I Love Nature

Is it enough by saying it and tell the whole world about it? Mmmm.. I am not sure because lately, i find out that my knowledge about nature is decreasing not increase anymore. I even can not identify a pitcher plant, one of the plants that i always love to take picture before.

I took this photo last year during my visit to Long Pasia, Sipitang, Sabah.
I can not tell, what is the species of this Nepenthes... 

How pity i am now. That is what i think though... Will i give up on this because the pitcher plant case is not the only one. A bird, one of the group of animals that i used to study before also become fading from my brain cells. I can not tell what is the species of the bird that i found at one of the Bird's Shop.

Photo taken using my phone camera.
It was taken last week at one of the pet shop somewhere in Sabah.

Feel a little bit disappointed of myself because i really want to share something about all the animals that i found. However, i can not do it because i can not identify them. I can not share much about those animals with you guys here. Hmmm... Maybe i am pushing myself too hard now since this year will be my 3rd year of away from this field. I will return .. and i promised to myself that i will be back to nature. With God's will...

Till then!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - A Wooden Boat by the River?

Photo taken at Sg. Mio, Long Mio, Sipitang, Sabah

#3 - Walking Through Nature

What to share today? Anything interesting? Hmmm... Okay, to begin with, i am glad that one of my best buddy in nature Mr. Bel is back on track with his blog. I am really glad that he working on his blog again after his silence in 2010. His blog title The Living Conservationist is something interesting to read. Do drop by his site and you will amazed with his stories. Been working with him for three years and gain knowledge and valuable experience. He is one of a kind, i may say. So, to know more of him visit his blog by clicking the link that above or just search for him in my collection of links at Nature Lovers Stories. If have time and more ideas i will share about him here in my blog. But, for today i want to share about my encounter with Mr. Sundasciurus jentinki, the Jentink's Squirrel last week.

How to describe my feeling when i observed him? Hmmm... overacted a little bit because i am very exited. As i walk through the plank walk, my eyes captured by the movements of the tree leaves and small liana on the left side of the plank walk. Trying to find out what is was, my eyes keep on searching for another movements on the trees. Yep.. about 4 meter above me, there he was. The most obvious things that i saw was the tail. It is very slender tail compared to the other squirrels that i observed before, Prevost's squirrel, Plantain squirrel etc. This is something different and i know i never seen one in wild before. I only saw it in the book.. hmmm.. lucky i am today that i saw him. But, i can't captured his photos because he is too far and my camera is out of battery. With that, i am not that lucky. But lucky enough to encounter one of my new friend Mr. Jentink's Squirrel.

To share it with you guys, here is the photo of him that captured by one of my friend Ch'ien Lee somewhere in Sepilok, Sabah. Just to share a bit of how is actually this fella looks like. (mmm...i am sorry that when i share my story i make/describe this little creature just like human...he he he).... Here it is:

Photo Credit to Ch'ien Lee
Sepilok, Sabah

See the tail?? That is what i saw... he he he... Till then... (",)

#2 - Walking Through Nature

On the January 11th, i was standing in front of the staff house at one of our plantation area. It was about 6pm and i am trying to observed anything interesting on the trees somewhere in front of me. Yep.. something moves on the tree. Jumping from one branch to another branch. There you are black in colour from head to tail and reddish brown underparts. Trying to recall all the species of squirrel but can't think of any species that looks like that. But, from the size it looks like Prevost's squirrel. I am sure it is one of those and maybe subspecies of Prevost's squirrel. I jot down all the coloration for my own reference later when i get back home.

As i promised, this year will be my come back to the nature. Will fulfill my own wish.. he he he he.... So, the answer for this puzzle was this fella:

Photo Credit to Wong Tsu Shi
Taken at Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia

This is what i saw on the tree. I observed it for about 10 minutes but i am quite far from the tree. No binocular with me, so i am depending on my only eyes. He he he...

Common Name: Prevost's Squirrel

Scientific Name: Callosciurus prevostii pluto

Till then!

Conserving the Bornean Leopard

The Star Online
Monday, Janury 24, 2011

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Wildlife Department wants to launch a Bornean clouded leopard captive breeding programme at the Kota Kinabalu Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.

The move follows the discovery of the endangered leopard. The Bornean clouded leopard is a unique subspecies distinctly different from their relatives in Sumatra.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Dr Laurentius Ambu said the uniqueness of the Bornean clouded leopard put it on the high priority list for conservation.

He noted it has already been listed as endangered on the International Union of Conser­vation of Nature Red List.

Unique breed: A close-up photograph of the Bornean clouded leopard taken in
Sabah’s Deramakor Forest Reserve last year. – Wilting and Mohamed.

“To maintain the diversity of the species, Sumatran and Bornean clouded leopards need to be managed separately in captive breeding programmes,” said Dr Laurentius.

Currently, this clouded leopard species, the largest carnivore in Borneo, is not kept in any European or American zoo.

The leopard was first caught on camera in the wild in Sabah’s central Deramakot Forest Reserve last year.

An international team of research scientists led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, in cooperation with the Sabah Wildlife Department, had only recently classified the Borneo clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi borneensis) as distinct from its relatives in Sumatra by using genetic and morphological analyses.

# 1 - Walking Through Nature

It has been a while i did not share my experienced walking through nature. This will be my story for today. On the 10th of Jan, i went to the waterfall area, one of our conservation area to do some site survey for my Vanilla trial plot. Along the walk i observed a few interesting small creature and plants. Actually we wanted to plot a 50m x 50m plot and do some clearing for our pathway. So, along the pathway that we cleared we cross two rocky streams that have a very clear clean water. Cold and refreshing. Here is photos of four interesting fellas that i met along the walk.



A shy little criket on the mossy rock near the stream.
Keeping itself silence and static on the rock.
When i wanted to capture more of it photos, it flew away.

Climbing lianas with it's beautiful flower. It is quite interesting
because before this i captured a photo of liana's fruits.
Now i got one that with flower. Quite interesting for me because liana
is one of the important climbers for small mammals movements in the forest. 

The tree roots attached to the rock inside the rocky stream.
Amazing right? How the tree survive just attached its root to the rock.

Is this fungi? Hmmm... i think this is a fungi. One of the species.
Not sure what is t exactly.

That is all the findings for the day! Will share more stories of my walk in my next posts. Till then guys!