Teluk Nipah is a quiet village with a few low key resorts and only a few places to eat (some of which were not exactly salubrious) and fewer shops. Turned out most of these were closed when we arrived due to everyone taking time off after a particularly busy New Year. Even so we really liked it here and we ended up staying a week.
The village backed onto rich forested hills with trails running through the edges up the slopes. Over the following days they were to yield some superb wildlife.
A Buffy Fish Owl (Ketupa ketupu) showed several times close to the waterfall on the edge of the forest.
A particularly large Golden Orb Weaver (Gasteracantha sp.) maintained a colossal web on the trail to the south.
Also to the south I found an Amboina Box Turtle (Cuora amboinensis) tightly sealed in its shell and refusing to show itself but gone when I returned.
On several days 2 Great Hornbills (Buceros bicornis) appeared, much to the delight of locals as they aren't regular here. Often heard calling or wing noise as they flew overhead but seen perched several times and one lingered feeding in the garden of our accommodation.
My only walk up into the hills yielded very few birds indeed but one was this excellent White-bellied Woodpecker (Dryocopus javensis).
Another great sight was this Striped Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis caudolineatus) catching a lizard. Not sure of the lizard species.
The monumental trees here were home to one of the cool gliding lizards. This is Formosan Gliding Lizard (Draco formosus).
There were signs of Wild Pig (Sus Scrofa) everywhere, including feeding signs and huge wallows deep in the forest, and one eventually showed quite well early one morning.
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| Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris) |
Twice I encountered Hooded Pittas with all black hoods, one showing very well, but in dark conditions and no photographs. This ought to be the mulleri subspecies but its status here is unclear. Other good finds were Orange-headed Thrush, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo and Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo. This is the only place I have seen Cream-vented Bulbul and White-chested Babbler. At sunset 2 Large-tailed Nightjars were often calling.
Changeable Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus)
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| Dark-sided Flycatcher (Muscicapa sibirica) |
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| Huechys sanguina |
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| Probable Oriental Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor) |
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| Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonostigma) |
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| Pink-necked Pigeon (Dicaeum trigonostigma) |
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| Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) |
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| Common Sun Skink (Eutropis multifasciata) |
I'll include the full list of the 60 species of bird I recorded here. An underwatched area that would be great to cover during spring and autumn passage.
Spotted Dove
Zebra Dove
Pink-necked Green-Pigeon
Thick-billed Green-Pigeon
Chestnut-winged Cuckoo
Asian Koel
Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo
Large-tailed Nightjar
Germain's Swiftlet
Grey-rumped Treeswift
Red-wattled Lapwing
Striated Heron
Crested Serpent-Eagle
Changeable Hawk-Eagle
Brahminy Kite
White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Buffy Fish-Owl
Great Hornbill
Oriental Pied-Hornbill
White-throated Kingfisher
Blue-throated Bee-eater
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
Coppersmith Barbet
White-bellied Woodpecker
Peregrine Falcon
Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot
Hooded Pitta
Golden-bellied Gerygone
Ashy Minivet
White-bellied Erpornis
Black-naped Oriole
Common Iora
Ashy Drongo
Blyth's Paradise-Flycatcher
Large-billed Crow
Common Tailorbird
Yellow-bellied Prinia
Pacific Swallow
Yellow-vented Bulbul
Olive-winged Bulbul
Cream-vented Bulbul
Eastern Crowned Warbler
White-chested Babbler
Asian Glossy Starling
Common Hill Myna
Common Myna
Jungle Myna
Orange-headed Thrush
Dark-sided Flycatcher
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Oriental Magpie-Robin
White-rumped Shama
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Brown-throated Sunbird
Olive-backed Sunbird
Asian Fairy-bluebird
White-rumped Munia
Scaly-breasted Munia
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
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