After three weeks our Borneo trip final reached its end today. Our flight was not until the evening, so we had the morning to explore. Laura opted to stay in bed, so I drove the 90 minutes south to the Kilas Peat Swamp Forest, which is known destination for a few specialized species, but which had become much harder within the last year.
Setting off at 05:30, I made good time and arrived at the site at 06:40. The gate was open and staff were around, so I paid my entry and then started exploring. The boardwalk was in a sorry state, with many sections broken by falling trunks and many loose panels throughout. It was a bit of a minefield, but I still enjoyed the forest and the birding here, even though I ultimately missed the main target species.
I got four new species in the three hours that I birded here, with Red-billed Malkhoa, Chestnut-bellied Malkhoa, Rufous-tailed Tailorbird and Thick-billed Green Pigeon. Sadly none of them posed for pictures and I didn’t get anything of the two non-Malkhoa species. Bornean Black-capped Babbler was nice to see again, and there were nice views of several other species I had become familiar with over the preceding three day. Additionally it was nice to see Proboscis Monkeys again, although they were distant and there was very limited visibility through the trees.
At 10:00 I set off back to the hotel to prepare for checkout and our flight home. Once again I made good time and was back with time to pack and shower. We left the hotel at midday, and headed for lunch, then souvenir shopping and then to the airport. A little early for sure, but with few other options, it was nice to be free of the responsibility of the car and allowed us an afternoon break before we flew. Thus draws to a close our trip to Sabah in Malaysian Borneo.
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