22nd October 2008, Mount Kinabalu HQ, Sabah

After the thrush, the trogon and the broadbill yesterday, today was always going to be a bit of an anti-climax! The Bukit Ular trail returned to its more normal form of graveyard-like stillness. Only this female trilobite beetle enlivened proceedings!






















I spent some time at the Tempohon Gate, looking for a Black-breasted Fruithunter that had been seen there a couple of days previously.





This Bornean Whistling Thrush was hanging around the rubbish dump.




Here's a poor picture of the only Indigo Flycatcher I saw in four days!



I photographed these swiftlets at the bus shelter opposite the reception. A recent paper published in the BOC Bulletin describes a new species from the northern slopes of Mount Kinabalu, the Bornean Swiftlet (Collocalia dodgei). It has been split both from White-bellied (Glossy) and Cave Swiftlet. However, it is thought to occur alongside White-bellied, so separation cannot be done on range alone. Among the very subtle distinguishing features of 'dodgei' are smaller size, a greenish rather than bluish gloss to the upperparts, lack of whitish tail spots and lack of toe feathering! Well, I reckon these birds show a greenish gloss to the upperparts, but I can't say anything about the tail spots, size or toe feathering, so I'll just leave these as 'dodgy swiftlets'!

At around 4.40pm I entered the lower reaches of the Silau-silau trail from behind the Fitness Centre, and immediately came across three partridges making their way up from the stream and across the trail.



These proved to be Red-breasted Partridges, and they continued to feed in the thick undergrowth by the trail for the next half an hour.



Closer inspection revealed that the three birds were a pair with a juv, shown here.



Here's one of the adults.






















A bit lower down the trail I came across this obliging Eye-browed Jungle Flycatcher.