I started at the Lower Gate before dawn, being surprised to hear a Javan Frogmouth near the gate. Once it was light I soon located three Bamboo Woodpeckers - one of my Fraser's Hill 'bogey birds' finally laid to rest!
Getting good photos was another matter! Over the next few days I encountered this species daily, usually more than once, but never got a decent chance of a clear shot in good light.
A flock of Black Laughingthrushes was obliging, but I failed to get any sharp shots.
Having finally got the woodpecker, I now only have two Fraser's Hill residents left to see, both of them partridges (Ferruginous and Long-billed)! The first of these was my target for the trip, and I spent much of the morning sitting in my hide and waiting...! Two birds were calling further up the hill, one above the road and one below, but none came close, so I gave up the hunt towards midday.
This White-bellied Yuhina (Erpornis) was one of several species still active at the Lower Gate as I left.
At the top I headed for some lunch and an iced strawberry juice, but I met Ahli Chung and a group he was guiding, who told me they'd found a roosting Mountain Scops-owl on Hemmant's Trail. The drink was hastily postponed as I got precise directions and headed off to try to locate the bird. It wasn't where they'd seen it, but incredibly, while I was searching for it, a bird started calling close by, and, in response to my whistled imitation, flew straight in to perch about 5m away! It sat there oblivious to my attempts to manoeuvre myself to get a unobstructed shot and continued calling, stimulating a second bird to respond not far away!
While watching the bird, I noticed it peering over my shoulder at something behind me. On turning I saw two Yellow-throated Martens coming down the slope toward me. At about 3 metres away, they finally noticed me and ran off up the slope. No chance to move, still less photograph them, but it was an unforgettable moment nonetheless!
Today was a 'working day', in that all of the speakers gave their presentations. There were some excellent talks, a full list of which can be found here, but not much time for birding!
Although I've seen Bristleheads once, at Danum Valley, I've never seen them at Sepilok, which is 'the' site for them. They were seen each day of the festival, but I maintained my Bristlehead-free record (extending it to 8 days and counting!), and the only bird on view from the canopy walkway was this Slender-billed Crow.
Back at the Nature Resort, the usual suspects were making their way too and from the fruiting tree...
A female (top) and two male Black Hornbills.
The female Rhino enjoying the evening sun.
A Blue-winged Pitta was calling from the scrub across the lake from my chalet. This is a common bird in parts of northern Peninsular Malaysia but is apparently less so in Sabah, judging from the amount of interest it generated among local birders! It got progressively less showy as time went on, but was nevertheless quite obliging both morning and afternoon.
This Brown-throated Sunbird was camped in the flowers outside my chalet (what are they called by the way?) and would not allow any other birds near, much to my frustration, as both Little and Thick-billed Spiderhunters were trying to come to feed as well!
The swiflets weren't flying so near today, so this was the best I got - a Mossy-nest Swiftlet.
This was a bonus, a male Blue-eared Kingfisher against some attractive reflections!
I did a short night-walk, and this Brown Boobook ('borneensis' race) was the only fruit for my labours.
I am involved in a couple of interesting projects with the MNS-BCC Waterbirds Group. The first is titled "Bringing the Birds Back to KSNP", and, more specifically, is an attempt to recreate conditions suitable for roosting waders/shorebirds. More of the second later.
Today we had our second meeting at KSNP. The pilot site for the wader roost is taking shape. Raj, Pratheip and the team at KSNP have done the hard work of clearing the grasses and Acrostichum ferns. Now the plan is to rotivate and flood it to get rid of the regrowing grasses.
The first wader! Somewhere in the centre on the mound of dead vegetation is a lone Common Sandpiper. It's the first wader we've recorded on the new pilot site. It doesn't really count though, as Common Sandpipers aren't particularly choosy about where they hang out!
The active heronry at the Park is quite a spectacle, and can be easily viewed from the main Viewing Tower. It has Grey and Purple Herons and Little Egrets.
A Grey Heron doing some house repairs.
Breeding Purple Herons are spectacular birds!
Heron squabbles! The Park gives lots of interesting opportunities for bird photography. These two young Purple Herons had quite an argument.
Later on, I watched these two adult Grey Herons having an even bigger set-to!
This is the victor.
Having won the fight for this particular patch of pond, the bird soon decided it wasn't much good anyway and flew off!
Pacific Swallow.
A young Pink-necked Pigeon.
A male Common Flameback.
This Abbott's Babbler was quite unconcerned by my presence. Unfortunately I didn't have the flash with me so this was taken, hand-held at 1/13th of a second.
A couple taken with the camera's inbuilt flash.
One of the resident Barred Eagle-owls put in an appearance late afternoon.They're more of a cartoon than a bird!
About a week ago I got news from Eileen Chiang, one of our keen volunteers from the Whistling-Thrush Project, that a Malaysian Whistling-Thrush was making regular dawn appearances near the top gate at Fraser's Hill. Apparently it was an unbanded bird, so not the one we caught there last October.
As it happened, I had a job in Kuantan last week, and Fraser's Hill just happens to be a convenient mid-point to break the long drive from Penang!
Having ascertained the exact spot from Durai, I set up my hide before dawn on the 19th and waited...
Pre-dawn, this Slaty-backed Forktail fed around the foot of one of the roadside lamp posts.
Several times I heard the thrush calling, but always from behind my hide! After two hours or so I gave up.
A short visit to Hemmant's Trail provided brief views of a pair of Malayan Partridges, and I heard this pair and another on Bishop's Trail duetting. No photos this time though! Leeches were out in full force after the recent wet weather - I collected 7 on one leg on a brief foray down Bishop's Tail!
I spent much of the rest of the morning on the lower parts of the road down to Jeriau Waterfall in the hope of finding Marbled Wren-babblers or Ferruginous Partridge. I found neither, and my best bird was this Speckled Piculet. Still room to improve my shots of this species!
Just over a year ago I photographed a presumed juvenile Black Eagle near High Pines. While I was birding in the garden I heard the familiar mewing call of a a juvenile and saw this bird - perhaps one from this year's brood?
Unfortunately , though the bird was flying low overhead, the clouds were also low and the light was awful!
The light got worse. This Silver-eared Mesia shot was taken just before the rain started!
And this one was during the rain - while I was sheltering under a convenient roof!
Eventually the sun broke through again over the stunning forested valley below High Pines.
As usual, Pine Tree trail was quiet, though I did see a pair of Chestnut-crowned (aka Malayan) Laughingthrushes feeding a fledged juvenile. This parent was wearing a Wildlife Department ring.
A night drive round Telekom Loop after dinner yielded no close calling Mountain Scops-owls, but this obliging Brown Wood-owl and a Common Palm Civet.
The following morning I was again at the top gate with my hide, but this time with a Cunning and Sophisticated Plan. This time I rotated my hide 180 degrees to face the other way!
As it got brighter and brighter I wondered whether I would be frustrated again, when suddenly, just before 7am, I heard the thrush call, and very soon it alighted on the road. I was treated to a full half an hour (on and off) of the bird feeding on the road in front of me, sometimes just a few meters away! Here is a selection of photos.
Here's a short video of the bird.
Sobering to think that this site is currently the only one in the world where this species can be reliably seen.
Once the thrush show was over for the morning, I hit the trails again, and almost immediately disturbed a male Mountain Peacock-pheasant which had been feeding on the trail. I left the place alone for about an hour, then revisited it, this time flushing a female from beside the trail, and finally, managing to spot the male back in the same place as before long enough to grab a few shots.
The second shot gives a more accurate impression of the tail length. Sadly he turned his head away at that moment!
A short visit to High Pines garden in the hope of a repeat of yesterday's performance in better weather provided some consolation for the absence of the eagle in the form of a Grey-bellied Squirrel...
... and an obliging singing male Little Cuckoo-dove.
Not a bad morning's birding, all before 9.30am. Now it was time to hit the road and start the long drive to Kuantan. However, I already had plans for the return leg of the journey, to try to get better shots of the obliging pheasants.
Shrinking forest. This scene was just a few kilometers beyond Fraser's Hill on the road toward Bentong - hill forest being cleared to make way for oil palm - it's still happening...
