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Brunei Birding

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Subject: Brunei Birding
From: Gil Langfield <>
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 22:14:23 +1000
About 3 weeks ago I sent to Birding Oz a request for information on Brunei - I received no reply.
Nigel Wheatley's "Where to watch birds in Asia"  (1996, $50 from Andrew 
Isles) devotes one and a half pages - including half a page of map - out of 
its 463 pages to this country which is apparently about the size of greater 
Melbourne.  The only site described in the book is Temburong, a forested 
slice of the country divided from the rest of Brunei by an odd finger of 
Sarawak.  One usually gets to Temburong by ferry from the capital.  I only 
had a weekend  and a late afternoon to watch birds and so will have to 
leave Temburong until another time.
The roads in the main part of Brunei are reasonable good and hire cars are 
available at about the same or slightly higher rates than Australia.  I 
borrowed a car from my company and drove to what were described as natural 
places in the tourist guides.  Lake Merimbun, the largest lake in the 
country is inland, about half way between the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, 
and Kuala Belait where I was working.  The site is pleasant with forests to 
the edge of the lake.  There are several timber walkways on the edge of the 
lake, most of which had fallen down and so trails are limited in 
length.  It was Saturday but I was the only visitor to the place.  Birds of 
note here were Hill Myna and Black-thighed Falconet.
Another road going inland closer to Kuala Belait leads past another lake, 
Luagan Lalak where the walkway system is being extended.  Here I saw 
Long-tailed Parakeet and Darter.  The road continues to the Wasai Kadir 
waterfall where a track follows the stream to the falls.  Where there 
should have been forktails, I only saw a Striated Heron.  At the end of the 
bitumen, a track leads to Bukit Teraja, a steep climb with few birds which 
I did not finish.  Where the road joins the main coast road is the Sungai 
Liang Recreation Park with nice forest but no birds.
Between Kuala Belait and Kuala Balai is a very bumpy road through primary 
and secondary forest.  Here I saw quite a few Oriental Pied Hornbills 
including a flock of about 12.  Also seen were Green Imperial Pigeon (?), 
Silver-rumped Needletails and more Hill Mynas and Long-tailed Parakeets.
Just north of Seria is the Anduki Jubilee Park which I visited in the early 
morning.  This park had a good selection of secondary forest birds.
I also visited four of the hundreds of offshore oil and gas platforms 
offshore from Brunei.  There were Eastern Reef Egrets and a Black-capped 
Kingfisher living on the tubular members of the structures near to the 
water.  I also saw singles of Black-naped Tern and Black-headed Gull.
Overall, it was not too exciting and you would have to think twice about 
making a special visit to the part of the country that I saw.
Regards,

Gil Langfield
Melbourne, Australia


Regards,

Gil Langfield
Melbourne, Australia


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