Explorations of an Ecologist: June 2019

Saturday, 29 June 2019

Borneo 2018: Part 2 (Kota Kinabalu to Mount Kinabalu)

Part 1: Fly to Borneo, Kota Kinabalu (September 30 - October 2, 2018)
Part 2: Kota Kinabalu to Mount Kinabalu (October 3, 2018)
Part 3: Full day at Mount Kinabalu (October 4, 2018)
Part 4: Mount Kinabalu to Sepilok (October 5, 2018)
Part 5: Sepilok (October 6, 2018)
Part 6: Kinabatangan River (October 6-7, 2018)
Part 7: Kinabatangan River, Gomantong Caves (October 7-8, 2018)
Part 8: Tabin Wildlife Reserve (October 8-9, 2018)
Part 9: Tabin Wildlife Reserve (October 9-10, 2018)
Part 10: Danum Valley (October 11-12, 2018)
Part 11: Danum Valley (October 13-14, 2018)

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I met most of my group for the first time later that evening, though a few of the travelers were on a later flight scheduled to arrive late in the evening. I went over the itinerary with everyone and explained the plan for our first full day of the tour. There would be an optional morning bird hike around Tanjung Aru beach following by breakfast, packing up, and loading into the bus to drive to Mount Kinabalu. We would be arriving in the highlands just in time for lunch, followed by some exploration of the area to get acquainted with the wildlife of the mountain.

October 3, 2018

At 6:30 in the morning I met some of the travelers in the hotel lobby who were eager to see what birds we could find. I decided that our morning walk would take us back to Tanjung Aru with a focus on finding the Blue-naped Parrots since I now knew which part of the park they could be found in.

Along the way, one of the other travelers pointed out an odd looking bird in a ditch which upon closer inspection revealed itself to be a White-breasted Waterhen. Belonging to the rail and crake family, White-breasted Waterhens are unique in that they can be very tame and confiding, allowing their photos to be taken if one moves slowly.

White-breasted Waterhen - Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Our walk at the park was excellent and we encountered many of the same species that I had seen during the previous day. The parrots cooperated as well; up to six individuals were seen including a pair that seemingly posed for us on some open branches. Spectacular!

Blue-naped Parrot - Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Asian Glossy Starlings may be abundant many areas but they are pretty cool looking in their own right with that bright red eye. We also enjoyed great views of Pied Trillers and various other birds during our short morning walk.

Asian Glossy Starlings - Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Following breakfast, we loaded up our suitcases into the bus and had soon hit the road with a two and a half hour drive ahead of us. Along the way, Ben took the microphone and provided a bit more information about Sabah province, explaining the significance and history of some of the places we passed on our way out of the city. Leaving Kota Kinabalu behind we were soon on a steep but paved road leading up into the highlands while the vegetation slowly transitioned from agriculture to forested hillsides.

By 12:30 PM we entered the gate signalling the boundary of Kinabalu Park and soon we were tucking into a delicious lunch at the Liwagu Restaurant. From there we checked into our accommodations, the nearby Hill Lodge. In 2017 when I visited Mount Kinabalu on my own I stayed at a place outside of the park, choosing to drive in each day to explore the park. I have to say it was a nice change to be staying right in the park, with our accommodations the furthest from the administration buildings and other lodges and being surrounded by forest.

Birding at the Hill Lodge, Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

The afternoon was overcast and a little misty, but almost immediately birds began to appear despite the weather conditions. A number of fruiting Medinilla speciosa had been planted in a row outside of our cabins and several Black-sided Flowerpiercers were playing hide and seek with us, furtively eating the fruits while mostly staying out of view.

female Black-sided Flowerpiercer feeding on Medinilla speciosa - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

Black-sided Flowerpiercer is one of the Bornean highland endemics; a group of about two dozen bird species that are found nowhere else in the world. Many of these species are limited to Mount Kinabalu itself. While I had seen this species previously, I had never studied it well or photographed it. Definitely a great way to kick off our time on the mountain!

male Black-sided Flowerpiercer - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

female Black-sided Flowerpiercer - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

That afternoon our group went for a hike up the road to see what we could find. The clouds had rolled in and the day had become quite gloomy and I feared that the low light levels deep in the forest would prevent us from finding much. Even with a light mist falling we were still able to turn up a few birds up the road including a several endemics - Bornean Treepie, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush, and a group of five Mountain Wren-Babblers that skulked deep in the undergrowth beside the main road.

That evening I offered to lead a night walk after dinner for those who were interested. Most were tired from the day's activities but three others were happy to join me. I was a little worried that the cool temperatures would limit herp activity but excited for my first chance to explore this forest at night. I chose a section of the Silau-Silau trail since the entrance was not far from our cabins, and the trail followed a creek for quite a ways. As any herper knows, sticking to creeks at night is an awesome way to find a variety of species.

As expected insects and arthropods were in abundance including a variety of stick insects, grasshoppers, katydids, cockroaches, spiders and centipedes. There is a certain excitement that comes when searching for wildlife at night. Around any bend your flashlight beam could illuminate something new and spectacular.

Scutigera sp. centipede - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

Giant Cockroach sp. - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

Hemiplecta sp. - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

Green Lacewing sp. - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

unidentified stick insect - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

unidentified spider - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

This interesting stick insect is known as Haaniella scabra. Endemic to Mount Kinabalu, this species is only found in the elevation band of 1000-1800 m above sea level (masl). I had a lot of fun after the trip trying to identify some of the stick insects we found, though with limited success. This one however I was able to figure out, and also determine that it was the first record of the species on iNaturalist.

Haaniella scabra - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

The ginger family is well represented in Borneo. This species is called Hedychium cylindricum (another iNaturalist first).

Hedychium cylindricum - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

Herps are often my main target when I am exploring at night, as they are often much easier to find at that time of day. While we couldn't find any snakes this time, we did see a variety of frogs including many Kuhl's Creek Frogs. I was much more interested in this species which I tracked down after hearing it vocalize. I believe it is Leptobrachella sabahmontana, a species that was only recently described (2014) and is only known from Mount Kinabalu.

Leptobrachella sabahmontana - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

Balu Bow-fingered Gecko is a nocturnal species that is often reported by herpers visiting Mount Kinabalu. It was a species I was really hoping to find and fortunately, we lucked out half an hour into our first walk! This particular individual had recently lost its tail and was in the process of regrowing it. This particular individual was sitting in ambush, waiting for an unsuspecting cricket to walk up the branch.

Balu Bow-fingered Gecko - Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia

While we walked we heard the occasional calls of a pair of Mountain Scops-Owl from somewhere along the creek. Soon it was time to head back, retracing our steps back to the trail-head. It had been a great first day with the group!

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Friday, 28 June 2019

Borneo 2018: Part 1 (fly to Borneo, Kota Kinabalu)

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Last year I was invited by Quest Nature Tours to return to the island of Borneo, a destination that I had first visited in October of 2017. The 2017 trip had been absolutely incredible and I was thrilled that Quest wanted me to return to Malaysia to lead another tour. The tour dates would be roughly the same as 2017's tour, taking place in the first half of October. However, the 2017 tour only visited Borneo for eight days, stopping over in Bali for three days at the end of the Borneo leg of the tour. The 2018 tour would only be visiting Borneo and staying for a few extra days, letting us visit the Mount Kinabalu area to find its suite of high-elevation endemic species, as well as Tabin Wildlife Reserve, an area of lowland rainforest.

I had previously put together a trip report for the 2017 Borneo tour (the first post can be viewed by clicking this link). In the introduction post I provided some background information about Borneo and what makes it unique, especially regarding island biogeography. I encourage you to read the introduction post before diving in to this trip report.

September 30, 2018

It had been a whirlwind few days leading up to the trip, but finally, I was at Pearson airport in Toronto, checking in to my flight to South Korea, and from there, flying to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah province, Malaysia. The previous days had been very busy, filled with tying up loose ends at work, attending my dad's retirement dinner in Cambridge, giving a talk about Colombia at the Worldwide Quest social in Toronto, and on September 29, emceeing my sister's wedding alongside Laura. I killed a few hours at Pearson and shortly after 12 noon, we were airborne.

October 1, 2018

The flight was long but otherwise non-eventful and I passed the time watching several movies and attempting to get some shut-eye. Due to the number of time zones we jetted through, it was already mid-afternoon on October 1 when we landed in Seoul (my body thought it was the middle of the night, though!). By early evening my flight to Kota Kinabalu had taken off, and four hours later had touched down in Kota Kinabalu. Unlike in 2017, I would not be renting a car and going off on my own prior to meeting up with the group and starting the tour. Instead, I would be heading to the hotel, preparing to start the tour the very next day. Upon arrival at the Kota Kinabalu airport a friendly face was waiting to welcome me back. It was Ben Duncan, our excellent local guide who we had had on the 2017 tour; he would be with us in 2018 as well. By the time I had arrived at the hotel it was past midnight and I was anxious to get some sleep. But before reaching my hotel room, the first reptile of the trip revealed itself - an Asian House Gecko on a window of the hotel. A small flock of Cattle Egrets flying over, illuminated by the exterior lighting of the hotel, officially represented the first bird species of the trip.

Asian House Gecko - Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

October 2, 2018

Feeling surprisingly well-rested, I was up at six, anxious to go for a walk around the property and familiarize myself with some of the common birds of the gardens and scrubby vegetation near the hotel.

My view at Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Even from my balcony there were a few birds to be seen in the artificial landscape including the ever-present Asian Glossy Starlings, but also Zebra Doves, a flock of Chestnut Munias and a few Yellow-vented Bulbuls. Mixed in with the many Plume-toed Swifts overhead were a few House Swifts.

Asian Glossy Starling - Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

House Swift - Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Chestnut Munia - Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

A short walk around the hotel grounds before breakfast had already provided my first three life birds of the trip: a few Pacific Reef-Herons, a flyby Collared Kingfisher, and some distant Little Terns offshore. Additionally, a number of Changeable Lizards were hanging out on the lawn or on the bases of the nearby trees.

Changeable Lizard - Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

The Shangri-La Tanjung Aru resort where I was staying is located only a few minutes from Tanjung Aru, a beach that is popular with the locals and which can be surprisingly birdy. The morning's temperatures had steadily climbed by the time I left for my walk after breakfast, already a good portion of the way to the predicted 32 degree high.

Over the 2.5 hours that I was out, I came across quite a few birds including a few new ones. Sunbirds are a common family throughout Asia and Africa with around ten species found in Borneo; two of these (Olive-throated and Plain-throated) are common species at Tanjung Aru. Sunbirds fill a somewhat similar niche in the Old World that hummingbirds do in the New World, and they specialize by feeding on nectar, along with insects and spiders.

Plain-throated Sunbird - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

A few ponds at Tanjung Aru were chock full of Green Paddy Frogs, while many Sultans, a type of skimer dragonfly, perched on vegetation overhanging the ponds.

Sultan - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Green Paddy Frog - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

There were two particular bird species I was hoping to encounter at Tanjung Aru, species I had never seen before. The first was Blue-naped Parrot, a species native to the Philippines, the Talaud Islands near Sulawesi and some islands off the northeast Borneo coast. An introduced population has been established at Tanjung Aru beach for a number of years and seems to be relatively stable. The species is classified as "Near Threatened" according to the IUCN Red List as it has undergone declines due to trapping for the cagebird industry and habitat loss. Less than 10,000 Blue-naped Parrot are estimated to remain in the wild. Pied Triller meanwhile is a widespread species found in coastal areas, but one I had never come across before.

While unsuccessfully looking for the above species, I found a variety of other birds; Green Imperial Pigeons, Dollarbirds, White-breasted Woodswallows and Ashy Tailorbirds were particularly conspicuous. A nice variety of butterflies were present, while I also enjoyed finding a few more Changeable Lizards and Asian Water Monitors.

Green Imperial Pigeon - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Blue Argus - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Ashy Tailorbird - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Ghost Crab (Ocypode sp.) - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Changeable Lizard - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Common Sandpiper - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Asian Water Monitor - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

My brief views of a Collared Kingfisher from earlier in the morning were improved upon when I came across a few individuals. One sat on a hydro wire with a large beetle that it had recently snagged.

Collared Kingfisher - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Near the end of my walk I finally struck gold in the form of a pair of Pied Trillers, a member of the Cuckooshrike family. Great views were had, though both birds stayed relatively high in the Australian Pines making photos a bit difficult.

Pied Triller - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

A screeching call drew my attention next; could it be a Blue-naped Parrot? The culprit was sitting quietly in one of the pines but by changing my position I soon spotted the bird which was soon joined by its mate. An excellent start to the trip!

Blue-naped Parrot - Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

That afternoon I relaxed and completed some prep work for the tour before meeting my group for our welcome dinner. The next day we would be traveling together to the highlands of Mount Kinabalu where endemic birds, squirrels and lizards, as well as a variety of orchids and pitcher plants awaited.

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Saturday, 22 June 2019

Tawny Crescent search at Carden Alvar

I have been on somewhat of a mission this spring and summer to work away at my Ontario butterfly list. While I have been interested in butterflies since the summer of 2011, it has only been during the last year or so that I have specifically targeted some of Ontario's range-restricted species. So far this spring I had already seen success with West Virginia White, Sleepy Duskywing, Dusted Skipper, and Mottled Duskywing, as well as a more widespread species in Common Roadside Skipper.

On Wednesday I finished up my Haliburton surveys by noon, and I had nothing on my schedule until evening amphibian surveys near the town of Durham in Grey County. This meant that I had a full afternoon and evening to make the drive across southern Ontario. Naturally I took a detour to the Carden Alvar for several hours in the early afternoon.

Alvar Road is one of my favourite places to explore at Carden, and despite the deep potholes filled with water I slowly navigated my trusty Mazda 3 along its length, beginning from the Victoria Road side. I periodically got out to stop and explore, as literally hundreds of butterflies were littering the roadway! Indian Skippers were once again the most dominant species and I must have seen over 200. It was insane.

Indian Skipper - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

One of the first non-Indian Skipper butterflies I saw was a Common Roadside Skipper, its wings in better conditions than the one I saw the previous day at Sandy Lake Road. It was one of eight (!) I observed at Carden, making me think that I was quite silly for targeting this species at Sandy Lake Road earlier.

Common Roadside Skipper - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

The other common skipper out in big numbers was Tawny-edged. This species is relatively widespread in southern Ontario, and is easily identified due to its small size and distinctive orange leading edge of the forewing from underneath.

Tawny-edged Skipper - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

An interesting tiger beetle caught my attention and I soon realized it was one I had not seen before. This is a Common Claybank Tiger Beetle, a species which prefers clay over sand, as its name implies.

Common Claybank Tiger Beetle - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

Around the same time, this millipede was crossing the road. With the assistance of folks at iNaturalist I now know that this is Pesudopolydesmus canadensis.

Pseudopolydesmus canadensis - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

A Common Grass-Veneer that touched down on to the roadside.

Common Grass-Veneer - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

But while looking at moths, tiger beetles and millipedes was fun, the main reason I was at Carden was to search for a Tawny Crescent.

In Ontario we have three species of resident crescents (Phycoides). Both the Northern Crescent and Pearl Crescent are widespread, but the third species is the little known Tawny Crescent. The Tawny Crescent is much more restricted in its range, being found especially along the southern edge of the Canadian Shield in open habitats such as alvars and barrens. Tawny Crescents fly for a very short period (compared to the common two species of crescent), furthering the difficulty of finding one.

Northern Crescent and Indian Skipper - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

The identification of crescents is perplexing at best and many individuals are best left unidentified. There is still a ton to learn about these species! While Tawny Crescents are generally very dark from above, the most reliable way to tell apart a Tawny Crescent is by the colour and patterning of the underwings. This butterfly is a fairly typical Northern Crescent. From below, note the extent and colour of the patch on the rear margin of the hindwing. Generally this patch is brownish and extends quite a ways into the wing. Tawny Crescents meanwhile are straw-yellow from underneath, with much reduced coloration at the rear margin of the hindwing. The forewing also has a reduced pattern when compared to Northern Crescent.

Northern Crescent - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

The above Northern Crescent was one of dozens that were seen along the roadsides. However numbers were lower than what I expected, making me wonder if I was still just a little too early for Tawny Crescent.

I shouldn't have worried since I came across two individuals that seem to check all the boxes for Tawny Crescent over the course of the afternoon! The first one was quite dark from above, giving off a classic appearance. From below, compare the coloration of the hindwing compared to the Northern Crescent, above, and you will see the differences. Also see that the Tawny Crescents have dark antennae tips, while Northern Crescents have orange tips (Pearl Crescents often have dark tips as well).

Tawny Crescent - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

The second Tawny Crescent was a little further up Alvar Road, but still a good distance east of the intersection with Wylie Road. It was a bit trickier to identify from above, but its underwing pattern gave it away!

Tawny Crescent - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

Tawny Cresent - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

I slowly continued up the road, stopping quite often to scan the numerous skippers.

Common Roadside Skipper - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

My first Northern Cloudywings of the year were flying as well.

Northern Cloudywing - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

While we are on the theme of drab, brown butterflies - duskywings were flying in low numbers and included both Columbine Duskywing and Juvenal's Duskywing.

Columbine Duskywing - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

Juvenal's Duskywing - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

The remaining skippers that I identified were all either Hobomok or Arctic. Try as I might, I couldn't dig up any Two-spotted Skippers, and even European Skippers were not flying. Normally by now, thousands of them can be seen puddling on the road, competing with the native species.

Hobomok Skipper - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

Arctic Skipper - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

Black Swallowtail - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

For those worrying that I have stopped looking at birds altogether, fear not! I could not help but spend ten minutes watching a Black-billed Cuckoo furtively hunting in the roadside hedgerow. Eventually, it popped out onto an open branch for a few seconds - a rare occurrence with these birds.

Black-billed Cuckoo - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

I will finish with a few more photographs of some of the other butterflies and moths from the afternoon. The Carden Alvar is an amazing place that I wish I could spend more time at!

Common Roadside Skipper - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

Northern Crescent - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

courting Silvery Blues - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

White-spotted Sable - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

Northern Crescent - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes

Common Roadside Skipper - Alvar Road, Carden Alvar, Kawartha Lakes