Rendezvous with nature at Danum Valley

WALKING around the sprawling compound of the Danum Valley Field Centre in Sabah’s Danum Valley was a rewarding first morning for Malaysian Nature Society, Perak gang of four. The endemic Dusky Munias were everywhere, feeding on grass seeds at road edges.

Perched high on treetops were parties of Green Imperial Pigeons and on subsequent days, we caught sight of a White-fronted Falconet and a Bat Hawk. The Buffy Fish Owl and Brown Wood Owl called every night.

In Danum Valley, a total of 328 bird species have been recorded, including 42 Bornean endemics. We were delighted to finally see one of these rare endemics, the queer looking Borneon Bristlehead. Despite the rainy weather, we saw a total of 60 species of birds during our six-day stay, a decent haul indeed.

The valley in eastern Sabah is not only a haven for birdwatchers, it is also noted for having one of the most complex eco-systems in the world.

It is located within 438sq km of lush virgin tropical rainforest which hides many of nature’s wonders not often seen by the human eye.

Into The Forest Trails

To see the rarer pitas, trogons and other animals, one has to venture into the forest trails. The first set of trails we tackled were the Grid Trails, which are set at right angles of each other.

In anticipation of an enjoyable trek, we jauntily crossed the swaying suspension bridge over the swollen Segama River to begin our adventure. Mistake! Since we were there in March, still within the wet season, we were soon mired in muddy tracks infested with tiger leeches. After two hours of slipping and sliding and picking off leeches, which are either on our arms or legs, some of us chose to turn back.

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