Borneo: Tour Extension To Peninsular Malaysia

After the main Borneo tour had finished, eight of the travellers joined Laura and I on a tour extension to peninsular Malaysia. We split our time between two distinct regions: the foothill forests at Fraser’s Hill, and the steamy lowlands of Taman Negara. 

Dusky Leaf Monkey - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Fraser’s Hill provided us with a huge variety of new bird species, many of which are Himalayan in origin and found here at the south end of their global range. The highlights were numerous and barbets, woodpeckers, laughingthrushes and owls were well-represented. Walking along quiet roads through the forest proved very productive; “bird-waves” containing a multitude of colourful species were frequent. 

Red-headed Trogon - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Dark Hawk-Cuckoo - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Buff-breasted Babbler - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Streaked Spiderhunter - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Black-throated Sunbird - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Little Cuckoo-Dove - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Malayan Laughingthrush - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Hume's White-eyes - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Silver-eared Mesia - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Black Laughingthrush - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Pygmy Cupwing - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Fire-tufted Barbet - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

It wasn’t just the birds that entertained us at Fraser’s Hill. We enjoyed sightings of White-thighed Surilis, Siamang Gibbons, Dusky Leaf Monkeys, an Oriental Whipsnake and a rare Impressed Tortoise.

White-thighed Surili - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Oriental Whipsnake (Ahaetulalla prasina) - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Gray-bellied Squirrel (Callosciurus caniceps) - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Impressed Tortoise (Manouria impressa) - Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

The tour extension finished in Taman Negara, an area of lowland forest further east along the peninsula. Although the birding was tough given the time of year, we persevered and came through with some excellent sightings. 

Lesser Fish-Eagle - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Brown Whip Snake (Dryophiops rubescens) - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Green Broadbill, Malayan Blue-banded Kingfisher, Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo and Malayan Crested Fireback were some of the standout birds. Unfortunately, some of our “best” birds here were heard and not seen, including Malayan Banded Pitta, Crested Partridge, Gould’s Frogmouth and Blyth’s Frogmouth – all the more reason to return one day. 

Blue-winged Leafbird - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Green Broadbill - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Malayan Blue-banded Kingfisher - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Scarlet-rumped Trogon - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Rufous-winged Philentoma - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Banded Woodpecker - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Malayan Crested Fireback - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Laura and I led a few evening forays into the forest which were highly successful. Below are some of our favourite nocturnal discoveries. 

Polypedates sp. - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Paramarmessoidea annulata - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Vietnamese Centipede (Scolopendra dehaani) - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Elegant Bronzeback (Dendrelahis formosus) - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Erebus caprimulgus - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

David Bowie Spider (Heteropoda davidbowie) - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Polypedates sp. - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Giant Blue Scorpion (Heterometrus spinifer) - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Long-nosed Horned Frog (Pelobatrachus nasutus) - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Asian Cross-lined Wave (Traminda aventiaria) - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Double-spotted Gecko (Gekko monarchus) - Taman Negara National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Thanks to the travellers who joined Laura and I in the Malay Peninsula. We all came away with amazing memories from this beautiful corner of the world.