Malaysia Bird Watching Report

Malaysia Travel Guide:
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White-necked Babbler - Taman Negara © James Eaton/ Birdtour Asia

The classic Peninsular Malaysia tour produced some fine birding throughout, despite the often sub-optimal weather conditions making the birding ever the more difficult. Covering the well-trodden path of Kuala Selangor, Bukit Fraser and finishing off at Taman Negara we observed a total of 265 species with an additional 14 heard. Not only did this total include both of Malaysia’s shy highland endemics, Malayan Whistling Thrush and Malayan Partridge but also a number of other ‘must see’ species; both Banded and Garnet Pitta’s performed superbly, add to this Malaysian Peacock Pheasant, Crested Partridge, 18 species of Woodpecker, 7 species of Barbet, 4 species of Trogon, 3 Rufous-collared Kingfishers, Yellow-vented Green Pigeon, 6 species of Broadbill, 18 species of Bulbul including the beautiful Scaly-breasted, outstanding views of hyper-elusive White-necked and Marbled Wren Babblers and finally one of Malaysia’s biggest stars, the truly cosmic Rail-babbler.

We kicked the tour off at Kuala Selangor, a small coastal nature park on Malaysia’s mangrove-lined west coast giving us a gentle introduction to the avifauna of Southeast Asia and providing us with some nice birding. Arriving mid morning we decided to head straight for the park. Pink-necked Green Pigeons were noticeably common in the various fruiting trees surrounding the lagoons, while the heronry held two particularly showy Purple Herons incubating below the huge numbers of Grey Heron. Pied Triller, Laced Woodpecker, Common Flameback, Stork-billed Kingfisher and Golden-bellied Geryogone were much in evidence in the bund-side scrub. Heading to our comfortable hotel for a quick rest and lunch to recharge our batteries after the long-haul flight, gave us the energy to spend the whole afternoon in the hot and humid conditions in and around the mangroves of the nature park. Despite the heat we soon located a splendid Mangrove Blue Flycatcher in full song next to the trail. Not long after another speciality was to fall, this time a Mangrove Whistler singing its full repertoire in the ‘scope for us. Happy with proceedings we moved north to the rice fields. Cinnamon Bitterns were particularly common and gave many gave superb views, though the Zitting Cisticola’s proved a little trickier. A small number of busy Baya Weavers, included a showy male complete with yellow cap, and finally 2 Yellow Bitterns gave themselves up flying straight past us.
Next morning we were rewarded with an early start of a Buffy Fish Owl making the most of the over night rain, perching above one of the many puddles near to the car park, and shortly afterwards a Smooth-coated Otter feeding in the channel. Unfortunately we failed to locate Mangrove Pitta, but a stately perched Lesser Adjutant was some compensation. Both Malaysian Bronze and Rusty-breasted Cuckoo performed as requested, sitting on bare branches for us. With the heat soon catching up on us we decided to head for the hills and made the quick ascent up to the cooler climes of Bukit (=Hill) Fraser, a smart hill station situated at 1000 metres. The network of narrow, quiet roads and trails were made full use of over the next 5 days, and most of the hoped for birds showed extremely well.
We wasted little time on arrival, and after dropping our bags at the accommodating hotel, we headed to one of the forested road circuits. A productive afternoon soon followed, starting with duetting Large Scimitar Babblers creeping towards us in the understory, then soon afterwards it was feeding flock after feeding flock, predominately comprising of inquisitive Mountain Fulvettas, Golden Babblers, Chestnut-crowned Warblers, Mountain Tailorbird, White-throated Fantails, Long-tailed Sibia, Lesser Racquet-tailed Drongos and gorgeous Silver-eared Mesias. Sorting through these quick moving parties proved an enjoyable challenge, as it wasn’t long before we had ‘scope-filling views of gaudy Long-tailed Broadbills, several Streaked Spiderhunters seemingly on steroids, both Black-browed and flashy Fire-tufted Barbets, Golden-bellied Leafbird, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, two delightful Speckled Piculets and ever-enjoyable Chestnut-capped Laughingthrushes. Both Black-eared and White-browed Shrike Babblers, and Buff-breasted Babblers, Malaysian Cuckooshrike, Large Niltava, Mountain Bulbul and Black & Crimson Oriole put in multiple appearances, and this would be the trend for the following 4 days.

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Silver-breasted Broadbill – Fraser’s Hill Malayan Partridge – Fraser’s Hill

Hitting the trails next morning enabled us to catch up with the more cryptic species that inhabit the Malay highlands. After a brief tussle with playback we were soon admiring a singing male Lesser Shortwing filling the scope. Though shortly after this, and a female Red-headed Trogon followed by 3 more Lesser Shortwings, we had to change our plans slightly. Our chosen trail of the morning, the infamous Bishop’s Trail has not been maintained for over a year now and is seemingly facing a similar fate to other trails around the resort by becoming impassable, So we had to turn round and chose a different route. This was a minor masterstroke as only 50 metres along our new path a male White-tailed Robin perched nearby. Better was soon to follow as 8 Malayan Partridges crossed the trail in front of us one by one, then proceeded to feed next to the trail, scratching off the leaf litter, standing back, before diving face first into the fresh soil, completely oblivious to our presence! The rest of the day was obviously going to struggle to compete with such a start but we managed to keep on going, despite a pair of calling Long-billed Partridge refusing to put in an appearance. A co-operative pair of noisy Rufous-browed Flycatchers was the first of several, and a showy pair of Streaked Wren Babbler performed admirably next to the trail, and the feeding flocks contained both Greater and Lesser Yellownapes. The afternoon followed in a similar vein to yesterday, though some light showers dampened proceedings momentarily. Several feeding flocks were once again encountered along the road, managing to produce vocal Malayan Laughingthrushes, several views of a male Red-headed Trogon and yet more Long-tailed Broadbills all among the flocks. Later in the day a singing Pygmy Wren Babbler tried our patience until appearing from the dense undergrowth, and a Pale Blue Flycatcher sallied for insects from a nearby tree below us.

Next morning we walked down the road away from the resort as we dropped 200 metres in elevation. This produced a slight change in avifauna, and a whole range of new species was soon added to our ever-increasing list. Green Magpies were soon spotted whistling to each other, showing off their vivid green plumes against an outrageously big red bill. The more subtle Blue-winged Minla flocked in the sub-canopy, while Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes and Grey-chinned Minivets became noticeable. Though activity was generally low this morning, the birds kept ticking by. An adult Rufous-bellied Eagle was next to show, then a Black Eagle soared in the distance. It wasn’t long before the distinctive two-note call of the rare, and seldom seen, Marbled Wren Babbler was heard in a dense gulley. Once again I was expecting the usual glimpses of this incredibly secretive ground-dweller, so we positioned ourselves strategically, enabling us to see a few metres in front of us while keeping ourselves seemingly hidden from the birds. Within minutes a Marbled Wren Babbler perched up just 2 metres away in the open, not even binoculars were required for such a view! The bird quickly disappeared. Fearing having seen us was the end proved wrong, as the birds then proceeded to duet just metres from us completely unconcealed for over a minute, giving us the opportunity to study the marbled breast pattern, chestnut ear coverts and how the face pattern was distinct between sexes! We even had the luxury of walking away as they continued singing, a mind-blowing experience for all. The rest of the walk down to ‘The Gap Resthouse’ was still productive, with a family party of Red-bearded Bee-eaters, Green-billed and several Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, along with several family parties of bamboo dwelling Yellow-bellied Warblers. On reaching the Resthouse, a few badia Striated Swallows sallied overhead producing nice views of yet another highly distinctive Malay race, perhaps deserving full species status. While both Ashy and Black-crested Bulbuls sang nearby with Everett’s White-eye putting in a brief appearance.
The afternoon was almost a washout, when the heavy grey clouds delivered what we feared they were promising, a full-blown thunderstorm. We were soon back in the comforts of our rooms but not after quickly admiring yet another male Red-headed Trogon, Long-tailed Broadbill and nest building Golden Babblers. Finally, with just an hour left before dark we headed back out after the torrential thunderstorm, to watch a Silver-breasted Broadbill popping it’s head out of it’s newly constructed nest, along with Slaty-backed Forktails busy feeding on the road in front of us mistaking it for a river!

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Scaly-breasted Bulbul – The Gap Black Laughingthrush – The Gap

Dawn saw us ready at ‘The Gap’ for some of the more difficult mid-altitude species. A great start soon saw us admiring a pair of Bamboo Woodpeckers perched on an exposed bamboo branch drying out in the gloom after the heavy thunderstorm from the previous day. Frustratingly, two groups of Ferruginous Partridges were heard distantly from the roadside. Despite the dark and overcast conditions we were soon picking up more new species. Blue-crowned Hanging-parrots and a brief pair of Pin-tailed Parrotfinches zoomed overhead, and a smart Silver-breasted Broadbill perched up on the roadside for us to admire after only seeing a head the previous evening; and a surprise Chestnut-naped Forktail flew along the road gutter! The shift in altitude was noticeable; feeding flocks now comprised of hyperactive Velvet-fronted Nuthatches, Asian Fairy Bluebirds, White-bellied Yuhina and Bronzed Drongos. Spectacled Spiderhunter, Scarlet Minivet and Orange-bellied Flowerpecker each made a single appearance in with the commoner species. However a pair of Sultan Tits were frustratingly high in the canopy as the mist appeared, before we once again put away our binoculars as another thunderstorm appeared, though not before we watched a perched Whiskered Treeswift getting completely drenched from the comforts of our vehicle!
The afternoon started belatedly once the rains had ceased, though this was a blessing in disguise as the first feeding flock we encountered finally produced Grey-throated Babblers, a species that had previously eluded us, along with yet another smart Red-headed Trogon. The next feeding flock soon raised the pulses as we quickly located the much wanted Blue Nuthatch as it sallied over the road. Fortunately it then acted in a more stereotypical manner and we were treated to prolonged scope views of this goggle-eyed, blue beauty. Many more feeding flocks were encountered as they busily worked their way through the foliage producing even greater numbers than the previous days species, with one flock containing no less than 5 co-operative Blue Nuthatches. With time still to spare we wandered inside the forest and within minutes found a group of Malayan Partridges feeding unobtrusively next to the trail, allowing even better views than previously, but two Rusty-naped Pittas failed to show despite their sporadic calling to each other at the bottom of a dense gulley. As dusk fell and the mist rolled in the distinctive, and frustrating two-note call, of Mountain Scops Owl was heard and despite it being low down and close at times, just seeing its silhouette in flight was all we could manage.

Due to our successes over the previous days most of our missing species were lower down, so we headed back to the Gap the following morning. A singing Hill Blue Flycatcher next to the road, shortly followed by another, reconfirmed this decision, as did a Blyth’s Hawk Eagle that flew low past us, being followed by a variety of passerines. Activity was noticeably high this morning with new species continually in view. A feeding flock, predominantly comprising of the unique White-hooded Babbler, suddenly appeared along with Checker-throated Woodpeckers and finally a gorgeous male Orange-breasted Trogon that just sat singing in the open for 10 minutes allowing for plenty of digiscoping. This never ending flock then racked up Buff-rumped and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpeckers, huge Gold-whiskered Barbet, Blue-winged Leafbird, Ochraceous Bulbul, Green Magpie and Red-headed Trogon. With the temperature now soaring the activity dropped so we headed back to the cooler climes of Fraser’s Hill, though not before observing Yellow-vented and Orange-bellied Flowerpeckers along with nice views of Everett’s White-eye in flowering bushes, and finally digiscoping the Whiskered Treeswift, now much better and drier conditions!
We covered similar ground in the afternoon, again providing plenty of activity and yet more new birds for us. We caught up with a party of vivid Sultan Tits, busy feeding in the sub-canopy and later saw yet another in a large feeding flock, predominately of the ever entertaining Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush. Some peculiar growls from the forest proved to be a young Red-bearded Bee-eater, still unable to grow even a hint of a red beard. Making a slight detour before the oncoming thunderstorm was initially frustrating, as Bushy-crested Hornbills started to call on the distant hillside but remained out of view. Then the distinctive calls of a Yellow-vented Green Pigeon distracted us before watching it munch away on some tasty berries in a roadside tree. On our journey back up the hill there was a sigh of relief as a pair of Rhinoceros Hornbills briefly flew-by and landed on top of a nearby tree, providing us with great views of our first hornbills, a suitable ending to another fine day.

After treating ourselves to a breakfast in the hotel on our final morning we wandered over to a nearby fast flowing stream where we were soon enjoying prolonged views of Malaysia’s second seldom seen endemic, Malayan Whistling Thrush, sitting just above the track. Deciding to give the Rusty-naped Pitta another attempt was a good choice for other reasons. Though only hearing the Pitta rather distantly, a group of 3 Large Scimitar Babblers provided all the entertainment we required as they fed busily on the trail around nearby rotting wood, enabling us to study every feather detail and feeding habit as they peeked inside all the crevices and threw away all the bits of loose wood for over 5 minutes; until a huge group of school children wandered by to learn about the ecology of their wonderful forests. A walk back up to the vehicle was once again interrupted as four Orange-backed Woodpeckers hammered away on the surrounding trees at a surprisingly high altitude for the species.
At this point we said our farewells to the highlands and departed for the lowlands and the never ending plantations of Oil Palm. We allowed ourselves an hour en-route for stops along the road towards Raub. Incredibly our first stop finally produced a confiding flock of the localised Black Laughingthrush busy among the bamboo. At the next stop a feeding flock passed through, firstly a brief Rufous Piculet, followed by a surprise group of 4 Scaly-breasted Bulbul, perhaps the hardest of Malaysia’s bulbuls. Continuing, our journey was briefly halted by a perched Grey-headed Fish Eagle, and soaring immature Rufous-bellied Eagle, before we reached our end point, the Kuala Temberling jetty. This being the jumping off point for the boat journey up-river to Malaysia’s finest attraction, the huge Taman Negara National Park, encompassing a vast area of rainforest from almost sea-level to 2,100 metres. The relaxing cruise up the mighty Temberling was quiet as usual, though a group of Black Hornbills and our only shorebirds of the tour, Red-wattled Lapwing were observed. Arriving in the early evening gave us a brief opportunity to bird around our comfortable chalets before heading off for a most enjoyable dinner.

Starting around the chalets after breakfast gave us the opportunity to find a number of frugivores that inhabit the general area, due to the large number of fig trees that regularly fruit around the resort. Bulbuls were particularly conspicuous, comprising 9 species on just the first morning, including the localised Grey-bellied. Red-throated Barbets were joined by Greater Green Leafbirds, a female Green Broadbill and 3 species of Spiderhunter, Spectacled, Yellow-eared and numerous Grey-breasted. Eventually a small flock of Little and Thick-billed Green Pigeons flew in for prolonged views feeding in the low canopy, and a personal favourite, Black and Yellow Broadbill showed superbly as they duetted from the sub-canopy. Walking along the river before setting off into the forest proved so productive that we struggled to make it back for lunch. Though many species weren’t vocalising we located some good feeding flocks, comprising of a variety of the commoner babblers. The first flock bumped into provided a slight surprise as we were able to watch a pair of Large Wren-babblers busy feeding at close range in the leaf litter, as a Grey-and-buff Woodpecker quietly fed just above our heads. It wasn’t long before our first Trogon started calling and we were soon admiring the brilliant colours of a male Red-naped Trogon sitting unobtrusively in front of us as an Olive-backed Woodpecker pecked away next to us. A juvenile Drongo Cuckoo being fed by Black-naped Monach’s was fun to watch as it completely out-sized and screamed at its surrogate parents. While watching these birds a party of Crested Partridge ran across the track, luckily one after the other enabling great views of the males, complete with whacky red crests. This purple patch continued as the unmistakeable whistle of a Garnet Pitta was soon heard in a nearby gulley. After much patience and slow creeping we eventually located the bird feeding elusively in the understory, not to fret though as another one popped up right in front of our faces, perched on an open branch staring at us, flashing his iridescent blue supercillium and glowing red belly. To see this species so well was a real highlight for us all. As we walked up the steep hillside the birds remained firmly on our side as a smart male Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Banded Broadbill, unusually showy but shy Black Magpies and another family of Red-bearded Bee-eaters let us have prolonged rests on the way up. We just managed to make it back to the resort for a well-deserved late lunch and siesta in the hot and humid conditions, having stopped briefly for a pair of Black-thighed Falconets sitting distantly in a nearby clearing. The rest of the afternoon was spent around the resort picking up much the same as the early morning, with some great looks at 4 Black-thighed Falconets busy feeding overheard and calling noisily to each other, before a Violet Cuckoo performed a display flight overhead.

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Rufous-collared Kingfisher – Taman Negara Green Broadbill – Taman Negara

Birding along the relatively flat terrain between Gua Telinga and Yong Hide on two occasions proved more than fruitful for some of the parks more elusive species. It was hard to pick a highlight from this area, as a pair of Malaysian Rail-babbler performed superbly, close enough to even here their quiet ‘clucking’ calls on 2 dates. After some nervous waiting and patient stalking, 3 male Banded Pitta all performed superbly, especially the second male, as it hopped straight towards us before sitting on an open log calling just 5 metres away. Another Garnet Pitta that gave prolonged scope views before hopping off its perch and circling us a full 360 degrees in view the whole time! Many species were noticeably quiet, especially Malaysian Peacock-pheasant. As luck would have it the only bird we heard was actually found sitting on the trail in front of us calling away! Male Rufous-collared Kingfishers came into view twice, both times seen calling frantically in the scope, though as usual Black-backed Kingfishers darted past without stopping on several occasions, and Banded Kingfisher refused to show despite calling nearby. A fine supporting cast included yet more Crested Partridges, a roving flock of Bushy-crested Hornbills, more Scarlet-rumped Trogons, flyby Long-tailed Parakeets, Large Wren-babblers and two showy Striped Wren-babblers along with the usual array of Bulbuls and Babblers, including Fluffy-backed Tit, Grey-headed and chunky Chestnut-rumped.

A tranquil, scenic boat ride up the Tahan River one morning gave us the opportunity to observe some of the park’s canopy dwellers, as the sun started to rise so did the Hornbills, and we twice observed flocks of over 17 Rhinoceros Hornbills slowly flying across the river, a wonderful sight. A lone perched Large Green Pigeon was a welcome sighting of this nomadic species and the biggest surprise of the tour, a Storm’s Stork perched in a dead tree right beside the river, a rare bird in Peninsular Malaysia, especially in the accessible areas of Taman Negara. The boat ride gave us superb views of species that inhabit river banks, particularly gaudy Black-and-red Broadbills, tame White-chested Babblers, Malaysian Blue Flycatchers, and that powerful songster the Straw-headed Bulbul.
Walks along the river proved more worthwhile than in past years as we located a couple of good fruiting trees, both seemingly alive with Green Broadbills and Fairy Bluebirds, but also holding a few scarcer species including Finsch’s Bulbul, Yellow-crowned Barbet and Long-billed Spiderhunter. Yet another stunning male Rufous-collared Kingfisher performed repeatedly for the digiscopers, with the same gulley also home to a pair of Chestnut-naped Forktails. A nice surprise came in the form of 3 White-necked Babblers, which put to shame their name tag of being one of the park’s more shy and elusive species as they fed completely oblivious on the trail to the amazement of the watching eyes of both tourists and birders.
Sadly after 5 bird-filled days we bade farewell to Malaysia’s showpiece national park and drove into Kuala Lumpur for an overnight stay ready for the following morning flights.

During this 14 day tour we recorded a total of 265 species, with a further 14 heard. We were luckily enough to observe both of Malaysia’s elusive endemics, Malayan Whistling Thrush and Malayan Partridge in the highlands, along with the rarely-seen Marbled Wren-babbler. While in the lowlands we had fantastic views of both Banded and Garnet Pittas, Malaysian Rail-babbler, and Malaysian Peacock-Pheasant.