Lahad Datu Region, Sabah, August 6-11; 30, 2025 Callyn Yorke
INTRODUCTION
A thirty-minute flight from Kota Kinabalu went smoothly on a 70-passenger ATR 72-500 twin engine turboprop. This fast, reliable Franco-Italian aircraft is the workhorse for Malaysian Airlines intercity flights. From the Lahad Datu air terminal, about the size of a 7/11 minimart, it was a five-minute taxi ride into town.
Suitable accommodation was scarce in Lahad Datu (LD).Only two hotels appeared available when conducting an online search, both with mixed reviews. I booked the Executive Hotel (1-star, $14 US), taking a second floor room with a bay window overlooking a tree-lined canal draining into the sea.
The colonial style hotel may have seen better days. Beggars sat on the sidewalk outside, ambushing me when coming and going. The lobby and elevator reeked of cigarette smoke. The first room I had been assigned had an unmade bed and towels on the floor. The manager quickly corrected the error and changed to upgraded deluxe room featuring a No Smoking sign on the door and an ashtray on the table. Noisy lorries passing on the street below sounded like fire trucks.
The only nearby area where birds might be found, was a trashed shoreline-mudflat exposed at low tide, directly behind the central market (photo). I made daily visits there, tallying a total of eighteen species. The most notable bird was Nankeen Night-Heron, which roosted in the trees lining the canal. Elsewhere in Lahad Datu, I made incidental observations at the airport while awaiting flights (August 11 and 30).
There was good news. The hotel manager informed me that his brother was available for private taxi service to explore locations outside of Lahad Datu. A number of potentially interesting places were shown on Google Maps.
The next morning, I met the manager’s brother, Muchlis, who agreed to be my driver. At distances ranging from 30 to 70 km, Muchlis and I would travel the coastal highway to several locations. The fare would depend on distance and time. Shorter trips averaged about $20; longer trips, $82 US. Muchlis was game for a birding adventure, though it clearly wasn’t a subject of particular interest to him.
We visited the following locations (see preceding map): Silam Mt. TV Tower (STV – Aug. 7); Madai Caves (MC – Aug. 8); Madai Waterfall (Aug. 8); Silam Coastal Conservation Area (SCA – Aug. 10). Bird species found on these trips, included Wallace’s Hawk Eagle and Wreathed Hornbill (MC), Stork-billed Kingfisher, Black & Yellow Broadbill (STV) and Mangrove Blue Flycatcher (SCA).
_______________
Mount Silam Tower (STV – August 7, 2025: 0750-1044 hrs.)
After a brief stop in town to help a relative who had jammed their key in an apartment door lock, we made a twenty-minute drive on the Lahad Datu highway to the entrance gate of the Mount Silam Tower (Menara Kayangan). Muchlis paid the entrance fee ($2.35 US) and we continued by car about 4 km on an uphill, paved road to its terminus at the TV tower (Elev. 665 m).
The public observation tower was closed and the facility appeared deserted. At the top of an adjacent flight of stairs there was a signed trailhead into the forest. However, about 50 m further, the trail had been roped off, presumably due to fallen limbs and other debris from a recent storm. I ignored the blockage and walked along the trail for about 100 m. There was no sign of birds or any other wildlife. I returned to the parking area and facilities buildings, where bulbul vocalizations were heard. The only noteworthy finding was an active colony of Plume-footed Swiftlet with multiple nests on the basement ceiling and walls of an abandoned office building.
For the remainder of our visit, I walked down the entrance road about 3 km, meeting Muchlis, waiting with the car. The hillsides were covered by a secondary dipterocarp forest, growing on serpentine bedrock. Birdlife along this route was generally scarce, except for an occasional mixed species flock moving quickly through the trees.
___________________________________________
Madai Caves and Waterfall 8 August 2025
8 August 2025; 0830-1020 hrs.. Weather: a high, patchy overcast; 78F to 84F; wind SW 5-10 kph. Our visit to Madai Caves (MC) and nearby Madai Waterfall (MW) required a two-hour drive from Lahad Datu on a paved highway with light traffic. After passing the Madai Waterfall forestry exit off the main highway, we found the side road to Madai Caves.
Several villagers approached us, evidently assuming our intention was to enter the caves, a regular tourist attraction with a fee (I’m guessing about $15 US). There was some confusion when we explained that finding birds was the principal objective. Then an older woman arrived and suggested we could hire two village boys to guide us in search of birds. We mentioned that bird activity would soon be reduced and we needed to get down the trail and into the forest as soon as possible.
One of our guides, a twelve-year old named Amin, insisted that he first show us a caged White-crowned Shama he had captured near the village. He removed the terrified bird from the cage for photos but I was unable to get a favorable angle for a ‘natural’ looking image. The bird was quickly returned to its tiny metal cage, presumably to complete a life sentence of solitary confinement. This was a doubly sad encounter since it was Borneo endemic bird species I had not yet seen in Sabah.
Amin and his uncle led the way through the village. Along the way, I fell through a rotted staircase with exposed nails. Then there were three more stumbles on stones hidden in the undergrowth. I was spending about as much time on my belly as on my feet. There was no sign of birdlife at any level. We continued downward through a patchy forest, ending up in a streambed. It was likely that this area was village hunting ground and anything that moved was fair game for the dinner table.
My bird list for the Madai Caves excursion topped out at nine species plus a Collared Kingfisher seen in transit by the roadway. On the return walk back to the village, I was delighted to capture an identifiable image of a Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle, perched in a tree on a distant ridge. A few minutes later, high flying Wreathed Hornbill passed over the canyon – both species welcomed additions to my Sabah trip report.
As we prepared to leave, I guessed that $20 US would be sufficient for the guide fee. Neither of the two villagers were licensed nor appeared to have much knowledge of birds or where to find them. The Madai Caves birding trip was essentially a brief tour of the village and surroundings. I suppose most visitors would have paid the entrance fee and gone directly into the caves. Without proper gear, slipping and sliding through the caverns was a non-starter for me.
A motley gaggle of villagers hesitantly waved back to us as we drove away. Some of the villagers were frowning, others appeared perplexed. None was smiling. As in the famous African documentary film, “The Gods Must Be Crazy,.” I imagined there would be some disagreement regarding how to partition the booty. Muchlis politely agreed that $20 US was fair compensation. Perhaps they expected a bonus. It should be interesting to see a report from the next group of birders.
Our next stop would be the Madai Waterfall (MW), well signed along the main highway and located about fifteen-minutes by car from Madai Caves. When we arrived at 1030 hrs. a shady forest stream and waterfall were a welcomed relief from the intense heat.
Muchlis napped under a tree while I took a trail to the base of the waterfall. An adult male Southern Pig-tailed Macaque was the only creature moving in the forest. There were occasional bird vocalizations but the sound from the scenic waterfall pretty much drowned out all other ambient noise. Birding at this site was literally a wash and after a brief siesta we were on the road back to Lahad Datu.
Silam Coastal Conservation Area (SCA) 10 August 2025
The Silam Coastal Conservation Area (SCA) appeared on the map as an extensive, heavily forested patch hugging a rugged coastline. That representation was fairly accurate, The area was located about 1.5 hr. by car from Lahad Datu (see LD Intro. map). There was a signed exit from the main highway onto a winding road leading to a gated SCA entrance kiosk. We were charged $8 US and proceeded by car another km or so on the same road terminating at a beach picnic area.
The hilly road traversed a patchy secondary forest, dropping into an extensive mangrove bordered by a rocky shoreline and lagoon. The overall condition of the habitat appeared good for supporting birds and other wildlife – mature second-growth with shady foot paths. A boardwalk provided access to the mangrove and lagoon.
0820-1036 hrs. 78F; wind and seas calm; outgoing tide. As in our previous birding adventures, Muchlis chose to stay with the car while I headed off on foot to explore the area. I had just begun my walk with a day pack, binocular and camera, when a very concerned looking woman approached me and requested a camera fee of $23.50 US. When I questioned this, she showed me a printed flier with the camera fee information. Hmm. The surprisingly high fee was supposedly used for facilities improvement, of which there was none visible. I played along by returning to the car and pretending to offload the camera, while carefully concealing it in my day pack.
Once out of view on a forest trail, I removed the camera for field work. But as it turned out, there were no suitable bird photo opportunities encountered during the visit. If there had been, I would have obligingly paid the camera fee.
Birdlife was generally scarce throughout. Yet, there were a few new species for my Sabah trip list, e.g. Stork-billed KIngfisher, Striated Heron and Changeable Hawk-Eagle. The best bird of the day was a furtive Mangrove Blue Flycatcher – staying low amongst a shady tangle of mangrove roots and stems. It would be my only encounter with that species while in Sabah.
________________________________________________
Annotated Bird List for Lahad Datu Region, Sabah(August 6-11, 2025 (44 Species) Callyn Yorke
KEY
Abundance: Numbers following each species entry are the highest count for a single survey, when multiple surveys were made. The location (see below) with the highest numerical abundance is listed first in the species accounts.
Age, sex and molt (when known): ad = adult; imm = immature; m = male; f = female; bsc plmg = basic (non-breeding plumage; alt plmg = alternate (breeding) plumage; trans = transitional plumage, i.e. alternate into basic plumage.
Survey Location Abbreviations: LD = Lahad Datu; MC = Madai Caves; MW = Madai Waterfall; SCA = Silam Coastal Conservation Area; STV = Silam Mt. TV Tower.
Ecology and Behavior: Aerial insect hawking (ah); taking fruit, berries or parts of flowers (fr); gleaning insects from foliage (ig); probing into surface (pr); estimated height (m) above ground (agl); gregarious (greg); mixed-species flock (msf).
Systematics and Nomenclature used herein, is an amalgam of Avibase, International Ornithological Congress (IOC) and current (2025) online resources, i.e. Birds of the World, Cornell University, USA. Species acronyms (banding codes) derived from the first letters of the single or hyphenated common name, e.g. GREG = Great Egret; YVBU = Yellow-vented Bulbul, etc..
Borneo endemics and near-endemics are listed in Bold Face lettering.
BIRDS NOTED
- Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax calidonicus 5 greg. when roosting in trees bordering the drainage outlet in town; otherwise solitary, foraging on polluted mudflats and shoreline, LD (photo – see Introduction)..
- Striated Heron Butorides striata 1 in flight over shore, SCA.
- Great Egret Ardea alba (bsc. plmg.) 16 individuals on mudflats and exposed shorelines, LD.
- Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia 1 with GREG on mudflat, LD.
- Little Egret Egretta garzetta 5 water’s edge in canal and tidal estuary; loosely associated with GREG, LD.
- Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster 4 (greg.), standing on outer mudflats of channel, LD.
- Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus 1 hovering at edge of grassy airfield and adjacent suburbs, LD.
- Changeable Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus 1 in forest tree subcanopy and then inflight, SCA.
- Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus nanus 1 perched in subcanopy of ridge-top tree, MC (photo – see Introduction).
- Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis 2 (ad., imm.) greg. soaring 30-40m agl over forest, STV.
- Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus 1 in flight over shore, SCA
- White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster 1 soaring about 20m asl offshore, LD.
- White-breasted Waterhen 1 Amaurornis phoenicurus 1 flushed from edge of trashy mangrove-mudflat, LD.
- Feral Rock Pigeon Columba livia 10 greg. on mudflats and in flight around town LD; occasionally seen in transit out of town.
- Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis 2 on and around buildings in town, LD.
- Common Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica 4 in forest at roadside, STV.
- Zebra Dove Geopelia striata 2 greg. ruderal fields on the edge of town, LD.
- Pink-necked Green Pigeon Treron vernans 1 in mature trees at edge of playing field, LD.
- Green Imperial Pigeon Ducula aenea 2 greg. in flight over mature trees lining Jalan Pantai in town, LD.
- Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus 1 vocal (unseen) MC.
- Plume-toed Swiftlet Collocalia affinis 40 greg. a highly active nesting colony on the upper walls adjoining the ceiling, located in the open basement of an abandoned office building; several birds beginning their nest construction and other birds already in completed nests, STV (photo).
- Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis 1 in low, fast flight over clearing, STV.
- Aerodramus sp. c.f. germani 10 greg. circling low around buildings and roadways in town, LD.
- Stork-billed Kingfisher Pelargopsis capensis 1 flushed from the mangrove boardwalk area, SCA.
- Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris 2 individuals perched in trees at edge of tidal channel, LD; 1 in flight alongside highway to MW.
- Wreathed Hornbill Rhyticeros undulatus 1 (fem) in flight about 30m agl over forest, MC (photo).
- Black and Yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus ochromalus 1 (m) perched in a small tree on a roadcut below the tower station, STV (photo).
- Common Iora Aegthina tiphia 1 active in canopies of roadside trees in developed and undeveloped sites, LD; SCA.
- Malaysian Pied Fantail Rhipidura javanica foraging 2 (ah; ig) in trashy edge of mangrove-mudflat in town, LD.
- Olive-winged Bulbul Pycnonotus plumosus 5 greg. i foliage of forest edge and roadside second-growth, SCA.
- Asian Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus brunneus 4-6 greg. vocal, in maintenance area clearing edge with tall second-growth, STV.
- Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier 2 greg. in garden shrubs and roadside trees, mostly developed areas, ubiq..
- Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 2 greg. a pair on utility wire over mangrove-mudflat, LD.
- Yellow-bellied Warbler Abroscopus superciliaris 2 greg. roadside forest edge, SCA.
- Ashy Tailorbird Orthotomus ruficeps 1 in foliage of mangrove-mudflat edge, LD.
- Sooty-capped Babbler Malacopteron affine 1 in roadside forest edge, SCA.
- Asian Glossy Starling Aplonis panayensis 15 greg, in flight, on rooftops, in garden trees, LD.
- Javan Myna Acridotheres javnicus 2 greg. in modified habitats throughout (introduced).
- White-crowned Shama 1 Copsychus stricklandii 1 an adult captive bird trapped locally, MC.
- Mangrove Blue Flycatcher Cyornis rufigastra 1 active low inside roadside mangrove forest; shy and retiring when approached, SCA.
- White-crowned Forktail Enicurus leschenaultii 1 active on forest floor trail, STV.
- Brown-throated Sunbird Anthreptes malacensis 2 (m,f) in trailside trees and second-growth, MC.
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 50 (m,f) greg. vocal, towns and villages, often taking food scraps from floor of cafes, LD, ubiq..
- Chestnut Munia Lonchura atricapilla 7 (m,f) greg. in tall grass at edge of the airfield, LD.
________________________