Norfolk boy in the house!
My recent trip to Sabah was a roller-coaster ride. The trip was typified by appalling weather (four days of nearly non-stop rain at one point...), which meant some sites/activities were just not possible this year; the bird, dragonfly, butterfly and reptile lists all suffered. Despite this there were some great high points and the team put a brave face on it.
Leptolalax pictus - one of my favourite Sabahan frogs. The frog list was small this trip, but included two new species for me Megophrys baluensis and Chaperina fusca.
I still cannot get over the huge calling congregation of jade tree frogs (Rhacophorus dulitensis) we encountered during the wet weather at Poring. This file-eared tree frog (Polypedates otilophus) cannot believe it either!
This bronzeback (Dendrelaphis caudolineatus) was one of five species of snake identified during the trip. We found a 3.5 metre reticulate python at Tabin one night and the star snake was a king cobra crossing the road at Bukit Silam.
Fruity - this short-nosed fruit-bat (Cyanopteris brachyotis) was chowing down under the eaves of our accommodation at Sukau one night.
Borneo is the place to see wacky invertebrates, this curved spiny spider (Gasteracantha arcuata) though is a widespread SE Asian species. The dragonfly list was poor this year but included one new species for me; the splendid Camacinia gigantea in the mangroves near Lahad Datu.
Striated grassbird - a common species in open coastal habitat throughout Borneo. No new birds for me on this trip as usual but plenty of excellent encounters with some old friends.
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