Birding at the Borneo Bird Festival

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Sandakan in Eastern Sabah to attend the 11th annual Borneo Bird Festival. The highlight of my visit to the Borneo Bird Festival was the opportunity to enjoy three guided Bird-Watching Walks in the grounds of the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) where the festival was hosted.

The walks took place either early morning (0630-0900) or late afternoon (1600-1800) as this is when the birds are most active, busy searching for food.

Prior to the first walk we met up with Ronnie who was to be our Bird-Watching Guide for all three walks. Ronnie was raised in the local Sandakan area and has been a licenced Tour Guide for 12 years specialising in birding / wildlife tours. He briefed us that there are different types of birder:

· Birders that concentrate on seeing / photographing differing species of birds (mainly Europeans and North Americans) – when the birder sees a new species it’s referred to as a ‘lifer’

· Birders particularly keen on seeing endemic species

· Birders who want to find and photograph colourful birds e.g. kingfishers

Our party congregated in the RDC Car Park around 0615 on Day 1 of the festival and I took a few minutes to read billboards containing ‘Birding Rules’ and ‘Birding Ethics’. Much is common sense such as putting your handphone to silent, not feeding the birds and wearing drab colours but did you know that you shouldn’t wear white as this is an alarm colour for birds?

Also, in the car park was a warning on what you should do if you encounter the alpha male of the extended family of pig-tailed macaques that reside in RDC. He may be relatively small, but his picture showed a fearsome set of teeth! A reminder that we were visitors to ‘their’ (birds / wildlife) world…

Our party waited for 0630 to watch the ‘flag-off’ of the Borneo Bird Race, the prestigious competition held each year as part of the festival and this year twelve teams of three spent the day in RDC grounds trying to log as many of the 300 or so species of bird that can be seen here including some of the 63 species endemic to Borneo. More later.

Bird-Watching Walk (Day 1 – 0630-0900)

Spent time in the RDC car park to view some of the more common birds including Pacific Swallow perching on power-lines, Ornate Sunbird and Blue-Throated Bee-Eater. Ronnie briefs our party of eight that the optimum number for a bird-watching group is six to ten so all good. We also learn that to identify birds, colour, shape and size are important but so to is the bird’s calling as well as character and behaviour. Also, identifying females can be more difficult as their colours are often drabber and less outstanding than males. Six Bushy-Crested Hornbills fly over, the sight of these impressive birds flying in formation is the highlight so far. Also impressive is the way that the expert birders including Ronnie are working together in concert, sharing real-time sightings so that everyone can enjoy a good sighting.

At 0730 we hit the trail and Ronnie exclaims with a big smile ‘Welcome to the jungle…’ We see a Giant Squirrel, and if you’re used to squirrels in the UK/Europe it really is giant! It’s sub-endemic which means it’s only found on part of Borneo island. We also see a Pitta Bird and a Sunbird (Little Spiderhunter) and complete the walk.

Bird-Watching Walk (Day 1 – 1600-1800)

For this walk start was on the Lakeside Trail and the party were rewarded with a Cream-Vented Bul-Bul. The jungle was much thicker in this part of RDC, and the dense foliage made it difficult to see birds. Next, we climbed the many steps of the Bristlehead Tower and spied an orangutan nest, as we walked along the inter-connecting walkway to Trogon Tower high in the jungle canopy. With the different location, and night approaching the walk had a very different feel and atmosphere to the morning walk. Very few birds were seen on this particular walk, underlining the inescapable fact that this is the natural world and wildlife is not ‘on demand’. But that makes the times when you make a wonderful sighting even more special. Speaking of which just after 5 p.m. a young orangutan is seen in the canopy, this is special. “It’s a lifer!” one of our party exclaims. We all laugh. But the surprise star of the show appears around 5:30 p.m. A Red Giant Flying Squirrel appears from its house on an immense tree and we all watch as it slowly but surely climbs to the very top of the tree. Around ten minutes later we are rewarded as this amazing creature flies, well actually glides overhead to another tree in the quest for food. Photographers try to photograph this extraordinary event but in the failing light it’s fiendishly difficult.

Ther Bristlehead Tower is a great vantage point high in the rainforest canopy

Bird-Watching Walk (Day 2 – 0630-0900)

Back at the RDC Car Park, we set off on our third walk back into the jungle but on different trails. We see a Banded Woodpecker and I’m particularly taken with another Blue-Throated Bee Eater that’s brown, pale blue with two shades of green. Stunning. In all of the walks Ronnie’s expertise and experience is invaluable. He recognises birds by calls and ‘finds’ birds in the dense jungle. He has already got his trusty 30x – 50x telescope trained on a perching bird before I’ve even found it!

We see many birds including Black & Red Broadbill, Scarlet-backed Flowerpeck, migratory Grey-streaked Flycatcher and Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo. However, my favourite is the Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher. Ronnie saw the bird perched on a long branch just a couple of metres off the canopy floor. Boasting seven colours including a vivid yellow breast, red head and wings of blue, violet and grey the bird is exquisite. We stand silently and respectfully at a distance of around 10 metres for some 90 seconds until the bird flies off. Wonderful and Ronnie takes a super picture on my iPhone thru’ the ‘scope.

To end the walk, we have the rare privilege of seeing a wild orangutan at reasonably close quarters enjoying breakfast in the canopy. Ronnie tells us it’s definitely wild as it’s not carrying a tattoo that would have been applied by the nearby Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre. It’s then time to return for breakfast and enjoy day 2 of the Borneo Bird Festival.

The three walks flew by timewise and were unique and different experiences with varied birds / wildlife to see and enjoy. I’m hooked. Oh, and the Bird Race? The winning team from Tabin Wildlife Park noted an amazing 126 species. Respect and this emphasise what a special place RDC and Sabah are for birders / people interested in wildlife and conservation.

126 bird species in a day! The winning team from Tabin Wildlife Park

10 Top Tips for your first Bird-Watching Walk

· Go with a licenced Tour Guide whose speciality is birding, they will add immeasurably to your experience

· Walk early morning or late afternoon when the birds are most active seeking food

· Wear appropriate drab clothes and best to wear long pants / long sleeves / hat / use insect repellent

· Take a poncho, it may rain (the clue is in the name…rainforest!)

· Don’t forget a pair of binoculars

· If you want to take good photos you’ll need a SLR with at least 300mm lens

· Bring a field guide e.g. ‘Birds of Borneo’

· Don’t take a list of birds that you ‘must’ see, you’ll probably be disappointed…better to just enjoy and cherish what you do see

· But do read up in advance on the birds you’re likely to see

· Follow the Birders Rules & Ethics and you’ll be the perfect guest!

Make a date in your Diary!

The 12th Borneo Bird Festival will be held in October 2020 (dates to be confirmed early in the new year) and promises to be bigger and even better, make a note in your diary NOW! Why not combine your visit with a trip to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre & Bornean Sunbear Conservation Centre? Happy birding!

For more information refer https://www.borneobirdfestival.com/

About Martin

Martin is a British expat living in Kota Kinabalu who arranges tailored tours within Sabah primarily for British and Western tourists on behalf of Blue Kinabalu Travel Agency.