We left the Kinabatangan River behind and transferred to our next destination, the Tabin Wildlife Reserve. This is the largest swath of protected forest; an area of lowland primary and logged forest that is home to iconic species like the Bornean Pygmy Elephant, the Sun Bear and formerly, the Bornean Rhinoceros (they are, sadly, now extinct). We stayed in beautiful cabins alongside a picturesque river that is home to Malaysian Blue-banded Kingfishers, Asian Water Monitors and Small-clawed Otters.
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Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Asian Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Southern Pig-tailed Macaques (Macaca nemestrina) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Red Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista petaurista) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
Afternoon and evening drives provided many of the highlights here, many of which were mammals. We found four Sunda Leopard Cats, a Sabah Grizzled Langur, several species of civets, a Moonrat, Bornean Orangutans, Slow Loris, Sunda Colugo and two species of flying squirrel. Hornbills were often seen in the evening, while we also found Brown Wood-Owl and Buffy Fish-Owl at night (and a bonus Sunda Frogmouth). One night, as we rumbled along the gravel track in our safari truck, we heard the distinctive trumpeting of Borean Pygmy Elephants! I had already accepted that we would miss this species on our trip, since we hadn't found any at the Kinabatangan River (the only site where I had seen them previously). It was quite a surprise to watch a group of 30-plus elephants feeding on vegetation beside the road at night! We returned the following afternoon and had prolonged, amazing views of the group. The next day, they were gone.
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Dusk drive at Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Philippine Palm Civet (Paradoxurus philippinensis) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Moonrat (Echinosorex gymnurus) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Sunda Frogmouth - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Sunda Leopard Cat (Prionailurus javanensis) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Sunda Leopard Cat (Prionailurus javanensis) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Brown Wood-Owl - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Small-toothed Palm Civet (Arctogalidia trivirgata) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Sunda Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Trefoil Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus trifoliatus) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Southern Pig-tailed Macaques (Macaca nemestrina) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Southern Pig-tailed Macaques (Macaca nemestrina) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
Birding was top-notch at Tabin as well. Fruiting trees near the lodge gave us excellent views of Asian Fairy-Bluebirds, Scaly-breasted Bulbuls, Yellow-vented Flowerpeckers and Little Green-Pigeons alongside North Bornean Gibbons. We found 7 species of hornbills highlighted by a Helmeted Hornbill that produced its incredible laughing call from a roadside tree. A walk to the mud volcano was quite birdy with a Bornean Banded Kingfisher, Striped Wren-Babbler and a Blue-headed Pitta that just wouldn't come out of the thick understory. White-bellied Munia is a Tabin specialty and we easily found some with mixed munia flocks along the roadside, along with a rare migrant Tiger Shrike (just the second record for the reserve). A memorable morning was spent in the unlogged "core area" where we found highlights such as Gray-and-buff Woodpecker, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Black-crowned Pittas at a feeding station, a roosting Blyth's Frogmouth and the first record of Ferruginous Flycatcher for Tabin. On our drive back to the lodge we found another new species for the reserve - a migrant Chinese Sparrowhawk. And our Storm's Storm luck followed us here from the Kinabatangan River, as we found a solitary individual sitting on top of a tree next to the reserve.
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Striped Wren-Babbler - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Rhinoceros Hornbill - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Tiger Shrike - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Banded Kingfisher - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bushy-crested Hornbills - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Chinese Sparrowhawk - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Buff-rumped Woodpecker - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Black-crowned Pittas - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Charlotte's Bulbul - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Blyth's Frogmouth - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Oriental Pied-Hornbill - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Greater Coucal - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Blue-throated Bee-eater - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Storm's Stork - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
Not to be outdone by the mammals and birds, we also had a few reptile and amphibian highlights at Tabin, including an unruly Black Copper Rat Snake that I helped off of the road. Overall, our visit to Tabin was one of the trip's highlights for us. This reserve is not regularly visited by tourists since it is a little bit off the typical route, but the wildlife sightings never fail to disappoint.
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Black Copper Rat Snake (Coelognathus flavolineatus) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Borneo Forest Dragon (Gonocephalus bornensis) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Sphenomorphus sp. - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Double-spotted Gecko (Gekko monarchus) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Dark-eared Tree Frog (Polypedates macrotis) - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Wrangling a Black Copper Rat Snake - Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia |
We concluded the tour in the heart of the Danum Valley at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge. This is a world-class ecolodge surrounded by pristine lowland and lower hill forest, home to most of the iconic species found in Borneo. Our days were filled with exploration along the trails and on the extensive canopy walkway, while after dark we embarked on night drives and short hikes in search of frogs, reptiles, mammals, owls and more.
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Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Pyrops whiteheadi - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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File-eared Tree Frog (Polypedates otilophus) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Fringed Flying Dragon (Draco fimbriatus) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Great Orange Awlet (Bibasis etelka) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
The canopy walkway was fantastic this year in part due to the presence of a fruiting Ficus next to one of the towers. While waiting for Bornean Bristleheads to make an appearance, we had non-stop bird action with highlights like Pale Blue Flycatcher, Thick-billed Green-Pigeon, our eight (and final) hornbill species (Wrinkled Hornbill), Short-toed Coucal and eye-level barbets and broadbills. We lucked out with a group of three Bornean Bristleheads that appeared near one of the towers; after 5 minutes they were gone, never to be seen again.
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Black-and-yellow Broadbill - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Wrinkled Hornbill - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Thick-billed Green-Pigeon - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Black-naped Monarch - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Pale Blue Flycatcher - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Lesser Green Leafbird - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Maroon-breasted Philentoma - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Bristlehead - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Bristlehead - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Unidentified wasp - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Orange Gull (Cepora iudith) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Lasippa monata - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
Mammals were well-represented at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge. There are ten species of primates possible on our route in Sabah; by finding several Red Leaf Monkeys, we had completed the set with all ten species observed. We also had incredible eye-level views of a mother and juvenile Bornean Orangutan from the canopy walkway on our final morning.
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Philippine Palm Civet (Paradoxurus philippinensis) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Sunda Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Least Pygmy Squirrel (Exilisciurus exilis) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
The birding highlights in the Danum Valley were almost too numerous to mention; in addition to the species mentioned above, they also included Sunda Blue and Malaysian Blue Flycatchers, Whiskered Treeswifts, some rare Cream-eyed Bulbuls, and even a heard-only Bornean Ground-Cuckoo on the final morning.
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Red-bearded Bee-eater - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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White-fronted Falconet - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Bornean Spiderhunter - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Cream-eyed Bulbul (Pycnonotus pseudosimplex) |
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Bornean Black-capped Babbler - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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White-crowned Forktail - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Sunda Blue Flycatcher - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Horsfield's Babbler - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Whiskered Treeswift - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Moustached Babbler - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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White-spotted Cat Snake (Boiga drapiezii) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Gray Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis caudolineatus) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Oriental Whipsnake (Ahaetulla prasina) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Common Mock Viper (Psammodynastes pulverulentus) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Elegant Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis formosus) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Red-tailed Green Rat Snake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
Night drives were a highly anticipated part of our visit to the Danum Valley. Highlights included an active Sunda Colugo in the treetops, a Thomas's Flying Squirrel that glided right over our heads, a singing Reddish Scops-Owl and a huge diversity of lizards and snakes, several of which I had never seen before. Laura and I also led a night walk, while we did some exploring of our own after dark before and after the group activities. Our three nights at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge were incredible and we all could have happily stayed for another three nights.
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Unidentified stick insect (family Lonchodidae) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Giant Forest Ant (Dinomyrmex gigas gigas) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Black-crowned Pitta - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Chestnut-naped Forktail - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Borneo Forest Dragon (Gonocephalus bornensis) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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File-eared Tree Frog (Polypedates otilophus) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Orolestes wallacei - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Lyssa menoetius - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Sabah Lowland Bent-toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus yoshii) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Common Red Harlequin (Paralaxita telesia) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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David Bowie Spider (Heteropoda davidbowie) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Haania sp. - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Phormingochilus sp. - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Chasen's Frilled Tree Frog (Kurixalus chaseni) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Wallace's Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |
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Rough-necked Monitor (Varanus rudicollis) - Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia |