Trip Report: Trip Report: Peninsular Malaysia, July 3 - August 5, 1999
Wim Veraghtert, Prins Albertlei 21, 2390 Oostmalle, Belgium;
guy.veraghtert@village.uunet.be
Itinerary
- Saturday 03/07: Flight Brussels - London; London - Kuala Lumpur
- Sunday 04/07: Arrived in Kuala Lumpur airport at 15h00 local time.
Bus to Kuala Lumpur city, where we took a bus to Kuala Selangor (arrived
at 19h00). Went owling in the evening.
- Monday 05/07: Taman Alam Kuala Selangor: hides, boardwalk,
Bukit Melawati, Eagle trail.
- Tuesday 06/07: Taman Alam Kuala Selangor: Eagle and Langur
trails, boardwalk, walk to village, Bukit Melawati, boardwalk again in the evening.
- Wednesday 07/07: Taman Alam Kuala Selangor: boardwalk, hides;
left Kuala Selangor at 15h00. Took a taxi to the Gap - one hour birding
at the Gap (18h30 - 19h30).
- Thursday 08/07: The Gap: morning to early afternoon: KKB road;
afternoon: Raub road.
- Friday 09/07: The Gap: morning till afternoon: Fraser's Hill
road; late afternoon: KKB road.
- Saturday 10/07: The Gap: morning: Fraser's Hill road; left
the Gap at 15h00 for Fraser's Hill, where we birded around the flats
in the evening.
- Sunday 11/07: Fraser's Hill: Gate, Hemnant trail, Bishop's trail,
Maybank lodge, Abu Suradi trail.
- Monday 12/07: Fraser's Hill: Bishop's trail, Rubbish tip,
Jeriau Waterfall, High Pines garden.
- Tuesday 13/07: Fraser's Hill: Gate, Bishop' trail, Telekom
Loop, road to the Gap, Rubbish tip after sunset.
- Wednesday 14/07: Fraser's Hill: Gate, Pine Tree trail (up
to Pine Tree Hill), High Pines garden.
- Thursday 15/07: Fraser's Hill: Gate, Bishop's trail, High
Pines garden; left FH in the evening; went to the Gap.
- Friday 16/07: The Gap: Fraser's Hill road and new road in
the morning (till early afternoon), Raub road around noon, KKB road in
late afternoon.
- Saturday 17/07: left the Gap at 08h30 (lift to Raub); buses
Raub-Benta and Benta-Jerantut; taxi Jerantut-Kuala Tembeling; boat
to Taman Negara, where we arrived at 17h15.
- Sunday 18/07: Taman Negara: Swamp Loop, River trail,
Jenut Muda, clearing.
- Monday 29/07: Taman Negara: River trail, Jenut Muda,
clearing, Swamp Loop
- Tuesday 20/07: Taman Negara: Swamp Loop, Bukit Teresek,
River trail, Lubok Simpon
- Wednesday 21/07: Taman Negara: Yong and Blau hides.
- Thursday 22/07: Taman Negara: River trail, Jenut Muda,
clearing, Blau hide (Redd. S. owl)
- Friday 23/07: Taman Negara: Bukit Teresek - River
trail, Lubok Simpon, clearing
- Saturday 24/07: Taman Negara: River trail, clearing,
Lubok Simpon.
- Sunday 25/07: Taman Negara: Resort (fruiting trees),
Yong and Blau hide.
- Monday 26/07: Taman Negara: Resort (fruiting trees),
River trail - arriving at Kumbang hide in the evening.
- Tuesday 27/07: Taman Negara: Kumbang hide area - Kuala Trenggan
- Wednesday 28/07: Taman Negara: Kumbang hide area - Kuala Trenggan
- Thursday 29/07: Taman Negara: Kuala Trenggan , Jenut Muda,
Lubok Simpon, clearing
- Friday 30/07: Taman Negara: Boat trip, Bukit Teresek
- Saturday 31/07: Taman Negara: Jenut Muda, Blau hide area
- Sunday 01/08: Taman Negara: Jenut Muda, Swamp loop, Lubok Simpon
- Monday 02/08: Taman Negara: Jenut Muda, Canopy walkway, Blau
- Thursday 03/08: Taman Negara: Orang Asli village.
- Friday 04/08: Kuala Tembeling - Kuala Lumpur (4 hours sightseeing);
Plane to London left at 23h30
Participants
Ilf Jacobs (Molenheide 173, 2242 Pulderbos, Belgium)
Wim Veraghtert (Prins Albertlei 21, 2390 Oostmalle, Belgium)
Miscellaneous
Transport
Malaysia has got an extensive network of public transport: we
took buses to get to Kuala Selangor, Taman Negara and the airport.
Taxis are also an easy way to get around in Malaysia, but a lot more
expensive than the public transport (although quite cheap by western
standards). We took a taxi from Kuala Selangor to the Gap - see also
site accounts.
Weather
Generally fine, varying from too hot (Kuala Selangor) to cold
(Fraser's Hill at night). It was generally hot and humid during our trip,
but almost no rain (only a bit in Kuala Selangor on our last day there
and during the last days of our stay in Taman Negara).
Money
100 USD = 376 Malaysian Ringgit (RM). 1 RM = 10 Belgian Francs.
Timing
July is not the best month to visit Peninsular Malaysia, because
in winter, a number of additional interesting species (waders, herons,
Forest Wagtail, Grey Nightjar, Hooded Pitta, shrikes, Siberian Thrush,
flycatchers and Phylloscopus warblers and last but not least Masked
Finfoot) can also be seen. March is definitely better. July is also
characterized by a lack of fruiting trees; many trees were flowering,
as August is a fruiting month. The lack of fruiting trees had also a
negative influence on our species list (especially for some families,
such as doves, flowerpeckers, barbets, ...). Though, we still managed
to get more than 300 species on our list.
Insects
Surprisingly, not too many mosquitoes, only in the mangroves.
Leeches are common along some of the trails at Fraser's Hill and in
Taman Negara. An insect repellent (DEET) is necessary.
Health
There's no malaria in Peninsular Malaysia. Vaccinations are not
necessary.
References
Literature
We only took the new A Field Guide to the Birds of West Malaysia
and Singapore by Allen Jeyarajasingam and Alan Pearson with us.
Very good, but almost no distribution maps.
A Guide to the Birds of Thailand by Boonsong Lekagul and
Philip D. Round is also useful, but doesn't cover all the species occurring
in Peninsular Malaysia.
At Fraser's Hill, we met a dude whom had only A Field Guide to
the Birds of South-East Asia by Ben King et al. with him;
he couldn't identify a Green Magpie, because it wasn't in the book...
Collar, N.J., Crosby, M.J. and Stattersfield, A.J. (1994) Birds
to watch 2: the world list of threatened birds. Cambridge, U.K.:
Birdlife International (Birdlife Conservation Series No. 4) (Electronic
version - can be obtained at the following website: http://www.hyperscribe.org/merlin/btw.htm)
A Birdwatcher's Guide to Malaysia by John Bransbury can be
useful, but is not necessary. The checklists in the book are incomplete,
the maps are so-and-so.
Tapes:
- A Field guide to the bird songs of South East Asia
- Terry White (1984).
- Several recordings made by Raf Drijvers and Ward Vercruysse on
their trips to South East Asia.
- Other recordings made by Simon Harrap, Jelle Scharringa,
obtained by David Van den Schoor.
- Some interesting recordings from Jelle Scharringa's CD-Rom.
Trip Reports
- The Malaysian Peninsular. Een ornithologische trip: 22 juli
- 14 augustus 1994 - David Van den Schoor (in Dutch).
- Birding in Peninsula Malaysia - Simon Harrap
- Malaysia. 13 Feb to 19 March 1987 - L.H. Cady and S.M.
Whitehouse.
- Trip Report: Peninsular Malaysia, June 10-29, 1998
- Aidan G. Kelly.
- Trip Report: Peninsular Malaysia, March 15 - April 5,
1997 - Susan Myers.
- Trip Report: Peninsular Malaysia, March 8-31, 1998
- David Geale.
- Trip Report: Peninsular Malaysia, February 22 - March 8,
1998 - David Fischer.
- West-Malaysia. Een ornithologische trip 11 juli -
18 augustus 1998 - Paul Geysels (in Dutch).
- Peninsular Malaysia. A report on the birds seen during a
trip from March 6 - March 25, 1999 - Stijn De Win.
- Thailand and Malaysia. Dec 1988 - Aug 1989. A report of the
birds (and mammals) seen on a trip to Thailand and Malaysia between
21st December 1988 and 22 May 1989 and 26th July to 8th August 1989
- Alan Lewis, Peter Morris and Nina Higgins.
- Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. 10 January - 13 May
1993. - Raf Drijvers.
- In search of the flying Rhino. A visit to Peninsular Malaysia.
A trip report of a visit made by Keith Martin and Claire Moss between
19th July and 21st August 1996 - Keith Martin.
- Trip Report: Peninsular Malaysia, March 7-13, 1999
- Graham Tebb.
Trip reports no. 4, 5, 6, 7, 12 and 13 can be found at:
http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/tripeports/.
Others are available from the Dutch Birding Travel Report Service.
Acknowledgements
- Thanks to David Van den Schoor, Raf Drijvers, Iwein Mauro and
Stijn De Win for all the very helpful pre-trip information and tapes given.
- Thanks to Raf Drijvers for letting us use his microphone.
- Thanks to Leo Janssen for loaning us several books.
- Thanks to Rob Bouwman and Niek Bosmans for arranging the boat trip
and letting us use a tape with some indispensable recordings.
- Thanks to Durai, for giving us some useful information.
- Thanks to Honore Vermeulen for loaning us his Mag-lite.
Site Accounts
The majority of the 400 bird species occurring in Peninsular Malaysia
can be seen by visiting four key sites: Kuala Selangor (KS), The Gap (G)
and Fraser's Hill (FH), and finally Taman Negara (TN). This means that
time spent travelling is limited. Getting around in Malaysia is quite
easy as there's an excellent and cheap network of public transport.
Kuala Selangor
Situated at the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, this park, which
consist of 200 hectares mangrove woodland and a large lagoon, offers
you the chance to see some of the typical mangrove species of Malaysia.
The manager of the park, Mr. Rasainthiran (= Rajan), knows a
lot about the local birds but wasn't too helpful for us.
His address is: M. Rasainthiran - Park Manager, Kuala Selangor Nature Park,
Jalan Klinik, 45000 Kuala Selangor, Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia. Tel 03-8892294; Fax 03-8894311
Getting there: Can easily be reached from Kuala Lumpur by bus.
Take a bus at Pudu Raya Bus station - the bus to KS leaves from
platform 23. It takes two hours to get in KS.
Accomodation: We stayed in one of the A-frame chalets
(two mattresses and a fan) in the reserve. They cost RM 25/night.
You can also stay in Hotel Selangor (RM 40/night). The famous
Come-come Hotel was closed when we were there. There are few
places to eat, the 99 Restaurant is probably the best.
Birding
- The reserve - Taman alam Kuala Selangor
There are only a few trails in the jungle, which are quite interesting;
we had Red Junglefowl, Rufous-tailed Tailorbird, Laced woodpecker,
Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Olive-winged Bulbul, Asian Paradise-Flycatcher
and even Mangrove Whistler and Mangrove Blue Flycatcher along the Eagle
and Langur trail.
The boardwalk is very interesting for typical mangrove species:
Mangrove Whistler, Flyeater, Sunda Woodpecker, Common Flameback and Great
Tit are fairly common. We also saw Mangrove Blue Flycatcher, Buffy Fish Owl
(1 juv.), Greater Flameback and Chestnut-bellied Malkoha from the boardwalk.
A Mangrove Pitta was calling near the end, but it didn't respond to the tape...
Three Mangrove Pitta's were heard, all were impossible to see.
You can also go to the hides or follow the trail around the
lagoon. In winter, it is possible to see some waders from the hides,
we had only two Greenshanks. Interesting species around the lagoon
included Rufous Woodpecker, White-headed Munia (2), Pink-necked Pigeon,
Black-winged Kite, Pied Triller, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Asian Koel, Ashy
Drongo (1), Chestnut-bellied Malkoha and Black-crowned Night Heron. At
night we heard several Collared Scops owls and saw five Large-tailed
Nightjars along these trails.
- Bukit Melawati
This hill just outside the reserve is well worth a visit, although it
hasn't got many species: Lineated and Coppersmith Barbets, Spotted
Dove, Brown-throated Sunbird, ...
A Brown-streaked Flycatcher was an unexpected, but welcome sighting.
A pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles breeds at the mast on the hill. At
night we heard a Spotted Wood owl there.
Mammals in the area include Silvered Leaf Monkey, Long-tailed
Macaque and Smooth Otter. Water Monitors are common.
Problems: Many mosquitoes on the boardwalk. Temperature:
an oppressive heat from about 8h30 till 17h00.
The Gap
The Gap is the area below Fraser's Hill, situated at the junction
of two roads (KKB - Raub, Gap - Fraser's Hill), about 90 km north of
Kuala Lumpur. At an altitude of 825 m, the Gap offers a lot of
interesting species, many of which do not occur at Fraser's Hill.
For us, the Gap was our first introduction to the Malaysian
forest and it was just magical.
Getting there: We took a taxi from Kuala Selangor to the
Gap. The 2,5 hour drive costs 160RM. You can also get there by bus,
but it takes a lot longer as you have to take a bus to Kubu Bahru and
then a bus to Raub.
Accomodation: There's only one place to stay at the Gap:
the Resthouse (Rumah rehat). This old-fashioned model has got only eight
rooms, which are very large (with bath) - on weekends it is probably
necessary to book in advance. A room costs 41 RM/night. Good meals are
served in the lounge. Electricity is only available at certain times (between
6h30 and 23h00).
Birding: Birding is restricted to the three roads. Recently a
new road to Fraser's Hill has been constructed; however, due to landslides
the new road is considered too dangerous and it is still closed for traffic.
One advantage of birding along the roads is that there are many
viewpoints (good for raptors and hornbills), which offer fantastic views
over the valleys (in contrast with Taman Negara, where there are almost
no viewpoints).
Barbets are far more active here than in Taman Negara.
- The Raub Road: Green-billed Malkoha, Pin-tailed
Parrotfinch (8), Checker-throated Woodpecker, Drongo Cuckoo,
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Sultan Tit, Pacific Swift, Brown
Barbet, Maroon Woodpecker, Black Laughingthrush (5), Silver-breasted
Broadbill, Red-billed Malkoha (1), Red-eyed Bulbul (1), Wreathed Hornbill, ...
- The Kuala Kubu Bahru Road: Banded Bay Cuckoo (1),
Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Scaly-breasted and Grey-bellied Bulbul,
Yellow-vented and Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker, Red-billed Malkoha (1),
Rhinoceros Hornbill, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Purple-naped and
Red-throated Sunbird (2), Verditer and Grey-headed Flycatcher, Rufous
Piculet (1), Red-crowned Barbet (2 heard only), Pin-tailed Parrot-finch
(1 male plus 3), Whiskered Treeswift (2), Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo,
Green Iora (3), Great Argus (heard only), ...
[This road is also good for Bamboo Woodpecker, Rufous-bellied
Eagle and Rufous-fronted Babbler, but we didn't see any of these]
- The Fraser's Hill Road: Crimson-winged Woodpecker (2),
Red-headed Trogon (twice), Red-bearded Bee-eater (4), Black
Laughingthrush, White-hooded Babbler (4), Yellow-vented Pigeon (1),
Green Broadbill (1), Large Woodshrike, Orange-bellied Leafbird,
Hill Blue Flycatcher, Chestnut-backed Scimitar-babbler (1), Large
Niltava, White-browed Shrike-babbler, Black Eagle, Rufous Piculet (1),
Wreathed Hornbill, Malaysian Cuckooshrike, Red-billed Malkoha (1),
Orange-breasted Trogon (1 female), Plain Flowerpecker, ...
[A specialty of this road is the rare Marbled Wren-Babbler, which
inhabits the ravines at the right side of the road. We played tape,
but none responded... Other good species occurring along this road
but not seen by us: Ferruginous Wood-partridge, Barred
Cuckoo-dove, Eye-browed Wren-babbler, Dusky Broadbill, ...]
- The New Road: Rufescent Prinia (1), Grey-capped Woodpecker
(2), Yellow-eared Spiderhunter (2), White-rumped Munia, Orange-bellied
Leafbird, Black Laughingthrush, Brown Barbet (1), Silver-rumped Swift,
...
At night two Collared Scops owls were calling at the junction;
although one was calling only within 20 m from us, we didn't see any.
Other species seen along all roads include Streaked Spiderhunter,
Red-throated Barbet, Bronzed Drongo, Blue-winged and Greater Green
Leafbird, Buff-bellied Flowerpecker, Gold-whiskered Barbet, Blyth's
Hawk-Eagle, Crested Serpent-Eagle, both minivets, Oriental Cuckoo
(heard only), Little Cuckoo-Dove, Malaysian Eared Nightjar, Grey-rumped
Treeswift, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Grey-throated Babbler, Everett's
White-eye, ... A few Rajah Brooke's Birdwings and other magnificent
butterflies were encountered on the KKB road.
Problems: Few leeches were encountered at the Gap.
Sometimes a little bit foggy in early morning.
Fraser's Hill
Situated only 8 km from the Gap, the avifauna of Fraser's Hill is
significantly different from that at the Gap. This can be explained by
the altitude, which measures 1300 m. The climate is considerably cooler
and less humid, but it's often foggy or rainy.
Fraser's Hill is also one of the places where you can see Peninsular
Malaysia's only three endemics: Malayan Whistling Thrush, Malaysian Hill
Partidge and Mountain Peacock Pheasant.
Getting there: You can get there by bus, but we preferred to
hitch. At the moment there's a one-way road to Fraser's Hill which
alternates between upgoing and downcoming traffic.
Accommodation: Contrary to the Gap, Fraser's Hill is a touristic
centre with lots of accomodation facilities. These are more expensive
than elsewhere in Malaysia, often 500 RM/night or more. You can stay at
Puncak Inn, Temerloh Chalets, The old Smokehouse, ... Those who want a
cheaper room, have to contact Durai, a local birder who works at the
Nature Education Centre. Maybe he can arrange something for you (as he
did for us: about 30 RM/night at the flats). There are several
restaurants; we found Spice's to be the best - there's a ten percent
reduction for birders and WWF-members.
Durai can also give useful birding tips, and if he has the time,
he may go with you on a birding trip. His address is: K.S. Durai - Asst.
Education Officer, Fraser's Hill Nature Education Centre,
49000 Fraser's Hill, Pahang darul Makmur, Malaysia.
Tel/Fax: 09-362-2517
Birding: There are several interesting trails and 'hot spots' at
Fraser's Hill:
- The Bishop's Trail: Probably the most famous trail, offers
you the chance to see some montane species which are quite hard to
see: Rusty-naped Pitta (3), Lesser Shortwing, Pygmy Wren-babbler,
Streaked Wren-Babbler (1), Pygmy Blue Flycatcher (3), White-tailed
Robin (2), Cutia (1), Malaysian Hill Partridge (4). Other interesting
species recorded there: Large Scimitar-Babbler (heard only), Blue
Nuthatch, Black Laughingthrush, Golden-throated Barbet (heard only),
Mountain Bulbul, ...
Two Siamangs were seen near the trail, lots were heard all over Fraser's Hill.
Lots of leeches - an insect repellent is necessary!
- The Pine Tree trail: A six (!) km long trail, going up to
Pine Tree Hill. This area is 'under-watched', only few birders visit it.
It is certainly an interesting trail, because this trail is the only
chance to see the endemic Mountain Peacock Pheasant. We didn't see it,
but we saw two relatively rare species along this trail: Chestnut-tailed
Minla (2 on Pine Tree hill) and Rufous-winged Fulvetta (6). Other good
species along the trail included: Cutia ( a pair), Streaked Wren-babbler
(at least two families), Oriental Cuckoo (1), Emerald Dove, Lesser
Yellownape, Mountain Leaf Warbler (4), Black Laughingthrush (4),
Golden-throated Barbet (heard only), Green Magpie, Red-headed Trogon
(heard only), White-browed Shrike-Babbler (5). A Giant Squirrel was
seen along the trail.
- The Telekom Loop: We did it only once, and it wasn't bad:
Green Magpie (1), Sultan Tit (2), Speckled Piculet (3), Orange-bellied
Leafbird, Blue Nuthatch (3), Lesser Shortwing, Black-and-crimson Oriole,
Black-eared Shrike-babbler, ...
- The Hemmant trail: Not that good: Buff-breasted Babbler,
Green Magpie, Mountain Leaf Warbler (1), Rufous-browed Flycatcher,
Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, ...
- The Gate: Not that interesting, but it is the only
chance to see the endemic Malayan Whistling Thrush. You have to be at
the gate before dawn. Normally, it is hopping in the grassy verge/roadside
(about 100 m below the gate), but when the first cars arrive (or leave),
it's flushed. The bird is extremely flighty (and shy). According to Durai,
you have to listen for its call: a soft whistle. We were there for four
mornings but didn't see anything that looked like a whistling thrush.
July is certainly not the best month to see this species.
What we did see near the gate: Slaty-backed Forktail (1 on the road),
Pygmy Wren-babbler, Sultan Tit (1), Orange-bellied Leafbird, Red-headed
Trogon (1), Everett's White-eye, Fire-tufted Barbet, Silver-eared Mesia.
A Large Scimitar-babbler was heard calling several mornings at the
other side of the valley.
- Rubbish tip: This smelly place gave us the following
species: Streaked Wren-Babbler (1), White-tailed Robin (1 female with
a deformed bill), Hill Blue Flycatcher (6), Verditer Flycatcher,
Little Pied Flycatcher, Banded Woodpecker, Long-tailed Broadbill (1),
Asian Paradise-flycatcher (1), Rufous Woodpecker (1), Slaty-backed
Forktail (1 juvenile). At night we spotlighted a BrownWood Owl here.
[This is also a good spot for Pale Blue Flycatcher and Blyth's
Hawk-Eagle, but we didn't see them here.]
- Waterfall Road and Jeriau Waterfall: Slaty-backed Forktail
(2 and 2), Black Laughingthrush (4), Long-tailed Broadbill (2), Sultan
Tit (2), Blue Nuthatch (3), Green-billed Malkoha (1), Orange-bellied
and Blue-winged Leafbird, Buff-rumped Woodpecker (4), ...
- High Pines Garden: Sultan Tit (1), Malaysian Cuckoo-Shrike
(2), Black-throated Sunbird, Mountain Tailorbird, Little Pied Flycatcher,
Pygmy Wren-babbler, Large Scimitar-Babbler (heard only, too far to tape
in), Grey-chinned Minivet, Lesser Yellownape, Chestnut-crowned
Laughingthrush.
[This place is a known stake-out for Brown Bullfinch, which was
unfortunately not seen by us. It's also one of the best places to see
Cutia, which we saw at other places.] - Often a foggy area.
Taman Negara
This is the largest National Park of South-East Asia, covering an
area of 4343 km2. The park consists primarily of lowland
rainforest, but it also has got a montane region, in which
West-Malaysia's highest mountain, Gunung Tahan (2147 m) is situated.
Only a small part of the park can be visited by tourists or birders,
but it is certainly well worth a visit. The rainforest is said to be
130 million years old - one of the oldest forests in the world.
Getting there: It takes a few hours of travelling before
you arrive at the resort. We got a lift from the Gap to Raub. There we
took a bus to Benta, where we arrived at 10h20. At 11h00 our bus to
Jerantut left. In Jerantut we took a taxi to Kuala Tembeling (situated
about 250 km North-East of Kuala Lumpur). At Kuala Tembeling, you have
to take a boat to get into the park (60 km or a 3 hour trip). Boats
leave only at 9h00 and 14h00; costs: 38RM per person. We didn't make any
arrangements in advance. To go back from Taman Negara to Kuala Lumpur
it is possible to book a seat in one of the buses to Kuala Lumpur at
the reception in Kuala Tahan. This costs 25 RM per person.
Accommodation: We brought our own tent - we had to pay 3RM per
person per night. You can also hire a tent for 14RM/night. It is also
possible to hire a chalet (very expensive at the resort) or to stay in a
hostel. Spending a night in one of the hides costs 5 RM; you have to book
at the wildlife department. There are some shops in the village, and
there's an expensive mini-market at the resort. The best and cheapest
places to eat are the floating restaurants, which can be reached by taking
the small ferry boat (0,5 RM for each trip).
Miscellaneous: The weather was good, often too hot, only
rainy in the last days of our stay.
About Gunung Tahan: A visit can be arranged, but almost involves a
mini-expedition, as the mountain (situated about 55 km from the resort)
is only reachable on foot. This means that you need a guide (costs:
500 RM for the guide only) for the seven day trek. You have to take food
and tents with you. It takes four days to get to the mountain and three days
to come back. The only reason why a birder could consider to visit Gunung Tahan is the
Crested Argus. This submontane species can be seen around Wray's camp.
Birding: Taman Negara is home to many sought-after species,
such as Storm's Stork, Bat Hawk, Wallace's Hawk-Eagle, Ferruginous
Wood-Partridge, Crestless Fireback, Mountain Peacock Pheasant (in remote
parts of the park), Malaysian Peacock Pheasant, Great and Crested Argus,
Masked Finfoot, Red-legged Crake, Large Green Pigeon, Jambu Fruit Dove,
Short-toed Coucal, Bay Owl, Barred Eagle Owl, Javan, Gould's and Large
Frogmouth, five species of trogon, Ruddy and Rufous-collared Kingfisher,
White-crowned and Wrinkled Hornbill, Great Slaty and Olive-backed Woodpecker,
Giant, Banded, Garnet, Hooded and Blue-winged Pitta, Finsch's and
Black-and-white Bulbul, Malaysian Rail-babbler, Rufous-tailed Shama,
Chestnut-capped Thrush, Malaysian Blue Flycatcher and Scarlet-breasted
Flowerpecker and Thick-billed Spiderhunter. Many of these are very
difficult to see or incredibly rare; even during our two week stay in the park,
we saw only 17 out of these 44 species. However, a lot of other
interesting bird species can more easily be seen on a number of trails:
- Jenut Muda trail: Certainly one of the best trails in the
park, the place to see Great Argus (of which WV briefly saw one male).
Other sightings along this trail: Malaysian Peacock Pheasant (heard
regularly, one male seen briefly), Wallace's Hawk-Eagle (one adult seen
sitting), Helmeted Hornbill (heard only), White-necked Babbler (two seen
briefly), Gould's Frogmouth (one flushed at 15h00 (!!!) and seen briefly
by WV), Rufous-chested Flycatcher (a pair), Red-naped Trogon (3),
Chestnut-naped Forktail (1), White-crowned Forktail (1), Buffy Fish Owl
(1 in early morning), Banded Pitta (at least 4), Dusky Broadbill (5),
Asian Paradise-flycatcher (one male of the white phase), Grey-chested
Flycatcher (one adult and one juvenile), Black-and-yellow Broadbill,
Spotted Fantail (1), Ferruginous Babbler (seen on three occasions),
Black-throated Babbler, Banded Kingfisher, Yellow-crowned Barbet, Great
Slaty Woodpecker, Buff-necked Woodpecker, Striped Wren-babbler,
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, Crested Fireback, ... Lots of leeches.
- River Trail: Crested Jay (2), Crested Fireback (2), Garnet
Pitta (1), Banded Pitta (regularly heard, only one seen (IJ)), Finsch's
Bulbul (a pair seen twice), White-crowned Forktail (1), Chestnut-naped
Forktail (1), Malaysian Peacock Pheasant (heard regularly), Diard's
Trogon (one female seen, a male heard only), Raffles' Malkoha, Emerald
Dove (1), Olive-backed Woodpecker (a pair), Banded Kingfisher (heard
only), Crimson-winged Woodpecker, Orange-backed Woodpecker (one female),
Black-and-red Broadbill, Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Spotted Fantail
(2), Dark-throated Oriole, Tickells Blue Flycatcher (one female),
Black-capped Babbler, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker, ...
- Bukit Teresek: (including the trail between Bukit Teresek and
the resort, and the trail from the second viewpoint down to the River trail)
Malaysian Rail-Babbler (three, of which one only briefly seen), Scarlet-rumped
Trogon, Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker, Banded Kingfisher (a male between
the first and the second viewpoint), Streaked Bulbul, Red-billed Malkoha
(one at the first viewpoint), Brown Fulvetta, Rufous Piculet, Puff-backed
and Grey-bellied Bulbul, White-bellied (1) and Orange-backed Woodpecker
(2 and 1), Crested Fireback, Drongo Cuckoo (1), Blue-winged Pitta (six (!)
along the first part of the trail), Black-thighed Falconet (one at the
second viewpoint), Black-bellied Malkoha, Spotted Fantail (1), Chestnut-rumped
Babbler, ...
[This place offers a good chance to see Crestless Fireback.]
- Sungai Tahan ('Sungai' means river):
the boat trip; on 30/07, Niek Bosmans and Rob
Bouwman, two Dutch birders, arranged a boat trip (in which we took part
in) to the falls, especially for birdwatching. Costs: 80 RM for the
boat. We left at 7h30 (earlier than the other boats) and came back
at 12h00. This boat trip is necessary to get good views of Blue-banded
Kingfisher(3, of which one showed well) and Lesser Fish Eagle (4).
The following species also showed well: Red-bearded Bee-eater (1),
Chestnut-naped Forktail (2), Oriental Pied Hornbill (2), Black-and-yellow
Broadbill (2), Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher ( 3, of which one gave good views),
Buffy Fish Owl (1 juv.), Rhinoceros Hornbill (2). A Crested Jay flew over
the river. The star bird of this trip was a stunning male Malaysian Blue
Flycatcher, which was singing only a few meters from the river.
- Kumbang Hide Area: Situated about 11 km from the resort,
Kumbang hide offers a better chance to see some species which are
difficult to see on the trails around the resort. We spent almost three
days here and got Sultan Tit (1), Checker-throated Woodpecker,
Fluffy-backed Tit-babbler, Ferruginous Babbler (3), White-chested
Babbler (4), Common Kingfisher, Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker (1),
Rufous-tailed Tailorbird (2), Crested Goshawk (1), Great Iora (1),
Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, Spotted Fantail, Scarlet-rumped Trogon,
Buffy Fish Owl, Black Magpie (4), Black Hornbill, Chestnut-backed
Scimitar-babbler (1), Grey-headed and Black-throated Babblers, Banded
Woodpecker, Black-bellied Malkoha, Thick-billed Pigeon (3), Malaysian
Peacock Pheasant (heard only), Garnet and Banded Pitta (both heard
only), ...
At night, Gould's Frogmouth and Reddish Scops Owl (2) were heard calling.
The hide itself is not especially good for birds, but at night it's very
interesting because of several mammal species. We saw one Tapir, but you've
got the chance to see Elephant and Black Panther. Sumatran Rhinoceros and
Malaysian Tiger do also occur in the park, but are almost impossible to see.
The trail between the resort-Tabing hide-Kumbang hide is quite good:
Black-and-white Bulbul (2), Great Slaty Woodpecker (1), Oriental Pied
Hornbill (2), Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher (1 seen well), Banded Kingfisher
(1 male), Ferruginous Babbler (3), Grey-headed and Black-throated Babblers,
Chestnut-rumped Babbler, Large Wren-babbler (4), Garnet and Banded Pitta
(heard only), Red-bearded Bee-eater (heard only), Orange-backed Woodpecker
(1 female near Tabing hide), Lesser Green Leafbird, Helmeted Hornbill
(heard only), Scarlet-rumped Trogon (1 imm. male), Buffy Fish Owl (1),
Brown Barbet, Crimson-winged Woodpecker (2), ...
- Kuala Trenggan lies about two km from Kumbang hide and can be
reached from the resort on foot (9 km) or by the riverbus (10RM).
The place offers a good chance to see hornbills, especially just before
sunset. The star bird here is Helmeted Hornbill, which is much rarer
in the resort area; we saw two males and one female on one evening,
and a male on the following morning. Other hornbills around included
Black Hornbill (up to five), Wreathed Hornbill and Rhinoceros Hornbill.
Other interesting species seen there: White-bellied Munia (7), Lesser
Green Leafbird (2), Black-headed Bulbul, Stork-billed Kingfisher and
Black-and-yellow Broadbill.
- Blau and Yong Hide Area: These hides are situated respectively
3 and 4 km from the resort. The area offers the best chance to see Garnet
Pitta, which we saw twice there. Other species of interest: Wallace's
Hawk-Eagle (one adult at the small river behind Yong hide), Buffy Fish
Owl (1), Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher (1 seen in flight), Rhinoceros Hornbill
(one gave close views near the same small river), Spotted Fantail, Banded
Pitta (heard only), Scarlet-rumped Trogon (heard only), Green and Banded
Broadbill, White-bellied Woodpecker (1), Plaintive Cuckoo (heard only),
Black Hornbill (heard only), Dusky Broadbill (2), Scarlet Sunbird (1 male),
Crested Woodpartridge (more than 10), Dark-throated Oriole (1), Short-tailed
Babbler, Emerald Dove, Banded and Buff-necked Woodpecker, Crested Fireback
(10), Yellow-bellied and Grey-cheeked Bulbuls, Striped Wren-babbler (at
several places along the trail), Large Wren-Babbler (4), Black-capped Babbler,
Chestnut-rumped Babbler, ... Another highlight of the area was a Reddish
Scops Owl which started calling before 17h30 (more than two hours before
dusk!) and which was always sitting on the same branch in the same tree.
It was only 6 m from us, and it constantly called. However, it took more than
1,5 hour before we saw it, as it was only viewable from one corner. A few
days later we went back in the morning with two American birders, and it
was still sitting on the same branch. A Gould's Frogmouth was also calling
along the trail.
The beginning of the trail is very steep. Mouse deer are quite common
in the area.
- Swamp Loop: Although a very short trail, it gave us the chance
to see several good species. The best bird seen here was Malaysian Peacock
Pheasant. We saw one male walking along the trail, just before sunset.
The species is not uncommon in the park, but difficult to see. Large Wren-Babbler
(1), Banded Pitta (1), Great Slaty Woodpecker, Black Hornbill, Red-naped
Trogon (1 male) and Crested Woodpartridge (7) were also seen on this loop.
Lots of mosquitoes.
- The Canopy Walkway: Because this place is visited by lots of
tourists, it's not that good for birds. It's only opened between 11h00 and
14h45; on Friday from 9h00 till 12h00. However, we saw some species of
interest: Whiskered Treeswift (one perched), Brown Fulvetta, Grey-headed
Flycatcher, Cream-vented Bulbul, Spotted Fantail (1), Lesser Green and
Blue-winged Leafbirds and Green Iora. [It's also a good spot for Fiery
Minivet, but we didn't see it here].
- The Resort: Not very interesting for birds, but some fruiting
trees near the chalets had Thick-billed Pigeon, Black-headed, Puff-backed,
Grey-bellied and Straw-headed Bulbuls, Greater Green Leafbird, Yellow-vented
Flowerpecker and Grey-breasted Spiderhunter. Other birds seen in the area:
Wreathed Hornbill (2), Dollarbird, Slender-billed Crow, Brown-throated
Sunbird, Spectacled Spiderhunter, Little Green Pigeon, Plaintive Cuckoo,
Brown Barbet and Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike.
Birds seen in the Campsite area included Spectacled Bulbul, Crested
Fireback (2), Black-and-Red Broadbill, and at night Collared Scops Owl
(1 seen well), Gould's Frogmouth (2) and a Buffy Fish Owl (only once).
Behind the mini-market there's a small swamp with Black-and-Red Broadbill,
Blue-eared Kingfisher (1 seen briefly), Black-thighed Falconet (up to
three) and White-rumped Shama. A Malayan Porcupine was seen near the
mini-market.
Just behind the chalets, there's a clearing from which we saw Black
Hornbill (2 + 3), Red-bearded Bee-eater (1), Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (1),
Lesser Green Leafbird, Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike, Olive-winged Bulbul, a
hawk-eagle sp. (very briefly), Blue-rumped Parrot, Great Slaty Woodpecker
(up to 4), Grey-and-buff Woodpecker (2), Blue-winged Pitta (heard only),
White-bellied Munia (5), Fiery Minivet (10), Hill Myna, Oriental Pied
Hornbill (heard only), Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike (2), Long-billed
Spiderhunter (2), Brown Barbet, ... There's also a salt lick for Wild Pigs.
- Lubok Simpon is a swimming place in the Tahan river; we saw
some interesting species such as Black-capped Babbler (2), Tickell's Blue
Flycatcher (1 male), Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike (2), Blue-eared Kingfisher
(1 fly-by), Rufous Piculet, White-chested Babbler (2) and Malaysian Eared
Nightjar. Possibly this is the best place to see Bat Hawk;
we saw it twice there, and it comes a lot closer than at the floating
restaurants - we could even see its white malar stripes.
Mammals seen in Taman Negara include Malaysian Tapir (1),
Lesser and Greater Mouse Deer, Malayan Porcupine, Bearded Pig, Sambar and
Barking Deer, Long-tailed Macaque, Dusky and Banded Leaf Monkey, Prevost's
Squirrel and Giant Squirrel. A number of squirrels was not identified and
probably included Plantain and Three-striped Squirrel.
Species List
Nomenclature and sequence follows: A guide to the Birds of
Thailand by Lekagul and Round (1991).
KS = Kuala Selangor
G = The Gap
FH = Fraser's Hill
TN = Taman Negara
- Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea
KS - Common.
- Purple Heron - Ardea purpurea
KS - one adult seen
- Striated Heron - Butorides striatus
KS - Fairly common
- Little Egret - Egretta garzetta
KS - Fairly common
- Great Egret - Casmerodius albus
KS - Regularly seen
- Black-crowned Night Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax
KS - A few seen in the evening
- Lesser Adjutant - Leptopilos javanicus
KS - One ad., a non-genuine bird, originating from a breeding project.
- Black-winged Kite - Elanus caeruleus
KS - Two sightings of a perched bird
- Brahminy Kite - Haliastur indus
KS - Common
- White-bellied Sea-eagle - Haliaeetus leucogaster
KS - Seen daily: an adult circling over the reserve every day; an
immature was also present (seen twice). A pair nests on the TV-mast.
- Lesser Fish-Eagle - Ichthyophaga humilis
TN - Four seen along Sungai Tahan on a boat trip to the falls. Excellent
views of 3 perched adults. One seen from Lubok Simpon.
- Crested Serpent-Eagle - Spilornis cheela
KS - One seen in the reserve
G - Seen daily
- Blyths Hawk-Eagle - Spizaetus alboniger
G - Recorded in small numbers, both adults and juveniles
- Wallace's Hawk-Eagle - Spizaetus nanus
TN - One adult near Yong hide (IJ) - Another perched adult gave good views
along Jenut Muda trail. Classified as vulnerable by Collar et al. (1994).
- Black Eagle - Ictinaetus malayenis
G - One adult seen twice along the Fraser's Hill road.
- Black-thighed Falconet - Microhierax fringillarius
TN - One at the second viewpoint on Bukit Teresek, one in the Kuala
Tahan village and up to three at the small swamp behind the mini-market
(at the resort).
- Crested Goshawk - Accipiter trivirgatus
TN - One well seen along Sungai Terenggan (near Kumbang hide).
- Bat Hawk - Macheiramphus alcinus
TN - Two seen from the steps at the resort at 19.43h
On two evenings, one was quite well seen from Lubok Simpon at
19.46h and 19.52h.
- Crested Fireback - Lophura ignita
TN - Not as common as reported by others. One pair along the River
trail, several along Jenut Muda, small groups (up to five) seen on the
trail to Blau hide, another five near Bukit Teresek, four near Kuala
Trenggan and two males at the camping. This species is considered to be
vulnerable to extinction by Collar et al. (1994), because of lowland
deforestation.
- Red Junglefowl - Gallus gallus
KS - Frequently heard in the reserve. One male well seen along the
Eagle trail.
- Malaysian Peacock-Pheasant - Polyplectron malacense
TN - Frequently heard in the Swamp Loop and clearing area, also
regularly heard along Jenut Muda and River trail. One male well seen on
the Swamp loop, another briefly near Jenut Muda. Also heard calling near
Blau and Kumbang hide. Seemed to be very vocal in this time of the year.
Also considered to be vulnerable by Collar et al. (1994).
- Great Argus - Argusianus argus
TN - Heard daily on the Jenut Muda trail. One male crossed the
trail but soon vanished into the understorey, not to be seen again...
Also heard from Bukit Teresek and the Blau hide area. Vocal, but never
calling close to the trail.
G - One was heard from the KKB road.
- Malaysian Hill-partridge - Arborophila campbelli
FH - A group of four birds briefly seen near the Bishop's trail
(Old zoo area) when we went off the trail. Recently split. According
to Jeyarajasingam and Pearson 1999, endemic to Peninsular Malaysia.
- Crested Wood-partridge - Rollulus roulroul
TN - Three seen on the trail to Blau hide on 21/07, ten there on 01/08;
A group of seven on the Swamp loop (31/07). The call resembles the one of
Rufous-collared Kingfisher.
- White-breasted Waterhen - Amaurornis phoenicurus
KS - Seen fairly regularly.
TN - Two at the small swamp behind the mini-market.
- Greenshank - Tringa nebularia
KS - Two in front of the middle hide on 05/07.
- Yellow-vented Pigeon - Treron seimundi
G - One flying over at the Fraser's Hill road (IJ).
- Thick-billed Pigeon - Treron curvirostra
TN - Due to the lack of fruiting trees, only few seen; max.
count three in the resort area.
- Little Green Pigeon - Treron olax
TN - Regularly seen: a group of up to 15 was every morning present
in the resort area.
- Pink-necked Pigeon - Treron vernans
KS - Common
- Mountain Imperial Pigeon - Ducula badia
FH - Quite common; Only few seen perched, many seen flying or heard.
TN - Regularly seen along the River trail, most of them flying.
- Rock Pigeon - Columba livia
Seen only in Kuala Lumpur, Jerantut, ...
- Little Cuckoo-dove - Macropygia ruficeps
FH - G - Fairly common
- Spotted Dove - Streptopelia chinensis
KS - Few heard on Bukit Melawati.
More than ten seen while travelling to TN.
- Peaceful Dove - Geopelia striata
KS - Common.
- Emerald Dove - Chalcohaps indica
FH - Two flushed on the Pine Tree trail.
TN - Several flushed in the Yong hide area and one on the River trail.
- Blue-rumped Parrot - Psittinus cyanurus
TN - Regularly seen in the resort area and at the clearing.
Several groups of 10-15 birds at the clearing.
- Blue-crowned Hanging-parrot - Loriculus galgulus
G - FH - TN - Fairly common, most of them flying by, one group well
seen at the new road (G).
- Banded Bay Cuckoo- Cacomanits sonneratii
G - One seen on the KKB road.
- Plaintive Cuckoo - Cacomantis merulinus
TN - One heard in the Yong hide area, one heard and briefly seen in the
resort area.
- Oriental Cuckoo - Cuculus saturatus
G - FH - Regularly heard, one seen along the Pine Tree trail.
- Drongo Cuckoo - Surniculus lugubris
G - One seen on the Raub road.
TN - One seen at the start of the trail to Bukit Teresek.
- Common Koel - Eudynamys scolopacea
KS - Quite common, most of them heard only. One female showed well on
two occasions, one male also seen.
- Black-bellied Malkoha - Phaenicophaeus diardi
TN - Several sightings of single birds: on the trail to Bukit Teresek,
at the clearing, near Kumbang hide, ...
- Chestnut-bellied Malkoha - Phaenicophaeus sumatranus
KS - Seen daily, min. five seen.
- Chestnut-breasted Malkoha - Phaenicophaeus curvirostris
TN - About five seen: on Bukit Teresek, near Blau hide, on Jenut
Muda trail, ...
- Raffles' Malkoha - Phaenicophaeus chlorophaeus
TN - Quite common, more heard than seen.
- Green-billed Malkoha - Phaenicophaeus tristis
G - Seen daily, at least four seen.
FH - One seen on the waterfall road.
- Red-billed Malkoha - Phaenicophaeus javanicus
G - One on the KKB road, one on the Raub road and one on the Fraser's
Hill road.
TN - One at the first viewpoint on Bukit Teresek
- Greater Coucal - Centropus sinensis
KS - TN - Quite common, more heard than seen.
- Reddish Scops Owl - Otus rufescens
TN - One was well seen in small tree about 80 m off the trail to Blau
hide. This individual was calling very early (at 17.30h), well before
dusk. We also saw it at 10.00h a few days later; it was not calling but
still sitting on the same branch. When coming from Kuala Tahan, the place
is situated at the right of the trail, just before the first bridge.
It didn't react to the tape.
Two were heard between Kuala Trenggan and Kumbang hide.
- Collared Scops Owl - Otus lempiji
KS - G - TN - Although fairly common, this species proved to be difficult
to see. At TN, one was eventually seen at the camping. Others were heard
at Kuala Trenggan (two), the Gap (two) and the Kuala Selangor reserve
(seven). Especially calling just after nightfall (21h00-22h00).
- Mountain Scops Owl - Otus spilocephalus
FH - Only two heard near the village centre. Did not seem to react to tape.
- Buffy Fish-owl - Ketupa ketupu
KS - One juvenile seen near the boardwalk before sunrise.
TN - One seen and heard calling at the camping (on 19/07 only). One seen
near Yong hide on 25/07; one on the trail to Kumbang hide on 26/07; one
juvenile seen near Sungai Trenggan on 28/07; one heard calling at Lubok
Simpon on 29/07; one seen on the boat trip on 30/07; one juvenile at
Jenut Muda trail on 02/08.
- Spotted Wood-owl - Strix seloputo
KS - One heard calling on Bukit Melawati
- Brown Wood-owl - Strix leptogrammica
FH - One seen on the rubbish dump about one and a half hour after
sunset (21h30).
- Gould's Frogmouth - Batrachostomus stellatus
TN - Not too rare. WV flushed one and saw it briefly at 15h00 (!) on
18/07, while he was looking for Banded Pitta off the Jenut Muda trail.
Two were calling at the camping where one gave brief but close views just
before sunrise (on 22 and 23/07- started calling after midnight - again on
01/08 at 5 am)!!! Two heard near Kumbang hide (one and a half hour before
sunrise), one near the trail to Blau hide (calling just after sunset, but
in dense vegetation).
- Large-tailed Nightjar - Caprimulgus macrurus
KS - Three showed well at dusk in the reserve, another two seen only
briefly.
Responds well to tape.
- Malaysian Eared Nightjar - Eurostopodus temminckii
G - About five birds flying around every evening; they could be easily
seen from the terrace of the resthouse.
TN - About four flying around at Lumbok Simpon, from 19h35.
- Red-naped Trogon - Harpactes kasumba
TN - Several seen well, one male seen well at the Swamp loop; three were
calling at Jenut Muda, of which one was well seen. Also heard from the
boat to the falls. Responds well to tape.
- Diard's Trogon - Harpactes diardii
TN - One female along the River trail. One male was calling close to this
trail, but didn't react to the tape and so it didn't show. Also heard from
the Jenut Muda trail.
- Scarlet-rumped Trogon - Harpactes duvaucelli
TN - One male between Bukit Teresek and the River trail, one female on the
trail to Kumbang hide, one male near Sungai Terenggan; Frequently heard
near Kumbang hide, Yong and Blau hide, also heard from Jenut Muda trail.
Responds well to tape.
- Red-headed Trogon - Harpactes erythrocephalus
G - One male seen twice on the Fraser's Hill road.
FH - One male at the gate, also heard on the Pine Tree trail.
- Orange-breasted Trogon - Harpactes oreskios
G - One female on the Fraser's Hill road.
- Common Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis
TN - Seen on twice on Sungai Terenggan and on Sungai Tahan.
- Blue-banded Kingfisher - Alcedo euryzona
TN - Three seen on the boat trip on Sungai Tahan, of which one first-year
bird gave very good views. One also seen flying-by there from the River trail.
- Blue-eared Kingfisher - Alcedo mentining
TN - One flying-by on Sungai Tahan; one briefly at the swamp behind the
mini-market.
- Rufous-backed Kingfisher (Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher) -
Ceyx rufidorsus
TN - One seen flying over Sungai Tahan (IJ), one briefly seen near
Yong hide, one well seen on the trail between Tabing and Kumbang hide,
two seen on the boat trip to the falls, of which one showed very well.
- Banded Kingfisher - Lacedo pulchella
TN - One male on Bukit Teresek between the two viewpoints, one male
between Tabing and Kumbang hide, one female on Jenut Muda, one male
also heard there, one male between the canopy walkway and Bukit Teresek;
several heard - proved to be not uncommon if you know the call: River
trail, Yong hide, ...
- Stork-billed Kingfisher - Halcyon capensis
KS - Few singles seen
TN - Few seen on Sungai Tembeling and Sungai Tahan; also seen
from Kuala Trenggan.
- White-breasted Kingfisher - Halcyon smyrnensis
KS - Fairly common
TN - Seen on the boat trip to and from Kuala Tahan - Kuala Tembeling
(about seven).
- Collared Kingfisher - Halcyon chloris
KS - Common
- Blue-throated Bee-eater - Merops viridis
KS - a few singles seen
TN - Fairly common at the clearing and near Sungai Tembeling.
- Red-bearded Bee-eater - Nyctyornis amictus
G - At least 4 seen on the Fraser's Hill road, also heard on the KKB
road.
TN - One seen at the clearing, one well seen on the boat trip to the
falls.
- Dollarbird - Eurystomus orientalis
KS - A few singles seen in the reserve
TN - A few seen from the boat and at the clearing.
- Wreathed Hornbill - Rhycticeros undulatus
G - One pair, one female and one female seen (Raub and Fraser's Hill
road)
TN - One pair at the resort, one pair at Kuala Trenggan.
- Rhinoceros Hornbill - Buceros rhinoceros
G - Two and two seen, at a distance.
TN - Probably the commonest hornbill here (heard daily), but difficult
to see, due to the lack of good viewpoints; though one gave very good
views at a small stream beyond Yong hide, several seen flying. Also at
Kuala Trenggan (two and two).
- Black Hornbill - Anthracoceros malayanus
TN - A pair gave good views at the clearing. Also two seen at Kumbang
hide and five at Kuala Trenggan; Heard daily: Yong hide, River trail, ...
- Oriental Pied Hornbill - Anthracoceros albirostris
TN - Two seen twice at the River trail, near Tabing hide. Also heard
at the clearing.
- Helmeted Hornbill - Rhinoplax vigil
TN - Heard from Jenut Muda, but far more common in Kumbang hide area.
The best spot to see this species is Kuala Trenggan, where they fly around
just before sunset. We saw two males and one female.
- Lineated Barbet - Megalaima lineata
KS - One seen on Bukit Melawati.
- Coppersmith Barbet - Megalaima haemacephala
KS - One seen on Bukit Melawati plus another heard only there.
- Gold-whiskered Barbet - Megalaima chrysopogon
G - Fairly common, only two seen well enough to tick.
TN - Regularly heard.
- Blue-eared Barbet - Megalaima australis
G - Common, few seen.
TN - Heard quite a few times, seen just once.
- Red-crowned Barbet - Megalaima rafflesii
G - Two heard only about 3,5 km down the KKB road. Didn't react to tape.
- Red-throated Barbet - Megalaima mystacophonos
G - Fairly common, seen twice; reacts to tape.
TN - Regularly heard, one well seen on the Jenut Muda trail, one showed well
at the River trail.
- Golden-throated Barbet - Megalaima franklinii
FH - Few heard, most of them along the Bishop's trail, but too far from
the trail.
- Yellow-crowned Barbet - Megalaima henricii
TN - Fairly common, two seen (Bukit Teresek and River trail).
- Black-browed Barbet - Megalaima oorti
G - FH - Probably the commonest barbet
- Fire-tufted Barbet - Psilopogon pyrolophus
FH - Common and easy to see.
- Brown Barbet - Calorhamphus fuliginosus
G - A family of four on the Raub road (2 km from the resthouse), one on
the new road.
TN - Seen regularly: four at the clearing, three at the resort, two between
Tabing and Kumbang hide, two at Lubok Simpon,
- Speckled Piculet - Picumnus innominatus
FH - Three in a bird wave along the Telecom Loop
- Rufous Piculet - Sasia abnormis
G - One in a ravine near the Fraser's Hill road and one 3,5 km down the
KKB road.
TN - Two at Lubok Simpon, one between Bukit Teresek and the River trail.
- Orange-backed Woodpecker - Reinwardtipicus validus
TN - Two on Bukit Teresek, one there a week later; one female at Tabing hide
- Greater Flameback - Chrysocolaptes lucidus
KS - Two seen twice along the boardwalk in the mangroves
- Common Flameback - Dinopium javanense
KS - Regularly seen along the trails and the boardwalk.
- Olive-backed Woodpecker - Dinopium rafflesii
TN - One pair along the river trail
- Laced Woodpecker - Picus vittatus
KS - Regularly seen along the trails (more than ten).
- Greater Yellownape - Picus flavinucha
FH - Common
- Lesser Yellownape - Picus chlorolophus
FH - Regularly seen: at the flats, the Bishop's trail, the Pine
Tree trail, High Pines garden, ...
- Banded Woodpecker - Picus miniaceus
FH - One at the rubbish tip
TN - One near Sungai Terenggan, two near Blau hide, one near Bukit
Teresek, ...
- Crimson-winged Woodpecker - Picus puniceus
G - One pair on the Fraser's Hill road, two on the Raub road.
TN - Regularly seen: Blau hide, two near Lubok Simpon,
- Checker-throated Woodpecker - Picus mentalis
G - One 2 km down the Raub road.
TN - One between Kuala Trenggan and Kumbang hide.
- Rufous Woodpecker - Celeus brachyurus
KS - One seen well near one of the hides.
G - One on the KKB road.
FH - One at the rubbish tip.
TN - Several seen.
- Maroon Woodpecker - Blythipicus rubiginosus
G - One on the Raub road.
- Buff-rumped Woodpecker - Meiglyptes tristis
FH - A group of four seen on the waterfall road.
- Buff-necked Woodpecker - Meiglyptes tukki
TN - Regularly seen, total: more than twenty.
- Grey-and-buff Woodpecker - Hemicircus concretus
TN - Two twice seen near Blau hide, two seen twice at the clearing,
one at the start of the trail to Bukit Teresek,
- Great slaty Woodpecker - Muelleripicus pulverulentus
TN - Four often present at the clearing and the Swamp loop, one between
Tabing and Kumbang hide, also along Jenut Muda trail, Noisy.
- White-bellied Woodpecker - Dryocopus javensis
TN - One seen along the trail to Bukit Teresek, one seen on the trail
to Blau hide.
- Grey-capped Woodpecker - Picoides canicapillus
G - Two on the new road
- Sunda (Brown-capped) Woodpecker - Picoides moluccensis
KS - At least six birds seen: two pairs and two singles; the pair along
the boardwalk was seen twice. Responds to tape.
- Dusky Broadbill - Corydon sumatranus
TN - A group of five along Jenut Muda. At least two along the trail to
Blau hide. Noisy.
- Long-tailed Broadbill - Psarisomus dalhousiae
FH - Two along the waterfall road, one at the rubbish tip.
- Silver-breasted Broadbill - Serilophus lunatus
G - One at a stream 2 km down the Raub road.
- Green Broadbill - Calyptomena viridis
G - One male along the road to Fraser's Hill
TN - Heard daily, seen regularly.
- Black-and-yellow Broadbill - Eurylaimus ochromalus
G - At least two calling, one pair well seen 1 km down the KKB road.
TN - Fairly common, heard daily, a few times well seen. Reacts to tape.
- Banded Broadbill - Eurylaimus javanicus
TN - Heard and seen regularly, but not as common as Black-and-yellow.
Reacts to tape.
- Black-and-red Broadbill - Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos
TN - Fairly common, seen regularly.
- Rusty-naped Pitta - Pitta oatesi
FH - Three calling along the Bishop's trail, of which one showed well for
three seconds after a total of five hours waiting !!!! Reacts to tape, but
very shy.
- Mangrove Pitta - Pitta megarhyncha
KS - Four calling, but all of them too far from the trail -
didn't respond very well.
- Blue-winged Pitta - Pitta moluccensis
TN - Totally unexpected in this time of the year, normally occurs only
in winter.
No less than six were calling between the chalets and the trail to Bukit
Teresek. We saw four of them, two showed well. Responds very well to
tape; often perches high up in the trees (up to 8 m high).
- Garnet Pitta - Pitta granatina
TN - The best place to see this one is the Blau and Yong hide area,
especially the area around Blau hide. We saw one there, after tracking it
down for about an hour, when we discovered it was sitting in a tree about
5 m above ground level. At least five others were also calling in that
area, of which one was briefly seen by IJ. One was also seen near the
start of the River trail, although we never heard one calling in that area.
One was heard between Tabing and Kumbang hide, another two were heard
in Kumbang hide area. Play tape.
- Banded Pitta - Pitta guajana
TN - The commonest pitta in TN, heard almost daily. The best place
to see them was the Jenut Muda trail; we saw at least four birds there,
one female foraging on the trail, a male on the trail, another calling male
and a female. One seen on the Swamp loop. Also seen along the River trail
(IJ), and heard near Yong and Blau hide, the camping, ... Play tape.
- Edible-nest Swiftlet - Aerodramus fuciphagus
KS - TN - Swiftlets seen at these places belonged probably to this
species.
- Asian Palm Swift - Cypsiurus balasiensis
KS - Small numbers recorded.
- White-bellied Swiftlet - Collocalia esculenta
G - FH - Fairly common
- Silver-rumped Swiftlet - Rhaphidura leucopygialis
G - Only small numbers seen, at the Raub and the new road.
TN - Fairly common.
- Pacific Swift - Apus pacificus
G - One seen on the KKB road.
- Little Swift - Apus affinis
KS - G - FH - TN - Fairly common to common.
- Brown Needletail - Hirundapus giganteus
G - Every evening a few flying over.
TN - Fairly common, especially in the evening
- Grey-rumped Treeswift - Hemiprocne longipennis
G - Daily seen in small numbers.
TN - Regularly recorded.
- Whiskered Treeswift - Hemiprocne comata
G - One adult with one young seen 3 km down the KKB road.
TN - Regularly seen flying, one perched adult seen from the canopy walkway.
- Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica
KS - A few seen in the reserve
- Pacific Swallow - Hirundo tahitica
KS - G - TN - Common
- Striated Swallow - Hirundo striolata
G - Daily seen, breeding at the resthouse
- Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea
TN - One seen at Sungai Tembeling, possibly the same bird was seen
later at the resort.
- Pied Triller - Lalage nigra
KS - Daily seen, five ex.
- Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike - Hemipus picatus
G - FH - Every flock had at least one.
- Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike - Hemipus hirundinaceus
TN - Uncommon, about ten seen.
- Large Wood-Shrike - Tephrodornis virgatus
G - Two, three and five seen along the Fraser's Hill road, heard at
the KKB road.
TN - Singles heard on the River trail and near Blau hide.
- Malaysian Cuckooshrike - Coracina javensis
G - FH - Several heard only or seen flying (G - FH -road), two showed
well at the High Pines garden. One at the Pine Tree trail.
- Lesser Cuckooshrike - Coracina fimbriata
TN - One female at the River trail, three at the clearing
- Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike - Coracina striata
TN - Up to four at the clearing or the fruiting trees at the resort.
- Grey-chinned Minivet - Pericrocotus solaris
G - FH - Regularly seen, always in flocks
- Scarlet Minivet - Pericrocotus flammeus
G - FH - Fairly common
- Fiery Minivet - Pericrocotus igneus
TN - A group of ten at the clearing.
- Common Iora - Aegithina tiphia
KS - Fairly common
G - One seen along the KKB road.
- Green Iora - Aegithina viridissima
G - Three seen, about 3 km down the KKB road.
TN - Fairly common, regularly recorded in small numbers.
- Great Iora - Aegithina lafresnayei
TN - One male on the trail between Kuala Trenggan and Kumbang hide
(IJ).
- Lesser Green Leafbird - Chloropsis cyanopogon
TN - Only few seen: one on the trail between Tabing and Kumbang hide,
one near the clearing, one pair twice present at Kuala Trenggan.
- Greater Green Leafbird - Chloropsis sonnerati
G - One male on the Raub road, two on the KKB road.
TN - Only few seen.
- Blue-winged Leafbird - Chloropsis cochinchinensis
G - TN - Fairly common, seen daily. Seen also at the lower parts of
Fraser's Hill (Waterfall road).
- Orange-bellied Leafbird - Chloropsis hardwickii
G - Few seen on the Fraser's Hill road.
FH - Regularly seen (near the Gate, Telekom loop, Jeriau Waterfall, ...)
- Straw-headed Bulbul - Pycnonotus zeylanicus
TN - Fairly common at the riverside of Sungai Tembeling and Sungai Tahan.
Easy to see at the resort, Lubok Simpon, ...
- Black-headed Bulbul - Pycnonotus atriceps
TN - Not as common as reported by others. Less than ten seen: max. three
at the fruiting trees at the resort, about four seen at Kuala Trenggan.
- Black-crested Bulbul - Pycnonotus melanicterus
G - Common
- Black-and-white Bulbul - Pycnonotus melanoleucos
TN - Two adults halfway between Tabing and Kumbang hide.
- Scaly-breasted Bulbul - Pycnonotus squamatus
G - Only seen on the KKB road, where we saw respectively four and two
birds.
- Grey-bellied Bulbul - Pycnonotus cyaniventris
G - One seen on the KKB road (IJ)
TN - About ten seen (Bukit Teresek, Kuala Trenggan, fruiting trees, ...)
- Puff-backed Bulbul - Pycnonotus eutilotus
TN - Regularly recorded (on Bukit Teresek, etc. but especially in the
fruiting trees at the resort).
- Stripe-throated Bulbul - Pycnonotus finlaysoni
G - Fairly common.
TN - Fairly common at the resort.
- Yellow-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus goiavier
KS - Abundant
TN - Few were present at the resort.
- Olive-winged Bulbul - Pycnonotus plumosus
KS - A few families near the Eagle and Langur trail.
TN - Always about four present near the clearing, sometimes in the
fruiting trees at the resort.
- Cream-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus simplex
TN - Fairly common, but difficult to see, as they frequent the canopy.
Try the canopy walkway.
- Red-eyed Bulbul - Pycnonotus brunneus
G - One two km down the Raub road.
TN - Common.
- Spectacled Bulbul - Pycnonotus erythropthalmos
TN - Single birds were regularly recorded; seen almost daily at the fruiting
trees.
- Ochraceous Bulbul - Criniger ochraceus
G - Common; also seen at the lower parts of Fraser's Hill (Waterfall
road).
- Grey-cheeked Bulbul - Criniger bres
TN - Almost daily recorded; fairly common on the trail to Bukit Teresek and
the trail to Blau hide.
- Yellow-bellied Bulbul - Criniger phaeocephalus
TN - Fairly common.
- Finsch's Bulbul - Criniger finschii
TN - Two adults seen twice on the river trail, always near a small stream.
- Hairy-backed Bulbul - Hypsipetes criniger
TN - Common.
- Buff-vented Bulbul - Hypsipetes charlottae
TN - Regularly seen, especially near the River trail.
- Mountain Bulbul - Hypsipetes mcclellandii
FH - Fairly common, often in pairs.
- Streaked Bulbul - Hypsipetes malaccensis
TN - Only present on Bukit Teresek (especially at the viewpoints), where
fairly common.
- Ashy Bulbul - Hypsipetes flavala
G - Fairly common.
- Bronzed Drongo - Dicrurus aeneus
G - FH - Fairly common.
- Ashy Drongo - Dicrurus leucocephalus
KS - Only one seen.
- Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo - Dicrurus remifer
G - One on the KKB road
- Greater Racket-tailed Drongo - Dicrurus paradiseus
G - Fairly common; TN - Common
- Dark-throated Oriole - Oriolus xanthonotus
TN - Only four seen, two males and two females (River trail, Blau hide, ...)
- Black-and-crimson Oriole - Oriolus cruentus
FH - Fairly common, also on the road from Fraser's Hill to the Gap, about
one km up from the Gap.
- Black-naped Oriole - Oriolus chinensis
KS - Fairly common.
- Asian Fairy Bluebird - Irena puella
G - Seen daily, often in pairs.
TN - Regularly seen, always a few present in the fruiting trees
at the resort.
- Crested Jay - Platylophus galericulatus
TN - Two adults on the River trail, one flying over Sungai Tahan (seen
on the boat trip), two seen near Kumbang hide plus some more heard there;
heard only at Bukit Teresek,
- Green Magpie - Cissa chinensis
FH - Seen almost daily, more than ten recorded.
- Black Magpie - Platysmurus leucopterus
TN - At least four near Kumbang hide.
- House Crow - Corvus splendens
KS - Fairly common, also seen in other urban areas (Kuala Lumpur,
etc.)
- Large-billed Crow - Corvus macrorhynchos
KS - TN - Regularly recorded in small numbers.
- Slender-billed Crow - Corvus enca
TN - About four recorded, near Jenut Muda and the resort. Calls like a
Rook.
- Great Tit - Parus major
KS - Only present in the mangroves, where regularly recorded.
- Sultan Tit - Melanochlora sultanea
G - One family of three birds on the Raub road, two at the junction.
FH - One near the Gate, one in the High Pines garden, two on the Waterfall
road, two on the Telekom loop.
TN - One between Kumbang hide and Kuala Trenggan was unexpected.
A total of twelve birds was seen on the trip.
- Velvet-fronted Nuthatch - Sitta frontalis
G - One on the KKB road, six and two on the Fraser's Hill road.
TN - One at the clearing.
- Blue Nuthatch - Sitta azurea
FH - Seen daily, recorded in low numbers, but not uncommon.
- Black-capped Babbler - Pellorneum capistratum
TN - Seen regularly in low numbers. One pair often seen at Lubok Simpon,
others near Tabing hide, River trail, Blau hide...
- Buff-breasted Babbler - Trichastoma tickelli
FH - Quite common, but difficult to see in the dense vegetation.
Conspicous song.
- Short-tailed Babbler - Trichastoma malaccense
TN - Uncommon; two Blau hide, two Jenut Muda, two between Bukit
Teresek and the River trail.
- White-chested Babbler - Trichastoma rostratum
TN - Only near small rivers: two at Lubok Simpon, five on the boat
trip to the falls, at least four near Sungai Terenggan (Kumbang hide area).
- Ferruginous Babbler - Trichastoma bicolor
TN - About three on the Jenut Muda trail (01/08 and 02/08), three
halfway between Tabing and Kumbang hide, four near Kumbang hide.
- Abbott's Babbler - Trichastoma abbotti
KS - TN - Common.
- Moustached Babbler - Malacopteron magnirostre
TN - Seen regularly.
- Sooty-capped Babbler - Malacopteron affine
TN - Regularly recorded in small numbers.
- Scaly-crowned Babbler - Malacopteron cinereum
TN - Common.
- Rufous-crowned Babbler - Malacopteron magnum
TN - Common.
- Large Scimitar-babbler - Pomatorhinus hypoleucos
FH - Heard only; one calling every morning in the valley below the gate.
One heard from the Bishops trail. Both were too distant to tape in.
- Chestnut-backed Scimitar-babbler - Pomatorhinus montanus
G - One about 1 km up the Fraser's Hill road.
TN - One between Kumbang hide and Sungai Terenggan was unexpected.
- Striped Wren-babbler - Kenopia striata
TN - One pair between the two streams on Jenut Muda trail plus another
behind the second stream. Several were singing along the trail to Blau hide;
not rare and easily taped-in.
- Large Wren-babbler - Napothera macrodactyla
TN - One on the Swamp Loop, two near Blau hide, two near Yong hide, two
between Tabing and Kumbang hide.
- Streaked Wren-babbler - Napothera brevicaudata
FH - One at the rubbish tip, one on the Bishops trail and two families
(at least seven birds) on the Pine Tree trail.
- Pygmy Wren-babbler - Pnoepyga pusilla
FH - Not uncommon if you know the song; Several (at least four) seen well
on the Bishop's trail, one seen well in the High Pines garden, one near the
gate, ...
- Golden Babbler - Stachyris chrysaea
FH - Fairly common, often in bird waves.
- Grey-throated Babbler - Stachyris nigriceps
G - FH - Fairly common.
- Grey-headed Babbler - Stachyris poliocephala
TN - Only seen in the Kumbang hide area, where we saw it regularly.
- Chestnut-rumped Babbler - Stachyris maculata
TN - One on Bukit Teresek, two near Blau hide; seen on three occasions
between Tabing and Kumbang hide, also recorded in the Kumbang hide area.
- Black-throated Babbler - Stachyris nigricollis
TN - Seen regularly, often singles; Jenut Muda, Blau hide, ...
- White-necked Babbler - Stachyris leucotis
TN - Two seen briefly on the Jenut Muda trail.
- Chestnut-winged Babbler - Stachyris erythroptera
TN - Common.
- Striped Tit-babbler - Macronous gularis
KS - Common; TN - Fairly common.
- Fluffy-backed Tit-babbler - Macronous ptilosus
TN - At least two families between Kumbang hide and Sungai Terenggan;
easily taped in.
- Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush - Garrulax erythrocephalus
FH - Recorded daily in low numbers - one pair always present in the
High pines garden.
- Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush - Garrulax mitratus
FH - Common.
- Black Laughingthrush - Garrulax lugubris
FH - G - Seemed to be commoner than Chestnut-crowned!! Four at Jeriau
Waterfall, three at the Bishops trail, four on the Fraser's Hill road (G),
four on the Pine Tree trail, five on the Raub road (G), ...
- Rufous-winged Fulvetta - Alcippe castaneceps
FH - A group of six birds showed well on the Pine Tree trail.
- Mountain Fulvetta - Alcippe peracensis
FH - Very common.
- Brown Fulvetta - Alcippe brunneicauda
TN - Uncommon, but seen on several occasions (two on Bukit Teresek, one
from the canopy walkway, ...).
- White-bellied Yuhina - Yuhina zantholeuca
G - FH - Seen regularly, often in bird waves.
TN - Two seen on the Jenut Muda trail.
- Black-eared Shrike-babbler - Pteruthius melanotis
FH - Fairly common, often in bird waves.
- White-browed Shrike-babbler - Pteruthius flaviscapis
G - FH - Recorded regularly in low numbers; in the Gap, only seen on the Fraser's Hill road.
- Blue-winged Minla - Minla cyanouroptera
FH - Common.
- Chestnut-tailed Minla - Minla strigula
FH - One pair was breeding on top of the Pine Tree hill.
- Cutia - Cutia nipalensis
FH - One female on the Bishops trail, one pair on the Pine Tree trail.
- Silver-eared Mesia - Leiothrix argentauris
FH - Fairly common.
- White-hooded Babbler - Gampsorhynchus rufulus
G - Four on the Fraser's Hill road.
- Long-tailed Sibia - Heterophasia picaoides
FH - Abundant.
- Malaysian Rail-babbler - Eupetes macrocerus
TN - Two seen near the trail between Bukit Teresek and the River trail,
about 70 m down from the second viewpoint. They started calling after we
played the tape of Garnet Pitta. Another was briefly seen about 50 m further.
- Flyeater (Golden-bellied Gerygone) - Gerygone suphurea
KS - Quite common in the mangroves if you know the song; seen well on
several occasions.
- Chestnut-crowned Warbler - Seicercus castaniceps
FH - Fairly common.
- Yellow-bellied Warbler - Abroscopus superciliaris
G - Fairly common; FH - only few seen.
- Mountain Leaf Warbler - Phylloscopus trivirgatus
FH - Four at the Pine Tree trail, two at the Hemnant trail.
- Rufescent Prinia - Prinia rufescens
G - One on the new road.
- Yellow-bellied Prinia - Prinia flaviventris
KS - Common; TN - Several singing near the clearing and near Sungai Tembeling.
- Common Tailorbird - Orthotomus sutorius
KS - TN - Common.
- Dark-necked Tailorbird - Orthotomus atrogularis
G - TN - Common to fairly common.
- Ashy Tailorbird - Orthotomus sepium
KS - Very common.
TN - Seen on several occasions, uncommon.
- Mountain Tailorbird - Orthotomus cuculatus
FH - Fairly common.
- Rufous-tailed Tailorbird - Orthotomus sericeus
KS - One showed quite well at the Eagle trail - an unexpected sighting.
TN - One gave very good views at Kumbang hide, responding to the tape. Another
was seen near Sungai Terenggan.
- Lesser Shortwing - Brachypteryx leucophrys
FH - Quite common if you know the song. Two seen well plus one briefly on
the Bishops trail. Heard only at a number of places (Telekom loop, High
Pines garden, ...).
- White-tailed Robin - Cinclidium leucurum
FH - One male seen very well at the Bishops trail, with another male there a
two days later, one female at the Rubbish tip.
- Oriental Magpie-robin - Copsychus saularis
KS - G - FH - TN - Common
- White-rumped Shama - Copsychus malabaricus
G - One male seen at the KKB road.
TN - Fairly common.
- Chestnut-naped Forktail - Enicurus ruficapillus
TN - Two seen from the boat to the falls, one near the River trail,
one near Jenut Muda trail.
- White-crowned Forktail - Enicurus leschenaulti
TN - One near the River trail, one near Jenut Muda trail.
- Slaty-backed Forktail - Enicurus schistaceus
FH - One near the gate, one juvenile on the rubbish tip, four on the road
to and at the waterfall.
- Grey-chested Flycatcher - Rhinomyias umbratilis
TN - One adult and one juvenile seen twice on the Jenut Muda trail.
- Brown-streaked Flycatcher - Muscicapa williamsoni
KS - Unexpectedly, one was found and well studied on top of Bukit Melawati
- Little Pied Flycatcher - Ficedula westermanni
FH - Seen on several occasions, only males.
- Rufous-browed Flycatcher - Ficedula solitaris
FH - Seen daily in small numbers.
- Rufous-chested Flycatcher - Ficedula dumetoria
TN - One pair near Jenut Muda.
- Grey-headed Flycatcher - Culicicapa ceylonensis
FH - One near the Old zoo; G - One on the KKB road.
TN - Recorded regularly (singles).
- Large Niltava - Niltava grandis
G - One on the Fraser's Hill road.
FH - Fairly common.
- Verditer Flycatcher - Eumyias thalassina
G - Fairly common, seen daily. One pair always present at the back of
the resthouse
- Pygmy Blue Flycatcher - Muscicapella hodgsoni
FH - One family of three birds on the Bishop's trail.
- Hill Blue Flycatcher - Cyornis banyumas
G - Two (including one juvenile) seen on the Fraser's Hill road.
FH - Six at the rubbish tip.
- Tickell's Blue Flycatcher - Cyornis tickelliae
TN - One male on the trail to Bukit Teresek, one male at Lubok Simpon,
one female on the River trail.
- Malaysian Blue Flycatcher - Cyornis turcosa
TN - One male gave good views from the boat to the falls.
- Mangrove Blue Flycatcher - Cyornis rufigastra
KS - Four seen near the Boardwalk, one male near Langur trail, one male
in another part of the mangroves.
- Pied Fantail - Rhipidura javanica
KS - Common.
- Spotted Fantail - Rhipidura perlata
TN - One near Jenut Muda, two near the River trail, two near Yong hide,
five near Kumbang hide, ... Fairly common near streams.
- White-throated Fantail - Rhipidura albicollis
FH - Common.
- Black-naped Monarch - Hypothymis azurea
TN - Fairly common.
- Rufous-winged Monarch - Philentoma pyrhopterum
TN - Regularly recorded in small numbers.
- Asian Paradise-flycatcher - Terpsiphone paradisi
KS - One female on the Eagle trail
TN - Regularly seen, mostly females. One male of the white phase was
seen on the Jenut Muda trail.
- Mangrove Whistler - Pachycephala grisola
KS - Fairly common near the boardwalk; also seen near the Eagle trail.
- Asian Glossy Starling - Aplonis panayensis
KS - Common; also seen at Kuala Tembeling.
- Common Myna - Acridotheres tristis
KS - TN - Fairly common; Few always present in the resort.
Also seen in Kuala Lumpur and other urban areas.
- Jungle Myna - Acridotheres fuscus
KS - Fairly common, often in small groups - on 07/07 a group of 25 birds
was seen.
- White-vented Myna - Acridotheres javanicus
Kuala Lumpur - Introduced; about five seen.
- Hill Myna - Gracula religiosa
TN - Fairly common; one pair present near the clearing, others seen all
over the park.
- Brown-throated Sunbird - Anthreptes malacensis
KS - Fairly common.
TN - Two present at the resort.
- Red-throated Sunbird - Anthreptes rhodolaema
G - One pair about 3 km down the KKB road.
- Ruby-cheeked Sunbird - Anthreptes singalensis
KS - Seen regularly.
TN - Uncommon, few seen.
- Purple-naped Sunbird - Hypogramma hypogrammicum
G - Few seen on the KKB road.
TN - Fairly common, especially near Sungai Tahan.
- Olive-backed Sunbird - Nectarinia jugularis
KS - Fairly common.
- Black-throated Sunbird - Aethopyga saturata
G - FH - Fairly common.
- Scarlet Sunbird - Aethopyga temminckii
TN - One male seen near Blau hide. One female near the River trail.
- Little Spiderhunter - Arachnothera longirostra
G - Several seen near the Raub road.
- Long-billed Spiderhunter - Arachnothera robusta
TN - Uncommon; two often present at the clearing.
- Spectacled Spiderhunter - Arachnothera flavigaster
TN - Singles seen several times at the resort.
- Yellow-eared Spiderhunter - Arachnothera chrysogenys
G - Two on the new road, two about three km down the KKB road.
Several spiderhunters at TN could have been this species, but were only
briefly seen.
- Grey-breasted Spiderhunter - Arachnothera affinis
TN - Uncommon. Several seen well at the resort, a few from the boat trip,
few along the trails.
- Streaked Spiderhunter - Arachnothera magna
G - Fairly common; one gave very close views behind the resthouse.
FH - Common.
- Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker - Prionochilus maculatus
G - One on the KKB road.
TN - Fairly common (Kumbang hide, Yong hide, River trail, ...)
- Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker - Prionochilus percussus
TN - One male near Bukit Teresek, one male near Kumbang hide
- Buff-bellied Flowerpecker - Dicaeum ignipectus
G - FH - Fairly common.
- Plain Flowerpecker - Dicaeum concolor
G - One on the Fraser's Hill road, one near the Resthouse.
- Orange-bellied Flowerpecker - Dicaeum trigonostigma
G - A pair two km down the Raub road. One male three km down the KKB road.
- Yellow-vented Flowerpecker - Dicaeum chrysorrheum
G - One three km down the KKB road.
TN - Fairly common, seen easily at the resort.
- Oriental White-eye - Zosterops palpebrosus
KS - Common.
- Everett's White-eye - Zosterops everetti
G - Fairly common; also seen below the gate at Fraser's Hill.
- Tree Sparrow - Passer montanus
Common in urban areas; also in Kuala Tahan.
- Baya Weaver - Ploceus philippinus
KS - Two females were seen near the village.
- Pin-tailed Parrot-finch - Erythrura prasina
G - One male about half a kilometre down the KKB road on 08/07.
Eight (!) two km down the Raub road on 16/07 and three three km down
the KKB road also on 16/07.
- White-rumped Munia - Lonchura striata
G - FH - Fairly common.
- White-bellied Munia - Lonchura leucogastra
TN - Five at the clearing, seven near Sungai Tembeling at Kuala Trenggan.
- Chestnut Munia - Lonchura malacca
KS - One briefly seen on the trail between the reserve and the village
(WV).
- White-headed Munia - Lonchura maja
KS - Two briefly seen in the reserve (IJ).
- Scaly-breasted Munia - Lonchura punctulata
KS - Fairly common.
Return to trip reports.
This page served with permission of the author
by Urs Geiser; ugeiser@xnet.com;
October 26, 1999; updated February 28, 2003