The Fruithunter or Chlamydochaera jefferyi is also called the Black-Breasted Fruit-hunter, is such an elusive bird to find in Mt. Kota Kinabalu as it is endemic the forests on the south-east Asian island of Borneo. We endured four days of coming back to the site everyday, where we could find the Fruithunters. Each day proved harder as we look up to the treetops and wait. The natural elements were also a problem; heavy fog, rain, cold, heat, exhaustion, and low spirit has taken toll on us. We tried to be optimistic as much as we could have by encouraging each other. Harry and Neth were really hopeful, Arpha and I, very positive; it was a waiting game, a test of patience and hard work.
We started very early last October 21, 2016. We left our hotel at 4:00 a.m. to find the Everett’s Thrush, Harry had forthcoming bird infos from a birdguide he had the previous week, and then we proceeded to where the Fruithunters would be. The fog was thick, it was very cold, we were stanting looking up, occassionally looking into our viewfinders and binoculars for any sign. At about 8:45 a.m. we saw something, we look into our lens and surely they were the Fruithunters, we found a pair strait above us and the others on the trees around. There like five of them and we had to take our chances now. To take the shots was a big challenge to us, the thick fog was screwing up our autofocus system, we tried our best as quick as we can, I took off my gloves and drop them on the ground to operates on my camera properly, we had to take the chance. Then they moved on to another tree canopy, and just for a minute they were gone.
We considered bird as another lifer for an endemic bird of Borneo. We really want better photographs in the future, it is not getting the best to compete with others, it is for keeping so we could see it once in awhile at home in our comforts.
Kota Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia
October 19, 2016
Nikon D500 + Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR
Fotopro E9| Fotopro LH-10A
Carry Speed FS-Pro
Nitecore UNK1 | Toshiba FlashAir 64GB
