Wednesday, April 6, 2016

HORNBILLS OF BRUNEI- March 20, 2008 | Jan Shim

March 20, 2008 | Jan Shim

These are not the sort of Hornbill photos I had in mind when I decided to feature them here. These gracious birds can be seen in my neighbourhood every morning and their cries equally prominent at that hour of the day. Fast disappearing surrounding once the habitat of various wildlife, trees and forest gave way to housing development and roads. I’m glad my residence is in the daily flight path of these endangered species and also the Egrets that dominate our skies. As far I know in my limited knowledge of birds, Hornbills are native to Malaysia so perhaps our location close to East Malaysia has something to do with why they stay here this long. I’m also aware that due to their dwindling population, pro-active measures have been taken by the Panaga Natural History Society, University of Brunei Darussalam and Brunei Shell Petroleum with the installation of artificial nesting boxes.

Note: The bright orange bokeh to the right of its head is the distant flare from the Shell refinery that’s directly opposite the vegetable garden.

I shot these on the 5D and EF100-400mm @ 400mm and while the 5D has a very quiet shutter noise, such is the sensitivity of the bird’s sense of hearing that it warranted a cautious stare just to see if the situation escalated to a threat. In my excitement I mounted the 100-400mm lens to the wrong body when I could have had more reach with the EOS 20D, a difference of 400mm vs 640mm. Big difference! So I was saying, these weren’t the sort of pictures I had in mind. Oh well, I guess that would be my next target, Hornbills in flight and that’s something I’ve seen—a display of grace and beauty.

A few days later, as I left the house, I came across a pair of them on a tree next to the road. So happens I had my 5D/70-200mm with me and I walked right under it and fired a series of shots (36 to be precise in case anyone was curious). Still no hornbill in flight photos as it flew off in the wrong direction!

© Jan Shim Photography
UPDATE April 7, 2008: HORNBILL IN FLIGHT. AN OUTING EXTRAORDINAIRE UPDATE June 30, 2008: HORNBILL USHERING MONDAY BLUES

On April 24, 2008 returning home from a trip to the Temburong National Park on assignment at the ULU ULU RESORT it was good to be finally home after the 3-day mission to produce promotional images for resort operator Sunshine Borneo Tours. Less than eight minutes away from the door steps, I came across this hornbill that had just flew into this tree from a lamp post across the road in Kampong Baru in Seria.

Brunei’s Empire Hotel & Country Club

One of the Most Palatial Hotels in Asia

Brunei’s Empire Hotel & Country Club, the accommodation of choice of world leaders and dignitaries who visit Brunei, is celebrating its 12th anniversary. Offering unsurpassed luxury, the Empire Hotel & Country Club is located on the north eastern tip of Borneo in Brunei, just on the doorstep of one of Asia’s oldest rainforests. Made of spectacular marble, this hotel offers 12 storeys of grandeur, with a gold lobby and 180-hectares of manicured gardens with an 18-hole floodlit signature golf course on the side.

The Empire Hotel & Country Club is the perfect choice of accomodation when visiting the prosperous sultanate of Brunei. Just a short 3-hour daily flight from Hong Kong, the Sultanate of Brunei is famed for its grandeur of Islamic architecture and rich royal tradition dating back over 600 years to 1405; the breathtaking Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is just one stunning tribute to the nation’s deep-rooted faith. Another glittering example of Brunei’s majestic royal heritage is the Sultan’s lavish home Istana Nurul Iman which is the largest residential palace in the world, an enigmatic symbol of Brunei’s enduring monarchy and the seat of the nation’s government. The capital also houses a number of royal museums highlighting the nation’s century-old history; best known is the Royal Regalia Museum, displaying the Sultan’s full royal regalia, including the crown and royal chariot, along with a vast collection of opulent treasures.

The Empire Hotel & Country Club encompasses 518 oppulently decorated guest rooms, and suites; in addition to private villas which have ocean, lagoon, garden or golf course views. All rooms hold the standard across the hotel, with imperial king-sized bed made with the finest linens, marble bathrooms, deep soaking tubs with gold taps and other luxury amenities.
Some of the recent high-profile visitors to the hotel include Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, both of whom stayed in the Empire’s impressive Emperor Suite; which provides VIP guests with a private elevator, private swimming pool, and self-contained cinema as well as a meeting room for presidential visitors.

The Empire Hotel & Country Club, which has won numerous prestigious international awards, also houses an impressive range of international restaurants, spa, sporting activities, and more; which makes it an ideal resort for family, romance and business all at once.
If you ever visit the rich sultanate of Brunei, the Empire Hotel & Country Club is a must!

Brunei’s Empire Hotel

One of the Most Palatial Hotels in Asia

HORNBILLS OF BRUNEI- March 20, 2008 | Jan Shim

March 20, 2008 | Jan Shim

Note: The bright orange bokeh to the right of its head is the distant flare from the Shell refinery that’s directly opposite the vegetable garden.

UPDATE April 7, 2008: HORNBILL IN FLIGHT. AN OUTING EXTRAORDINAIRE UPDATE June 30, 2008: HORNBILL USHERING MONDAY BLUES

Brunei’s wild riches

Ulu Temburong National Park is full of rare medicinal plants, towering dipterocarp trees and a 50m-high canopy walkway – perfect for peering into the virgin rainforest below.

30 May 2013

Looking out over the canopy in Brunei’s Ulu Temburong National Park, it is easy to believe you are standing at the top of the world. Nothing obstructs the view from the park’s narrow, 50m-high canopy walkway, and visitors who have not been deterred by a fear of heights can scour the vast rainforest spreading out in every direction for sightings of Brunei’s varied jungle wildlife.

Related slideshow: Borneo’s rainforest wildlife

Located on the west coast of the island of Borneo, Brunei is a small, oil rich nation; and the Sultan’s wealth is on full display in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. But Ulu Temburong, Brunei’s only national park, displays riches of another kind. With much of Borneo’s rainforest being destroyed by logging and palm oil plantations, Ulu Temburong offers an increasingly rare chance to experience the incredible diversity of flora and fauna found in a virgin rainforest.
The adventure begins as soon as you leave Bandar Seri Begawan, with a 40-minute water taxi ride from the capital’s main jetty to Bangar, the only town in the Temburong district. From here it is an 18km road journey to the tiny settlement of Batang Duri where the road ends, and then onto a traditional longboat for the final 30-minute ride along the fast-flowing Temburong River to the Ulu Ulu Temburong Resort, the closest hotel to the canopy trail.
Getting from the banks of the Temburong to the canopy walkway is a hard slog, with a steady 1km climb along a steep jungle path in conditions that are humid even in the darkness of pre-dawn (the best time to experience the canopy walkway is at sunrise, when the jungle’s wildlife is most active). Yet the toughest challenge is not a physical one.
At first sight, the 50m-high metal cage appears to be little more than makeshift scaffolding, and with only six discrete steel cables supporting the structure, the sway of the platform is quite noticeable, even in a gentle breeze. It is no surprise that around a third of those who reach the base of the canopy walkway decide against climbing the metal ladders that loom overhead.
Those who do brave the 20 ladders that reach to the top of the walkway are rewarded with a prime viewpoint for observing Ulu Temburong’s rich variety of wildlife. Gibbons can occasionally be seen swinging through the canopy and are often heard screeching in the towering dipterocarp trees below, many of which are more than 100 years old; and hornbills fly overhead, their long beaks and colourful horns standing out against the surrounding jungle. Lucky visitors may even glimpse a flying squirrel leaping from tree to tree. But despite the cacophony of animal sounds coming from below, the canopy is dense and the view stretches for such a distance that visitors may spend a couple of hours on the walkway and see very little.
While most people visit Ulu Temburong to experience the view from the canopy walkway, the Ulu Ulu Temburong Resort also offers jungle hikes to see the park’s tumbling waterfalls, many of which offer the chance to have a refreshing swim in their natural pools. Night treks are a memorable way to experience the sounds of the jungle at their loudest, with frogs and cicadas competing for attention.
Ulu Ulu supervisor Mohammad Mutaqin is committed to making sure the resort plays an important role in the park’s conservation. While trekking along a jungle trail, he pointed out medicinal plants and described how locals have traditionally harvested and sold the jungle’s flora and fauna with little regard for conservation. Wild pigs have been hunted, while rare trees and plants such as tongkat ali – known for its aphrodisiac qualities – have been cut down to make medicines or for use in potions by those following indigenous belief systems.
Mutaqin pointed to neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia as places where jungles have been destroyed to harvest commercially lucrative resources, but due in part to Brunei’s modest population, the scale of harvesting in Ulu Temburong has been small until now. According to Mutaqin, if the resort can benefit the local community by offering employment and bringing in tourism money, there is hope that people will learn to appreciate the precious nature of the environment in which they live before it is severely damaged.
Brunei may not offer a ready-made luxury safari experience, and animal sightings do require a lot of effort as well as a fair amount of luck. But while humans have already encroached far into the wider Borneo jungle with devastating consequences, Temburong still offers access to a largely untouched, virgin rainforest; something that is becoming ever harder to find.
Practicalities
A permit is required to travel independently to Ulu Temburong. To avoid this hassle and the very high cost of organising private transfers, the majority of visitors make arrangements with one of the travel agencies based in Bandar Seri Begawan. The only way to reach Ulu Temburong’s canopy walkway early enough to see the sun rise is to stay overnight at the Ulu Ulu Temburong resort, where the wake-up call is at 4:30 am. If pre-dawn starts do not appeal, Freme Travel offers an itinerary that includes a mid-morning visit to the walkway. Their tours include transfers from Bandar Seri Begawan and an overnight stay at their own Rainforest Lodge, just outside the park.
Most travellers will stop one night in Bandar Seri Begawan at the beginning or end of their Temburong visit, with the luxurious Empire Hotel and Country Club (owned by the Sultan himself and used to house Heads of State when they visit) offering an affordable splash of glamour that may be welcome after a night in the jungle. The Brunei Hotel is a convenient business-style hotel in the city centre, across the road from the colourful morning market. See the Brunei Tourism website for more information.

Ulu Temburong National Park

Ulu Temburong National Park
		... untouched rainforest of Brunei

Introduction



	Sungei Belalong - this tributary to the Temburong River can rise many metres after a tropical storm.

The easternmost part of Brunei is the Temburong District, which is separated from the capital and the three other Bruneian provinces by the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The Temburong District is rich in unspoiled natural heritage, including the Ulu Temburong National Park (formerly the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve). Here the magnificence of Borneo's lowland rainforests can be truly experienced. Botanically the area is possessed of astounding diversity, however the casual visitor in search of birds or mammals is likely to be disappointed by the apparent lack of fauna. In fact the forests teem with wildlife, but these creatures are invariably shy and are quick to avoid human contact.
Getting There
Ulu Temburong is only accessible by boat. From the capital of Bandar Seri Begawan water taxis take about one hour to ply the route to the main town of Bangar in Temburong District. This allows the visitor a glimpse of the mangrove forests which line the muddy delta of the Limbang River flowing out of Sarawak into Brunei Bay. With luck, Proboscis Monkeys may be sighted along this route, however these are more likely to be seen in early morning or late afternoon.



Water Taxis takes you from the Brunei capital to the Temburong District

From Bangar, a 30 minute bus ride is needed to reach Batang Duri which is the base for Brunei's Outward Bound School and the embarkation point for Temuai longboats which carry visitors up the Temburong River. These craft are steered by Iban men and women who, with remarkable ability, manage to avoid sand bars, boulders and submerged logs. Beware though, when water levels are low passengers are expected to climb out of the craft and help push the boat to deeper water. After two hours passengers should have arrived safely, but not necessarily dry, at their accommodation in the National Park Headquarters near the confluence with Sungei Belalong. See Where To Stay



	Atop the well-constructed Canopy Walkway

Boardwalks and Suspension Bridges
From the National Park headquarters an extensive network of wooden boardwalks leads to the surrounding forests. It would be possible for the visitor to spend some days in Ulu Temburong without actually letting their feet touch the forest floor ! However, in places the wooden planking has lost the battle against termites, beetles and fungus so care must be taken. Thankfully the suspension bridges which criss-cross the rivers are in better condition !
Canopy Walkway
A birds-eye view of the surrounding forests can be had from the not-to-be-missed Canopy Walkway. This steel structure rises some 50 metres from the forest floor to the level of the highest trees, and from here can be seen tiger orchids and other epiphytes clinging to the branches, as well as Bukit Belalong (Bukit=Hill) in the distance. The observant may even glimpse snakes in the treetops, such as the strikingly coloured Wagler's Pit Viper.



Wagler's Pit Viper Tropidolaemus wagleri - this specimen was seen from the Canopy Walkway

Denizens of the Rainforest
The Wagler's Pit Viper is also called the Temple Viper (in some parts of S.E. Asia they bring good luck to Buddhist temples). The picture at left is of a juvenile, with it's distinctive yellow and pale green colour and coloured crossbars. The 'pits' or heat-sensitive organs which lie between the eye and the nostril are used to detect prey. This is a venomous species, with powerful haemotoxins, however bites are rarely fatal.
Lizards are perhaps easier to find than snakes, and with luck one may get glimpses of species with such unlikely sounding names as the Five-lined Flying Lizard Draco quinquefasciatus and Peter's Bent-toed Gecko Gonydactylus consobrinus.



	Black-spotted Rock Frog Staurois natator

It is worth searching quietly for Ulu Temburong's shy amphibians, both by day and by night. These include the common Kuhl's Creek Frog Limnonectes kuhli, the Smooth Guardian Frog Rana palavanensis easily identified by the black chevron marking on it's back, the Painted Tree Frog Nyctixalus pictus which lays it's eggs in tree holes, and the striking Wallace's Flying Frog Rhacophorus nigropalmatus which has the ability to glide from tree to tree using its webbed fingers and toes.
The Black Spotted Rock Frog Staurois natator (right) is a handsome species which can be found in the water-filled gullies or small waterfalls. The frog in the photograph was just two inches in length.

Insects - essential to Rainforest ecology



The Jewel Of The Rainforest - the beautiful Rajah Brooke's Birdwing Troides brookiana

By some estimates there may be as many as 400 species of butterfly in the Ulu Temburong National Park, however many of these are rare and occur in areas not accessible to the casual visitor. Arguably the most beautiful butterfly in the world is the Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (named after the 'White Rajah' James Brooke who ruled Sarawak as his private kingdom in the colonial era.) With it's jet black wing colour and emerald green banding the males of this most glorious of species can be found searching for salt and other minerals near human habitation - in particular it favours sewage outfalls !
Another butterfly species of note is the Tree Nymph Idea stolli. This white and black spotted species glides on it's gossamer wings around sunlit areas, seeming to float in the air with no effort at all.



Termite nest on a Boardwalk	Forest Centipede guarding her eggs	Giant Forest Ant Campanotus gigas

Other insects to look for include forest centipedes, sometimes found guarding their eggs, the Giant Forest Ant Campanotus gigas which, at one inch long, looks formidable but will not bite humans, and Lantern Bugs with their bizarre elongated heads. Take some time to observe the activities of termites; these social insects quickly break down dead plant or tree matter (or wooden boardwalks !) and return the nutrients to the soil for absorption by the next generation of plants and trees.
Birds and Mammals


	A cauliflory of fruits of Baccaurea sp.

Higher vertebrates are hard to spot in these forests. The Bushy Crested Hornbill Anorrhinus galeritus may sometimes be seen near the accommodation but other dramatic species, such as the Rhinoceros Hornbill Buceros rhinoceros are more likely to be heard flying overhead than actually be seen. Broadbills, such as the Black-and-yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus ochromalus, may be found foraging for food, and along the rivers fast-flying Swiftlets will be seen hunting for insects.
The 'primate king' of Borneo, the Bornean Orang Utan, is not found in Ulu Temburong. The king in Ulu Temburong is the Bornean Gibbon Hylobates muelleri whose loud call may be heard ringing from the trees early each morning. This grey-brown, tail-less species is completely arboreal, living in the forest canopy and only occasionally descending to mid-canopy. Squirrels, however, will be seen at ground level, including the tiny Plain Pygmy Squirrel Exilisciurus exilis which can be found near human habitation.

Botanical Treasure Trove
For the botanist, the Ulu Temburong National Park contains an abundance of species for study. As is common in tropical lowland forests, the canopy is dominated by giants of the Shorea, Dryobalanops and Dipterocarpus genera. At ground level the forest floor is a wealth of gingers, begonias, gesneriads and aroids, and blooms of the Ixora genus are easily found. Rattan species are numerous - these often take advantage of the bright sunlight reaching the forest floor through breaks in the canopy.



Spiked stem and fruits of Daemonorops sp. - a type of Rattan

Palms, ferns, mosses and lichens are to be found along the river's edge and in the quiet rocky gullies. Many of these species may be fully submerged when the rivers are swollen by flash floods, but somehow they manage to cling to the rocky substrate and survive.
Fruiting figs, an essential food source for many mammals and birds in the rainforest ecosystem, are common, but keep an eye out for geocarpic figs, whose fruits grow from ground shoots rather than from the trunks and branches.
One does not have to be a botanist to appreciate the diversity of Ulu Temburong's flora - all that is needed is e keen eye, and an appreciation of the wonderful forms and structures which have evolved over many millennia in these wonderful forests.
Where To Stay



	Nature Society (Singapore) at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre

Accommodation is available at the Ulu Temburong National Park Headquarters. Booking of accommodation is best made through travel agents in the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. Some of these agents can be found online. A package booking through an agent should also cover boat and road transfers.
Scientific groups, natural history societies and school groups can stay at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, just one kilometre upriver from the park headquarters. Bookings should be made through : The Coordinator, Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, Department of Biology, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong 3186, Negara Brunei Darussalam.


References :	J. Payne & C. M. Francis, 1998. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo. The Sabah Society. P. Engbers & M.Storey, 1997. Wildlife Watch in Brunei Darussalam. Panaga Natural History Society. K.M. Wong & A.S. Kamariah, 1999. Forests and Trees of Brunei Darussalam. Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

	Photographs and some text of this article first appeared in Volume 9, Number 1 of Nature Watch, published by the Nature Society (Singapore), January 2001

Tasek Lama Park, Bandar Seri Begawan

Jalan Tasek Lama Park, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. ( Island of Borneo).
Jalan Tasek Lama Park is a park that looks a bit like a civilized jungle, and the beauty is that it is located in a short walking distance from the city center, probably one of the reasons why this place is such a popular trekking trail for the people of Bandar Seri Begawan.
Tasek Lama Park has great walkaways and a few waterfalls, with spots for picnics and places to sit in the cool shade.
For more information visit Wikipedia – Bandar Seri Begawan

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Google map of – Jalan Tasek Lama Park

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