A yearly event, we have our yearly Hornbill Expedition trip to Belum-Temengor even the Covid-19 lock down but we make it short instead, where we just spend 1.5 days boat ride and 2 morning at Titiwangsa Rest area (which is ~30km from Belum jetty).

This forest believe to be older than 130 million years, due to the lake crossing the main forest make it an open area for hornbill seeing good spot … it is always to better chance to spot all 10 hornbills of Malaysia here within few days of birding trip.

As usual, our main target is Plain-pouched hornbill which believe peak season Aug-Sept every year.. easily spot them in big flocks flying on skyline here.

Plain-pouched Hornbill, 淡喉皱盔犀鸟,淡喉皺盔犀鳥, Rhyticeros subruficollis, ムジシワコブサイチョウ, ENGGANG GUNUNG BELANTARA

Sometime, birding here can be depressing, birds can be far !!!! not even able to ID without photo record as only using binocular ….

Wrinkled Hornbill, 皱盔犀鸟,皺盔犀鳥, Aceros corrugatus, ズグロサイチョウ, Enggang Berkedut

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But it is always good place to capture some Bird in flight due to open area and with some distance .. (for photographers, we need little bit luck and patient to have birds nearer and flying)

Wreathed Hornbill, 花冠皱盔犀鸟, Rhyticeros undulatus, シワコブサイチョウ, ENGGANG GUNUNG BIASA

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sometime, lucky to have it perch low too.

Great Hornbill, 双角犀鸟, Buceros bicornis, オオサイチョウ,ENGGANG PAPAN

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a very common hornbill but here it can stand 300m at the canopy .. the only option waiting it flying to get some BIF picture

Oriental Pied-Hornbill, 冠斑犀鸟, Anthracoceros albirostris, キタカササギサイチョウ,KELINGKING BIASA

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Black Hornbill should be one of the most common here but this is our last hornbill record for the trip .. during the boat session, we hard quite a lot of this bird but we just didn’t see the bird come close or open

Black Hornbill, 黑斑犀鸟, Anthracoceros malayanus, クロサイチョウ,KELINGKING HITAM

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Another Critically Endangered due to killing this bird for the solid-beautiful ivory like casques.. at here it is not difficult to see one ..

Helmeted Hornbill, 盔犀鸟, 盔犀鳥,Rhinoplax vigil, オナガサイチョウ,ENGGANG GADING

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here is the main target for the trip, Plain-pouched hornbill. It look almost identical like Wreathed Hornbill except

lack of grooves on bill
small size
lack of a black patch on the pouch

lucky to have this perch quite low

There are a group

Bushy-crested Hornbill, 凤头犀鸟 spotted but this happen while Great Hornbill perch low … so we decided give it a missed than we didn’t see it any more for the trip ..

*** picture from previous tour

Bushy-crested Hornbill, 凤头犀鸟,鳳頭犀鳥, Anorrhinus galeritus, ムジサイチョウ, Burung Arau, ENGGANG BULUH

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only 8 hornbills for the 1.5 days boat ride but this is mainly targeting the Plain-pouched Hornbill where we spotted 9 groups and ~377 birds

There are some other birds also captured during the tour on the boat and Titiwangsa Rest area which is ~30km from Belum Jetty ,… as below

Oriental Honey-buzzard, 凤头蜂鹰

at this season , plenty of this raptor can be sight

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2. Lesser Fish-Eagle, 鱼雕

many fish eagle can be easily spot

3. Gray-headed Fish-Eagle, 灰头鱼雕

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4.White-bellied Sea-Eagle, 白腹海雕

wont miss this bird here , plenty of them either flying high or low

5.Large Green-Pigeon,大绿鸠

– very easy to spot this bird but as usual, standing high up in big flock