Thursday 21 January 1982

30 Years ago: 16-21 January 1982, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Saturday 16th January 1982:  Cameron Highlands (trail 9a)    
Another bad nights sleep.  Too hot in a sleeping bag but too cold out of it with nose running for a while.  Up at 07:00, birding by 07:30 on trail 9 (once we had found it) walking down until 12:00 then retracing our steps to get back to Tana Rata at 16:00.  I then walked down the road to try and find trail 10, with little success but saw several birds.  Rained for 30-45 minutes from 15:00 otherwise sunny with cloudy periods.  Lots of birds seen.  Cooked food here looks really bad - will stick to bread.

Birds seen included:  Black Eagle 1, Changeable Hawk Eagle 2, Blyth’s Hawk Eagle 2, Barred Cuckoo Dove 4, *Little Cuckoo Dove 2, Mountain Imperial Pigeon 3, Drongo Cuckoo 1, White-bellied Swiftlet 75, Fork-tailed Swift 100, *Fire-tufted Barbet 5, Mountain Minivet 15, Mountain Bulbul 14, Blue Whistling Thrush 1, *Malay Whistling Thrush 1, *Mountain Tailorbird 6, *Mountain Leaf Warbler 3, Yellow-bellied Prinia 1, Large Niltava 2, *Pigmy Blue Flycatcher 2 males, Ferruginous Flycatcher 2, *Mugimaki Flycatcher 1 female, White-throated Fantail 14, Golden Babbler 11, *Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush 7, Red-headed Laughingthrush 2, *Silver-eared Mesia 20, Black-eared Shrike Babbler 8, Blue-winged Minla 16, Long-tailed Sibia 9, *Mountain Fulvetta 20, Streaked Wren Babbler 1, *Blue Nuthatch 5, Black-throated Sunbird 10, *Black and Crimson Oriole 4, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo 12, Green Magpie 1.

Sunday 17th January 1982:  Cameron Highlands/Gunong Jasar (trail 10)  
Slept better.  Up at 07:10 and birding by 07:25.  Climbed trail 10 to top of Gunong Jasar (5565 ft) where sat for a bit before coming back down.  Omelette for tea.  Dave gripped me off with Red-winged Crested Cuckoo down the road, will try for it tomorrow.  Sat under a fruiting tree for 2 hours trying for good views of Siberian Thrush but they didn’t perform.

Birds seen included:  Blyth’s Hawk Eagle 1, Crested Serpent Eagle 1, Mountain Imperial Pigeon 6, Brown Needletail 2, Fire-tufted Barbet 6, Golden-throated Barbet 3, Lesser Yellow-naped Woodpecker 1, Asiatic House Martin 2, Ashy Bulbul 7, Siberian Thrush 1 immature male and 1 female, Eye-browed Thrush 75, Mountain Tailorbird 1, Mountain Leaf Warbler 10, Large Niltava 1, *Rufous-vented Niltava 1 male, Pigmy Blue Flycatcher 1 male, Mugimaki Flycatcher 3 females, Little Pied Flycatcher 3, White-throated Fantail 8, Golden Babbler 6, Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush 2, Silver-eared Mesia 4, Black-eared Shrike Babbler 3, Blue-winged Minla 15, Chestnut-tailed Minla 4, Long-tailed Sibia 4, Mountain Fulvetta 9, Black-throated Sunbird 15, Everett’s White-eye 2, Black and Crimson Oriole 1.

Monday 18th January 1982:  Cameron Highlands (trails 10 and 11)  
Down the road early for cuckoos but not early enough as a lorry load of locals cutting the grass verges got there first.  Back to supermarket in Tana Rata for food and onto trail 11.  Very few birds indeed although Colin did well watching 12 Siberian Thrushes for 30 minutes until just before I joined him!  Saw even less on the way back.  Finding the birding very hard but no point in thinking about moving on as we can’t get to Taman Negara before 27th.

Birds seen included:  Barred Cuckoo Dove 2, Mountain Imperial Pigeon 15, Fire-tufted Barbet 1, Siberian Thrush 1 immature male and 2 females, Eye-browed Thrush 15, Mountain Tailorbird 7, Chestnut-crowned Warbler 1, *Yellow-breasted Warbler 4, Mountain Leaf Warbler 6, Large Niltava 4, Mugimaki Flycatcher 1 male and 3 females, Little Pied Flycatcher 1, White-throated Fantail 10, Golden Babbler 5, Red-headed Laughingthrush 5, Silver-eared Mesia 19, Black-eared Shrike Babbler 1, Blue-winged Minla 11, Long-tailed Sibia 19, Black-throated Sunbird 14, Black and Crimson Oriole 4.

Tuesday 19th January 1982:  Cameron Highlands/Gunong Beremban (trails 8 and 3) 
Birding from 07:30 to 19:45.  Down trail 9 and turned off up trail 8.  Steep climb through thick forest to Gunong Beremban (6041 ft).  Back down trail 3 and then 2 mile walk down road after detour across the golf course.  Birding better but still not seen Blue Nuthatch since first day and would really be freaking if hadn’t seen it at all.

Birds seen included:  *Japanese Sparrowhawk 1, Changeable Hawk Eagle 1, Blyth’s Hawk Eagle 1, Mountain Imperial Pigeon 2, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon 1, Large-tailed Nightjar 3, White-vented Needletail 1, Fire-tufted Barbet 4, Golden-throated Barbet 1, Lesser Yellow-naped Woodpecker 3, Mountain Minivet 8, Blue Whistling Thrush 2, Slaty-backed Forktail 2, Dark-necked Tailorbird 1, Mountain Tailorbird 4, Chestnut-crowned Warbler 2, Yellow-breasted Warbler 2, Large Niltava 4, Ferruginous Flycatcher 1, Little Pied Flycatcher 3, *Rufous-browed Flycatcher 1, Snowy-browed Flycatcher 2, Golden Babbler 2, Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush 2, Silver-eared Mesia 6, Black-eared Shrike Babbler 5, Blue-winged Minla 2, Chestnut-tailed Minla 4, Mountain Fulvetta 10, Streaked Spiderhunter 2, Black-throated Sunbird 8.

Wednesday 20th January 1982:  Cameron Highlands/Gunong Brinchang 
Got 07:30 bus towards Brinchang with Dave.  Dropped off within 3.5 miles of Gunong Brinchang but took 4 hours to walk it - mostly uphill and steep.  One section through a tea plantation for 1.5 miles was especially dull.  Forest around the road not too good but seeing lots of birds.  Walked back to Tanan Rata as unsure of buses.  Back at hotel find Steve Gantlett has arrived and is going to Taman Negara on the same day as us!

Birds seen included:  Crested Goshawk 1, Black Eagle 1, Changeable Hawk Eagle 1, Crested Serpent Eagle 1, Mountain Imperial Pigeon 6, Green-billed Malkoha 1, Brown Needletail 1, Fire-tufted Barbet 2, Golden-throated Barbet 4, Speckled Piculet 1, Greater Yellow-naped Woodpecker 1 female, Bay Woodpecker 1, Asiatic House Martin 1, Mountain Minivet 9, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler 1, Lanceolated Warbler 1, Dark-necked Tailorbird 5, Mountain Tailorbird 3, Yellow-breasted Warbler 3, Mountain Leaf Warbler 2, Large Niltava 1, Rufous-vented Niltava 6, Mugimaki Flycatcher 5, Little Pied Flycatcher 2, Snowy-browed Flycatcher 1 male, White-throated Fantail 16, Golden Babbler 5, Grey-throated Babbler 8, Red-headed Laughingthrush 2, Silver-eared Mesia 42, Blue-winged Minla 6, Chestnut-tailed Minla 19, Long-tailed Sibia 1, Mountain Fulvetta 12, Streaked Spiderhunter 2, Black-throated Sunbird 23, Everett’s White-eye 7, Brown Shrike 3, Green Magpie 6, White-rumped Munia 6.

Thursday 21st January 1982:  Cameron Highlands (trails 9a, 10 and 11)   
Last day at Cameron Highlands but a good one.  Trail 9a first where excellent views of Siberian Thrush, but still no Black-browed Barbet.  Then trail 11 and 10 from 13:30-19:15.  A good circuit with a few nice bird flocks.  Steep climb from 11 to 10.  My second tickless day so definitely time to move on.

Birds seen included:  Black Baza 1, Mountain Imperial Pigeon 4, White-vented Needletail 3, Red-headed Trogon 4, Fire-tufted Barbet 2, Golden-throated Barbet 2, Pacific Swallow 2, Richard’s Pipit 2, Mountain Minivet 5, Blue Whistling Thrush 3, Siberian Thrush 3 males and 2 females, Eye-browed Thrush 50, Mountain Tailorbird 3, Yellow-breasted Warbler 2, Yellow-bellied Prinia 1, Large Niltava 1, Ferruginous Flycatcher 1, Mugimaki Flycatcher 1, Rufous-browed Flycatcher 2, Snowy-browed Flycatcher 2, White-throated Fantail 7, Grey-throated Babbler 8, Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush 2, Red-headed Laughingthrush 3, Silver-eared Mesia 6, Blue-winged Minla 12, Long-tailed Sibia 7, Streaked Wren Babbler 2, Mountain Fulvetta 18, Blue Nuthatch 1, Streaked Spiderhunter 3, Black-throated Sunbird 5, Fairy Bluebird 3, Black and Crimson Oriole 1, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo 6.

The following photos were taken at the Cameron Highlands during our stay but I'm not sure quite when or where.

good forest in the Cameron Highlands

another view overlooking Cameron Highlands

Cameron Highlands, view down to Tana Rata

Colin & Dave (barely visible half way down on the left) on one of the forest trails, Cameron Highlands

forest trail at Cameron highlands

millipede

millipede on the move

Dave birding the roadside in the Cameron Highlands 

pitcher plant at Cameron Highlands

me and distant tea plantation in the Cameron Highlands




 





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