By Sharon Ling
Photos by Rapee Kawi
Tuesday October 28, 2008
BIRD lovers flocked to the Borneo Highlands Resort near here recently to take part in an inaugural bird watching competition.
Dubbed the “Mini Bird Race”, the event was organised by the resort and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) to promote bird watching and bird conservation in Sarawak.
Look at that: Participants at the bird watching event at Borneo Highland Resort.
Sixteen teams of two people each participated in the race, which took place on the jungle and mountain trails around the resort.
Located on the Penrissen Range some 1,000m above sea level on the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, the Borneo Highlands Resort is an important bird sanctuary where more than 150 species have been sighted so far.
Lovely: The White Rumped Summer bird at Borneo Highland.
These include endemic species such as the Bornean Barbet, Blue-banded Pitta, Chestnut-crested Yuhina, Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker, Black-sided Flowerpecker, Pygmy White-eye and Mountain Black-eye.
Other striking birds include the Wreathed Hornbill - regularly seen on the Kalimantan border - Waterfall Swift, Great Argus and Asian Paradise Flycatcher.
During the event, the participants spotted six more species which had previously not been sighted at the resort - the Black Hornbill, White-crested Hornbill, Long-tailed Parakeet, White-breasted Waterhen, Spotted Fantail and Blue Rock Thrush.
One for the album: One of the bird watchers taking pictures of ducks at the resort.
The race required teams to identify and record the bird species they managed to spot over a six-hour period.
The Liver Bird team comprising Jason Hon and Lihon Singga emerged the winner as they spotted 31 bird species on the day.
Altogether 60 species were recorded by the 16 participating teams.
One with nature: Participants moving to another location to watch the birds.
A number of side events were held in conjunction with the race, including nature walks along the jungle trails led by MNS members, a bird photography competition and a nature art exhibition.
There was also an introductory workshop on bird watching for those keen to take it up as a hobby. --- The Star Metro
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