Malaysia Peninsula

Our Malaysia birding tour begins with arrival in Kuala Lumpur with a welcome dinner. Night in Kuala Lumpur.

Today we visit the coastal lowlands of Kuala Selangor Nature Park situated on the west coast of West Malaysia at the mouth of the Selangor River, about 2 hr drive north from Kuala Lumpur. This is an important remnant of mangrove and coastal forest with intertidal mudflats where herons, kingfishers, barbets, whistlers and pittas occur.

Specialties among the mangroves include Mangrove Pitta and Mangrove Blue Flycatcher. Among the many species we may encounter are Little, Intermediate and Great Egrets, Yellow Bittern, Purple Heron, Striated (Little) Heron, White-bellied Sea Eagle, White-breasted Waterhen, Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Asian Koel, Greater Coucal, Asian Palm-Swift, White-throated and Collared Kingfishers, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Dollarbird, Coppersmith Barbet, Common and Greater Flamebacks, Laced and Sunda Pygmy Woodpeckers, Rufous-bellied Swallow, Ashy Drongo, Common Iora, Yellow-vented and Olive-winged Bulbuls, Black-naped Oriole, Large-billed Crow, Striped Tit-Babbler, Abbott’s Babbler, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Golden-bellied Gerygone, Common and Ashy Tailorbirds, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Pied Fantail, Mangrove Whistler, Ashy Minivet, Javan Myna, Brown-throated, Ruby-cheeked and Olive-backed Sunbirds, Black-naped Oriole, Oriental White-eye, and White-rumped and Scaly-breasted Munias. Scarcer birds of the area include Painted Stork, Lesser Adjutant, Red Junglefowl, Barred Eagle-Owl, Little Bronze Cuckoo and Chestnut-bellied Malkoha.

Silvered Leaf Monkeys and Long-tailed Macaques are quite common here, Smooth Otters are a specialty, and Monitor Lizards are frequent. We then drive 100 km north to Fraser’s Hill. Night in Fraser’s Hill.

Fraser’s Hill is a wonderful montane region set amidst mature forest, cool by comparison with Kuala Lumpur, and full of birds. During the colonial era the British escaped from the heat of the lowlands to Fraser’s Hill, and the atmosphere is still one of relaxation and slow pace of life.

At 1,500 meters (5000 feet) in the central highlands, the avifauna differs markedly from that of the lowland rainforests, consisting largely of montane species. Several trails run into the forest but many species can be found close to the roads.

Mixed feeding flocks move quickly and noisily through the forests – often the central species is Chestnut-crowned (Malayan) Laughingthrush accompanied by Silver-eared Mesia, Chestnut-crowned and Mountain Leaf-Warblers, babblers including Gray-throated, Golden and Buff-breasted, Streaked and Pygmy Wren-babblers, White-browed and Black-eared Shrike-Babblers, Blue-winged Minla, Mountain Fulvetta, Long-tailed Sibia, and Bronzed Drongo with Black-and-crimson Oriole and Blue Nuthatch. Lesser Shortwings occupy deep gullies, and heavily wooded areas support Sultan Tit, Black Laughingthrush, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Green Magpie and Red-headed Trogon, and with great luck we may encounter the endemic Mountain Peacock-Pheasant and Malayan Whistling-Thrush.

The list of possibilities seem endless: Yellow-vented Pigeon, Jambu Fruit-Dove, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Orange-bellied Trogon, the curious Fire-tufted Barbet, Long-tailed Broadbill, the secretive Rusty-naped Pitta, White-headed Babbler, Javan Cuckooshrike, the endemic Malayan Partridge, Little Cuckoo-Dove, Green-billed Malkoha and Black-browed Barbet. Flycatchers are well represented at Fraser’s Hill. We could well encounter Verditer, Little Pied, Hill Blue, Rufous-browed, Pygmy Blue and Grey-headed Canary Flycatchers, as well as Large Niltava.

Blyth’s Hawk Eagle is quite widespread, and woodlands hold Speckled Piculet, Greater and Lesser Yellownapes, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Grey-chinned Minivet, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Ochraceous and Mountain Bulbuls, Lesser Racket-tailed and Greater Racket-tailed Drongos, Large Scimitar Babbler, White-bellied Yuhina, Slaty-backed Forktail, Mountain Tailorbird, White-throated Fantail, Everett’s White-eye, Black-throated Sunbird, Streaked Spiderhunter and Fire-breasted Flowerpecker. Uncommon but widespread inhabitants include Rufous-bellied Eagle, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Large Hawk-Cuckoo, Oriental Cuckoo, Mountain Scops-Owl, Collared Owlet, Wreathed and Helmeted Hornbills, Bay Woodpecker, Ashy Bulbul and Himalayan Cutia.

We walk the Waterfall Trail to look for Malayan Whistling-Thrush, and in the evening we venture out for Brown Wood-Owl. Mammals include lots of squirrels, Banded Leaf Monkeys and Siamangs, a species of gibbon whose amazing vocalizations echo through the hills in the early mornings. At the bottom of the hill up to Fraser’s Hill is an area known as “The Gap”, where Pin-tailed Parrotfinch, Marbled Wren-Babbler and Black-crested Bulbul occur. Nights at Fraser’s Hill.

We spend the morning birding around Fraser's Hill, giving us another opportunity to search for some of the area's remarkable montane species. The forests here support an impressive diversity of birds, including colourful barbets, laughingthrushes, flycatchers and other forest specialists.

In the afternoon, we leave Fraser's Hill and travel towards Lanchang, where we explore lowland habitats in search of a different selection of birds. We then continue to Bukit Tinggi, our base for the night.

Night in Bukit Tinggi.

We spend the morning and afternoon birding around Bukit Tinggi, exploring the rich forests that support an impressive variety of birds. One of our main targets is the endemic Mountain Peacock-Pheasant, for which Bukit Tinggi is a particularly good location. We may also encounter Ferruginous Partridge, Great Hornbill, colourful barbets, woodpeckers, bulbuls and a variety of other forest species. The elusive Malaysian Rail Babbler is another possibility.

After our birding, we transfer to our accommodation near Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where we spend our final night.