You'll have a great time at Danum, looking forward to reading about your trip! Hopefully I'll have finished this trip blog before you start yours
Day Nine: We awoke particularly early, and after a quick, lukewarm shower (limited electricity at Sukau, so no air conditioning and minimal water heating) headed to the restaurant deck for first breakfast (coffee and toast). The sun was just rising as we boarded our boat and cruised upstream to search for wildlife. The first species was another lifer, the silhouettes of a trio of green imperial pigeons perched in a stag, which were displaced by the arrival of a pair of OPHs (#BirdingLingo). We passed a larger crocodile swimming too, this one around 2m, which was rather disconcerting given the edge of the boat was barely 30cm from the water surface. There were a few birds about, mostly the same species as seen yesterday, but further additions were a few slender-billed crows and a pair of wrinkled hornbills. We stopped a couple of times to watch macaques and proboscis monkeys, which were feeding by the water’s edge. We could get quite close to both, sometimes within a couple of metres, which was great for observing their behaviours (including observing us). On the way upstream, we visited numerous small side channels, and in one drifted underneath a mangrove snake resting on some overhanging branches – apparently it had been there for almost a week, presumably digesting a meal. This was my first up-close view of a wild snake, the others have either been from a car, or a rapidly departing shape in the grass. Surprisingly, the black and yellow stripes were good camouflage in the leaves, and it took a while to find the snake. We were heading to one of the Kinabatangan’s oxbow lakes, which are only connected to the main channel during the rainy season (which was now, although fortunately for us it was a particularly non-rainy rainy season). Oxbow lakes are one of those things I have read so much about growing up, so it was very cool to actually be able to see one. We couldn’t see all of it, as it was rather vast, but also choked with water plants not too far from the river connection, but we still explored the accessible space, zipping along the banks looking for life. Life was mostly in the form of plants, with a few damselflies and dragonflies scooting over the water, and a smattering of birds – mostly egrets, darters, kingfishers and smaller birds seen yesterday. While most of the guests were content with monkeys, I was looking for birds, and Rahman was very good at pointing out things I'd missed, and later helping with identifications from my camera of things he'd missed. In the end, lifers here included a bat hawk and a dollarbird perched on stags, and a pair of bushy-crested hornbills flying overhead. After the lake, we headed back to the lodge, and had a proper Bornean breakfast. We spent the morning doing a guided walk of part of the hornbill boardwalk loop behind the lodge, although saw little apart from macaques. The afternoon was spent exploring the lodge surrounds – gardens, pool, and riverside, and swimming and relaxing (it got very warm). While there were few birds in the immediate vicinity (only saw some pied fantails) as the heat increased, there were plenty of insects, with lots of dragonflies, butterflies and even a giant hornet (I think?) near the pool, as well as the constant background noise of cicadas. There were also spiders, a Prevost’s squirrel, and lots of geckos and skinks. There was an orangutan talk around mid-afternoon, which was quite good, and we followed this up with a complete walk around the boardwalk loop, although this was not very fruitful. Our afternoon cruise was very much primate-focused, with good sightings of proboscis monkeys, and a great view of a large macaque troop on the ground. While macaques are common, their social behaviours were great to watch, and thoroughly engaging. It is a shame more zoos do not exhibit large groups of these social primates. As we returned to the lodge, we saw a few proboscis groups returning to trees overhanging the river where they sleep (this position allowing them an escape route via the river should a predator climb their tree). And a little further along we saw a heavily pregnant Bornean orangutan constructing a nest for the night in a rather spindly tree. This was also great to watch, we were directly underneath her at some points and could see what she was doing quite clearly, although photography from such an angle was difficult. After some “jungle” cocktails in the lodge, we had our last dinner on the verandah overlooking the Kinabatangan. This was extra special, as we could see some fireflies too, another thing I have read much about, but never actually seen. Around 8pm, we headed out for a second night cruise. This ended up being very similar to the previous night’s one, exploring much the same area and seeing much the same species. It is, however, important to point out again how fantastic black-and-red broadbills are. Gotta be one of the best looking birds in the world. Upon our return, we took ourselves off for a night walk along the hornbill boardwalk, which was very dark and a little spooky. Despite the darkness, we spotted a number of invertebrates and reptiles with headlamps, including large snails, spiders, whip scorpions, katydids, stick insects, ants, and assorted other bugs, as well as lots of geckos. At one point a white screen had been set up with a light to attract insects, and there were a great diversity of moths and beetles present. There were bats here too, but no idea what species. A little further round the loop we ran into the American photographer, who was taking some awesome macro images and had just seen a mousedeer. So I was a bit sad not to have seen that. We walked around the boardwalk together, and at the far end, where there is a break in the boardwalk to let the elephants through, we found a turtle! Or a tortoise. I can’t figure out what species it is, so help would be appreciated with ID! But very exciting! So this turned out to be probably my most successful reptile spotting day ever! Turtle, crocodile, snake, plus water monitors, skinks and loads of geckos! Borneo Wildlife Species Lists: Birds: 45 Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea 46 Slender-billed Crow Corvus enca 47 Wrinkled Hornbill Aceros corrugatus 48 Bushy-crested Hornbill Anorrhinus galeritus 49 Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis 50 Bat Hawk Machaeramphus alcinus
just tuning in briefly while I have some internet to say that I appreciate the resumption of this thread...
did you keep note of what the prices there are now? I keep hearing they have gone up a lot, but it would be nice to have some actual figures.
I paid 680MR for three nights. It's 91 per night, and 65 each way for the bus. The rest is camera fees, entrance fee, conservation fee; stuff like that. I didn't pay for food but that's super expensive (30 or 40 per meal or 50 a day for the 'kitchen'). I got all sorted in the head office in KK.
When do we get the report on what it's like seeing pygmy elephants in the wild? Also, are there any more breakfast buffet reviews on the way?
Very soon, in fact we saw elephants the very next day, just got to finish writing that post up, hopefully this weekend! And new location means new breakfast buffet review! @Chlidonias or anyone else, any thoughts on turtle ID...?
that's not too bad actually. Not a huge increase since I was there (the bus is the exactly the same, and the dorms maybe 50% increase in price [assuming you were in the dorms]). The food has increased quite a bit though. I'd been hearing stories of costs doubling, and then increasing again after that!
it looks super-familiar. It's a turtle rather than a tortoise, maybe a Heosemys. It has a vertebral keel and looks like it has red markings on the head.
Thanks @Chlidonias. The only Heosemys on Borneo is spiny turtle, which this isn't. I had a look through the turtle checklist at species occurring in East Malaysia, and the only one I can see it resembling is Black Marsh Turtle, Siebenrockiella crassicollis, does this seem reasonable? Maybe an old or otherwise battered individual?
it's not S. crassicollis, the scutes are all wrong. I'm sticking with H. spinosa for now. Is your East Malaysia turtle checklist online? I couldn't see one in a quick search.
OK, I can see that now. I guess the sides spikes are just worn? They are quite spiky looking at the rear. I could find very little on Bornean turtles online, but I found this complete checklist of Chelonians online, and searched for "Malaysia" through that to find the species. In total there were only 12 options in East Malaysia, excluding sea turtles, with many of those easily ruled out: e.g. soft-shelled turtles. WebCite query result Incidentally, this is probably quite a good resource for wild turtle species ID.
I wouldn't like to say it is definitely the spiny turtle but that is my best guess. The adults really don't look anything like the small ones with their prominent spikes. There are some nice photos of adults at Jersey Zoo on this reptile foum thread (Tehanu on there is JerseyLotte from Zoochat although sadly she has not been on here in ages): Heosemys spinosa - Spiny Turtle - Reptile Forums
Cool. Did you get into the Dipterocarp forest too and see any of the gliding snakes, lizards, or frogs? Did you report on that already and I missed it?
I had seen some Dipterocarp forest earlier in the trip, which I think I mentioned, but I haven't got to the primary lowland rainforest yet. And I haven't seen any gliding herps up to this point, but I will soon!
I waited your stories for several month . But neither you nor zooboy28 came back. At last I went to Sabah myself June 2017 . I visited Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Mt. Kinabalu Botanical Garden, Poring Hot Spring, Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Bornean Sun bear Conservation Centre, Selingan Turtle Island, Kinabatangan River Safari and Gomantong Caves. It was really a nice nature tour. However, they says even the jungle in Kinabatangan is also secondary forest. Next time I want to visit primary forest - only Danum Valley and Tabin in Sabah. There are tour packages of Danum Valley easy to find, but very expensive. Could you tell me how you booked Danum Valley Field Centre? I think 680MYR is acceptable.
My Mt. Kinabalu & Poring Day Tour was similar to you, it might be a common package. Did you check the plants under the street lamp, not far from the Ticket Office of Poring Hot Spring. I found a lot of Chalcosoma beetles there. I am not sure whether they have occurrence period.
in his post @FunkyGibbon said he arranged it at the head office in KK. What I did (in 2009... that's so long ago now!) was firstly repeatedly trying to contact them via email which had zero responses (this seems to be standard). So when I got to KK I went to the head office and organised it there. I was sitting at the desk of the person as she made the arrangements over the phone with the Lahad Datu office, so I knew it was sorted. But when I got to Lahad Datu a while later, the office there had no record of it at all. But I organised it there on the spot no problem. So when I go back to Danum - eventually - I'm just going to go straight to the Lahad Datu office and cut out all the in-between uselessness.
Thank you Chlidonias, that sounds really inconvenient for me. I always prefer to arrange everything ready before the trip. I am afraid what if I get to Lahad Datu, but there were no room left or something else unexpected. And how about Tabin Wildlife Resort? I see they have official website http://www.tabinwildlife.com.my/ and can book online, while also expensive.
And were there guide walk or jeep safari? I do not think I can manage to find wildlife by myself through the jungle...
