills, of which the writer recorded a paltry five. I like to think of it as leaving some for next time.

Of those ten species it is the Plain-pouched Hornbill which is most appealing as it cannot be seen anywhere else in Malaysia. This vulnerable Hornbill was until recently considered conspecific with the Wreathed Hornbill. Although visually almost identical, it differs significantly in its habit of gathering in large flocks occasionally over 1000 strong. To add to the mystique, nobody knows where these birds roost and no one has ever found a nesting site. As the Hornbill’s habitat is being lost to deforestation there is urgent need to answer these questions if we are to come up with an effective conservation strategy.

Conserving Belum is a great first step to securing a contiguous area of old-growth forest that might just be large enough to sustain populations of large charismatic mammals and birds. As a conservation model however it is compromised by the fact that it necessitated the destruction (through flooding) of over 15,000ha of forest.

The conundrum is that in the current political climate it is difficult to argue for conservation for its own sake. It also helps to have an economic incentive. In this case conservation of forests in the catchment area will slow down the rate at which Temengor Reservoir will silt up. Another powerful incentive is that the creation of a large man-made lake provides far more recreational opportunities which appeal to a broader spectrum of people than a simple rainforest reserve could on its own.

As a purist birdwatcher I might claim that being stuck on a boat can not compare to sweating it out on steep muddy trails and being torn by rotan. But on the other hand, there is something civilised about watching ospreys whilst sitting amongst friends with your binoculars in one hand and a parasol in the other.

If the convenience of boat travel helps to encourage more people to visit the rainforest, be they bird-watchers, fishermen or day trippers, then on balance it could be a good thing. From a conservation point of view, visitors create more than just an economic incentive. People, especially locals, who come to value nature for recreation and as part of their heritage, are more likely to sign a postcard saying ‘Save Belum-Temengor’.

In all it was a most memorable trip and gives me hope for more Nature Conservation in Malaysia. And while I am being optimistic – I will see a Plain-pouched Hornbill next time.

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12 October, 2007

Imbak Bird-Watching

Photo: John and Jemi Holmes

The idea of a bird-watching trip to Imbak began in 2004 when Peter Stevens and I were working there with Raleigh International. Significantly this was also the occasion when I realised I was on the slippery slope to becoming a bird-watcher.

I remember we were barely 50 paces out of the Raleigh camp when Pete paused between the buttresses of an enormous Mengaris Tree.

‘Did you hear that?’ It was an instruction more than a question. I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about but waited patiently clutching my tiny binoculars. Presently I heard a delicate whistle and couldn’t believe that any self-respecting bird would be fooled by Pete’s clumsy imitation. I was very impressed therefore when Pete pointed at a tiny black shape bobbing towards us on the forest floor. With difficulty I located the bird in my binoculars and was astonished that it was not black at all but rich in lustrous purple and red with the most improbable electric blue stripe on its head. It was marvellous that something so beautiful should emerge from the dank forest floor. I was hooked immediately.

As we were working with Raleigh at that time, we had the welfare of 15 young volunteers to consider and they were not much inclined to the patience and silence necessary for bird-watching. Nonetheless, during the three weeks of our stay Pete observed over 100 species of birds and made only the second record of the avifauna of Imbak Canyon. The first was made during the inaugural scientific expedition of 2000. We vowed to return to do a more thorough job.

Imbak Canyon was and still is categorised as Class II production forest, meaning that the Sabah State Government regards it as a logging resource. Luckily this 30,000ha of lowland rainforest is part of the Yayasan Sabah Sustainable Forest Management License Agreement (SFMLA). With commendable courage and foresight, Yayasan Sabah has voluntarily designated Imbak a Conservation Area.

The significance of Imbak is that it is the only large contiguous area of Class II forest in Sabah that remains undisturbed. This is largely due to its isolated location in the heart of the State, where it is protected on three sides by precipitous ridges up to 1500m high. The lost valley of Imbak is an area of outstanding beauty and biodiversity. Through some mystery of nature the lowland forest retains a higher density of enormous trees than nearby Danum Valley and Maliau Basin. To walk in the cool under-storey beneath the canopies of these giants is a humbling and uplifting experience. However unlike Danum and Maliau, Imbak is not safe from logging until it has been formally gazetted by the Government as a Class I Conservation Area.

For our trip in 2007 there was Pete and Myself plus John and Jemi Holmes from Hong Kong. We also managed to rope in for one day only our secret weapon; Robert Chong from Kinabatangan Jungle Camp. The purpose of this trip (apart from our own enjoyment) was to gather more evidence of the biological wealth of Imbak and hence help the case for its protection. Our noble objectives were soon to receive a bitter reality check. Just before we left for Imbak I learned from some NGO friends that although Imbak Canyon is safe for the time being, the surrounding area is due to be logged imminently. Unfortunately this logging will start at exactly the best spot for bird-watching – the Tampoi Basecamp.

The heart of Imbak Canyon remains inaccessible except by foot so Yayasan Sabah have set up the Tampoi Basecamp and research station in logged over forest on the periphery of the Conservation Area. It is in this mixed habitat that we did most of our bird-watching both in 2004 and in 2007, taking advantage of old logging roads to provide vantage points on the forest canopy.

During our 2007 trip the reality of the proposed logging became clear when we saw contractors marking out the 30m riparian reserve along the Imbak River right up to the Basecamp and beyond. I found it depressing to be surveying an area where our data may just become a record of what used to exist. In this context I’m not sure whether it is better to find more species or less. Of course it’s better to find more but every memorable observation leaves a bittersweet taste. We recorded over 140 species in the mixed habitat around Tampoi, over 50 of which are classified on the IUCN Redlist of endangered species as ‘Near Threatened’ and a further 3 are classified ‘Vulnerable’ to extinction[1]. A couple of the highlights here were fabulous close up views of Chestnut Necklaced Partridge and the shy Bornean Wren Babbler, the latter more often recorded by it’s haunting pitta like whistle.

Chestnut Necklaced Partridge
Photo: John and Jemi Holmes

In addition to surveying logged over forest we also spent 16 man days at two sites in virgin rainforest. Bukit Beruang is a sub-montane ecosystem at over 1000m on the northern rim of the canyon. It is more memorable for its fabulous views over mist filled valleys than for abundant birdlife. In the early morning Gunung Kinabalu floats intangibly on the horizon over 50km distant.

The highlight of any trip to Imbak however, is to get into The Canyon itself. This is most easily achieved by a 1 hour trek to the BBC Camp at the confluence of the Imbak and Kangkawat Rivers. BBC camp is named after either the Big Belian tree nearby or the British Broadcasting Corporation who stayed there for one month in 2006 while filming their wonderful documentary ‘Expedition Borneo’.

It was fitting that on a solo walk not far from the Big Belian Tree I was rewarded by a close up encounter with a male Blue Headed Pitta second only in my memory to that Black Headed Pitta with Pete back in 2004. Other highlights (in addition to those awe inspiring trees) were a prolonged display by a group of Bornean Bristleheads, an elusive covey of Crested Wood Partridge plus an extraordinary density of Trogons. Giant Pitta has also been recorded in this undisturbed forest although we only heard it’s call.

Thanks to the efforts of only a handful of observers the total Imbak bird checklist now stands at a whisker over 200 species. The credibility of this list owes much to Dennis Yong et al[2] who during a brief visit in early 2007 corroborated many earlier sightings and added 60 new records. We were able to further corroborate many of Dennis’ observations and add 10 more species records of our own.

Striped Wren Babbler
Photo: John and Jemi Holmes

This data however is far from complete and more surveying is likely to reveal greater biodiversity, especially in the primary forest at the heart of The Canyon. Despite these possible gains there is also a risk that as a consequence of logging operations in secondary forest, the overall avifauna biodiversity of Imbak may decrease. Regardless of other factors the existence of a high number of rare, endangered and endemic species on the border of Imbak is proof of the high conservation value of that secondary forest.

With this in mind it is imperative that re-logging, especially around conservation areas such as Imbak, should proceed only according to strict management guidelines or better still not at all. Unfortunately the precedent established in other areas of the YS concession illustrates widespread disregard of legally binding procedures to minimise environmental impact of logging.

One glimmer of hope is that conservation value of forests is rising in response to dawning understanding of the importance of ecosystem services. While many of these services can not yet be capitalised, there are two economic incentives available immediately. These are nature tourism and carbon credits through avoided deforestation.

While we may be too late to prevent environmental degradation around Tampoi Basecamp, there may yet be time to persuade policy makers to switch to non extractive uses of the rainforest in other areas. Environmentalists, nature lovers and the public can all play their part in pushing this agenda.

Sunrise from Bukit Beruang

[1] VU classified species: Large Green Pigeon, Short-toed Coucal, Blue-headed Pitta, Bornean Wren Babbler
[2] Dennis Yong, Glenda Noramly and Benedict Butit – 30th March to 4th April 2007

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28 August, 2007

Wild Cuckoo Chase Pt.I

Pete and I were standing motionless on the nature trail at Danum Valley Field Centre, our ears craned and binoculars at the ready. We were on a twitch. Some friends of Pete’s had reported sensational sighting of a Giant Pitta on this trail just a month before. The Giant Pitta is high on the wanted list of every bird watcher who comes to Borneo, but at this moment it was the call of a quite different bird that we were straining to hear. The instant I heard it I recalled a similar scenario, an occasion that my father described as our ‘Wild Cuckoo Chase’ in the company of Robert Chong aboard one of his boats on the Kinabatangan River. One of Robert’s specialities is locating and tracking the shy Bornean Ground Cuckoo through his well practised ability to imitate it’s call. I will never forget the call as we had to listen to Robert and a Ground Cuckoo in duet for nearly an hour without a glimpse for reward. I have still never seen one but it is now firmly on my Danum observation list recorded on call.

The presence of Peter Stephens, together with John and Jemi Holmes and me at Danum Valley was intended as a warm up to get our eyes and ears tuned-in before our ambitious trip to survey the bird biodiversity and abundance at Imbak Canyon. The purpose of this trip (apart from our own enjoyment) was to gather more evidence of the biological wealth of Imbak and hence help to secure its protection. Our noble objectives were soon to receive a bitter reality check.

One of the perks of working for the Sabah Foundation is that I get to stay at their conservation areas for free. The downside of this is that I have to do some work while I am there. I therefore reluctantly tore myself away from the Giant Pitta Hunt and returned to the Field Centre to fire up my laptop. The first email I read was from a bird-watching acquaintance responding with some useful information about their recent trip to Imbak. At the end of the email was a remark that stopped my heart; ‘enjoy it while you can, as they are going to log the area around the Imbak Tampoi Basecamp before the end of the year’!

The Tampoi Basecamp is an area I know so well that I can move through the jungle without map or guide. I have explored every corner and recognise individual trees, many of which carry fond memories. I was angry and indignant that they could be logged and began to feel slightly sick with despair. Fantasies about tying myself to trees and lying down in front of bulldozers leapt unbidden into my mind. In reality I felt so impotent that in my fantasy I would risk everything to save these trees. Surely even the headline ‘Western Activist locked-up without trial and key thrown away’ would be preferable to doing nothing?

Unfortunately I am not Julia Butterfly Hill, neither do I have the confidence and determination that my younger sister devotes to activism. I am at heart one of those who are reluctant to rock the boat because I am scared that the outcome may leave us in a worse situation than when we started. Nonetheless, I am certain there must be something that I can do.

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