From our base in Kota Kinabalu, we were able to strike at several sites with species we had missed out on during the regular part of our trip. For the first of our mornings here, we decided to return to the Crocker Range, where we hoped to catdch up with some of the birds we missed out on a Mount Kinabalu and Trus Madi. It was a 90 minutes drive from our hotel, so we set off at 06:00 and arrived to start birding at 07:30.
We started our birding on the Gunung Alab Substation Road, where we had birded before. However, we did not travel as far as on our previous visit. We birded here for an hour, but for the most part could only find familiar species. A pair of Mountain Blackeye was nice, as was a smart male Temminck’s Sunbird. But the highlight came as we walked back to the car, when we picked out an immature male Pygmy Flycatcher as part of a mixed species flock. I certainly did not expect the birds constant wing flicks, which were very quirky. It was not a species we had anticipated finding here, so was a good one to get back for the trip!
At 08:30 we set off slightly further down the mountain to the Rafflesia Information Centre, where we hoped to find some more birds, as well as see one of the Rafflesia flowers. What we did not realise was that a guide was mandatory, and we could not explore the forest here by ourselves. Still, we wanted to see the flower so paid our entry, drove down to another area of the site, met our guide and then hiked to see the flower. Although it was only 600 metres from the car park, it was an incredibly steep descent down concrete stairs. At the bottom was waiting for us a 6-day-old Rafflesia pricei, not the enormous flower but one of its smaller relatives.
We did not see many birds on the trail down to the flower, although Spotted Fantail was an unexpected new species for me. However, without a guide we could explore the open area around the car park so we spent about an hour doing this. Indeed this was very productive. No sooner had we returned to the car than two Mountain Barbet responded to our playback, offering excellent views. Then we continued birding and found a brief pair of the Pygmy Heleia (or White-eye), before finally catching up with the Bornean Barbet, which did not show as well but was still very much appreciated. Sadly the gloomy conditions did not help our chances for Mountain Serpent Eagle, and Whiteheads Spiderhunter was always a long shot, but to get back three species was a great reward for the morning.
At 11:00, with the clouds already gathering, we headed back down into the city and our hotel, arriving at 12:30. The rest of the afternoon was a complete washout, although we had a short look at the beach adjacent to our resort during a short break in the weather. There were no waders but a couple of Little Terns flew past, which was quite unexpected. We ended the day drinking cocktails, watching the geckos whilst the rain fell down outside.
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