Explorations of an Ecologist: 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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Saturday, 29 June 2019

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

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