At Sukau we took it easy as we boated around the Kinabatangan River and its tributaries. In this magical area we had more wonderful sightings including Lesser Fish Eagles, Stork-billed Kingfishers and that improbable endemic, the Proboscis Monkey. One of our last jaunts saw us exploring the Gomantong Caves, a veritable House of Horrors! As we tackled the cockroaches, cave crickets, centipedes and monitor lizards we were impressed by the huge numbers of bats and swiftlets that call this smelly place home.

Danum Valley is one of the premier birding and wildlife destinations in Asia so our long stay here was a rare opportunity to really experience the intricacies of this most complex of ecosystems – the Sundaic tropical lowland rainforests. Every day brought new discoveries. Certainly there was never a dull moment! There were just too many amazing birds, mammals, reptiles, butterflies and other insects to detail them all even in this full list of sightings. I should just point out some of the more memorable moments though – one exceptional sighting was of that brilliant Blue-headed Pitta, scoped and photographed for half an hour or so; a hungry Orang Utan feeding in a fruiting fig (the tree paid dividends throughout our stay); two amazing Great Argus Pheasants; and that very special Gould’s Frogmouth – not to mention a Colugo and a Western Tarsier. Wow! Of course, there was also Red-bearded Bee-eater, Red-naped and Scarlet-rumped trogons, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Brown Wood-Owl, numerous woodpeckers, hornbills, spiderhunters and babblers, as well as Bornean Gibbons and Maroon Leaf Monkeys. And how about those bulbuls?!

To finish off, a day trip to the Tambunan Rafflesia Reserve in the Crocker Ranges proved to be a great success despite the long wait for breakfast! Here we caught up with a few more of the Bornean endemics that can be very tricky to track down at other sites – notably Mountain and Bornean barbet. We caught up with that diminutive and cunning beast – the Black-sided Flowerpecker.

2001

After a long journey, we arrived at our first destination – the incomparable Danum Valley located in Sabah’s south east about two hour’s drive the town of Lahad Datu. The drive in provided a number of highlights the most exciting of which was a group of Asian Elephants with young as well as Banded and Black-and-Yellow Broadbills and endemic White-fronted Falconets. Once settled in to our comfortable accommodation at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge we were able to explore the surrounding trails. Again, there were plenty of highlights including the amazing Great Argus, a swag of trogons, Helmeted Hornbill, Orange-backed Woodpecker not to mention Orang Utans and Maroon Langurs. One of the highlights here was undoubtedly the incredible Large Frogmouth, spotlit on the entrance road. This extremely cryptic Asian frogmouth is rarely seen so we were lucky to have such excellent and prolonged views.

Our next destination was to be Sukau on the Kinabatangan River. Despite disruption of much of the surrounding forest, this area is one of the best in Asia for observing birds of prey and hornbills, amongst others. With the help of our expert boatman from the lodge, we cruised the Kinabatangan River and its tributaries in search of wildlife and were amply rewarded with terrific views of Orang Utan, Proboscis Monkeys, Wrinkled Hornbills, Bat Hawks and Hooded Pittas – to name just a few.

After a brief interlude at Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre, our next destination was the legendary Mount Kinabalu National Park not far from Sabah’s capital city, Kota Kinabalu. We enjoyed the slightly cooler weather here as well as the stunning scenery. We encountered some extraordinary birds, mammals and flora in this marvellous reserve. One of the major highlights here was a meeting with the endemic Whitehead’s Trogon on the Kiau View Trail – after much perseverance!

After Kinabalu we had an all too brief respite on the tropical island of Pulau Manukan before heading off to Miri in Sarawak for our flight to Gunung Mulu National Park. Despite some tense moments due to plane delays we eventually made it! The luxurious accommodation helped us to bring the stress levels down and despite the remarkably low bird density we did record a number of interesting birds and mammals, including Green Broadbill and the diminutive Black-thighed Falconet. The incredible cave systems here were a highlight of the trip for some; and watching Bat Hawks hunting bats at dusk was a truly memorable experience. More flight problems put a slight damper on our departure but all turned out well in the end!

2000

After a full day of travelling we arrived very late in Kota Kinabalu. Arriving in Sandakan early the next morning we set off for Sepilok, a small reserve set aside for the "rehabilitation’ of confiscated Orang Utans. After a brief stop here we set out for Sukau on the Sugai Kinabatangan. This splendid area was worthwhile for a chance to have a break from the rainforest and we obtained some excellent views of a number of hornbill species including an impressive Helmeted Hornbill. Our skilled boatman, Herman steered us toward some great views of Red-billed Malkoha, the diminutive Grey-and-Buff Woodpecker, Black-and-Yellow Broadbill and Dark-throated Oriole. Around the lodge we saw the remarkable Rhinoceros Hornbill, Rufous-tailed Tailorbird and Malaysian Blue-Flycatcher. A lovely Black-headed Pitta was another special bird for this trip.

At the fascinating Gomantong Caves we were able to observe first hand the collection of swift nests for eventual consumption by Chinese gourmets. The intrepid workers happily answered our many queries and showed us the white nests of the Edible-nest Swiflets. We were able to see some of the swiftlets on their nests meaning we could actually identify them for once! Close up views of a wild Orang Utan were appreciated by all.

Danum Valley is one of the most famous birding spots in Southeast Asia and certainly lived up to expectations! In the lodge gardens we were able to observe Orang Utans and Bornean Gibbons (to hear the calls of this magnificent animal echoing in the rainforest is an unforgettable experience) as well as Violet Cuckoo, Bornean Blue-Flycatcher and Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker. On the trails we caught up with Black-backed Kingfisher, the really cute Rufous Piculet, Dusky Broadbill and Maroon-breasted Philentoma. A couple of longish vigils at the Canopy Walkway paid off with bird’s eye views of Large Woodshrike and Thick-billed Spiderhunter. It wasn’t quite a bird’s eye view but we did manage to scope the tiny endemic White-fronted Falconet. Best of all were some good views of the astounding Bornean Bristlehead on our walk back to the lodge. Spotlighting proved a bit of fun with some great views of Red Giant Flying-Squirrel as well as Buffy Fish-Owl, Common Palm Civet and Greater Mouse-Deer. Like Taman Negara, Danum can be slow and difficult at times. We were unlucky with the weather – it was unusually dry – but despite this we were privileged to meet some unique and special birds and mammals as well as just experience the superb rainforest.

A chance encounter with a Striated Grassbird at the Lahad Datu Airport staved off boredom as we awaited our return flight to KK. Ever alert Mike tracked down a Crimson Sunbird in someone’s garden nearby while the rest of us enjoyed a Malaysian morning tea!

Mount Kinabalu looked absolutely resplendent throughout our stay, as did many of the restricted-range birds we were lucky to encounter during our stay here. Some serious walking here was repaid by fine views of Short-tailed Magpie, Indigo Flycatcher, the terrific Bornean Stubtail and another Bornean endemic, Mountain Wren-Babbler. Bornean Treepies were fairly common but some of the other endemics proved to be a bit less cooperative. The Liwagu Trail, perhaps due to its distance from the headquarters, was as usual the most "birdy" area and here we found Sunda Bush-Warbler, Sunda Laughing-Thrush, the sublime Whitehead’s Trogon and, my personal favourite bird for the trip, a pair of Whitehead’s Broadbills. Our accommodation at the Fairy Garden was while fairly unprepossessing really came through with the goods at mealtime with some truly excellent Chinese dishes. We could live without the karaoke but it was worth it for the great food!