Peninsular Malaysia
22/12 2002 – 5/1 2003
Travelers: Daniel Bengtsson,
Samuel Hansson and Anders Ring, Sweden.
Having had Malaysia in mind for years as an easy birding destination, a trip finally became reality in December 2002. As Peninsular Malaysia is well covered in numerous trip reports, I hesitated a bit before writing this one. However, it does fill a gap since trip reports from the rainy season are largely absent. We found the birding good also this part of the year, and rain did rarely interfere with our birding. If there was rain, it came in the late afternoon or, mostly, at night. I guess the leaches were more numerous (and indeed annoying at times) than in drier conditions, but you´ll survive. We found Malaysia to be a genuinely friendly country. Some of our days in the field were rather strenuous and quite sweaty, but we were rewarded with a good list of birds and some fabulous observations. Read on and you´ll discover…
Samuel Hansson,
Prästgårdshöjden 10 C, 594 31 Gamleby, Sweden
Daniel Bengtsson Anders Ring
daniel-bengtsson@telia.com bouleanders@msn.com
21/12 Stockholm-Frankfurt-Kuala Lumpur.
22/12 Arriving to Kuala Lumpur at 06.40. Taxi to
Fraser´s Hill, getting there at 11.30.
Birding Hemmant trail and
road to the Lodge in the afternoon.
23/12 Fraser´s Hill: new road, the dump, extended
Bishop´s trail.
24/12 Fraser´s Hill: the Gap, old road, Hemmant
trail, Bishop´s trail.
25/12 Fraser´s Hill: old road, the Gap, Telekom
loop.
26/12 Lift to Raub, then bus to Benta-Jerantut.
Taxi to Kuala Tembeling and boat to Kuala Tahan, Taman Negara. Evening birding
near the HQ.
27/12
Taman Negara: Tembeling River trail, canopy walkway, Jenet Muda, Tahan River
trail.
28/12 Taman Negara: Tahan River trail, Bukit
Teresek, Tabing Hide.
29/12 Taman Negara: Tembeling River trail, Bukit
Teresek, Jenet Muda, Tahan River trail.
30/12 Taman Negara: Tahan River trail, Tabing Hide.
31/12 Taman Negara: Trenggan Lodge, Kumbang Hide
area.
1/1 Taman Negara: Tahan River boattrip, Lubok
Lesong.
2/1 Kuala Tahan-Kuala Tembeling-Jerantut. Bus to
Kuala Lumpur and on to Kuala Selangor.
3/1 Kuala Selangor. Afternoon at Pangai Bagan
Tengkorak.
4/1 Kuala Selangor.
5/1 Bus to Kuala Lumpur at 07.30. Menara KL, The
Two Towers. Taxi to airport in late afternoon. Daniel continues to Brisbane,
Australia. Samuel and Anders return to Sweden.
6/1 -Frankfurt-Stockholm-Gamleby/Tranås. 20
degrees below…
It´s easy to get around in
Malaysia on public transportation. Sure, a car would be useful now and then,
but it´s not necessary at all. Besides, you get to exercise – I lost at least 3
kilos in two weeks! The ringgit has lost in value over recent years, and we
found prices to be highly reasonable.
A taxi to/from the airport
(KLIA) to central Kuala Lumpur was 90-100 ringgits, which I believe was a fair
price.
It´s possible to go by bus
all the way to Fraser´s Hill with
one change, but there are apparently only one or two buses a day that goes all
the way up to Fraser. Our intention was to get there by bus but we ended up
taking a taxi for 180 R instead, something we didn´t regret. I don´t think we
could have gotten a much lower price than that. It´s fairly easy to get a ride
back and forth between Fraser´s Hill and the Gap. We stayed at the classic
Puncak Inn, probably one of the cheapest places around but fairly run down. We
paid 78 R/night for a room with 3 beds.
If you´re planning on going
to Taman Negara after Fraser´s Hill,
you´ll have to get to Raub. Fraser´s Hill´s local birder, Mr. Durai, who you
probably will meet, has a friend that works in Raub. We joined him at 06.30,
paying 5 R each for the ride. As he gets some extra money for this service I´m
sure he´s glad to take passangers. From Raub you take a bus to Benta, and from
there another one to Jerantut. In Jerantut, take a taxi (20-25 R) or, possibly,
a bus to Kuala Tembeling. The afternoon boats for Kuala Tahan leave at 14.00
and cost 55 R/person. In Kuala Tahan we stayed at the cheap and friendly Tahan
Guest House, situated next to the mosque in the outskirts of town. Only 10
R/person and night in a 4-bed room! A double was only marginally more
expensive, 30 R. Boats can be hired for 90 R/day on the Kuala Tahan side of the
river. ”Birding” trips going up the Tahan River (this is where Masked Finfoots are
found) are best arranged through the national park office. They charge 120 R,
and you can be out all day long if you want to.
You can get from Taman
Negara to Kuala Selangor in one day.
You may have to wait a few hours in Jerantut for a direct bus to Kuala Lumpur,
otherwise you might go halfway to Temerloh and continue further from there.
There are hourly buses to Kuala Selangor from the Puduraya bus station. In
Kuala Selangor we stayed at a hotel Selangor (40 R for a room with air
condition) just by the bus station in the old town. From here there is only a
short walk to the reserve, where you also can stay in chalets.
About 20 kilometers north of
Kuala Selangor, mudflats and sewage ponds are fairly accessible at Pantai Bagan Tengkorak. It takes about 40
minutes to get to the crossroad with a local bus. Then walk a kilometre or two
on the paved road leading to this little coastal village, and bear to the left
on one of the side roads (we continued straight on, but this is certainly a
waste of strength and time). The coastline is not far away, though there are
few gaps in the mangrove to allow views of the extensive mudflats visible at
low tide, when birding could be very good. We unfortunately visited at high
tide. There were many birds around the sewage ponds, although the diversity was
limited. The habitat here is otherwise mostly oil palm plantations.
21/12 We left Arlanda early in the morning and then
spent 3 hours waiting in Frankfurt
for our flight to Kuala Lumpur. The main flight was long and uneventful. We had
personal mini-tv:s with movies and games, but my set didn´t work very well.
Instead I got to read at least 50 pages in Robinson Crusoe, the novel of the
trip. I also got a lot of extra food from one of the flight attendants, which was
nice!
22/12 We arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) an hour earlier than
expected. Good! All our baggage arrived safely, and by 07.30 we were ready to
take a taxi to downtown Kuala Lumpur. Our taxi driver was curious and we had an
interesting conversation
during the almost one hour
long ride. It turned out that he´d lost much money during the economic crisis
in 1997, and like so many other people in Malaysia had been forced to seek his
income in a less well-paid business. He seemed happy anyway. We got glimpses of
the impressive twin towers before we were dropped off at the Puduraya bus station. Here we searched
in vain for a bus that would take us halfway to our first birding destination,
Fraser´s Hill. It was hot. A sure sign of that was that even Daniel was
sweating. We ended up taking a taxi for 180 R. The curvy road to Fraser´s Hill was beautiful with the
forests largely intact. Our driver seemed eager to get to our destination as
fast as possible, and didn´t show much excitement of getting out of Kuala
Lumpur for a change. We arrived at 11.30 and immediately checked in at the
Puncak Inn. It didn´t take long before we were greeted by the town´s own
birder, Mr. Durai, who kindly offered to go birding with us the next morning.
By now we felt pretty tired. Though we were eager to go out birding
(Fire-tufted Barbet was calling nearby) we first had lunch and after that a
well needed siesta. Birding began around 14.30, and we had a good start along
the short Hemmant trail. The star
bird was a phenomenal Blue Nuthatch, followed by i.e. 2 Pygmy Blue Flycatchers,
2 Black-eared Shrike-Babblers, 2 Mountain Leaf-Warbler and 1 Green Magpie.
Later, along the road to The Lodge,
we had lots of birds and great observations of i.e. 1 Black-browed and c. 10
Fire-tufted Barbets, 1 male Greater Yellownape, 2 Silver-eared Mesias, 5
Black-and-crimson Oriole, c. 15 Grey-chinned Minivets and c. 10 Orange-bellied
Leafbirds. A nice start! Tired after the long journey and far too little sleep,
we went to bed early.
23/12 Fog in the early morning made birding
difficult. Few birds had been identified before we met up with Mr. Durai at
08.30, but at that point the fog lifted. We spent the morning walking along the new road to the Gap. Mr. Durai was of good help, and to our great
delight he managed to call out a pair of magnificent Rhinoceros Hornbills.
Among the best birds this morning can also be mentioned 1 Indian Black Eagle, 4
Blue-topped Hanging-Parrots, 1 Green-billed Malkoha, 1 male Red-bearded
Bee-eater (awsome!), 2 Wreathed Hornbills, 2 Brown Barbets, 1 Tiger Shrike and
4 Sultan Tits. The only drawback was that my rubber boots, that I definetely
had no use for, caused unnecessary pain. Back at the Pine resort we thanked Mr.
Durai for the company and headed back to the hotel. After lunch and a shorter
siesta we were fit for fight again, this time without rubbers. First we walked
down to the dump to look for
wintering migrants. Except for plenty of Black-throated Sunbirds, birds were
disappointingly few. A Yellow-browed Warbler was about the only bird of greater
interest. Perhaps Bishop´s trail
would be better? Yes, though it was mostly quiet. An unidentifiable partridge
was flushed, and we also found a male Red-headed Trogon, a female Siberian
Thrush and 1 Rufous-browed Flycatcher. The trail was slippery and it didn´t
take long before we encountered quite a few leeches. But this was nothing
compared to the nightmare it became to complete the full length of Bishop´s
trail. We had to make our way Through mud, over slippery roots and rocks and
through dense stands of bamboo. Leeches abounded. As if this wasn´t enough I
was chased by an angry dog when we finally reached the road… A while later we
were back at the hotel, exhausted from 15 kilometers of walking and absolutely
convinced that nothing could ever make us walk the full length of Bishop´s
trail again!
24/12 Christmas Eve! We had been told that there
was a bus going down to the Gap at
06.30. No bus showed up, but we got a lift down instead. We arrived just after
dawn and walked a bit along the highway before starting the climb back to
Fraser´s Hill. Birding was a bit frustrating because flocks mostly traveled
fast and high up in the canopy. Among the birds we saw were a fly-by Banded Bay
Cuckoo, 3 Rhinoceros Hornbills, 4 Large Woodshrikes, 1 White-hooded (nice!), 1
Gray-throated and 2 Buff-breasted Babblers, 1 Long-billed Spiderhunter and 1
Verditer Flycatcher. Back at the hotel Anders and I had Christmas lunch, before
the well needed siesta. The afternoon brought us back to Hemmant trail (not many birds) and the beginning of Bishop´s trail. Along the latter we had
two big mixed flocks containing several excellent birds like 1 Speckled
Piculet, 2 Buff-rumped Woodpeckers, 1 Long-tailed Broadbill and 5 Chestnut-crowned
Warblers. We also heard a Himalayan Cuckoo and saw a female Mugimaki
Flycatcher. In the evening we walked the beginning of the Telekom loop with few species of interest. After yet another day of
long walking, my leg muscles ached quite a bit. Quite an odd Christmas Eve…
25/12 Today´s plan was to go down to the Gap again.
We waited a while for a bus or car, without any luck, so we simply started to
walk. When it got light enough to bird we had already covered 3 kilometers. The
birds were more cooperative today, though we couldn´t find many new ones. Among
the more noteworthy species were 1 male Crimson-winged Woodpecker, 1 singing
Lesser Shortwing, 1 Sultan Tit, 2 Eastern Crowned and 4 Yellow-bellied Warblers
and 1 male Hill Blue-Flycatcher (missed by me). Down at the Gap we found several Thick-billed Green-Pigeons, 1 Greater
Green Leafbird, single Thick-billed and Yellow-vented Flowerpeckers and at
least 20 Himalayan Swiftlets. We got a lift back by noon. In the afternoon we
walked the Telekom loop, where birds
abounded but little new was seen. The best birds were a pair of Blue Nuthatches
but we also had nice observations of many common species. We had some showers
during the afternoon and called it a day a bit earlier than the other days. Our
visit to Fraser´s Hill had been rather successful, we concluded, even though we
missed most of the rarer species. No Malaysian Whistling-Trush, Yellow-vented
Pigeon, Marbled Wren-Babbler or even Black Laughingthrush. Well, there´s
perhaps a reason to return…
26/12 With the aid of Mr. Durai we had arranged to
join a friend of his to Raub at 06.30. It took about an hour to get there, and
we learned more about Malaysia during the ride. The forest along the way looked
quite good, but traffic is a bit too heavy for birding. In Raub we waited for half an hour for the bus that was going to take
us to Benta. The next stage of the journey was uneventful, and the landscape
was more or less devestated with new road constructions dominating the picture.
In Benta we had an hour to wait, so
we placed ourselves strategically on a bridge close to the bus station. Four
Plain-throated Sunbirds, 2 Striated Swallows and 2 Hill Mynas made an
appearance before I decided to go and get a haircut nearby. It turned out well,
in spite that the Chinese hairdressers didn´t know any English at all. I got a
thorough haircut and an even more thourogh hairwash for only 10 ringgits, 1/10
of the average cost in Sweden! Meanwhile, Daniel and Anders had seen both a
male Japanese Sparrowhawk and a Pied Fantail. The bus from Benta to Jerantut
left at 10.00, and lasted for half an hour. The driver announced that someting
was wrong with the bus and all passengers got off to wait for a new one. Of
course we used this time for birding and ended up with good sightings of i.e. 3
Brown-backed Needletails and 1 male Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker. We finally
arrived in Jerantut at 12.20, and a
few minutes later we were on our way to Kuala
Tembeling in a taxi. At 14.00 the boat left for Taman Negara. Exciting!
Compared to a river somewhere in the Amazon the bird diversity was rather poor,
but we had lots of kingfishers of 5 species, 3 surprising Red-wattled Lapwings
and some others. There was some rain during the second half of the boat trip,
but when we arrived at Kuala Tahan
the skies had cleared up a bit. We checked in at the cheap Tahan Guest House in
the outskirts of the village and then crossed the river for a short evening
walk in the forest. We were rewarded with a fabulous sighting of a Blue-winged
Pitta right on the trail, 3 Buff-necked Woodpeckers and, at dusk, a Bat Hawk
flying right over the HQ! After this successful opening of our week-long stay
in Taman Negara, we celebrated with
dinner at one of the floating restaurants on the river.
27/12 This our first full day in Taman Negara we
started walking along the trail of yesterday evening, along the Tembeling River. It was rather quiet,
and few birds had been seen and identified before we reached the canopy walkway
which, as it was Friday, opened at 09.00. It was only morning, but still I was
sweating like a cow! At 9 o´clock we entered the canopy walkway. A nice
experience, though birding was frustrating. The first birds we encountered were
a pair of Streaked Bulbuls. Then a large flock came through, but most birds
passed in a hurry and disappeared into dense foliage. Among the few species we
actually could identify were 5 Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, 2 Black-naped
Monarchs and 1 Spectacled Spiderhunter. Three Wreathed Hornbills passed by
rather close, and before we´d ended this swaying walk we also found the only
Spectacled Bulbuls of the trip. Shortly after we had left the walkway we had a
nice flock containing goodies like 2 Dark-throated Orioles, 2 Spotted Fantails
and 1 male Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker. Next on our programme was Jenet Muda trail. Since it now had
become midday it was increadibly sweaty, and leeches were present in annoying
numbers while few birds were seen. The Tahan
River trail proved much better, with i.e. 1 Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, 2
Green Ioras, 1 male Maroon-breasted Philentoma, 3 Black Magpies, 4 Purple-naped
Sunbirds and a host of different bulbuls and babblers. We were back at the HQ
first by dusk. Hungry and thirsty we went straight to one of the floating
restaurants, a pattern which would be similar the days to follow.
28/12 This morning we decided to start at the Tahan hide. Unfortunately the view from
the hide was extremely limited due to poor maintenance, so we decided to try
the Swamp loop instead. There were no signs at all, but a trail did go into the
forest at a point that matched well with the map. I was sceptical, but Daniel
and Anders wanted to give it a try. The leeches were just terrible, and the
trail didn´t seem to follow the direction we had in mind. After a while we came
to the power station of the HQ area,
to my relief - just a bit longer on that leechtrail and I would have gone
crazy! We cooled down a bit in the lodge clearing and soon we were watching 2
male Little Green-Pigeons, 2 Black-headed Bulbuls, 2 Raffles´s Malkohas, 1
Gray-breasted Spiderhunter and many more. Much better! In the late morning we
decided to climb Bukit Teresek. We
soon discovered that we had chosen the steep slope. I don´t think I´ve ever
been sweating as much as I did during this climb. Absolutely incredible! The
sweat bees at the top didn´t exactly make things better… But, we did see some
good stuff up there. An adult Gray-headed Fish-Eagle flew right overhead, a
Black-thighed Falconet perched in the open, two beautiful Gray-bellied Bulbuls
were seen very well as was a family of even more beautiful Blue-throated
Bee-eaters. Grey-rumped Tree-Swifts, Silver-rumped and Brown-backed Needletails
and Pacific Swifts also entertained us. The afternoon was spent walking the Tahan River trail as far as the Tabing hide. We had some excellent
birds, including a male Crested Fireback, 1 Red-billed Malkoha, 2 Maroon
Woodpeckers, 2 Red-throated Barbets, 1 Green Broadbill (yes!), 1 male Great
Iora and 1 Black-throated Babbler. A challenging but in the end good birding
day…
29/12 Yesterday evening we had met some Americans
(a couple of whom we actually already had met briefly at Fraser´s Hill) that
gave us half a promise that we could join them on a boat trip up the Tahan
River. We decided to give it a try, but unfortunately the boat couldn´t take
that many people. Instead we crossed the river to bird the HQ area, before taking a boat to Trenggan Lodge which supposedly
was leaving daily at 09.30. Some of the birds we found were 7 Straw-headed
Bulbuls, 2 Black-bellied Malkohas, 3 Ashy Minivets and 1 Rufous-tailed
Tailorbird. We returned to the other side of the river only to find out that
there wasn´t any boat going at all - not during the low season, though we had
been assured the opposite. A couple of guys said they could take us there the
next day, and we agreed to that. The whole morning seemed a bit like a failure,
but we went back and walked up to Bukit
Teresek a second time (the easy way, not as strenous and sweaty…). Birds
were disappointingly few. We heard an Orange-breasted Trogon but saw little of
interest. Perhaps Jenet Muda could
produce something? Indeed! Less leeches and more birds than last time,
including a beautifully perched Wallace´s Hawk-Eagle, a female Cinnamon-rumped
Trogon, 2 Checker-throated Woodpeckers and a Black-capped Babbler. The Tahan River trail was a bit quieter
than before. We didn´t walk very far and turned rather early, so we were back
at the hotel before dusk for a change. Well, Daniel had missed the
Rufous-tailed Tailorbird and was eager to see it, so he stayed and birded the
HQ area for a while. No tailorbird showed up, but he got a Plain Sunbird
instead. Three days in rubber boots had started to take a toll on my feet,
especially my left one. Hopefully a good night´s sleep could heal the pain.
30/12 We had a weird start this morning. For some
reason I stayed behind at the hotel a bit longer than the others, and when I
got to the floating restaurant, where we had arranged to launch for Trenggan
Lodge, Daniel and Anders had already spoken to someone there. It rained a bit,
so we didn´t need to hurry. I´m not sure that I understand the situation even
efterwards, but it seems like our boatdriver had showed up but then
disappeared. A couple of guys were sleeping on the floor. I thought that one of
them was our driver, but apparently not. So we just stood there and waited for
nothing! Really weird… Anyway, after a while we gave up and decided to devote
the day to the Tahan River trail. It
was still raining so we walked fairly fast in the beginning to reach Tabing Hide as early as possible. Here
we were intrigued by a characteristic song that Daniel literally crawled into
the forest to investigate. It turned out to be not only one but 3 Large
Wren-Babblers! I managed to see one of them while sneaking around whistling
after it. We also had a nice male Rufous-chested Flycatcher, before continuing
our quest. Now the rain had stopped entirely. Birding was good during midday
and afternoon, and we recorded many goodies like 5 species of Malkoha (from the
same spot!), 1 female Diard´s and 1 male Scarlet-rumped Trogon, 1 Red-bearded
Bee-eater, 1 Rufous Piculet (Daniel only), 3 Orange-backed Woodpeckers, 6 Dusky
Broadbills, 4 Rufous-winged Philentomas, another Large Wren-Babbler, 1 male
Siberian Blue Robin and 1 singing Garnet Pitta. On the way back my feet were
aching terribly. Every step was painful! Thus, I just concentrated on getting
back and little else. Anders had turned back a little earlier than Daniel and
I. He found a pair of Olive-backed Woodpeckers, a species only seen by him on
the trip. After what felt like a never ending, nightmarish walk, I finally made
it to the HQ and back to the hotel. A good birding day, but another afternoon
like this sure wouldn´t be fun. In the evening we made a secure reservation to
finally make the trip to Trenggan Lodge.
31/12 New Years Eve. Today everything went
smoothly. After a (little too) fast boatride we reached Trenggan Lodge around 08.00 and immediately headed for the trail to
Kumbang Hide. Heavy clouds made the
forest interior very dark. We had only walked a few hundred meters when a
Garnet Pitta was heard rather close to the trail. I started to whistle and kept
on duetting with the little fellow for quite a while before it came any closer.
Suddenly Daniel caught a glimpse of the bird, but just briefly. After a few
more minutes of hide and seek we all got to see the bird well. What a bird!
Awesome! The pitta again disappeared into the thick undergrowth, and we
continued on. It soon started to rain, but only for a short while. Just by the
Kumbang Hide, which was under reconstruction, we had brief looks of another
star bird, a White-crowned Forktail. Further along the trail we had quite a few
birds, even though we couldn´t find many new ones. Among the best were a pair
of Red-naped Trogons, a hat trick of ”Buff” Woodpeckers, a wonderful Crested
Jay, 2 Black-and-yellow and several Black-and-red Broadbills and a White-necked
Babbler. On our way back to the lodge Daniel and I were lucky to spot a flying
Helmeted Hornbill, a species we had heard daily here in Taman Negara without
being able to see it. My feet was hurting once more, but not as bad as
yesterday. We came back to Trenggan lodge by 16.30, one hour before we were
supposed to be picked up. I mostly sat on a bench rubbing my feet while Daniel
and Anders investigated the vicinities of the clearing. I missed a Tickell´s
Blue-Flycatcher by a few minutes, my second Cyornis
dip of the trip out of two possible. Well, you can´t see everything… Our boat
showed up on time and we were back in Kuala Tahan well before dusk. We didn´t
make much of our New Years Eve. I was the one who managed to stay awake
longest, until 22.30.
1/1 We wished to start 2003 with a boat trip on
the Tahan River. Since such a trip apparently was best arranged through the NP
office, we crossed the river and birded the HQ area before the office opened at
08.00. Surprising and most welcome was a flock of 12 Black Bazas! Getting a
boat was no problem. Already by 08.15 we were on our way up the Tahan River, which was a really nice
change from all the sweaty walking. Kingfishers were few but a pair of
Orange-backed Woodpeckers and a Black Hornbill were nice species seen well.
Then suddenly our driver stopped and pointed at a tree, and there our primary
target was perched – a male Masked Finfoot! Wow! Almost to easy… We had
excellent views of this mythical bird before continuing upstream. The waterfall
at Lata Berkoh reminded of an
ordinary Swedish ”rush”. Here a Lesser Fish-Eagle was flushed, and along the
trail to get here we had 2 White-chested Babblers and a large flock containing
lots of Philentomas of both species. When we had done the waterfall we crossed
the river and told our crew to pick us up again 5 hours later. The trail here,
going in the direction of Trenggan lodge, was nice but full of leeches. Two
Great Arguses were displaying, unfortunately out of sight, and during our walk
we also recorded 1 Short-tailed Babbler, 1 male Orange-headed Thrush
(stunning!), 1 Chestnut-backed Scimitar-Babbler and 1 Mouse Deer. Our boat
returned on time, and we floated silently down the river back to the HQ. A
second Lesser Fish-Eagle was the most noteworthy species seen, but it was nice
and relaxing also without many birds. After almost a full week of constant
sweating and walking on muddy trails, most of the clothes now were downright
filthy. Fortunatlely I had managed to spare enough clothes to last the whole
trip, but just barely…
2/1 We had a relaxed morning for a change and
even had breakfast at one of the restaurants before getting on the boat back to
Kuala Tembeling. We could have stayed another week and seen new species every
day, but one week felt enough for us. Of course we had some hurting dips,
including some of my most wanted species, like Malaysian Rail-Babbler and
Banded Pitta. But most missed species are possible also on Borneo… During the
boatride we had some nice birds, including 1 male Red Junglefowl, 6 Black
Bazas, 1 juv. Gray-headed Fish-Eagle, 20 Blue-rumped Parrots, 1 Rhinoceros and
8 Black Hornbills and 2 Paddyfield Pipits.
In Kuala Tembeling we took a mini bus to a hotel in Jerantut popular with backpackers. Here
we relaxed and had lunch before taking another minbus of theirs to Kuala
Lumpur. During two 15 minute stops along the way we were able to see several
nice birds like 1 Asian Koel (several heard), 1 Lesser Coucal, c. 40
Purple-backed Starlings, 2 Olive-winged Bulbuls, 7 White-headed Munias and 18
Baya Weavers. We could also enjoy some ”ais krim” (the Malaysian adoptation of
foreign words is wonderful!). We arrived in China town, Kuala Lumpur, around 17.15. Puduraya bus station was nearby, and by
18.00 we were heading for Kuala Selangor. The traffic this evening was heavy,
so it took quite a while to get out of the city. The bus was crowded the first
half of the trip, and the second half some teenage boys (remarkably similar to
their Swedish counterpart) terrorised us with all the different tunes of their
cellphones at maximum volume. We finally reached Kuala Selangor around 20.30. After installment at hotel Kuala
Selangor, we went out to have dinner and shop around for tomorrow´s breakfast.
The AC we had missed in Taman Negara was maybe a bit too powerful here. Good
that I´d brought my long underwear…
3/1 Kuala Selangor was a nice break from the
sometimes frustrating forest birding. Open spaces and marshes dominate Taman
Aman nature reserve. Numbers of waterbirds were hardly overwhelming, but the
diversity was fairly good. During the course of the morning we found Purple,
Intermediate and Chinese Pond Herons, 1 Yellow Bittern, 15-25 Black Bazas, lots
of Brahminy Kites, c. 20 Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, 1 Laced Woodpecker, 2 Common
Flamebacks, 6 Golden-bellied Gerygones, 1 Pied Triller, 5 Pied Fantails, 2
Yellow-bellied Prinias and a beautiful male Korean (Yellow-rumped) Flycatcher.
Among the mammals were 2 Smooth Otters and plenty of Long-tailed Macaques and
Silver Langurs. As the boardwalks through the mangroves still hadn´t been
rebuilt it was hard to get a grip of the mangrove specialtites, so the mudflats
of course were totally without of reach. At the visitor´s centre we asked about
accessible mudflats elsewhere. The ranger wasn´t here today, but we got his
phone number and Daniel spoke to him briefly. He recommended us to take a bus
to Pantai Bagan Tengkorak about 20
km north of Kuala Selangor, and so we did after a short siesta. We had no idea
how far it was to the shoreline, and we wore rubber boots just in case. Bad
chioce – again! We walked and walked, and after perhaps 5 kilometers we came to
a small fishing village where a female Eastern Marsh-Harrier was a nice
encounter. It was high tide, and mangroves blocked our vision almost
completely. Then we started to walk on a gravel road going south and soon came
to a long line of sewage ponds. Some of the ponds held quite good numbers of
birds, including 150 Whiskered Terns, 100 Common Redshanks, 5 Whimbrels, 21
Pacific Golden-Plovers and 100 Little Egrets. Other nice birds were 3
White-bellied Sea-Eagles and c. 25 (!) Black-naped Orioles. We finally found an
opening in the mangrove, but it was minimal. Somewhat disappointed we tried a
side road and hoped that it would bring us back to the main road again. It
turned out that we could have gotten to the sewage ponds much quicker. Another
10 kilometers in rubbers wasn´t very pleasant… We were back in Kuala Selangor
by dusk. Tomorrow was our last birding day.
4/1 Daniel woke up in the middle of the night and
went for a walk in the nature reserve, seeing an Oriental Scops-Owl and several
Large-tailed Nightjars. I had set my alarm clock earlier than usual for the
same purpose. We all went out well before dawn for a nightbird walk.
Large-tailed Nightjar was rather easy to get and we heard what probably was
Sunda Scops-Owl. Daniel felt a bit weak today, so we took it easy. We climbed
one of the observation towers and stayed there for a while. We were rewarded
with scope observations of 1 Watercock, 1 Ruddy-breasted Crake, 2 Pintail
Snipes and 1 Chestnut-winged Cuckoo. Not bad! Other birds this morning were 8
Red Junglefowls, 1 Brown-capped (Sunda) Woodpecker and 1 Banded Woodpecker.
Daniel and I spent some time photographing butterflies, a hobby of mine that
had been neglected earlier on the trip (as photographing in general). I got
good pictures of 6 different species. Later in the morning we climbed the hill
where we had a splendid view over the area. Scoping the now extensive mudflats
gave us a Lesser Adjutant, but most other birds were far to distant for
identification. Lineated Barbets were almost constantly calling, and we got to
see two of them. We also had a nice chat with a young Malaysian that had gotten
his education in the UK, and was on a family trip in the area. Back at the
hotel Daniel went to bed, and he would stay there more or less the rest of the
day. Anders also wanted to take it easy, so I took a walk by myself. First I
crossed the bridge over the Selangor River. Birding habitat was very limited,
but I got to see more of the daily lives of Malaysians. I returned and tried to
find a trail leading into mangrove habitat. Very easy, it turned out. A good
gravel road cut through the mangrove and continued for kilometers. An ethnic
indian in his early twenties assaulted me during the walk, begging (actually more
like demanding) money from me. I gave him a few ringgits, but he wasn´t
satisfied. I might be wrong, but it clearly looked like he was a drug addict. A
friend of his soon turned up without making things any easier. The guy just
wouldn´t let me go. I gave him a couple of ringgits more, but that wasn´t
enough either. I got quite upset by his behaviour and tried to make him
understand my point of view in English, Swedish and by gestures. When they
finally left I felt bad about the whole situation. Maybe he was really
desperate? What would I have done if I´d been in a similar situation? That´s
hard to tell, but I can´t imagine myself demanding money from a stranger. Beg,
yes. Demand, no! That made me feel better. The mangrove was badly damaged in
places and I didn´t manage to find any new species except for a
Black-shouldered Kite that was seen exceptionally well. Also nice observations
of 2 Arctic Warblers and a flock of 24 Ashy Minivets. On my way back I met
Anders, who had also found the road. Our last evening was mostly spent at the
hotel.
5/1 We had been told half a dozen of different
departure times for the first bus to Kuala Lumpur. The time that seemed most
probable, 06.45, had been told to us by a bus driver. There was no bus leaving
from the old bus station at all, it turned out, but we got a ride to the new
bus station where the bus left at 07.30. It was Sunday morning, so the traffic
was rather light even in Kuala Lumpur.
We left most of our baggage at Puduraya bus station, and took a walk to Menara KL
Tower. There was a jumping competition, ”jumping for peace”, from the tower
itself, which was kind of interesting. The view from up there was teriffic and
you got your own headset for a self-guided tour which told much about Kuala
Lumpur. Our next goal was to find McDonald´s and then watch The two towers in a shopping mall just
beside the twin towers. Cool! We had to do with Burger King instead of
McDonald´s, which was just fine with me. Unfortunately the 12.30 show was sold
out, but we got some of the last tickets for the 13.30 show in the front row
instead. Anders and I had seen The two
towers on our way to Stockholm the day before we left for Malaysia, so it
was kind of fun to end the trip in the same way. A very good movie, though it
still was a bit hard to accept the change of Faramir´s character. As soon as
the movie was finished we rushed out to get a taxi, pick up our things at the
bus station and head for the airport. Daniel´s flight for Brisbane (lucky him!)
was leaving at 19.45, while Anders and I were in no hurry at all. Our flight
didn´t leave until midnight., Daniel got away without any problems and our
flight left on time.
6/1 The flight home to Sweden
felt long, though the last hours before we landed in Frankfurt I was more or
less obcessed by playing a reversed variant of Tetris. When we finally came to
Stockholm by noon it was 20 degrees below zero, a shocking contrast to the 30
degrees in Malaysia. Daniel´s father picked us up in Södertälje south of
Stockholm. Anders and I parted in Linköping, and it wasn´t until 19.40 that I´d
come home, having been more or less awake in 48 hours. And tomorrow it was just
to go back to work again…
This
species list is based on my personal observations. Additional observations have
been included at least for the more interesting species, but the list is not
complete.
Gray Heron Ardea cinerea 3/1 c. 10, 4/1 c. 170 Kuala Selangor.
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 3/1 4 ad., 4/1 2 ad., 1 juv. Kuala Selangor.
Great Egret Egretta alba 3/1 2, 4/1 3 Kuala Selangor.
Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia 3-4/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Little Egret Egretta garzetta 3/1 4, 4/1 2 Kuala Selangor, 3/1 c. 100 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus 3/1 1, 4/1 6 Kuala Selangor. Even though we couldn´t see any dark wing tips I regard these birds as Chinese Pond Herons.
Striated Heron Butorides striatus 26/12 2, 31/12 8, 2/1 2 Tembeling River, 1/1 2 Tahan River, 3/1 c. 25 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 3/1 c. 10, 4/1 c. 10 Kuala Selangor.
Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis 3/1 1 ad. male Kuala Selangor.
Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus** 4/1 1 ad. Kuala Selangor.
Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes 1/1 c. 12 Taman Negara, 2/1 6 Tembeling River, 3/1 15-25, 4/1 c. 10 Kuala Selangor. Good numbers of a fabulous raptor!
Bat Hawk Macheiramphus alcinus 26/12 1 HQ, 30/12 1 Tahan Rivermouth, TN.
Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus 22/11 2 ad. N. Kuala Lumur, 3/1 2 ad. Pantai Bagan Tengkorak,
4/1 1 ad. Kuala Selangor.
Black Kite Milvus migrans 4/1 1 juv. Kuala Selangor.
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus 2/1 1 ad. near Kuala Lumpur, 3-4/1 common around Kuala Selangor; over a hundered seen.
White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster 3/1 2 ad., 1 subad. Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 4/1 1 ad. Kuala Selangor.
Lesser Fish-Eagle Ichthyophaga humilis* 1/1 2 ad. Tahan River, TN.
Grey-headed Fish-Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus* 28/12 1 ad. Bukit Teresek, TN, 2/1 1 juv Tembeling River.
Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela 23/12 2 ad. New Road, 24/12 1 ad. Old Road, FH, 27/12 1 heard, 28/12 1 ad., 29/12 1 ad.+2 heard Taman Negara, 3/1 2 Kuala Selangor.
Eastern Marsh-Harrier Circus spilonotus 3/1 1 female Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis 26/12 1 male Benta, 1 male Tahan Village. Unidentified Accipiters were seen several times.
Indian Black Eagle Ictinaetus
malayensis 23/12 1 ad. New Road, FH.
Wallace´s Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus nanus** 29/12 1 ad.+1 heard Jenet Muda, TN.
Black-thighed Falconet Microhierax fringillarius 28/12 1 Bukit Teresek, TN.
Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus 28/12 1 heard Tahan River Trail, TN, 2/1 1 male Tembeling River, 3/1 1 male+
c. 5 heard, 4/1 4 pairs+c. 5 heard Kuala Selangor.
Crested Fireback Lophura ignita* 28/12 1 male Tahan River Trail, TN.
Great Argus Argusianus argus* 28/12 1 heard Tahan River Trail, 1/1 2 heard Lubok Lesong, TN. Apparently rather quiet this time of the year.
White-breasted Water-Hen Amaurornis phoenicurus 26/12 2 Benta-Jerantut, 3/1 2 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 3/1 3, 4/1 6 Kuala Selangor.
Ruddy-breasted Crake Porzana fusca 4/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Watercock Gallicrex cinerea 4/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Masked Finfoot Heliopais personata** 1/1 1 male Tahan River, TN. A splendid observation of a bird perched in a riverside tree!
Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva 3/1 21 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus
indicus 26/12 3 Tembeling River.
Pintail Snipe Gallinago stenura 4/1 2 Kuala Selangor.
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 3/1 5 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata 3/1 4 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak. Also many unidentified curlews at great distance at Kuala Selangor 4/1.
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa
lapponica 4/1 at least 1 Kuala Selangor, seen by
Daniel at great distance.
Common Redshank Tringa totanus 3/1 c. 100 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 4/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucus 26/12 4 Tembeling River, 31/12 1 Trenggan Lodge, 2/1 1 Tembeling River, 3/1 c. 10 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 3/1 3, 4/1 4 Kuala Selangor.
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus 3/1 c. 150 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Rock Dove Columba livia Common in towns and cities.
Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis 22/12 1 Kuala Lumpur, 26/12 2 Raub-Benta, 29/12 2 Tahan Village, 2/1 2 Jerantut, 2 Jerantut-Temerloh, 3/1 c. 25 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 3/1 c. 20, 4/1 c. 15 Kuala Selangor.
Little Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia ruficeps 22/12 3, 23/12 c. 10, 25/12 5 Fraser´s Hill.
Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica 26/12 2, 27/12 1, 28/12 2, 31/12 1 Taman Negara.
Zebra Dove Geopelia striata 2/1 1 heard Jerantut-Temerloh, 3/1 c. 5 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 3/1 c. 15,
4/1 c. 20 Kuala Selangor, 5/1 1 Kuala Lumpur.
Little Green-Pigeon Treron olax 28/12 2 males HQ, Taman Negara.
Pink-necked Green-Pigeon Treron vernans 29/12 4 HQ, Taman Negara, 3/1 2 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak,
3/1 c. 20, 4/1 c. 25 Kuala Selangor.
Thick-billed Green-Pigeon Treron curvirostra 25/12 4 The Gap, 28/12 6 HQ, Taman Negara.
Green Imperial-Pigeon Ducula aenea 1/1 c. 10 Tahan River, 2/1 2 Tahan Village, 1 Tembeling River.
Mountain Imperial-Pigeon Ducula badia 22/12 3, 23/12 c. 10, 24/12 5, 25/12 c. 15 Fraser´s Hill,
3/1 2 Kuala Selangor.
Blue-rumped Parrot Psittinus cyanurus* 26/12 3 Tembeling River, 28/12 1, 31/12 1 Taman Negara,
2/1 c. 20 Tembeling River.
Blue-topped Hanging-Parrot Loriculus galgulus 23/12 5 New Road, FH, 1/1 1 Tahan River, 2/1 1 heard Tahan Village.
Chestnut-winged Cuckoo Clamator coromandus 4/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Large Hawk-Cuckoo Cuculus sparveroides 22/12 2 heard, 23/12 3 heard, 24/12 2 heard, 25/12 1 heard Fraser´s Hill. Very hard-spotted!
Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo Cuculus fugax 1/1 1 Latah Berkoh, TN. Seen well enough by Daniel only.
Himalayan Cuckoo Cuculus saturatus 24/12 1 heard Bishop´s Trail, FH.
Cuculus sp. 3/1 1 juv., 4/1 2 Kuala Selangor. Probably Oriental/Himalayan Cuckoos.
Banded Bay Cuckoo Cacomantis sonneratii 24/12 1 Old Road, FH, 28/12 1 heard Taman Negara.
Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus 26/12 2 heard HQ, 30/12 2 heard Tahan Village.
Little Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx minutillus 29/12 1 Tahan Village.
Asian Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris 28/12 1 Tahan River Trail, TN, 3/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea 2/1 1 male Jerantut-Temerloh, 3/1 c. 5 heard Pantai Bagan Tengkorak,
3/1 3 males+c. 10 heard, 4/1 c. 10 heard Kuala Selangor, 5/1 1 heard Kuala Lumpur.
Black-bellied Malkoha Phaenicophaeus diardi* 29/12 2 HQ, 30/12 3 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Chestnut-bellied Malkoha Phaenicophaeus sumatranus* 30/12 1 Tahan River Trail, 3/1 1, 4/1 3 Kuala Selangor.
Green-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis 23/12 1 New Road, FH.
Raffles´s Malkoha Phaenicophaeus chlorophaeus 27/12 1, 28/12 5, 29/12 2, 31/12 1 Taman Negara.
Red-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus javanicus 28/12 1, 30/12 1 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha Phaenicophaeus curvirostris 27/12 1, 28/12 3, 29/12 2, 30/12 2, 31/12 1, 1/1 1 Taman Negara.
Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis 28/12 1, 1/1 1+2 heard, 2/1 1 Taman Negara, 3/1 c. 5, 4/1 1+several heard Kuala Selangor.
Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis 2/1 1 ad. Jerantut.
Reddish Scops-Owl Otus rufescens* 30/12 1 heard Tahan Guest House, 2/1 1 heard near Tahan Village.
Oriental Scops-Owl Otus sunia 4/1 1 Kuala Selangor. Spot-lighted at close distance by Daniel during a lone night excursion.
Large-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus macrurus 4/1 2-3+4 heard Kuala Selangor.
Glossy Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta 22/12 c. 30, 23/12 c. 200, 24/12 c. 50, 25/12 c. 20 Fraser´s Hill.
Himalayan Swiftlet Aerodramus brevirostris 25/12 c. 20 The Gap, 2/1 c. 10 Tahan Village, 3/1 1 Kuala Selangor. Probably more seen. The birds involoved were of the race innominata. Birds of the race brevirostris were possibly seen.
Black-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus
maximus Probably the commonest
swiftlet, but only a few birds at Taman Negara 27/12 were seen good enough to
count.
Germain´s Swiftlet Aerodramus (fuciphagus) germani 3-4/1 50-100 Kuala Selangor.
Silver-rumped Spinetail Rhaphidura leucopygialis 28/12 c. 15, 29/12 1, 31/12 2, 1/1 c. 20 Taman Negara.
Brown-backed Needletail Hirundapus giganteus 26/12 3 Benta-Jerantut, 28/12 c. 15, 29/12 c. 10 Taman Negara, 2/1 c. 20 Tembeling River.
Pacific Swift Apus pacificus 23/12 c. 15, 24/12 c. 100, 25/12 c. 300 Fraser´s Hill, 28/12 c. 15, 29/12 c. 5 Taman Negara, 4/1 c. 15 Kuala Selangor.
House Swift Apus nipalensis 22/12 c. 50 ex. Kuala Lumpur, 23/12 c. 10, 24/12 c. 25 Fraser´s Hill,
26/12 c. 100 Raub/Benta.
Grey-rumped Treeswift Hemiprocne longipennis 28/12 7, 1/1 5, 2/1 4 Taman Negara.
Red-naped Trogon Harpactes kasumba* 31/12 1 pair Kumbang Hide trail, TN.
Diard´s Trogon Harpactes diardii* 30/12 1 female Tahan River Trail, TN.
Cinnamon-rumped Trogon Harpactes orrhophaeus* 29/12 1 female Jenet Muda, TN.
Scarlet-rumped Trogon Harpactes duvaucelii* 30/12 1 male Tahan River Trail, 31/12 1 male near Kumbang Hide TN.
Orange-breasted Trogon Harpactes oreskios 29/12 1 heard Bukit Teresek, TN.
Red-headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus 23/12 1 heard New Road, 1 male Bishop´s Trail, FH,
25/12 1 heard The Gap.
Stork-billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis 26/12 5 Tembeling River, 27/12 1, 28/12 2, 1/1 2 Taman Negara, 3/1 a few Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 3/1 3-4, 4/1 3 Kuala Selangor.
White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis 22/12 1 Kuala Lumpur-Fraser´s Hill, 26/12 2 Raub-Benta,
14 Tembeling River, 26/12-2/1 singles Taman Negara, 2/1 c. 10 Tembeling River, 2 Jerantut-Temerloh, 3-4/1 fairly common Kuala Selangor/ Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata 26/12 3, 2/1 1 Tembeling River, 1/1 2 Tahan River, 3/1 1 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 3/1 1, 4/1 1-2 Kuala Selangor.
Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris 26/12 1 Kuala Tembeling, 3/1 c. 10 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak,
3/1 2, 4/1 c. 10 Kuala Selangor.
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 26/12 1 Tembeling River, 3-4/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Red-beared Bee-eater Nyctyornis amictus 23/12 1 male New Road, FH, 30/12 1 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus 3/1 c. 20, 4/1 c. 40 Kuala Selangor, 3/1 7 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops viridis 28/12 2 ad., 1 juv. Bukit Teresek, TN.
Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis 26/12 4 Tembeling River, 28/12 1 HQ, Taman Negara, 2/1 1 Tembeling River, 3/1 c. 5 Kuala Selangor, c. 5 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris 31/12 1 pair, 1/1 3 Tahan Village.
Black Hornbill Anthracoceros malayanus* 1/1 2 Tahan River, 2/1 8 Tembeling River.
Rhinoceros Hornbill Buceros rhinoceros* 23/12 2 New Road, 24/12 3 Old Road, FH, 27/12 2 heard,
28/12 2+2 heard, 30/12 3+2 heard Taman Negara, 2/1 1 Tembeling River.
Helmeted Hornbill Buceros vigil* 27/12 2 heard, 28/12 1 heard, 30/12 2-3 heard, 31/12 1+2-3 heard,
1/1 1 heard Taman Negara.
Wreathed Hornbill Rhyticeros undulatus 23/12 2 New Road, FH, 27/12 3 Canopy walkway, TN.
Brown Barbet Calorhamphus fuliginosus 23/12 2 New Road, FH.
Fire-tufted Barbet Psilopogon pyrolophus 22/12 c. 10+c. 7 heard, 23/12 2+3 heard, 24/12 c. 5+4 heard,
25/12 3 heard Fraser´s Hill.
Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata 4/1 2+2 heard Kuala Selangor.
Gold-whiskered Barbet Megalaima chrysopogon 23/12 1 heard New Road, 24/12 1+2 heard, 25/12 1 heard Old Road, FH, 28/12 1+c. 5 heard, 29/12 2 heard, 30/12 1+c. 5 heard, 31/12 1 heard, 1/1 3 heard Taman Negara.
Red-throated Barbet Megalaima mystacophanos* 24/12 3 heard, 25/12 c. 6 heard Old Road, FH,
28/12 2 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Golden-throated Barbet Megalaima franklinii 23/12 1 heard New Road, FH.
Black-browed Barbet Megalaima oorti 22/12 1 male+4 heard, 23/12 2+c. 10 heard, 24/12 2+3 heard,
25/12 2 heard Fraser´s Hill.
Yellow-crowned Barbet Megalaima henricii* 27-28 and 30/12 c. 5 heard, 29/12 3 heard, 1/1 2 heard Taman Negara.
Blue-eared Barbet Megalaima australis 23/12 1 heard New Road, FH, 25/12 1 heard The Gap, 27-28 and 30/12 1 heard, 29/12 3 heard Taman Negara.
Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala 28/12 1, 29/12 1 heard Taman Negara, 3/1 2 heard,
4/1 3 heard Kuala Selangor.
Spotted Piculet Picumnus innominatus 24/12 1 Bishop´s Trail, FH.
Rufous Piculet Sasia abnormis 30/12 1 Tahan River Trail, TN. Seen by Daniel only.
Brown-capped Woodpecker Dendrocopos moluccensis 4/1 2 Kuala Selangor.
Banded Woodpecker Picus miniaceus 4/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Crimson-winged Woodpecker Picus puniceus 25/12 1 male Old Road, FH, 28/12 3 Tahan River Trail,
1/1 1 male Lubok Lesong, TN.
Greater Yellownape Picus flavinucha 22/12 1 male The Lodge, 23/12 2 heard near Bishop´s Trail, FH.
Checker-throated Woodpecker Picus mentalis 29/12 1 pair Jenet Muda, 30/12 1 male Tahan River Trail,
31/12 1 male Kumbang Hide Trail
Laced Woodpecker Picus vittatus 3/1 1 male, 4/1 2 Kuala Selangor.
Common Flameback Dinopium javanense 3/1 2 Kuala Selangor, 1 pair Pentai Bagan Tengkorak.
Olive-backed Woodpecker Dinopium rafflesii 30/12 1 pair Tahan River Trail. Seen by Anders only.
Maroon Woodpecker Blythipicus rubiginosus 28/12 2 Tahan River Trail, 31/12 1+1 heard Kumbang Hide.
Orange-backed Woodpecker Reinwardtipicus validus 30/12 3 Tahan River Trail, 1/1 1 pair Tahan River.
Buff-rumped Woodpecker Meiglyptes tristis 24/12 1 pair Bishop´s Trail, FH, 27/12 1 femaleTahan River Trail.
Buff-necked Woodpecker Meiglyptes tukki* 26/12 3+1 heard Tembeling River Trail, 28/12 1 Tahan River Trail, 31/12 1 Kumbang Hide Trail.
Grey-and-buff Woodpecker Hemicircus concretus 27/12 1 male Tahan River Trail, 31/12 1 Kumbang Hide.
Great Slaty Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus 29/12 2 heard Jenet Muda, TN.
Dusky Broadbill Corydon sumatranus 30/12 6 Tahan River Trail, 31/12 c. 5 Kumbang Hide Trail,
1/1 a few heard Tahan River.
Black-and-red Broadbill Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchus 28/12 2, 30/12 3, 31/12 c. 6, 1/1 1 Taman Negara.
Black-and-yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus ochromalus* 26/12 1 heard Kuala Tembeling, 27/12 1, 29/12 4 heard,
30/12 2 heard, 31/12 2+2 heard Taman Negara.
Long-tailed Broadbill Psarisomus dalhousiae 24/12 1 Bishop´s Trail, FH.
Green Broadbill Calyptomena viridis* 27/12 1 heard, 28/12 1 ad. Tabing Hide, TN. Very nice bird.
Garnet Pitta Pitta granatina* 30/12 1 heard Tahan River Trail, 31/12 1 male+2 heard Kumbang Hide Trail.
A real beauty!
Blue-winged Pitta Pitta moluccensis 26/12 1, 27/12 1 heard Tembeling River Trail, 28/12 1 Tahan River Trail.
The first bird put in a splendid performance right on the trail!
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Common.
Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica Common.
Striated Swallow Hirundo striolata 26/12 2 Benta.
Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus 2/1 2 Tembeling River.
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 22/12 3, 23/12 6, 24/12 4, 25/12 2 Fraser´s Hill, 1/1 1 Tahan River, TN.
Javan Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina javensis 22/12 c. 10, 23/12 4, 24/12 2 Fraser´s Hill.
Pied Triller Lalage nigra 3/1 1 male, 4/1 2 Kuala Selangor.
Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus 29/12 3 HQ, Taman Negara, 4/1 24 Kuala Selangor.
Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus 24/12 c. 10 Old Road, FH, 27/12 3, 30/12 2 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Grey-chinned Minivet Pericrocotus solaris 22/12 c. 15, 24/12 c. 20, 25/12 c. 20 Fraser´s Hill.
Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike Hemipus picatus 24/12 3 Old Road, FH.
Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike Hemipus hirundinaceus 27/12 5 Canopy Walkway, TN.
Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus** 28/12 4 heard, 29/12 7, 1/1 c. 10 ex. Taman Negara,
2/1 2 Tembeling River.
Black-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus atriceps 28/12 2, 29/12 2, 31/12 2 Taman Negara.
Black-crested Bulbul Pycnonotus melanicterus 23/12 2 New Road, FH, 25/12 3 The Gap.
Grey-bellied Bulbul Pycnonotus cyaniventris* 28/12 2 Bukit Teresek, TN.
Puff-backed Bulbul Pycnonotus eutilotus* 27/12 1 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Stripe-throated Bulbul Pycnonotus finlaysoni 26/12 2 Tembeling River, 28/12 1, 29/12 4, 31/12 2 Taman Negara.
Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier 26/12 1 Raub, 29/12 3 Tahan Village, 2/1 2 Jerantut, c. 5 Jerantut-Temerloh, 3/1 c. 10 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 3/1 c. 30, 4/1 c. 40 Kuala Selangor.
Olive-winged Bulbul Pycnonotus plumosus 2/1 2 Jerantut-Temerloh, 3/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Cream-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus simplex 28/12 c. 7, 29/12 c. 10, 30/12 a few HQ/Tahan River Trail, TN.
Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus brunneus 26/12 2, 27/12 3, 28/12 c. 5, 29/12 c. 20, 31/12 4, 1/1 c. 10 Taman Negara.
Spectacled Bulbul Pycnonotus erythropthalmus 27/12 2 Canopy walkway, TN.
Ochraceous Bulbul Alophoixus ochraceus 23/12 1 Bishop´s Trail, 24/12 c. 10, 25/12 c. 10 Old Road, FH.
Grey-cheeked Bulbul Alophoixus bres 27/12 6, 28/12 c. 5, 29/12 6, 30/12 c. 10, 31/12 c. 5, 1/1 1 Taman Negara.
Yellow-bellied Bulbul Alophoixus phaeocephalus 27/12 2, 28/12 3, 30/12 4, 31/12 3, 1/1 2 Taman Negara.
Hairy-backed Bulbul Tricholestes criniger 27/12 3, 29/12 3, 30/12 4, 31/12 4, 1/1 1 Taman Negara.
Buff-vented Bulbul Iole olivacea* 27/12 1 Canopy walkway, 1 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Streaked Bulbul Ixos malaccensis* 27/12 2 Canopy walkway, 28/12 3 HQ, Taman Negara.
Mountain Bulbul Ixos mcclellandii 22/12 2, 25/12 3 Fraser´s Hill.
Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala 25/12 c. 10 Old Road, FH.
Greater Green Leafbird Chloropsis sonnerati 25/12 1 juv. The Gap, 28/12 1 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Lesser Green Leafbird Chloropsis cyanopogon* 27/12 1 juv., 28/12 1 male, 29/12 4 Taman Negara.
Blue-winged Leafbird Chloropsis cochinchinensis 24/12 1 pair Old Road, FH, 27/12 4, 29/12 4, 30/12 1 male,
31/12 3 males, 1/1 c. 5 Taman Negara.
Orange-bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii 22/12 c. 10, 23/12 2, 24/12 a few, 25/12 1 Fraser´s Hill.
Common Iora Aegithina tiphia 3/1 2 Kuala Selangor.
Green Iora Aegithina viridissima* 27/12 2 HQ, 28/12 1 maleTahan River Trail, 31/12 1 male Kumbang Hide Trail, TN.
Great Iora Aegithina lafresnayi 28/12 1 male Tahan River Trail, TN.
Orange-headed Thrush Zoothera citrina 1/1 1 male Lata Berkoh, TN.
Siberian Thrush Zoothera
sibirica 23/12 1 female Bishop´s
Trail, FH.
Lesser Shortwing Brachypteryx leucophrys 25/12 1 heard Old Road, FH. Probably more heard.
Rufescent Prinia Prinia rufescens 23/12 2 New Road, FH, 26/12 2, 29/12 1 Tahan Village, 3/1 1 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris 3/1 2 Kuala Selangor.
Mountain Tailorbird Orthotomus cuculatus 22-25/12 1 male daily Fraser´s Hill.
Dark-necked Tailorbird Orthotomus atrogularis 24/12 7+heard, 25/12 3+3 heard Old Road, FH, 26/12 1 male Kuala Tembeling, 29/12 2, 1/1 1 Taman Negara, 4/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Rufous-tailed Tailorbird Orthotomus sericeus 29/12 1 Tembeling River Trail, TN. Seen by Samuel only.
Ashy Tailorbird Orthotomus ruficeps 26/12 1 Benta, 3/1 c. 10+heard, 4/1 6+heard Kuala Selangor.
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus 23/12 1 The Dump, 24/12 1 near Bishop´s Trail,
25/12 1 Old Road, FH.
Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis 27/12 6, 28/12 2, 29/12 2, 30/12 2, 31/12 4, 1/1 c. 5 Taman Negara,
3/1 1, 4/1 2 Kuala Selangor.
Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus 24/12 1, 25/12 2 Old Road, FH, 27/12 3 Taman Negara.
Mountain Warbler Phylloscopus trivirgatus 22/12 2 Hemmant trail, FH. A few more seen, but not by me.
Chestnut-crowned Warbler Seicercus castaniceps 24/12 c. 5 Bishop´s Trail, 25/12 2 Telekom Loop, FH.
Yellow-bellied Warbler Abroscopus superciliaris 22/12 2 Hemmant Trail, 25/12 4Old Road, FH.
Siberian Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica 23/12 1 New Road, FH.
Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica 22/12 1 The Lodge, 24/12 1 Old Road, FH., 28/12 1 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Korean Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia 3/1 1 male Kuala Selangor. Seen by Samuel only.
Mugimaki Flycatcher Ficedula mugimaki 24/12 1 female Bishop´s Trail, 25/12 1 female Telekom Loop, FH.
Rufous-browed Flycatcher Ficedula solitaris 23/12 1 Bishop´s Trail, 24/12 2 Old Road, FH.
Rufous-chested Flycatcher Ficedula dumetoria* 30/12 1 pair Tabing Hide, TN.
Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni 23/12 1 male, 24/12 3, 25/12 4 Fraser´s Hill.
Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina 24/12 1 The Gap, 25/12 3 Old Road, FH.
Hill Blue Flycatcher Cyornis banyumas 25/12 1 male Old Road, FH.
Tickell´s Blue Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae 31/12 1 male Tembeling Lodge, TN. Seen by Daniel only.
Pygmy Blue-Flycatcher Muscicapella hodgsoni 22/12 1 pair Hemmant Trail, FH.
Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis 25/12 2 Old Road, FH, 27/12 1, 31/12 c. 6,
1/1 1 Taman Negara.
Siberian Blue Robin Luscinia cyane 30/12 1 ad. male Tahan River Trail, TN.
Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis Fairly common.
White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus 27/12 1, 28/12 1 Tahan River Trail, 29/12 2 Tembeling River Trail, 31/12 2 heard Tabing Hide Trail.
White-crowned Forktail Enicurus leschenaulti 31/12 1 Kumbang Hide, TN.
White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis 22/12 3, 23-14/12 c. 10 daily, 25/12 c. 20 Fraser´s Hill.
Pied Fantail Rhipidura javanica 26/12 1 Benta, 3/1 5, 4/1 6 Kuala Selangor.
Spotted Fantail Rhipidura
perlata 27/12 4, 28/12 2, 30/12 4,
31/12 3 Taman Negara.
Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea 27/12 3, 28/12 1 male, 29/12 1 female, 30/12 3, 31/12 1 male,
1/1 3 Taman Negara.
Asian Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi 28/12 1 female Tabing Hide, 29/12 1 male (with one white tailfeather!) Jenet Muda, 30/12 6 females Tahan River Trail, 31/12 1 male, 2 females Kumbang Hide Trail,
1/1 1 male Lata Berkoh, TN.
Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush Garrulax mitratus 22-25/12 common Fraser´s Hill.
Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush Garrulax erythrocephalus 23/12 1, 24/12 1 Bishop´s Trail, 25/12 2 Telekom Loop, FH.
White-chested Babbler Trichastoma rostratum* 1/1 2 Lata Berkoh, TN.
Abbott´s Babbler Malacocincla abbotti 27/12 1, 31/12 1, 1/1 4 Taman Negara, 3/1 1 Kuala Selangor.
Horsfield´s Babbler Malacocincla sepiarium 28/12 1 ex. Tahan River Trail, TN.
Short-tailed Babbler Malacocincla malaccensis* 1/1 1 Lata Berkoh, TN. Seen well enough by Samuel only.
Buff-breasted Babbler Pellorneum tickelli 24/12 1+1 heard Old Road, FH.
Black-capped Babbler Pellorneum capistratum 29/12 1 Jenet Muda, 31/12 1 Kumbang Hide Trail, TN.
Moustached Babbler Malacopteron magnirostre 23/12 1 heard Bishop´s Trail, FH, 28/12 1 Bukit Teresek, TN
Sooty-capped Babbler Malacopteron affine* 26/12 1 Tembeling River Trail, 27/12 c. 10, 28/12 c. 5, 30/12 1 Tahan River Trail, 31/12 3 Kumbang Hide Trail.
Scaly-crowned Babbler Malacopteron cinereum 27/12 2, 28/12 2, 30/12 c. 20, 31/12 c. 15, 1/1 c. 10 Taman Negara.
Rufous-crowned Babbler Malacopteron magnum* 27/12 1, 30/12 1 Tahan River Trail, 31/12 1 Kumbang Hide Trail.
Large Scimitar-Babbler Pomatorhinus hypoleucos 23/12 1 heard New Road, FH.
Chestnut-backed Scimitar-Babbler Pomatorhinus montanus 1/1 1 male Lubok Lesong, TN.
Striped Wren-Babbler Kenopia striata 30/12 1 Tahan River Trail. Seen well enough by Daniel only.
Large Wren-Babbler Napothera macrodactyla* 30/12 2 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Pygmy Wren-Babbler Pnoepyga pusilla 23/12 1 heard New Road, 24/12 1 heard Old Road, 1 heard Bishop´s Trail, FH.
Golden Babbler Stachyris chrysaea 22/12 4, 23/12 8+heard, 24/12 c. 10, 25/12 c. 20 Fraser´s Hill.
Grey-throated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps 24/12 1, 25/12 1 Old Road, 25/12 1 Telekom Loop, FH.
White-necked Babbler Stachyris leucotis* 31/12 1 Kumbang Hide Trail, TN.
Black-throated Babbler Stachyris nigricollis* 28/12 1 ad., 30/12 1 ad. Tahan River Trail, TN.
Chestnut-rumped Babbler Stachyris maculata* 27/12 1, 30/12 1 Tahan River Trail, TN. A few more seen by Daniel.
Chestnut-winged Babbler Stachyris erythroptera 27/12 c. 10, 28/12 c. 7+c. 10 heard, 29/12 1 heard,
30/12 c. 5+c. 5 heard, 31/12 c. 10 Taman Negara.
Striped Tit-Babbler Macronous gularis 24/12 1 Old Road, FH, 28/12 2 HQ, 29/12 1 Jenet Muda, TN.
Silver-eared Mesia Leiothrix argentauris 22/12 1 pair, 23/12 1 heard, 24/12 4+1 heard, 25/12 c. 10 Fraser´s Hill. Beautiful bird!
Black-eared Shrike-Babbler Pteruthius melanotis 22/12 c. 5, 23/12 2, 24/12 1 female, 25/12 1 male
Fraser´s Hill.
White-hooded Babbler Gampsorhynchus rufulus 24/12 1, 25/12 3 Old Road, FH.
Blue-winged Minla Minla cyanouroptera 22/12 c. 10, 23/12 c. 10, 25/12 3 Fraser´s Hill.
Mountain Fulvetta Alcippe peracensis 22/12 4, 23/12 6, 24/12 c.20, 25/12 20-30 Fraser´s Hill.
Long-tailed Sibia Heterophasia picaoides 22/12 c. 25, 23/12 c. 25, 24/12 a few, 25/12 c. 20 Fraser´s Hill.
White-bellied Yuhina Yuhina zantholeuca 24/12 1 Bishop´s Trail, FH, 27/12 3, 30/12 1, 31/12 3 Taman Negara.
Golden-bellied Gerygone Gerygone
sulphurea 31/12 1 Tahan Village, 3/1
6+c. 5, 4/1 3+5 heard Kuala Selangor.
Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea 23/12 3 New Road, 24/12 1 Old Road, FH. Also heard by Daniel in Taman Negara.
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis 25/12 1 Old Road, FH, 27/12 1 Taman Negara.
Blue Nuthatch Sitta azurea 22/12 1-2 Hemmant Trail, 25/12 2 Telekom Loop, FH. Very nice bird!
Ruby-cheeked Sunbird Chalcoparia singalensis 27/12 1 male, 30/12 1 male Taman Negara, 3/1 1 female Kuala Selangor.
Plain Sunbird Anthreptes
simplex 29/12 1 male HQ, TN. Seen by Daniel only.
Plain-throated Sunbird Anthreptes malacensis 26/12 3 Benta, 3 Benta-Jerantut, 29/12 4 Tahan Village,
3/1 c. 10, 4/1 c. 5 Kuala Selangor, 3/1 1 male Pantai Bagan Tengkorak.
Purple-naped Sunbird Hypogramma hypogrammicum 27/12 4, 28/12 3, 30/12 2 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Olive-backed Sunbird Cinnyris jugularis 3/1 c. 5, 4/1 c. 5 Kuala Selangor.
Black-throated Sunbird Aethopyga saturata 22/12 5, 23/12 c. 15, 24/12 2 females, 25/12 c. 10 Fraser´s Hill.
Thick-billed Spiderhunter Arachnothera crassirostris 29/12 1 Tahan Village.
Spectacled Spiderhunter Arachnothera flavigaster 27/12 1 Canopy Walkway, TN.
Long-billed Spiderhunter Arachnothera robusta 24/12 1 Old Road, FH, 27/12 1 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra 23/12 1, 24/12 1 Fraser´s Hill, 27/12 1, 28/12 2 Taman Negara.
Yellow-eared Spiderhunter Arachnothera chrysogenys 28-29/12 1 HQ, Taman Negara.
Grey-breasted Spiderhunter Arachnothera modesta 28/12 2, 29/12 1 Taman Negara.
Streaked Spiderhunter Arachnothera magna 22-25/12 c. 5 daily Fraser´s Hill.
Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker Prionochilus maculatus 28/12 2 Tahan River Trail.
Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker Prionochilus percussus 27/12 1 male Canopy walkway, TN.
Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile 25/12 1 The Gap.
Yellow-vented Flowerpecker Dicaeum chrysorrheum 25/12 1 The Gap, 29/12 1 Tahan Guest House.
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum trigonostigma 29/12 2 pairs, 1/1 1 male Tahan Village.
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectus 22/12 1 male, 23/12 1 male, 25/12 2 males Fraser´s Hill.
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker Dicaeum cruentatum 26/12 1 male Benta-Jerantut, 29/12 1 male, 1 female Tahan Village.
Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus 3/1 4 Kuala Selangor.
Everett´s White-eye Zosterops everetti 22/12 6 Hemmant Trail, 23/12 several heard Fraser´s Hill.
Dark-throated Oriole Oriolus xanthonotus* 27/12 4, 28/12 1 Taman Negara.
Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis 22/12 1 KLIA, 26/12 1 Tembeling River, 2/1 2 Tahan Village,
3/1 c. 25 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 3/1 c. 15, 4/1 c. 30 Kuala Selangor, 5/1 1 heard Kuala Lumpur.
Black-and-crimson Oriole Oriolus cruentus 22/12 c. 5, 23/12 4, 24/12 3, 25/12 2 Fraser´s Hill.
Asian Fairy-Bluebird Irena puella 24/12 1 male The Gap, 27/12 1 male, 28/12 3, 29/12 1 female,
1/1 c. 5 Taman Negara.
Tiger Shrike Lanius tigrinus 23/12 1 New Road, 25/12 1 ad. female Old Road, FH.
Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus 23/12 1 New Road, FH, 2/1 1 ad. Jerantut-Temerloh, 3/1 4 Pantai Bagan Tengkorak, 3/1 1, 4/1 4 Kuala Selangor.
Large Woodshrike Tephrodornis gularis 24/12 4+2 heard Old Road, FH.
Rufous-winged Philentoma Philentoma pyrhopterum 29/12 1, 30/12 4 Tahan River Trail, 31/12 1 male Kumbang Hide Trail, 1/1 6 Lata Berkoh, TN.
Maroon-breasted Philentoma Philentoma velatum* 27/12 1+1 heard, 28/12 4 heard Tahan River Trail,
31/12 4 Kumbang Hide Trail, 1/1 2-3 Lata Berkoh, TN.
Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus 23/12 3-4, 24/12 5, 25/12 c. 5 Fraser´s Hill, 28/12 1, 31/12 2 Taman Negara.
Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer 22/12 1, 23/12 6, 24/12 6, 25/12 c. 10 Fraser´s Hill.
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus 25/12 1 Old Road, FH, 26/12-2/1 fairly common Taman Negara.
Crested Jay Platylophus galericulatus* 31/12 1 Kumbang Hide Trail, TN. Cool bird!
Black Magpie Platysmurus leucopterus* 27/12 3, 30/12 2 Tahan River Trail, TN.
Green Magpie Cissa chinensis 22/12 1 Hemmant trail, 23/12 1 heard New Road, 25/12 2 Telekom Loop, FH.
House Crow Corvus splendens Coomon around Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Selangor. A leucistic bird was seen atTanjung Karang 3/1.
Slender-billed Crow Corvus enca 1/1 1 Tahan River, TN. Probably more seen.
Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Regularly seen in small numbers.
Asian Glossy Starling Aplonis panayensis 2/1 c. 100 Kuala Lumpur, 3/1 c. 10, 4/1 c. 20 Kuala Selangor.
Common Hill-Myna Gracula religiosa 26/12 2 Benta, 28/12 4, 29/12 1 HQ, Taman Negara.
Javan Myna Acridotheres grandis Common around Kuala Lumpur. Also c. 20 at Kuala Selangor 4/1.
Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus 26/12 c. 30 Tembeling River.
Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Locally common.
Daurian Starling Sturnia sturnina 2/1 c. 40 Jerantut-Temerloh, 4/1 3 Kuala Selangor. Unexpected.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Common in towns and cities.
Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus 29/12 1 male Tahan Village, 2/1 3 males, c. 15 females Jerantut-Temerloh.
White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata 23/12 c. 15, 25/12 c. 7 Fraser´s Hill, 26/12 1 male Benta-Jerantut,
3/1 1 pair Kuala Selangor.
Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata 26/12 c. 20, 2/1 c. 25 Tahan Village, 4/1 c. 20 Kuala Selangor.
White-headed Munia Lonchura maja 2/1 2 males, c. 5 females Jerantut-Temerloh.
294 species
** = threatened
* = near-threatened
Silvered
Langur Presbytis
cristata 3-4/1 Fairly common Kuala Selangor.
Banded
Langur Presbytis
melalophos 22/12 2, 23/12 4, 24/12 3
Fraser´s Hill
Long-tailed
Macaque Macaca
fascicualis 26/12 2 Tembeling River,
27/12-1/1 several Taman Negara,
3-4/1 common Kuala Selangor.
Smooth Otter Lutra perspicillata 3/1 2 Kuala Selangor. This was my 7:th species of otter!
Plantain
Squirrel Callosciurus
notatus Fairly common in all forest
habitats.
Prevost´s
Squirrel Callosciurus
prevostii 30/12 1 Taman Negara. A
beautiful squirrel!
Striped
Tree-Squirrel Tamiops
macclellandi 22-25/12 several
Fraser´s Hill
Wild Boar Sus scrofa 23/12 1 New road, Fraser´s Hill
Mouse Deer sp. Tragulus sp. 1/1 1 Lata Berkoh, TN.