Texas Birding

THIS POST WAS WRITTEN BY SARA WITTENBERG RESS BASED ON A JOINT TRIP

The anticipation of what I was about to view nearly trumped the sighting itself.  Our guide informed Dad and I that the property potentially had the only Masked Ducks in the U.S. at the current time- what luck for us!  I turned the focus knob, bringing the small stiff-tailed duck, still in winter plumage, into view.  There it was!  The bird was transported before me with the aid of the spotting scope, allowing me to share in a moment of its existence.  We had booked a half-day private birding trip on the King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas, and our exceptional guide assisted us in racking up 81 species in four hours, including many south Texas specialties.  It was a superb end to a productive birding adventure along the central coast of Texas.  With a map of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail in hand, we set out on a balmy mid-March day with the intent of covering much of the Corpus Christi, Mustang Island and Aransas loop stops, throwing in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and King Ranch as must-dos before our week expired and our jobs in Alabama and Arkansas called us back home.

            Much of our journey took us along the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, so aside from great birds the views were quite enjoyable as well.  There were some highlights of our week- two virtual bird paradises warrant mention, as they both took us by surprise.  Just on the outskirts of Corpus Christi is Indian Point Park, a “salt flat” harboring great diversity- peeps of all shapes and sizes, Reddish Egrets dancing to apparently no one, Black-Necked Stilts beginning to pair up for spring nesting, and American Avocets so unconcerned with our presence that we could photograph them feet from our vehicle.  The Port Aransas Birding Center is a hidden gem- a wetland area behind a sewage treatment plant that’s a figurative “sea of birds”, creating a mosaic of colors dominated by pink splashes of Roseate Spoonbills by the hundreds.  All three species of teal intermingled with Northern Shovelers and Mottled Ducks to round out the waterfowl present.  Avocets and Stilts abounded, nearly every species of herons and egrets found in Texas were foraging in the wetland, and shorebirds further challenged our identification skills.  We spent one night camping on Padre Island National Seashore at the south end of Mustang Island, and were fortunate to stumble upon a bird walk led by two resident park volunteers (though the walk was a misnomer as they shuttled us all over the park for 3.5 hours in a 15-passenger van).  They tried to surprise us with a nest-cam set up on a clutch of nestling Barn Owls, but in the two days since they’d checked it the chicks had fledged- no luck.  We did get a great look, however, of the resident Peregrine Falcon (and several other raptor species).  Goose Island State Park at the north end of Mustang Island boasts the World Record Life Oak (though its exact age is unclear as discrepancies in sources listed is as either over 1000 or over 2000 years old).  Nonetheless, that was one impressive tree!

            We devoted one day to the famed Aransas NWR, viewing it first from afar (from a boat), and then by driving through the refuge.  A morning trip aboard The Skimmer yielded nine Whopping Cranes, a species whose name preceeds them and which neither of us had ever seen.  We got amazing looks at them, spending approximately one hour watching a pair forage very near to our boat.  Ultimately we ended up with 132 species of birds and a smattering of mammals and reptiles, with gators being the prominent species.

            No birder, experienced or novice, could be left wanting after a trip to the Texas coast.  The birding trail has been broken up into three segments- upper, central, and lower- and once could spend days on any given area.  The farther south you go, the more Central American species you are likely to encounter.  Depending on what your goal may be (and how much time you have to spare!), one can tailor their trip to suit their preferences.  Be warned though- don’t try to do too much in too little time!  Make sure to incorporate some coastal and inland birding no matter what area you visit to ensure a diverse array of species, and be prepared to be amazed!

Reelfoot Lake Tennessee

Hard against the western edge of Tennessee along the flat floodplain of the Mississippi River, lies a pocket of water which in appearance has more in common with the sloughs and backwaters of the deep south than the western reaches of the Cumberland region.

This out‑of‑place body of water is not only an anomaly in its location but also in the way it was formed.  In the winter of 1811‑1812, a massive earthquake hit the western Tennessee region, along the New Madrid faultline.  According to historical reports, witnesses saw the water flow out of the Mississippi backward in a great wall for three days and three nights.  A large area of land sank and the surrounding land was thrust upward, the backwards‑rushing waters of the Mississippi filling in to form a separate body of water, a broad shallow lake.  The Indians who inhabited the region called this lake Reelfoot, after the club‑footed son of the local Indian chief.

The shallow waters of Reelfoot Lake were conducive to plants and animals more commonly found in the bayous and sloughs of the south and the lake gradually evolved into a botanical island of cypress and lily pads.  Surrounded by thousands of acres of rich bottomland forests and situated along the Mississippi flyway, Reelfoot became a major stopover for ducks and other waterfowl on their annual migrations.  Frontiersman Davy Crockett called Reelfoot his favorite hunting grounds.

The attractions of Reelfoot to wildlife continue to this day and the Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for deer, beaver, coyote, great blue herons, and osprey.   The lake is a temporary home to thousands of Canada Geese, mallards, widgeons, gadwalls, and other waterfowl every fall as they head south for the winter.  In a typical season up to half a million ducks and 150,000 geese are concentrated at Reelfoot.  A respectable population of bald eagles is also present on the lake and can be easily spotted from the water and banks.

The lake looks like a giant letter "W" from the air, four large basins set in a gentle curve among the surrounding farmland.  The largest two basins form the majority of the lake, with two smaller bodies of water, Buzzard Slough and Upper Blue Basin, finishing the "W" with a flourish on the end.  Buzzard Slough and Upper Blue Basin are reached by short ditches connecting the waterways, not much more than a boat’s-width wide and crowded on both sides by cattails and lily pads.

For nature lovers, Reelfoot is a veritable paradise.  The lake is fourteen miles long and covers more than 15,000 acres, a patchwork of wide expanses of open water with large groves of cypress growing out of the lake surface.  These thick cypress groves give Reelfoot that "swampy" feel.  Tall cypress trees and their knobby roots, or knees, protrude from the lake, providing prime habitat for waterfowl and fish.  From shore the lake looks like a vast green prairie amidst a profusion of huge cypress trees.  Narrow trails of water connect small pools of dark water and large open areas of lake dominate some areas.  But venturing in a boat into this swamp reveals an even more beautiful sight.  The flat green carpet takes form in a tangle of large lily pads, some two feet across.  Towering over the lilies stand cattails, their syrupy brown stalks rising above our heads Boating among the towering cypress, with the pure white and starling yellow water lilies in spring bloom, is enchanting. 

 Reelfoot is regionally famous for its crappie, bream, and largemouth bass fishing, the prime season being early spring when the crappie begin their spawning runs.  The area teems with fishing enthusiasts, particularly in the spring and fall, and a large support industry of fishing camps, motels, cottages, and restaurants has sprung up around the lake to provide services to fishermen and other outdoorsy types.

Fishing is not the only attraction of Reelfoot.  A small but growing contingent of bald eagles also makes the lake home during the winter months.  Eagle-watching trips are a prime attraction during the winter months and are increasing in popularity.  Reelfoot Lake State Park, located on the lake’s shore, offers eagle tours from December through February.  Park naturalists will take you on a guided expedition to glimpse the birds and fill you in on their history and habits.    If you prefer to go it alone, the wildlife refuge offers a visitor center that will give you directions on best areas to view eagles.  The refuge has two observation towers hiking trails and the option of a driving tour through the Grassy Island area.  If you’re lucky you might spot a white-tailed deer or wild turkey.

This is not a wilderness lake.  The shoreline is dotted with fishing camps and private cabins.  Boat docks extend out into the lake at frequent intervals and there are motels and restaurants along the roads skirting the lake.  The attractions are waterfowl hunting, fishing, and birdwatching.  The best way to experience Reelfoot is by staying in one of the many motels or fishing cabins sprinkled around the lake’s edges and spending the days on the lake fishing or enjoying the natural surroundings.  Many of the lodges and camps offer inexpensive packages which include the use of a boat with lodging.  Numerous restaurants in the area offer hearty all-you-can-eat meals.  Notable among these are Boyette’s and the Blue Bank.  Both offer excellent lightly breaded catfish, country ham, and all the fixings.  Enough to satisfy the heartiest appetite after a day out in the sun and wind. 

For information contact the Reelfoot Lake Tourist Council, 901-538-2666 or Reelfoot Lake State Park, 901-253-7756

Birding Alabama's Tennessee Valley

A version of this article was originally published in Bird Watcher' Digest.

Admit it; you think Alabama is all cotton fields and red dirt roads right?   Sure, you’ve heard of Alabama’s Gulf Coast and Dauphin Island, well known and fruitful birding destinations.  But the rest of the state?  Not much else to see you say.

You are wrong Grasshopper.

Stretching across the northern tier of the state is the Tennessee Valley, with the most varied landscape in the state.  From the dense woodlands of the Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey Wilderness in northwestern Alabama, through the lakes and rivers of the central valley, to the mountains in the northeast corner, the Valley’s diversity is astonishing. These diverse environments provide attractive habitats for numerous species of resident and transient bird species. The forests attract woodland birds, the waterways and tupelo and cypress swamps provide habitat for waterfowl, and acres of open fields and grasslands are filled with songbirds. And all of this variety is within an easy day’s drive; Alabama is only 180 miles wide.

Threading through these lands is the North Alabama Birding Trail, a network of 50 individual sites spanning north Alabama. The sites range from simple roadside pull-offs, to short walking trails, to more remote locales accessed only by lengthy hikes or even canoes. The trail sites are divided among three loops, each offering unique birding opportunities.

Let’s start our trek in the northwest corner of the state with the Northwest Loop which consists of fifteen sites that lead visitors along the shores of Wheeler, Wilson, and Pickwick lakes. These three lakes are home to large numbers of gulls, bald eagles, and numerous species of waterfowl.  

Our first stop is Rock Springs Nature Trail near the historic Natchez Trace.  The trail follows a small creek that has been backed up by beaver dams.  Orange jewelweed grows in abundance along the banks of the waterway and attracts hundreds of migrating ruby-throated hummingbirds, as well as vagrant black-chinned and rufous hummers. Summer and winter birding will reveal Acadian flycatcher, red-shouldered hawk and pileated, red-bellied, hairy and downy woodpecker.  There is a lot of history along the Natchez Trace so while you’re in the area take a leisurely drive along the Trace and visit the Meriwether Lewis Monument where Lewis, of the famous Lewis & Clark expedition, met his fate under suspicious circumstances.  Also along the Trace are ancient Indian mounds, Civil War sites and remnants of the original Trace, overgrown ruts where thousands of wagons, horses and settlers passed as they traded and emigrated along this historic pioneer trail. 

Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge protects a resident population of endangered Alabama Cavefish.  While the cave itself is closed to the public, the surrounding acreage has been returned to native grasslands which abound with grasshopper sparrow, bobolink and dickcissel as well as the occasional short-eared owl. 

A site just below Wheeler Dam on the Tennessee River provides views of hundreds of double crested cormorants, common loons, white pelicans, and herring, ring-necked and Bonaparte’s gulls. A similar stop below Wilson Dam also hosts gulls, black-crowned and yellow-crowned night herons.  Be sure to check the “Rockpile” on the south shore below the dam for great crested flycatcher and prothonotary warbler. 

Migrating shorebirds stop over at Leighton Ponds, a hodgepodge of sinkholes and flooded lowland areas just east of the town of Tuscumbia where white pelicans, great blue heron, semipalmated plover, wood stork, white ibis and other waterfowl congregate.

Bankhead National Forest covers 180,000 acres of mature pine and hardwood forests, fallow fields, and river habitat along the Sipsey River and is a good place to spot barred owl, pine warbler, cerulean warbler and brown-headed nuthatch.  Rent a canoe and float the Sipsey River through the Sipsey Wilderness, a beautiful float among hardwood forests and steep limestone bluffs and a pleasant and relaxing way to spot ducks and waterfowl.

The Central Loop features 18 stops, the most visited being Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. During the winter months, this refuge is home to thousands of sandhill cranes and ducks that rest and feed in the refuge’s backwaters and fields. Check out the visitor center and then walk a couple of hundred yards along a wooded path to an impressive heated observation building overlooking an open body of water.  At peak migration time this pool teems with thousands of American shoveler, gadwall, ring-necked duck, northern pintail, wood duck, redhead, Canada, snow and greater white-fronted goose, pied-billed grebe, as well as birds of prey such as American kestrel, northern harrier, and an occasional bald eagle and osprey.  Wheeler has seen a steadily increasing winter sandhill crane population over the years, with almost 12,000 cranes counted in 2013, a record for the refuge.  Other productive spots within the refuge include Limestone Bay/Arrowhead Landing where American white pelican, great egret, lesser scaup, green-winged teal, red-breasted merganser and common loon can be spotted.  This is also a good place to spy unusual Alabama visitors like red-necked Grebe and rough legged hawk. 

The big news at Wheeler is a small but consistent overwintering population of endangered whooping cranes.  For the last half-dozen years 3-7 whoopers have made Wheeler their winter home.  During the 2011-12 winter, nine whooping cranes from Operation Migration flew to Alabama then refused to follow Operation Migration’s ultralight aircraft further south to their intended winter destination in Florida.  They contentedly hunkered down in a less-than-ideal spot in western Alabama until OM staff decided to capture them and transport them to Wheeler NWR where they would be better protected.   Those nine birds stayed at Wheeler until late April before finally departing for their summer home in Wisconsin.  The hope was that, having imprinted on Wheeler as their winter home, they would return.  Much to the delight of refuge staff and visitors, four OM birds returned in late 2012, along with seven others.   To observe this welcome influx of cranes, in January 2013 the refuge sponsored its first annual Festival of the Cranes with educational and entertainment programs, ranger-led hikes, and films celebrating the birds.

A few miles up the road is Swan Creek Wildlife Management Area on the Tennessee River.  Mudflats along the river here support killdeer and greater and lesser yellowlegs and more uncommon species like Baird’s sandpiper, black-bellied plover and American avocet.

Monte Sano State Park overlooks the city of Huntsville, AL and its wooded highlands atop a ridge of the Cumberland Plateau attract hundreds of neotropical migrants in the spring and fall.  Cerulean warblers, black-and-white warblers, blue-gray gnatcatchers, and yellow-billed cuckoos are good finds.  Monte Sano is crisscrossed with many hiking and biking trails.  Take the Red Trail to Fagan Springs to find golden-crowned Kinglets and winter wren. 

Before you leave Huntsville visit the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, an expansive museum that documents Huntsville’s role in America’s space program.  The Center includes an IMAX theater, interactive displays, hundreds of historical space artifacts, a full scale space shuttle and a Saturn V rocket.

Hays Nature Preserve, along the banks of the Flint River, offers riparian habitat and open grasslands and is a good place to see belted kingfisher, great blue heron, eastern bluebird, song sparrow, field sparrow and white-throated sparrow.

The Northeast Loop rambles through the Appalachian foothills of the remote northeast part of the state.  The first stop in this loop is Sauta Cave National Wildlife Refuge.  The refuge is only 264 acres but is a good place to pick up prothonotary warbler.  But the main attraction is the population of 250,000 endangered gray bats, the largest single population in the world.  During June, July and August the bats emerge from the cave at dusk for their nightly insect hunt and it is a sight not to be missed.

Bald eagles have experienced a major resurgence in Alabama, nowhere more so than Guntersville State Park.  The park’s Eagle Awareness Weekends, hosted over multiple weekends in January and February, are a sure way to see these magnificent birds perching in bare trees along the banks of Lake Guntersville.  Ranger-led hikes, films and birding programs anchor the weekend events.  The lake covers 67,900 acres and there are multiple places for birding for red-breasted Merganser, lesser scaup, common loon, hooded grebe, red-shouldered hawk, double-crested cormorant and osprey.  Uncommon visitors like merlin, peregrine falcon, rough-legged hawk, long-tailed duck, western grebe and Pacific loon have been seen here.

Buck’s Pocket State Park is another good bald eagle refuge.  Rent a canoe and paddle South Sauty Creek and Morgan’s Cove looking for eagle nests.  You’ll also likely see belted kingfisher, great blue heron and great egret.

Skyline Wildlife Management Area has over 46,000 acres that are best visited in the spring when migrating species such as prairie warbler, indigo bunting and yellow-breasted chat are present, but year round residents include wild turkey and northern bobwhite and—the real attraction--Alabama’s only population of ruffed grouse.

Russell Cave National Monument’s nature trails and elevated boardwalks make for easy birding among hardwood forests full of summer and scarlet tanagers, yellow-billed cuckoo and good numbers of warblers during migration season.  On the drive into the National Monument on County Road 75, keep your eyes open along the roadsides and farm fields for blue-gray gnatcatcher, white-eyed vireo, and cerulean warbler.

Arguably the most scenic location in north Alabama, Little River Canyon National Preserve covers 14,000 acres of sheer cliffs, 900-foot deep canyons, raging whitewater, and thick hardwood and pine forests. Called the “Grand Canyon of the East”, Little River Canyon is the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi.  This rugged area has few trails, most of them are strenuous and Little River is a wild Class III to Class IV run, so floating the river is not a viable birding option.  Fortunately, Rim Drive skirts the canyon for 23.x miles and has numerous turnouts for spying a healthy raptor population that includes red-tailed and broad-winged hawks and the occasional peregrine falcon and golden eagle.  Cliff swallow, rough winged swallow and chimney swift zoom alongside the cliffs and woodland birds like red-eyed vireo, yellow-breasted chat, prairie warbler and yellow-throated warbler haunt the thick forests.

If Little River Canyon is ruggedly inaccessible, DeSoto State Park is user friendly.  A network of trails meanders through park’s hilly woodlands, an easy way to hike and enjoy seeing glimpses of Kentucky, hooded, black-and-white, blue-winged and golden-winged warblers, wood thrush, rose-breasted grosbeak and a wide variety of woodpeckers.  A good day’s hike will wear you out; fortunately you can have a good’s night sleep in the park’s lodge or one of the rustic chalets and enjoy a meal at the lodge restaurant.

Sounds like a full plate right?  And those are just the high spots, the full menu of birding sites will add even more to your Alabama trek.  You can adjust your trip to spend as few or as many days as you’d like in north Alabama. 

So forget all your preconceived notions of Alabama birding being only a southern coastal phenomenon and head to the other end of the state.  Northern Alabama offers perhaps an even greater variety of birds than the coastal region—over 300 different species have been observed in the Tennessee Valley.  As Master Po would say “Expect the unexpected Grasshopper.”

Visitor Information

North Alabama Birding Trail

www.northalabamabirdingtrail.com
866-238-4748

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge/Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge/Sauty Cave National Wildlife Refuge
2700 Refuge Headquarters Road
Decatur, AL  35603
wheeler@fws.gov
256-350-6639

Bankhead National Forest

District Ranger
P.O. Box278
Double Springs, AL  35553
www.fs.fed.us/r8/alabama
205-489-5111

Monte Sano State Park

5105 Nolen Avenue
Huntsville, AL  35801
256-534-3757

Guntersville State Park

7966 AL HWY 227
Guntersville, AL  35976
256-571-5444

Russell Cave National Monument and Little River Canyon National Preserve

2141 Gault Ave N
Ft Payne, AL  35967
256-845-9605

DeSoto State Park

13883 County Road 89
Ft. Payne, AL  35967
256-845-0051

Vietnam

"Thin country, thin houses, thin people".  That's how our guide Anh described Vietnam.  If you look at a map of Vietnam you'll see that it is indeed long and thin.  The people are also thin and the houses are built with narrow street fronts because they are taxed on the amount of street frontage.  The "long" (Vietnam is over 1000 miles from north to south) is a great asset in terms of terrain and variety.  The southern part includes the Mekong River Delta and lowland jungle, the northern part encompasses the Red River Delta. Somewhere in between lies the Central Highlands.  With so much variety what to pick?  We opted for the Central Highlands and were not disappointed.

We hopped a flight into Hanoi out of Sandakan in Borneo and landed in a modern bustling city alive with nightlife, traffic and gleaming buildings. Did I mention traffic?  Exploring central Hanoi on foot is taking your life in your hands.  The SOP is to cross streets at a steady pace and to a large extent depend on oncoming traffic not to kill you.  Never hesitate, never run.  A steady pace across a multi-lane street, while hair-raising, is the key. Keeping an eye on oncoming cars and scooters while traversing s busy thoroughfare is a life-altering experience.

Inside
"Hanoi Hilton"  Hoa Lo Prison

We lodged in the Old Quarter, in the heart of the historic part of Hanoi, an exciting mixture of ancient temples, French architecture in buildings and houses and modern hotels, bars and restaurants.  Our first stop was Hoan Kiem Lake and picturesque Ngoc Son Temple, located in the middle of the lake. A leisurely stop for famous egg coffee and on to Hoa Lo Prison, the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" where American POWs, including Senator John McCain, were held during the Vietnam War.  To the victors go the spoils I guess because the history presented here is one of American imperial aggression and the bulk of the history addresses the French colonial mistreatment of Vietnamese nationals.  The few kiosks that address American prisoners present a pleasant picture of Christmas trees and contentment.

Deeper into the city we come upon Huu Tiep Lake, better known now as "B-52 Lake" where the wreckage of an American B-52 bomber is visible, a grim reminder of the bombing that took place here in 1973.  Our last stop is the Hanoi railroad tracks where an active railway slcies through the city with houses and shops mere yards on both sides of the tracks.

Hanoi street scene

 
 

B-52 wreckage in Huu Tiep Lake

"B-52 Café"

The railroad tracks through the heart of the city

Enough of the city, we came to trek through the countryside so onto Hoa Binh and Mai Chau where we revel in the local ethnic dishes of the "White Thai", delicious local food with a spicy flair.  We grab bicycles and pedal through the countryside and spend the day biking through a series of local villages in an idyllic setting of terraced rice fields.  In September when we are there the rice is lush and gorgeous, the deep green terraces set against wisps of silky mist wreathing the mountains with a clear blue sky.  Breathtaking.

Jungle trekking

We move on to Pu Luong Nature Reserve and trek through the rice paddies and jungles hillsides,  Steep climbs and stream crossings are the menu for the trek and we head off into the remote countryside. Locals go about their day, cultivating by had their rice crop, fish farming, tilling fields, weaving and cooking.  I love this part of the trip, away from the city, crowds and tourist areas.

Ninh Binh is our next destination, and Hoa Lu, the former capital of Vietnam in the 10th and 11th centuries and Mua Cave and the view of the landscape from the peak above--a 500 step trek up the staircase to the altar atop the peak.

Hoa Lu

View of the valley atop the peak

Our last stop is a Halong Bay, truly on of the most beautiful spots in Vietnam.  The dome shaped islands sprinkled among the crystal waters are incredible. and after a cruise, swimming in the bay, fishing and kayaking we watch a last sunset in Vietnam, the orange glow disappearing and gently replaced by a slow rising full moon, a simply enchanting sight. An incredible end to an adventure trek through this gorgeous country.

Goodbye Vietnam

 

Borneo

When I told friends I was going to Borneo they invariably had two questions:

Where?

Why?

Where is part of the Malay Achipelago in Southeast Asia, Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is part of Indonesia.

Why is for the wildlife.  And the mountain, more to come on that.

The Borneo rainforest is one of the oldest in the world and one of the largest of the fast-disappearing rainforests in Southeast Asia.  Due to its island isolation many unique endemic species have evolved. The country is perhaps most famous for the endangered Bornean orangutan.  Add in pygmy elephants, clouded leopards, fruit bats, monkeys, crocodiles and birds, birds, birds.  A wildlife lover's (me) paradise. I really wanted to spot an orangutan but I tamped down my expectations.  I knew that they are an endangered species and I figured we would have to trek deep into the jungle to hope to catch a fleeting glimpse of one.  As for pygmy elephants, I crossed that off the list, so rare as to be almost impossible to see.  But still I held out hope to see Borneo's big five:  orangutan, pygmy elephant, crocodile, proboscis monkey and rhinocerus hornbill, a large bird with an eponymous beak.




Summit view

But before we embarked on our wildlife trek we made our way to Mt. Kinabalu.  The mountain is the highest mountain in Malaysia and we wanted to bag it while we were in country.  At 13,435 feet it is not tall but it is a strenuous climb over steep boulder fields and loose scree.  the upper reaches, on summit day, are often over slick rock in uncertain weather. This is a non-technical climb so no specialized experience is needed, just strong legs, good lungs and perseverance. Only 185 permits are granted each day and it takes two days to summit.  After an overnight at the lodge in Kinabalu National Park at the mountain base we awoke early and prepped for our climb. Day one is a slog from Timpohon Gate at 6,122 feet to Laban Rata guesthouse at 10,300 feet.  We took seven hours to make it to the resthouse. Day two from the resthouse to summit starts at dawn and takes about four hours, allowing time to descend back to Timpohon Gate.  The views from the mountain flanks are spectacular and we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset from the resthouse balcony.








Jungle cleared for palm oil plantation

And then onto the jungle. From Mt. Kinabalu we proceeded east toward Sandakan.  Unfortunately, this part of the trip was depressing.  We drive through dozens of miles of palm oil plantations and miles of jungle being cleared for palm oil plantations. The rainforest is rapidly being destroyed here for the sake of palm oil and the wildlife is being driven out with nowhere to go.

We stopped on the way to explore Gomantong Cave and on the way in, not ten minutes into the jungle we hear a commotion on the canopy and look up to see a male orangutan swinging through the trees.  Success, and we've barely started our trip!  This huge cave, with a roof towering 300 feet overhead is famous as home to 275,000 free-tailed bats that emerge in the evening to feed.  But its real claim to fame is the resident population of white swifts and their valuable edible nests, which are harvested for bird's nest soup.   Locals climb to the roof of the caves, using only rattan ladders and ropes to collect the nests. But the cave also has a stultifying side:  the thousands of bats and swifts generate copious amounts of excrement and the cave floor is meters thick with guano.  Stinking, disgusting guano.  The ammonia smell is overwhelming and the waste attracts thousands--and I mean THOUSANDS of roaches. The cave walls and floors seem to move with the scurrying of herds of large roaches.

Back into the fresh air and onto Sandakan province and our destination in the jungle; Sukau Rainforest Lodge, a National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World. This eco-friendly lodge located on the banks of the Kinabantangan River, is accessible only by boat.  It is isolated and beautiful.  An open-air dining area on the river complements cozy rooms at the lodge. This lodge was used by Sir Richard Attenborough while filming a documentary on Borneo in 2011.

The rest of our time at Sukau is spent taking daily boast trips into the jungle, exploring the inner reaches on the Kinabantangan River and tributaries. These all day excursions let us see a multitude of animals including more orangutans, proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaques, rhinocerus hornbills, pig-tailed macaques, crocodiles and a variety of bats, monkey and birds.  Truly one of the most wildlife-rich places I've ever been.  The jungle is thick and verdant and smells of rich loam and vegetation.  Forgetting the dismal scenes of palm oil destruction, one can enjoy one of the last truly wild rainforests in the world.

After an all-too-brief stay at Sukau we travel downriver to the city of Sandakan and stopped along the way to visit the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center and the nearby Malaysian Sun Bear Rehabilitation Center.  Both facilities are nonprofits that care for and rehab wild animals for their release back into the wild.  Most of the animals are orphans resulting from poaching or jungle destruction.  The facilities nurse the animals back to health and, if possible, the individual animals are returned to enjoy life in the wild.  It was a somewhat sobering reminder of what is happening to the wildlife in Borneo.

We decompressed in the energetic city of Sandarkan with a couple of city walkabouts and w visit to the teeming city market before catching a flight home.