Borneo Bird Festival
15th – 17th September 2016
Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC), Sepilok, Sandakan
Sabah, Malaysia
The Sandakan Borneo Bird Club in collaboration with Sabah Tourism Board and Sabah Forestry Department is proud to held the 8th Borneo Bird Festival. The Borneo Bird Festival is a celebration of the magnificent birds of Borneo. It is aimed at creating public awareness of bird conservation, promoting birdwatching, and encouraging eco-tourism activities. This year's theme is, 'jalan-jalan cari burung' (lets go birding!).
The 8th edition of this annual Festival will be held at Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) situated within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve in Sandakan, where more than 300 species of birds have been recorded. Sepilok has captured the attention of birding communities worldwide for its resident endemic Bornean Bristlehead, Bornean Falconet, Black-crowned pitta.
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Bornean bristlehead
Bornean Bristlehead remains an
elusive and enigmatic bird, endemic to the lowland forests of Borneo. Long
isolation on Borneo have deepened the evolutionary divergences, and thus
treating it as a unique species, as the only member of the family Pityriaseidae
and the only species in its genus Pityriasis. Bornean bristlehead is usually
encountered in flocks of six to ten birds. It moves slowly through its lowland
rainforest habitat in an ungainly fashion, spend much of their time searching
leaves and tree trunks for invertebrate prey, caterpillars, cicadas, beetles
and other large insects for food. The breeding biology of the remains a
mystery, with very little information known.
Bornean bristlehead is
classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Some known location to observe
the Bornean bristlehead are, Sepilok Forest and Kinabatangan in Sandakan, Danum Valley, and Tabin in Sabah, Ulu Belait and Labi in Brunei, Lambir and Similajau in
Sarawak and Kutai and Gunung Palung in Kalimantan.
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| Black-crowned pitta |
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| Bornean falconet - the smallest raptor in the world, endemic to northern Borneo |
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| The Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) canopy walkway |
Among the highlights of the Festival are the Sabah Bird Race - a team of three, spot, identify and record as many bird species in 24hours period at a designated locations. Guided birding walk, Talks, Bird Photography Contests, Birding Workshop, Booth Exhibitions, various Children’s Bird Camp, above all it is a gathering of nature enthusiasts centred in Sandakan!
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| Children's Bird Camp participants |
Borneo Bird Festival 2016 was launched by Datuk Pang Yuk Ming - Assistant Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah representing the Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun and graced by Datuk Sam Mannan - Director of Sabah Forestry Department. The highlight of the launching event was Signing of MOU between Sabah Forestry Department and Sandakan Borneo Bird Club for The Management of Birdwatching Activities and to update the Database of Bird Species and other Fauna in the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok.
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| With VIP's and Guest |
The venue at RDC, Sepilok has always offered many surprises to birds and wildlife sightings. This year's Sabah Bird Race, participated by 12 teams (including a bird group from China and Hongkong), sighted 99 species of birds during the 24 hours bird race compare to 70 or 80 bird species in the past.
The Children's bird camp successfully conducted with 20 happy kids from the general public around Sandakan and Kinabatangan. The Talks were enlightening and educational. The many activities kept the fun going and exhausted the organisers... Im sure they had great time too!


This annual gathering of nature enthusiast and bird watchers have been a platform to boost local tourism and education to nature conservation. Both local and western visitors actively participated in birding activities.
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Birders and Nature enthusiasts from Brunei, Hongkong, Beijing, China, Peninsular Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu,
Lahad datu, Tabin, Danum, Kinabatangan and Sandakan. |
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| White-bellied woodpecker |
Capitalising on current social media we have highlighted the Rainforest Discovery Centre as an epicentre for birding, wildlife observation and the ultimate experience of a Bornean rainforest. An effective avenue to promote to the international audience.
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| Red-naped trogon (Left) Crimson sunbird (Right) |
The BBF 2016 event has achieved its target of more than 7,000 visitors, while the inaugural Borneo Bird Run yielded 550 participants. Overall, a great achievement to service the community and effective networking session with the invited foreign guest, exhibitors and speakers.







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| Chestnut-collared kingfisher |
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Mr. Alex Yee, Dr. Wong Siew Te, Mr. Jeffery Aman, Datuk Peter Pang, Datuk Pang Yuk Ming, Datuk Sam Mannan,
Mr. Cede Prudente, Mr. Effendy Mahani, Mr. Gary Albert, (rear), Mr. Yahya Fadzil, Ms. Bernadette Joeman and
Dr. Robert Ong at the Drongo house |
We wish to thank the Sandakan Borneo Bird Club members and the organising committee, Datuk Sam Mannan – Director, Sabah Forestry Department and his team at the Forest Research Centre (FRC) and Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) Sabah Forestry Department, headed by Dr. Robert Ong http://www.forest.sabah.gov.my, Municipal Council of Sandakan : http://www.mps.sabah.gov.my, Sponsors, Bird clubs from around Asia, Exhibitors, and NGO's for supporting the event.
Sincere appreciation to Mr. Gordon Yapp – General Manager, Sabah Tourism Board and his team, Mr. Kevin Chin, Ms. Noredah Othman and Mr. Effendi Mahany for their untiring assistance over the years. Tourism Malaysia for their funding contribution. http://www.sabahtourism.com
With this, we have lined-up some key activities for the Bird Club, such as, Borneo Bird Festival 2017, Borneo Bird Race 2017, Participation in the various Bird Fairs in the region and enhance the Nature Education Awareness Program and Bird Conservation in Sabah.
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| Fluffy-backed tit-babbler |
WINNERS
SABAH BIRD RACE
'Mokitombolog'
1st Prize
Cash RM1,500, Medal & 3 units Omnicron 8x32 Monoculars (worth RM300 each)
Sponsored by Trifid Optical Supplies
Team : Tabin Wildlife Holidays (99 species sighted)
1) Mohd Bin Johari
2) Heryzan bin Jumadil
3) Alistair Puhan
2nd Prize
Cash RM900, Medal & Goodies sponsored by Minox (tshirt & cap x 3 pcs each)
Team : BRL Team (98 species sighted)
1) Theodore Dennis
2) Adzel Neil bin Korus
3) Azmil bin Pilantong
3rd Prize
Cash RM600 , Medal & Goodies sponsored by Minox (lenscloth & strap x 3 pcs each)
Team : Rinukut Team (88
1) Paul Imbun
2) Khairulikhwan
3) Erwan bin Abd Razlie

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
Category 1 : Artistic
1st Prize
Cash RM500 + Nikon goodies
Anabel G. Kouju
‘Java Sparrow’

2nd Prize
Cash RM200 + Nikon goodies
Mark L. Benedict
‘The Dance of the Sunbird’

3rd Prize
Cash RM100 + Nikon goodies
Severino Paulin Jr
‘Red Bearded Bee-Eater’

Category 2 : Endemic
1st Prize
- 1 unit Nikon 1J4 10-30PD zoom kit. Sponsored by Nikon.
- Complimentary 2days 1 night stay for 2 person @ Deluxe Sea View room + breakfast sponsored by Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan
Soon Chen Vui
‘Whitehead’s Broadbill’

2nd Prize
Cash RM200 + Leica goodies
Alven Chang
‘Bornean Mountain Black-Eye’

3rd Prize
Cash RM100 + Leica goodies
Jadda Suhaimi
‘Bornean Ground Cuckoo’
Category 3 : Digiscoping
Main Prize
- 1 unit Nikon 1J4 10-30PD zoom kit + Nikon goodies. Sponsored by Nikon.
- Complimentary BBQ Steamboat Dinner for 2 person at the Eatery sponsored by Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan
Alven Chang
‘White headed Stilt’
TALKS
Talk 1 : Searching for Elusive Pheasants by /; Mr Roger Rajah: https://www.facebook.com/rrajah
Pheasants are one of the hardest bird to see and in searching for them takes a couple of days to weeks and in some cases in different altitude range. More often it also base solely on luck. This talk cover sort after Pheasants that is found in Borneo, Nepal and Bhutan
Talk 2 : Social media and Birding by : Mr David Hogan : http://blog.malaysia-asia.my
Discover how social media can assist your bird watching & bird photography hobby with the latest trends, tools and platforms that are currently used by millions locally and around the world.
Talk 3 : Migratory Waterbirds and their habitat by : Ms Tomoko Ichikawa of EAAFP
http://www.eaaflyway.net/contacts/secretariat/
East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) stretches from Alaska and Russia, through East and Southeast Asia, to Australia and New Zealand. It includes 22 countries with various economic, cultural, and social backgrounds. The EAAF supports at least 50 million migratory waterbirds of more than 200 species. However, the number of migratory waterbirds is in a sharp decline because of the rapid loss and degradation of their habitats. Continuous monitoring will become very important to support the survival of migratory waterbirds. It would be great if this talk can encourage Bornean bird watchers to discuss how they can participate in the systematic and continuous monitoring in Borneo through their works and hobbies to contribute to the migratory waterbird conservation.
Talk 4 : Traditional hunting and modern conseravation: What have we learnt? by : Dr K. Yoganand, Sharon Koh & Julia Ng
http://foreversabah.org/team/
Traditional hunting is considered a customary right by many indigenous communities and human right advocates, while it is considered a problem to wildlife conservation by conservationists and government law enforcement agencies. Discussions on this topic often take a political dimension and consequently the reality of hunting and animal population status seldom gets examined. In this talk, we raise two questions in the context of Sabah: 1) Is hunting traditional anymore? And 2) Is traditional hunting compatible with modern conservation? and analyse the facts and perspectives on these questions, based on what we as conservationists have learnt in Sabah over the years. Further, we review the applicability of current wildlife management in Sabah to the question of regulated hunting.
Talk 5 : Wildlife Conservation and Wildlife Trade by : Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar, Sabah Wildlife Department: http://www.wildlife.sabah.gov.my
The word ‘Conservation’ can be defined as act of preserving, protecting or guarding and wise use. Therefore ‘Wildlife Conservation’ is referred as act to preserve, protect and control harvesting of this natural resource. On of the very conservative ways of doing wildlife conservation is through establishing the Protected Areas such as Parks, Sanctuaries or Conservation areas. Wildlife trade is always seen as contradicting to the conservation effort regardless weather it’s legal or illegal. But why do we have CITES? This presentation will overview how the wildlife conservation efforts carried out in Sabah State and how big is the impact of wildlife trade to wildlife conservation in Sabah.
Talk 6 : Children and Birding by : Ms. Loraiti Lolin : http://www.forest.sabah.gov.my/rdc/
The younger generation are the bearers of good nature conservation, it is moral obligation to pass on the legacies in appreciating and implementing good practices in nature conservation.
Birding is a healthy hobby to instill to our children.
Talk 7 : How Technology help birding by : Mr Ken Ching, Eco Education and Resources Centre, Hongkong: http://erc.org.hk/en/
Improvement of technology had changed our life in different aspects. In this presentation, we would like to introduce the use of smartphone application in bird watching and how it can help to collect data for research and conservation.
This year, we are excited to launch the 1st Borneo Bird Run, a fun run to promote healthy lifestyle and remind the community of the importance to conserving our natural environment as source of clean air!
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| Winners and Participants of the Borneo Bird Run with Datuk Sam Mannan and Guests |
Borneo Bird Festival 2016 Organising Committee
1. Dr. Robert Ong Sabah Forestry Department
2. Mdm. Bernadette Joeman Sabah Forestry Department
3. Mr. Hubert Petol Sabah Forestry Department
4. Ms. Arni-Natalia Arpa Sabah Forestry Department
5. Ms. Loraiti Lolin Sabah Forestry Department
6. Ms. Phylesia Jill Rama Sabah Forestry Department
7. Ms. Eyen Khoo Sabah Forestry Department
8. Dr. Arthur Chung Sabah Forestry Department
9. Ms. Viviannye Paul Sabah Forestry Department
10. Ms. Beth EB Gilbert Sabah Forestry Department
11. Mr. Effendi Mahany Sabah Tourism Board
12. Mr. Cede Prudente Sandakan Borneo Bird Club
13. Mr. Gary Albert Sandakan Borneo Bird Club
14. Mdm. Caroline@Kathy Sandakan Borneo Bird Club
15. Mdm. Adeline Choy Sandakan Borneo Bird Club
16. Mdm. Irene Chong Sandakan Borneo Bird Club
17. Mr. Mark Louis Benedict Sandakan Borneo Bird Club
18. Cynthia Au Sandakan Borneo Bird Club
19. Mdm. Rowena Garcia Sandakan Borneo Bird Club
20. Mr.Chee Kim Teoh Future Alam Borneo and Organising Chairman for Borneo Bird run
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| Lecturers with the Children's Bird Camp participants |
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Grey and buff woodpecker
For inquiries and interests in attending the next bird festival, please email us at:
borneobirdclub@yahoo.com
website: www.borneobirdfestival.com
https://www.facebook.com/BorneoBirdFestival/
Thank you to all our sponsors: IJM Plantations, Leica Malaysia, Nikon Malaysia, Fourpoints by Sheraton, Minox, Tiffid Optical Supplies and Canon Malaysia.
#borneobirdfestival #birdingborneo #birdsofborneo #sabah #endemicbirdsofborneo #rdc #sepilok #borneobirding #wildlifeofborneo #biridngsabah
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