Jungle camp on the river in Borneo was our favorite spot! We saw so many species of birds and mammals on our trips by boat down the Kinabatangan River with our very knowledgeable guides.
Here are our new digs in the jungle:
Right off this deck and near our room we saw huge monitor lizards and small pittas:
The river was wide and muddy, like the mighty Mississippi, with many tributaries off to the left and right to explore.
We got to watch elephants as they came down in the evening to their watering hole at the river’s edge. The group consisted mainly of females and babies. The babies were so cute! One elephant was swimming across the river with his trunk sticking out of the water like a snorkel. He looked like he was doing the breast stroke, submerging and then popping up and spraying water from his trunk.
The night cruises brought new sights and sounds We got to see owls and a 10 foot crocodile! The croc was sleeping on the muddy shoreline all curled up when our guide Robert shined his flashlight on him. He leaped up and unfurled his huge body and slithered into the river as fast as lightening. A little too close to our boat for comfort, pretty scary to me, but an awesome sight!
Spotting the Buffy Fish-Owl…
During the day, we saw hundreds of birds, many species we’ve never seen before!
Rhinoceros Hornbill
Oriental Pied Hornbill
Wrinkled Hornbill White-crowned Hornbill
A Woodpecker?!? Yes, a Rufous Piculet.
Yep, Scarlet-rumped Trogon
These sparkled like Jewels along the river --
Blue-eared Kingfisher Stork-billed Kingfisher
Black and Yellow Broadbill & Black and Red Broadbill
We were lucky to see this bird – the beautiful Bornean Ground-Cuckoo, and can thank Robert Chong for his persistence.
And Gibbons, langurs, macaques, proboscis, leaf monkeys ……!!!
Stick bugs …
Our fearless leader and great
birder – Robert Chong.
A Happy Couple…
Next… to Thailand.
