From 5-8 April 2019, SBBG organized a multi-day birding trip to Taman Negara Kuala Tahan, Pahang. Famous worldwide for its millions-of-years-old tropical rainforest, Taman Negara is home to a vast number of species of flora and fauna including endangered animals like the Asian elephant, Malayan tapir and Malayan tiger. As for birds, more than 300 species have been recorded within the park boundaries. This biodiversity, combined with ease of access makes Taman Negara very popular among foreign and local visitors looking to experience the jungle and its wildlife first hand.
For this trip, there were 17 participants led by Heikal Pinto and assisted by Low Kok Hen. We stayed at Mat Leon Village, not far from Kuala Tahan. Situated on the south bank of the Tembeling River, our accommodation was simple but welcoming, with lush surroundings, good food and easy access to the park as well as friendly and knowledgeable owner.
For the birding sessions, we split into two groups, and each group explored a different area of the park each session. We followed 3 trails; the Blau/Yong, Lubok Simpon and Jenut Muda trails. The Blau/Yong trail was located 10 minutes by boat downstream from our accommodation. This trail traverses a flat section of lowland forest leading on to the respective Blau and Yong hides. The trail and hides proved to be excellent for birding, yielding fantastic species such as Black-throated Babblers, Orange-breasted Trogon, blue morph Rufous-winged Philentoma, Great Slaty Woodpeckers and great views of 4 Broadbill species.
The Lubok Simpon trail started from the Park HQ area, and followed an easy course alongside the Tahan river until it reaches Lubok Simpon, a slow flowing section of the aforementioned river. This trail/area was also productive, with Blue-banded Kingfishers, Rhinoceros Hornbills, Black Magpies, Long-billed Spiderhunter, Red-naped and Scarlet-rumped Trogons all seen there.
The Jenut Muda trail, on the other hand, was not as productive during our visit. The trail started from Lubok Simpon, and had a couple of fairly steep ascents and descents. This, combined with the hot and humid weather, made this trail more challenging. However, as we descended down a flight of stairs deep into the jungle, the distinctive whistle of the Rail-babbler was heard. It took a while, but some of our group managed to see this particularly tricky species, thus making the journey worthwhile.
In addition to the trails, birding around the resort area can also prove worthwhile. Fortunately for us, our arrival in Kuala Tahan coincided with the fruiting of a few trees around the Mutiara resort and Tahan Hide area. These trees attracted fruit-eating birds in abundance. 11 bulbul species were recorded on one tree alone in a single session, alongside other birds such as green-pigeons and fairy-bluebirds.
Additionally, our group also encountered a group of Crested Firebacks multiple times, as well as a single Malayan Peacock-pheasant. Unfortunately, the pheasant only appeared once thus only a few managed to see it.
On the afternoon of the third day, we made our way to a stretch of road surrounded by rainforest roughly about 15 km by road from Kuala Tahan. Known popularly as “Hornbill Valley”, this stretch of forest reserve outside of Taman Negara holds a special status as a place where hornbills of all species can be seen easily. Indeed, our group managed to spot 2 Wreathed, 2 Rhinoceros and 1 Helmeted Hornbills during our 2.5 hours there, in addition to other bird species. It is therefore really saddening to hear that this particular area is under threat from logging, and efforts being done by the locals to conserve the area might be too late. Hopefully, this special place remains untouched and protected for the foreseeable future.
The final day was a relaxed affair; most of us went birding around the Mutiara resort and Lubok Simpon area. This still produced excellent birds, with our only sightings of the Straw-headed Bulbul and Rufous-chested Flycatcher of the trip. By noon, all of us were packed up and ready to head home happy and satisfied after 4 days of birding.
Overall, the trip was highly successful with 130+ species recorded by our group. This includes 3 trogon species, 5 hornbill species, 17 bulbul species, 5 broadbill species, 8 woodpecker species and many more. Finally, it should be emphasized that the trip wouldn't be as rewarding without the company of such knowledgeable and enthusiastic people. Many thanks to every participant for making this trip memorable. Everyone went back home happy, already looking forward to the next trip!