Kalimantan May - July 2014, Ulu Barito

In the previous post about this area, I announced that I would return and so I did for another seven wonderful weeks. Again the results were fruitful, but not to many new species were added to the site list. I guess the curve is flattening. New additions were mostly birds I've been expecting to find in the area, but which kept eluding me like Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Red-throated Sunbird, Puff-backed Bulbul and Little Green Pigeon. However I managed to add another endemic to the list as well: Bornean Whistler. With these additions the current Batikap total exceeds 240!

Just like during the first and the second visit, I spend a lot of time searching for rare Galliformes. Unfortunately I was not lucky enough to get better looks at Black Partridges nor Bornean Peacock-pheasants, although the latter was calling fanatically on some days! Nor allowed the Orang-utan schedule another visit to the Bulwer's Pheasant lek. However I was lucky enough to get good views on a male (and female) Bulwer's Pheasant foraging on the riverbanks. Finally! The more common Galliformes, Crested Partridge and Crested Fireback, were observed much more often and the latter was observed virtually daily! I guess this was due to the fact that the masting (mass fruiting) of the forest has started now. Unfortunately I still did not get the chance to make any photographs of any of the rare Galliformes, but in the end I found a different way to remember my sightings. This way can be viewed in a video here.

Even though the masting has started, I must admit that I miss the migrants. They certainly add something like a surprise factor to the Bornean avifauna. So I focussed more on uncommon resident species that I had not seen well during the previous visits. Consequently I enjoyed brilliant views of Wallace's Hawk-eagle, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Green Broadbill, Malaysian Honeyguide, Moustached and Malaysian Hawk-cuckoo, next to the more familiar goodies like Blue-headed Pitta, Short-toed Coucal, Blue-banded Kingfisher and Large Green Pigeon.

Rufous-bellied Eagle (Lophotriorchis kienerii)

Great Slaty Woodpecker (Mulleripicus pulverulentus)

Moustached Hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx vagans)

Juvenile Malaysian Hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx fugax)

Green Broadbill (Calyptomena viridis), such a brilliant bird!

Female Blue-banded Kingfisher (Alcedo euryzona)

Again the mammals were a highlight too. Especially the amount of Bearded Pigs, attracted by the Dipterocarp seeds is incredible. The numbers of Sambar and both Muntjacs and Mouse-deer have also increased due to the masting. The Bornean Orang-utans and Bornean White-bearded Gibbons seemed to enjoy plentiful food as well. Other highlights were another Bornean Slow Loris and a Tree-striped Ground Squirrel.

Greater Mouse-deer (Tragulus napu)

Unfortunately this was the last time in the near future that we stayed in this wonderful area. We will not soon forget our times here. I mean there are not many places where Bornean Peacock-pheasant, Bornean Ground-cuckoo, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Large-green Pigeon and Large Frogmouth can alll be heard just from your bed or where Blue-banded Kingfishers and Malaysian Hawk-cuckoos watch you while you take a bath in the river...