13th. Feb 2010
Time 7:15 am – 10:30 am
Air temperature 28.8 ° Centigrade.
Clear blue sky. Tide is lowest and rising.
Participant: Steve, Nazeri, Sara, Ali, Rosie, Aisya, Clare, Remli, Ibrahim, Pungut, Ibram, Sofian, Jufree, Hadran, Awg Raden, and Musa (writer)
This time around the Miri Photo-shoot group followed us, they made photographs, we birdwatched.
Our original intended participants ie. the two rural schools in the area and their teachers were not able to participate in the end. We did not succeed in securing permission from no other than the Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri to take 30 primary school students and their 8 teachers out birdwatching in their backyard. Ah well, they've been in the area since forever ... another year or two perhaps won't make that much of a difference. Hurrumph!
We met at Miri Taman Awam a quarter of an hour short of 6:30am. We headed out directly to Kpg Tengah, where the Sanctuary is located.
Group photo : Sibuti Wildlife Sanctuary staff & MNS Miri birders.
We parked the car at the ex-DID barracks and started to unpack when we spotted our first quarry : a lone long tailed macaque.
We slowly walked to the Sanctuary on the double track laterite road, the dry season being early this year, the road was very decent, definitely not a problem for a sedan to pass through. As we walked in we heard woodpecker. A few minutes later three Rufous Woodpecker flew across the track. Far away on a distant branch, a Dollarbird was sitting rather quietly. All the while around us, Yellow-vented Bulbul and Cream-vented Bulbul were flitting about amongsth the branches. Steve spotted an Olive-winged Bulbul.
Pied Triller
On the ground we spotted faeces of a mammal, could be a binturong or otter or palm civet, all reported to be common in the area.
There seemed to be a few Crimson Sunbird flying around that day too. Though rather active on the branches, a few quick glimpses was enough to impress some of our new birders.
While taking shade by the jetty, not far away from the Sanctuary office, we sighted a Stork-billed Kingfisher, several Copper-throated Sunbird, and Olive-winged Bulbul. On a bare branch on a tall tree towards the coast, sat a Dollarbird hawking for insects now and again. This stretch seemed lively with smaller birds such as sunbirds, we saw quite a few of them flitting in and out.
Crested-serpent Eagle
In the river we saw a few long-billed fish. There were also few archer fish swimming slowly under the mangrove tree scanning for prey.
An adult Silver leaf Monkey and a baby were spotted on a big tree by the Sibuti River. Before we could point the scope for a better look, the pair jumped off and dissappeared into the forest.
Seeing this silver leaf monkey, locally called bigok, reminded me of my fishing trip near Sungai Dalam, Miri many years ago. This was where Eastwood Valley Golf Resort is now standing. A friend of mine had just shot a bigok and was happily roasting it on a fire. I could not stand the look of that monkey with it's tail chopped off roasted like that, it looked like a small child. I took refuge in my tent, to this day that image is still firmly etched in my mind.
Archer fish.
Across the river, high up in the sky, two Crested Serpent Eagle were taking in the bird's eye view of the landscape.
Silver leaf monkey with her baby.
We left the Sanctuary and made a move to Hunai and the Sibuti Landfill. Along the way we stopped by the three berembang trees that has a good population of fireflies from a recent firefly recce.
At the landfill we saw a mountain of garbage and several hundred Cattle Egret. Apart from the voluminous discarded plastic bags, there were a couple Wood Sandpiper and White-breasted Woodswallow.
We left the area around 11:45am and headed directly home.
Bird list:
White-breasted Waterhen 4
Tricoloured Munia 3
Rufous Woodpecker 3
Swallow sp 1
Swifts sp 7
Dollar bird 2
Collared Kingfisher 1
Barn swallow 9
Crimson Sunbird 7
Ashy Tailorbird 2
Yellow-vented bulbul 5
Striated Grassbird 2
Pacific swallow 3
Wood swallow 5
Pied Fantail 2
Pied triller 2
Copper-throated Sunbird 2
Stork-billed Kingfisher 2
Spotted Dove 2
Crested-serpent Eagle 2
Cattle Egret 300+
Wood Sandpiper 2
Other fauna:
Silver leaf monkey with baby.
6 Macaques
Traces of Otter
Traces of wilboar
Traces of binturong/palm civet
Squirel sp.
Musa Musbah, February 2010
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