Photographer: Glen Valentine   Destination: Malaysia & Borneo

There are moments in a birders life that remain etched in memory forever, and for a lucky few, the opportunity to view a male Bornean Peacock-Pheasant in its lowland forest habitat, has been one such moment. Glen Valentine is one of the mentioned lucky few and managed to capture this stunning image!

 

Amidst the extraordinary variety of flora and fauna on offer in the rainforests of Borneo and Malaysia, the Bornean Peacock-Pheasant is joined by a host of other exciting pheasants like the stunning Bulwer’s Pheasant, massive Great Argus, Crested Fireback, Crested Partridge, and more! Seeing these rare species has been no easy feat in the past and only recently have Malaysia and Borneo undergone massive transformative changes with increased conservation efforts, better infrastructure and an emphasis placed on ecotourism, now granting access to once remote and inaccessible areas of interest to birders. This means species like Blue-banded Pitta, Dulit Frogmouth, and Black Oriole are now within reach, whereas just 10 years ago they were but a birders pipe dream!

 

Being home to one of the world’s oldest rainforests, it’s no wonder that some of the most weird and wonderful species inhabit this region, with ample time for isolated evolution to come up with some truly outrageous species like Bornean Bristlehead, a bird that has been placed in many different families throughout its taxonomic history. This trend is seen throughout with a number of species occupying a niche in each habitat that occurs nowhere else on earth!

 

The birds are just the start of Borneo’s wild biodiversity, an estimated 15,000 species of plants grow here, with the likes of the pungent, massive Rafflesia flower being of particular interest, and a list of over 200 mammals, of which 44 are endemic! The mammal viewing on the island is surprisingly excellent too, bizarre looking Proboscis Monkeys, Orangutan, gibbons and leaf-monkeys are just the possible primate targets. Chances even exist for Asian Elephant, Clouded Leopard, Tiger, Sumatran Rhinoceros and Sun Bear!

 

Join us on any of the following tours for a chance at these excitingly unique species, our tours aim to see more than 300 of the 700 bird species that occur on the island all the while staying in comfortable accommodation and the possibility of great photographic opportunities too.