Message from the Borneo Rainforest_12.12.12

Mr. Crab wanted to say HI....!!!

Photo taken at Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society, Kota Kinabalu

I would like to apologize for being silence for soooooo damn long. I did not meant to but i really did not have sources to be written here for that period of time. I am too much with the community job until i did not have time for my own passion, the nature. So, please forgive me. Therefore, i ask Mr. Crab to wave it's huge left hand to say HI and SORRY for you. I met him at the one and only wetland conservation centre left in the middle of Kota Kinabalu City in Sabah, North Borneo. This was during the environmental education programme for teachers organized by EPD and SEEN members early this month. 

Proudly here to announce to you guys that i am BACK to my PASSION. By Oct 1st, i will officially back to my previous nature of job CONSERVATION. I get back my title as a CONSERVATIONIST. As for now only the title but the knowledge, skills and experience, i need to get them all back as soon as i get back on track. If you ask me if i am happy? Hmmmm.. I am not really sure yet because since 2009 i left this field and i began to love my community work. Will see how i get going and i will share my adventure along my work with the mother nature began October 2012. 

Wish me luck guys! I need your prayer. May God bless me and guide me along this path. Amen.

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Happy Mode!!!...

The Juvenile White-Crowned Hornbill Again!

Did i promise in my previous post that i will share my findings about this juv hornbill when i get back from my trip? Yep, i did promise but my apology for not update as soon as i get back. Okay, here is the video i compile based on my last visit on 13th April 2012. The hornbill still depend on people to give food. Hmmm... anyway, we still need to teach it to find its own food. To let it survive in the wild.

But, i am sorry for the very blurry video because i only have digital Sony camera. Uhuks... Anyway, i still get the best of this lil' hornbill. The flight feather is changing into the new feather but the tail is still no new feathers.

 

Till Then!

With the Juvenile White-crowned Hornbill

So long after my last update on our trip to the forest last month. Here is some story to share. This is an amazing bird. I never had a chance to be so close with hornbill (except in the cage of zoo) before. So, this experienced is kinda amazing and precious one for me.

This young hornbilll was found by one of our staff in the rocky stream not far from our field station (camp). It failed on (not sure how many tries) it's trial to fly. Fall into the stream and our boys caught it. While the mother up on the tree making sounds alarming the young one. But they get it and brought it back to our camp.

Referring to our staff, it was really scared and tried to flew away at the beginning but after they feed it with some bananas, it start to calm down and stay quietly at our canteen.

At the same day we have visitors (researchers) from Smithsonian Institution, and we refer to the Birds of Borneo Field Guide Book, trying to id it and get more info about its distribution, behaviour etc, we find out it eat fruits and some insects as well as frogs.

So, on the 2nd day, it start to feed on some beetle that we get from the mist nest (which we carried out some birds and bats mist netting as well). It start to do some stretch and cleaning the young furs. The little one seems to comfortable and at the same time prepare itself to flew away.

On the 3rd day, when i already left the camp, i get information from our staff it flew away. But only for a while. it came back a day later and asking for food! It perch on the high tree near the camp making sounds and our staff call it and it replies them. However, only one of our staff can get it on her arm and feed it. It will ignores others. So, they feed it frogs as well as insects and banana. Up till today, it keep coming over to the camp area asking for food. I am not feeling good about this because i really wanted it to be get back to the wild and survive there. Looking for its own food. The mother seems to be around but not close to the camp area.

Tomorrow, i will go to the camp and check on this lil fella. I already gave some advice to our staff to trained the bird to get it's own food. Here is my photo with this little fella which they name it ROMEO. (^__^)

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Till then!

Rose Ragai

Amazing Findings

Black and Crimson Pitta
Pitta ussheri

White - Crowned Hornbill
Aceros comatus

White - Necked Babbler
Stachyris leucotis

Nature Activity - Observation

From 28th Feb until 1st March, i was away to our camp @ conservation area. I was so excited bringing along all my field guide books and binocular with high expectation on a lot of findings. It is not bad to put high hope but when things ended not the way i hope, i am a bit disappointed with myself.

I only observed and identified these five species of birds and squirrels. A lot of bird species was unidentified. Two years is a big gap and i really need to get back my memories and practice more of my observation skills. Here is my observation during this visit:
a)      Exilisciurus exilis (Plain Pygmy Squirrel)
b)      Glyphotes simus (Red-bellied Sculptor Squirrel)
c)      Hemiprocne comata (Whiskered Tree-swift)
d)     Orthotomus ruficeps (Ashy Tailorbird)
e)      Stachyris erythroptera (Chestnut-winged Babbler) 


I cant get any good photos of them so here is some of the photos i get from Google search. By the way, i was enjoy observing the squirrels because they are so cute and yet very aggressive on marking their territory. 

Whiskered Treeswift
Photo Credit to Birdwatch.ph

Ashy Tailorbird
Photo credit to Google Image

Chestnut-winged Babbler
Photo Credit to Google Image

Quite an interesting one and still i am not really satisfied with this. hmmmph.... 


Till then!

Sorry for Hibernating so Long!

Photo taken at Muaya Waterfall, Sipitang

First of all i wanna say sorry for 'hibernating' so long from this blog. It is not that i forgot on update this blog but, i don't know what to write in this blog anymore. Hmmmm.... I don't have stories to share here up till now.  Why? Because i am not quite experiencing anything new on nature so far. Most of the time i am in the office or visiting villages.

Nature, forests, animals, plants? Hmmm... not really focused for the time being. I am moving to a new job middle of December last year, so still in the process of settling down. Lots f things need to be done at the beginning of adapting to a new place, new people and new working environment. Pheww!

So, hope you guys be patient with me because i will keep on eyeing on my adventure with the Mother Nature after this. Will share my story again here too...

Till then!