Peninsula Malaysia and Sabah (Malay Borneo) 12 May to 1 June 2009
Tour leaders: Dennis Yong and Philip Maher  We have secured the services of Dennis Yong, a world renowned Malaysian birding guide. Dennis's knowledge and skills in the field are legendary. ... It's not a big leap to assume that not a single person has as much accumulated zoological and botanical experience and expertise in so many of Malaysia's premier natural areas as Dennis Yong. Su Mei Toh http://www.wildasia.net/main.cfm?page=article&articleID=268 Large groups are not conducive to birding any rainforest let alone the jungles of S.E. Asia and so this tour is limited to seven participants. Species underlined below are special to the area and unlikely to be found elsewhere on tour.
The 2009 Peninsula Malaysia and Sabah (northern Borneo) tour starts in Kuala Lumpur. We'll look for some mangrove specialties west of KL before travelling east to the well-known bird haunt of Fraser's Hill for a three night stay. From Fraser's Hill we'll move further east to the lowland rainforest of Taman Negara in central Peninsula Malaysia. Taman Negara means national park, and is the oldest, largest and most prominent of Peninsula Malaysia's parks. It is estimated to be about 130 million years old, making it one of the oldest rainforests on Earth. Covering 4,343 square kilometres, the park crosses the borders of three states, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. More than half of Malaysia's 650+ bird species have been recorded in the park. It is a great place to see pheasants, partridges, trogons, woodpeckers, pittas, broadbills, barbets and umpteen babblers and bulbuls. Mammals include a variety of primates — macaques, langurs (leaf monkeys) and gibbons plus squirrels, cats, civets, otters and deer.
In part two of the itinerary we fly to the northern Borneo state of Sabah. Sabah has about 360 species of resident land birds, about 40 species being endemic, and with most of these found in montane areas. We visit the Comantong Caves which are vast limestone caves formed in pre-historic times when the area was under sea water. Here, the local people, for hundred of years, have (precariously) harvested the nests of black-nest and edible-nest swiftlets. The nests are bound with the swiftlets' saliva and it is this saliva that is so valuable for birds-nest soup, popular in Chinese restaurants. Nowadays, harvesting is conducted after the swiftlets have successfully completed breeding. Glossy and mossy-nest swiftlets also nest in the caves. Millions of bats emerge in a long plume from the caves at dusk and are prey to the stealth-like bat hawk. The caves environs is also a good place to see white-fronted falconet. The forest is extensive and connects with the forests of the Lower Kinabatangan River. Orang utan and langurs (red leaf monkeys) can be seen.
More than anywhere else in Sabah, it is the lowland rainforest of the mighty Lower Kinabintangan River that captures the essence of everything you ever imagined about Wild Borneo. From Sukau we explore the river by boat where we should see Storm's stork, hooded pitta, black & red broadbill, blue-eared kingfisher and a plethora of hornbills — wreathed, wrinkled, bushy-crested, helmeted, rhinoceros, black, oriental pied and white-crowned. Salt water crocodiles sunbake on the water's edge of this tidal river. Pig-tailed and long-tailed macaques, gibbon and proboscis monkey repose in trees along the river. The Man of the Forest, the orang utan, can sometimes be seen sauntering through the accommodation grounds. Clouded leopard is a possibility and palm civit and leopard cat a real chance.
The Danum Valley Conservation Area contains the largest area of lowland rainforest remaining in all of Sabah. About 438 square kilometres of this is pristine forest and it is in the heart of this that the Borneo Rainforest Lodge is situated. The Lodge, while being very much a tourist destination, is upmarket accommodation with outstanding service. It is a good place to see lowland birds such as the endemic Bornean bristlehead, great argus, two of the three endemic wren-babblers plus pittas, trogons and hornbills, among many other species. Orang utan, Bornean gibbon, red-leaf monkey (langur), western tarsier, flying squirrel, civit cat and Bornean pygmy elephant are some of the mammals to be found here.
Mt Kinabalu can boast of being not only the highest mountain in Borneo but also the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Kinabalu Park hosts many endemic bird species such as the Whitehead's trio: Whitehead's broadbill, Whitehead's spiderhunter and Whitehead's trogon; and Bornean treepie, Bornean stubtail, mountain black-eye, fruithunter and the Kinabalu friendly warbler ... The vegetation, as you would expect with the abundance of birdlife and breathtaking butterflies in this park, is fantastic. Orchids, rhododendrons, pitcher plants, begonias, the list goes on and on ... If we get the opportunity, we'll stop along the main road to see the world's largest flower, the spectacular rafflesia, which can grow to a metre in diameter.
The climate, while being a mite warm in the lowlands in the middle of the day, is comfortable in the mornings and from mid afternoon. Daytime temperature on Mt Kinabalu is pleasant and can be a tad cool in the early mornings. Malaysia is a friendly, peaceful, exotic and exciting country abundant in culture, natural history and good food. You are welcome to join us. Pre tour day 12 May 2009: Arrive Kuala Lumpur if not before. Those who have arrived and settled into our hotel can, if they choose, go birding in the early afternoon with Dennis and Philip to the Gombak Valley. Accommodation: Hotel Equatorial KL
Day 1 13 May 2009: KL/Kuala Selangor/Fraser's Hill Departure at 6.30 am for the drive to Kuala Selangor, making for the Nature Park where we'll go birding in the mangroves and scrubland. After lunch at a nearby restaurant we'll depart for Fraser's Hill to make the 5.00 pm gate opening so that we've enough time to bird Fraser's Hill that evening. Accommodation: Shahzan Inn, Fraser's Hill Kuala Selangor Nature Park — mangroves, scrub-country & open parkland: mangrove whistler, mangrove blue flyctacher, pink-necked green-pigeon, pied triller, ashy tailorbird, common iora, chestnut-bellied malkoha, Asian palm-swift, brown-throated & olive-backed sunbirds, ashy drongo, zebra dove, black-naped oriole, yellow-vented and olive-winged bulbuls, brahminy kite, et al.
Day 2 & 3 14 & 15 May 2009 Fraser's Hill We'll spend these two days birding on the roads, byways and trails here, including the Gap for the submontane & montane species found in the area. Accommodation: Shahzan Inn Fraser's Hill Fraser’s Hill —  Peninsular Malaysia submontane and montane forests. silver-eared mesia, mountain fulvetta, long-tailed sibia, blue-winged minla, black-eared shrike-babbler, chestnut-crowned and black laughingthrushes, pygmy, streaked and marblered wren-babblers, common green magpie, blue nuthatch, sultan tit, fire-tufted and black-browed barbets, long-tailed and silver-breasted broadbills, slaty-backed forktail, black-throated sunbird, streaked spiderhunter, mountain tailorbird, chestnut-crowned warbler, fire-breasted flowerpecker, mountain bulbul, grey-chinned minivet, red-headed and orange-breasted trogon, collared owlet, black & crimson oriole, crested fireback, et al.
Day 4 16 May 2009 Fraser's Hill/Taman Negara We'll depart from Fraser's Hill on the 8 am gate opening to bird the road from the Gap to Raub and then drive straight to Kuala Tembeling for lunch, after which we’ll drive to Kuala Tahan — where we should arrive in time to spend the late afternoon birding. Accommodation: Mutiara Taman Negara  Day 5 — 8 17 — 20 May 2009  Taman Negara We'll spend these four days birding on the trails for the lowlandspecies found in the area. We'll spend one afternoon on the Tahan River to look for the riverine birds of the area Accommodation: Mutiara  Taman Negara Taman Negara – Peninsular Malaysia lowland forest. Malayan peacock-pheasant, garnet pitta, large wren-babbler, rail-babbler, straw-headed bulbul, littleandlarge green pigeons, Raffles’s, chestnut-breasted and black-bellied malkohas, rhinoceros, helmeted hornbills, four species of trogons, Javan and Gould’s frogmouths, many babblers, bulbuls and woodpeckers, grey-rumped and whiskered treeswifts, dusky, black & yellow, banded, black & red and green broadbills, Tickell’s blue flycatcher, crested jay, black magpie, five spiderhunters et al.
Day 9 21 May 2009 Taman Negara/Kuala Lumpur We'll spend the morning at Taman Negara and after an early lunch we'll drive to KL — arriving there in the late evening. Accommodation: Hotel Equatorial KL.  END OF PART I
START OF PART II
Day 10 22 May 2009 KL/Sandakan/Gomantong Caves/Sukau After breakfast, we'll drive out to KL Int'l Airport to catch the flight for Sandakan. Upon our arrival we'll drive straight for Gomantong Caves, and then another half hour to Sukau village to catch the boat to Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Accommodation: Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Gomantong Caves — limestone outcrop in mixed lowland forest mossy-nest, black-nest and edible-nest swiftlets (in the cave) and bat hawk.
Day 11 23 May 2009 Sukau We'll spend the day on boat rides up the Teneggang in the morning and the Menanggol in the evening, birding along the river. In between, we'll bird the boardwalk behind the lodge. Accommodation: Sukau Rainforest Lodge Sukau (Kinabatangan River). riparian forest & forest-edge. oriental darter, grey-headed & lesser fish-eagles, hooded pitta, stork-billed & blue-eared kingfisher, oriental pied hornbill, Storm’s stork, wrinkled hornbill, Jerdon’s baza, Malaysian blue flycatcher, Asian paradise-flycatcher, black & red broadbill, hooded pitta, rufous-tailed tailorbird et al.
Day 12 24 May 2009 Sukau/Lahad Datu/Danum Valley We'll leave Sukau around. 6.00 am, drop by Gomantong Caves to bird before we drive on to Lahad Datu. After lunch there, we'll depart for the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, arriving there for some evening birding. Accommodation: Borneo Rainforest Lodge
Day 13 – 15 25 — 27 May 2009 Borneo Rainforest Lodge We'll spend three days birding the area along the numerous trails and on the main access road. There’s the possibility of spotlighting wildlife at night. Accommodation: Borneo Rainforest Lodge. Damum Valley — Bornean lowland forest Borneo bristlehead, Bornean blue flycatcher, Bornean & black-throated wren-babblers, Bornean ground-cuckoo; blue-headed and black-headed pittas, yellow-rumped flowerpecker, white-fronted falconet, chestnut-naped forktail, many woodpeckers, babblers and bulbuls, six hornbills, chestnut-necklaced partridge, crested fireback (Bornean race), five trogons, brown wood owl, rufous-collared kingfisher, Sunda blue flycatcher et al.
Day 16 28 May 2009 BRL/Lahad Datu/Kota Kinabalu/Kinabalu Park. We'll leave BRL after breakfast for Lahad Datu Airport to catch aflight just after midday to Kota Kinabalu, and then drive to KinabaluPark. Accommodation: Kinabalu Park (Hill Lodge).  Day 17 — 19 29 — 31 May 2009 Kinabalu Park. We'll spend these three days birding the park along the roads & trails. We'll be going on the Summit Trail on one of these days up to about 7,000ft to look for the friendly warbler. Accommodation: Kinabalu Park (Hill Lodge)
Kinabalu Park- Bornean montane forest endemics: Whitehead’s broadbill, Whitehead’s trogon and Whitehead’s spiderhunter, crimson-headed and red-breasted partridges, mountain wren-babbler, mountain black-eye,  Bornean treepie, chestnut-crested yuhina, mountain whistler, golden-naped barbet, black-sided flowerpecker, white-browed shrike-babbler, Temminck’s babbler, mountain leaf warbler, scarlet sunbird,  velvet-fronted nuthatch, short-tailed green magpie, yellow-breasted warbler, friendly warbler, Sunda bush-warbler, Bornean whistlingthrush, maroon woodpecker et al.
Day 20 01 June 09 Kinabalu Park/Kota Kinabalu/KL Int'l Airport. We'll depart the park early, bird the Likas Swamps near Kota Kinabalu before we've to catch our flight just after midday back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport  — tour ends.
The total cost for parts i and ii is $9,400 AUD. The cost of part i only is $3,650 AUD single supplement: $425 AUD The cost for part ii only is $5,950 AUD single supplement: $615 AUD Part i costs include guiding, twin share accommodation from 12 May to 21 May transportation, all meals from breakfast 13 May to lunch 21 May, park entrance fees and camera fees (one stills camera per person). Part ii costs include guiding, twin share accommodation from 21 May to 30 May, meals from dinner 21 May to lunch 1 June, three internal flights, park entrance fees and camera fees (one stills camera per person). Price does not include international airfares, insurance, alcohol, mini bar charges, laundry, phone calls etc, or camera and video camera fees, other than the one stills camera per person included in the cost. Also not included is the property owner's entrance charge to see a rafflesia, usually 20 RM per person, (about $6 AUD) should we get that opportunity.
Email or phone Patricia to register on this tour or if you have a query photos by Philip Maher