Sunday, November 6, 2011

Rhinoceros hornbills at Mount Santubong

While hiking up Gunung Santubong a few weeks ago, I heard the unmistakable loud flapping noises of hornbill wings just above me. I looked up and saw three Rhinoceros hornbills (Buceros rhinoceros) landing on the top branches of a dead tree right above where I was standing. It was the first time I got to see wild Rhinoceros hornbills in the Kuching area this close.

Rhinoceros_hornbill_sarawaklens

Unfortunately, I managed only this one shot (cropped photo as the dead tree is very tall) before they got spooked when they saw my friend coming down the slope.

About 6 years ago, also in the Santubong jungle, I saw a hornbill and a troop of monkeys in the same tree feeding on fruits. It was a very tall tree and quite a distance away. The monkeys were making a lot of noise and shaking the branches. It appeared as though they were trying to chase off the hornbill (perhaps so they can have more fruit to themselves?). The big bird was clearly agitated; it could not feed in peace and jumped from branch to branch. However, I did not wait to see if the monkeys managed to chase it away eventually.

Hope to see these big birds again, they’re not easy to spot anymore, at least not in the Kuching area.

2 comments:

Ensurai said...

Can I use one of your Hornbill photos for my write up in my blog on Sarawak Land of the Hornbills? Thank you.

sarawaklens said...

@Sarawakiana, sure, I'm sure you know what to do, retain watermark, give credit and link back. Look forward to your write up. :)

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