Tag Archives: Birds

Borneo Woodpecker

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If I say I find a woodpecker near KK, most of you would think that I am joking. I did find one! You won’t understand how excited I was. Every wildlife photography trip is a treasure hunt. Sometimes you get nothing, sometimes you can get a lot. And the harder you work, the more luck you get.

After walking 4 hours under the hot sun, I was so tired that I rested under a death tree. Thirst and hunger were trying to knock me out. Then I heard “Tatatat, Tatatat…” on top of my head. I looked up and saw only dry branches and blue sky. Later, again, I heard the pecking sound. I thought there was a big gecko caught a beetle, so it knocked its mouth against the tree branch to smash the big bug.

I stood up and walked away. After a few steps, I heard the pecking clearly again. My instinct made me turned my head to look back. This time I saw something like a house sparrow busy pecking a tree hole. From its pecking movement, sharp beak and the way it anchors its body to the tree by using the tail, it was a woodpecker. I can’t be wrong. I quickly took out my camera. The thrill was so intense that my hands were shaking.

This was one of my luckiest day. Not only I saw a Brown-Capped Woodpecker (Picoides moluccensis), it was just 20 feet away from me. Other wild birds would have fleed if they saw me 100 feet away. I’m sure it saw me under the tree.

Not only I got the photos, I also captured it in the video. You can Click Here to see the video clip, the first Sabah woodpecker video available on the Internet. Turn up the volume and you will hear the pecking sound clearly. It is like a music to me.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre, Sabah, Malaysia

Sawangan Beach of Kuala Penyu

Sawangan Beach, Kuala Penyu

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Sawangan Beach (Pantai Sawangan) of Kuala Penyu let me see something that is not found in popular beaches. This is because the habitant of those wildlife was not disturbed by the human.


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For example, I remember in the past, sea life such as sea stars and big seashells were easily found everywhere on the beach of Manukan Island, anyone can tell me if it is still possible today? Nowadays I only see sand on the beach. That is. Less wildlife but more garbage. Frankly, the islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park are less fun to travel now, compared to many years ago, (well… if you still can recall how their old faces).


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I am glad that Sawangan Beach still remains a clean place. The unique feature about this beach is – there are a few long stretches of “rock + stone carpet”, extending 1 KM from the shore to the sea. During low tide, the area between the shore and the rock traps a large volume of sea water. The mix of sandy, rocky, seaweed, flooded and dry area… allows ANY kind of sea creature to find a suitable spot here as its home. You would see otter, crabs and sea birds busy searching for food there.


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The water is shallow so I could walk on it. Sea cucumber, anemone, seaweed, fishes, coral, shells… are everywhere. If you give me a big basket, I can collect a full basket of sea cucumbers within hour.

Ostrich Losing Hair

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Ostrich is an interesting big bird. Now you can see them in many places in Sabah. Personally I have seen them in the mini-zoo at Tenom Agriculture Park and Tuaran Crocodile Farm. I heard that Papar also got an ostrich farm.

But one thing that puzzled me was the missing of their beautiful feather on the tails. I thought someone such as naughty tourists plucked it. Now I think I got the answer. Click Here to see the video.

Tabin Wildlife

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“I’LL BE BACK!”
This was what I thought when I left Tabin Wildlife Reserve last week. Don’t get me wrong. I am not going back there to kill animal and shoot wildlife. I want to kill more time and shoot more photos. If you love nature, Tabin will be like a treasure hunt to you. There is always a new pleasure surprise waiting for you in next minute, and you will want more.

Besides Danum Valley, Tabin Wildlife Reserve is another best wildlife watching spot. It is just 44 KM away from Lahad Datu. The transport will take 1 hour 30 minutes. 10 minutes on the usual road, then 1 hour 20 minutes on gravel road. You will see ocean of oil palm plantation on the way. No, there is no bus going there. Taxi will ask for RM250, gila… You already can book the Tabin tour, which costs less than RM200 (USD50) and 2-way transport is included.


Click Here to see the photo gallery of Tabin Wildlife >>

Our first activity is to go to the Lapid Mud Volcano. It is as big as a football field. According to the guide, the mud volcano is still active in producing mud, and it becomes higher and higher due to the accumulated mud. They say the mud contains a lot of minerals and it is good for your skin if you apply it. Even the elephants and wild boar know its value and come to eat the mud.

After 30 minutes of jungle trekking (700 Meters trail), we saw the mud volcano. I was so excited and walked quickly to the centre of the mud volcano. Then “pop!”, one of my feet was trapped in the mud. Man… the suction was so strong that it took a lot of strength to pull out my foot. Actually it is very dangerous to run to the centre. The mud on the thin surface is dry and looks hard, but underneath is a pool of deep soft mud. I heard that there was a girl got half of her body sank into the mud. She was so scared and cried for help. Two guys finally got her out of the mud, but her pant was left in the mud. So be careful.. BTW, you really need a spare shoe for the jungle trekking, as the trail is very wet and muddy.


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Of course, Tabin is never lack of wild animals. I have taken some photos during the jungle trekking, and share them in photo gallery here. The resort itself is already in the forest so you can see and hear the wildlife too. Unfortunately, many of them flee before I take out the camera. All 8 species of hornbills can be spot here. Too bad I didn’t see any Pygmy elephants.

The staffs advised us to leave everything in our room and lock the door. This is because the monkeys (Long-Tail Macaque) are very naughty and know how to open door and steal our things. If you leave your shoe outside, the next day you would see a monkey wearing your Nike. The chalet is very well-equipped. Got air-con, hot water, lighting, bathroom and big room…

We also had a night safari at 9 PM. We found deer, slow loris, fire fly… It should be more animal if it was not raining that night. This is not a zoo so you will need a bit of luck. Anyway, this was the first time I explored forest in the dark. Still an interesting experience. I should have stayed long enough.

Click Here to see the photo gallery of Tabin Wildlife >>