Far out in the east... Day 7

End of week 1 and a day of travel.  We are now heading for the rain-forest of Taman Negara. The weather had given out to be wet, which you dont mind too much while travelling, however it stayed dry until we reached our destination.
A quick check of the hotel gounds before we left Frasers Hill.... a few now familiar faces showed up

Long Tailed Sibia

the funky Chestnut Capped Laughingthrush

but best of all this fella....

Chestnut Crowned Laughingthrush

We had not picked up this species while at Frasers Hill, so to get it as we left the grounds of the hotel was a bonus... even if I did manage to chop his head of the image....

..... however the best was yet to come. One of the target birds for the location was the

Red bearded Bee-eater

we had mangaed to miss it during the 3 day stay, so we were a little disapointed to be leaving without seeing it, by a huge stroke of luck, we had stopped in the town for petrol when a chinese visitor noticed binoculars around our necks and asked if we had seen the Bee -eater...."no"

"Go back upto the town and out the otherside look for a hotel with a checkpoint hut and search around there"

We had 30 minutes before the road opened to leave the site... within 10 minutes were onto a pair

How about that for a spot of luck......

  

we had to drag ourselves away... it was hard but we had a long journey ahead.

We knew we may be able to get Whiskered Tree Swifts somewhere along the journey.... we just wernt quite sure where.... after a few hours of driving Jeff pulled the car up to a halt fairly sharpish and told me to look at the tree we had just passed....

some eye sight or what

Whiskered Tree Swift.... its a stunning bird

in more or less the same location we picked up this brilliant

Thick Billed SpiderHunter

as well as this

Oriental Honey Buzzard

Gey Rumped Treeswift, Needletails and Baya Weavers were all located, although this is as near to a Baya weaver the camera got..... there nests!!

..... SOMETIME LATER!

We arrive at the river.... park the car and get the river taxi with the luggage, its all forest from now on.

Excited? ..... very

Quickly got these characters on the hotel grounds

Thick Billed Green Pigeons

Drop the bags off and have a quick wander into the trees, easy peasy...

female Red Naped Trogan

soon after

Rufous Woodpecked

But be warned..... it wasnt all this easy... the next week will reveal all

However this little charmer was our neighbour every morning and evening for the next week. he roosted in the same branch outside our chalet

Dark Necked Tailorbird

awake

asleep

at home... roosting

this chap also roosted in a tree close to the Chalet.... hover it didnt move for 3 full days

Red Tailed Rat Snake