For our final day at Kinabalu we had a clear plan of how we would try to connect with our remaining targets. Sadly, it did not transpire as we had hoped. We arrived at the bottom of the Power Plant Road at 05:30, and set off walking up in the hopes of finding an Everett’s Thrush. There was a dense layer of fog shrouding the forest, and bird activity was much reduced to the previous day. This issue was compounded when joggers started running up the road at 05:45, followed by the first cars at 06:00. Since the road was not supposed to open until 07:00, this was rather perplexing and a great hinderance to our cause. There was one possible thrush that we found, based on its behaviour in the thermal, but sadly I never managed to get binoculars on it before it moved away into the vegetation.
Once we reached the head of the Mempenning Trail we decided to return back the way we came, but the activity in the forest remained very subdued and we ultimately saw nothing new. Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher was nice, and a superb Brown Wood Owl was unexpected, but there was not denying the frustration at not finding the thrush. Once we reached the car we began driving up the road to reach higher elevations where we could continue to search for our outstanding birds.
A few hundred metres past the gate and our luck finally changed. A group of birders pointing their cameras into the forest was a good sign, and they revealed to us a female Whitehead’s Trogon! Finally! She showed extremely well in the gloom, allowing for excellent views. The guide, David, who showed us the birds was also extremely helpful, and while he conceded that some of our targets were just not possible given the time of year, he gave us some clues as to where to find the others. Specifically, he mentioned to ascend the road and use tape for the Bare-headed Laughingthrush. This failed to yield results, but we did have a heard only Sunda Owlet, and a very unexpected Jambu Fruit Dove. This rare species has less than 15 records for the mountain on eBird, so it was a real treat to see.
We finished off the morning by birding the Mempenning Trail again hoping for Mountain Wren Babbler, but this didn’t yield anything different, apart from a female Sunda Cuckoo. Otherwise, although the flocks were enjoyable, our remaining targets went unseen. Since it was already nearly midday, we decided it was probably time to start hitting the road. However, before we left we made on final attempt for Mountain Wren Babbler not far from the gate, and by luck one started responding from a gully heading uphill. At this point I could not face missing this target, so I clambered up the ravine to find the bird. This turned out to be a worthwhile decision, with a pair of the birds showing phenomenally well, providing walk away views.
Feeling relieved at this final development, we set off on a two and a half hour drive to our next stop, the town of Telupid. The weather on the drive was absolutely horrendous, and our stop at the White-fronted Falconet stakeout once again was unsuccessful. Still, we reached our lodging for the evening in good time, the IPS Telupid which was surrounded by secondary woodland ideal for an afternoon stroll. This turned productive with a few commoner species seen, as well as a group of Long-tailed Parakeets and a pair of Black Hornbill.
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