It’s 5 o’clock within the morning. My visitors gentle turns inexperienced, I push the accelerator and instantly slam on the brakes. A automobile speeds by way of the pink gentle – like somebody took a incorrect flip on the Sepang Automotive Racing circuit. Within the subsequent ten minutes, three motorbikes soar pink lights with out even wanting left or proper. Sure, I’m nonetheless in Malaysia and a few issues haven’t modified in 25 years. With nice infrastructure it’s straightforward to drive round, however be very cautious and drive defensively. Additionally, be taught a little bit of Malay because the visitors indicators at the moment are all in Bahasa and “kereta sewa” doesn’t actually learn like “automobile rental return“… However what do you care? You need to understand how I fared in Taman Negara!
Scorching and bothered, to be true. Temperatures had been excessive, air humidity was on the level of saturation and there wasn’t any wind. I had pushed to Kuala Tahan, the gateway to the park. Right here, you’ll be able to take a one ringgit ferry crossing to Taman Negara, a reputation which means Nationwide Park. Stating the apparent could be poetic. Speaking about poetry: all of the dazzling footage are by Kai, or from the archives and largely each. The mediocre footage have been offered by the writer, for distinction.
My plan for the 2 days in Taman Negara was so simple as it was silly: chook Hornbill Valley within the morning and do a loop by way of the park within the afternoon as soon as it will get cooler. Hornbill Valley is promoted as “quiet valley the place it’s straightforward to see completely different species of hornbill“. I’ve heard extra reality from politicians. Not quiet, no hornbills (the final one was seen three months earlier) and positively not straightforward. This can be as a result of a freshly tarred highway now goes by way of the valley. This permits for increased speeds and extra disturbance. The remnants of the forest are at scope distance from the highway, so even when there had been a silhouette of a hornbill, I’d nonetheless be cursing and swearing.
Not to surrender simply, I spent two mornings on this highway… My rewards? The Gold-whiskered Barbet hammering away at a tree termite nest was definitely worth the journey all by itself. I additionally noticed Asian Blue-breasted Quail and Crimson-wattled Lapwing, each species are clear proof of the disturbed setting. I noticed on eBird that different birders had seen extra species and from the photographs it seems like they hiked away from the highway into the forest. Value contemplating.
I had determined to do my climbing within the afternoon… Certainly, I might fare higher within the nationwide park correct? The plan was easy AND silly, keep in mind? Right here’s how I’ll go birding in Taman Negara sooner or later: I’ll carry a thermos with an iced drink, sufficient meals for a day and two liters of water. I’ll sit down within the Tahan cover close to the Mutiara resort and look forward to the birds to come back to me. And I do know that is the perfect technique as a result of it’s how I noticed Malaysian Honeyguide, Better Coucal, Asian Fairy-bluebird and Buff-vented Bulbul whereas throughout 4 hours of sweaty distress on the Swamp Loop I noticed one (!) household of Rufous-crowned Babbler. The subsequent day I did a fair longer stroll by way of the jungle, adopted by a brief cease on the cover. Let me simply say the cover produced a pair of Chestnut-breasted Malkoha and the four-kilometer stroll didn’t.
All this complaining about Taman Negara could make you assume I didn’t prefer it. Quite the opposite, I might even take into account returning to the extra distant Mua Gusang. This city offers entry to the Sungei Relau space. Nonetheless, I can’t go birding in Taman Negara with no good native information – the aspect of probability is simply too vital for my liking and time is valuable.
