Thursday, November 06, 2008

Birding in the Penrissen Range at Borneo Highlands Resort

Bird-watching or birding is, to put it simply, the observation and study of birds. Over the years, more people have taken interest in the activity.

There are 580 species of birds identified in the mountains, mangroves, forests and coastal areas of Borneo. And what better way to, hopefully, see these birds for yourself than to go bird-watching.

As birds differ mostly in shape, colour, beak and tail, the only way to get a good look at these distinctive features is through the aid of devices such as binoculars.

Also, birding is best done in the morning, as it is during this time that birds are most active and easier to spot.

Borneo Highlands Resort, a unique highland resort located 60 kilometres southwest of Kuching City, and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) jointly organised the Mini Bird Race 2008 in the Penrissen Range recently.

The Mini Bird Race was a fun event where teams of two persons competed against each other in a race to search, identify and record as many species of birds in the Penrissen Range as they could within a time frame set by the organisers. The team with the highest number of bird species (the species must be those listed in the official list) would emerge the champion.

The event kicked off at 8 am with 16 participating teams rushing from the Chinese Tea House at Borneo Highlands Resort into the Penrissen Range.

Penrissen Range

The Penrissen Range sits more than 1,000 above sea level between Kalimantan and Sarawak. It is located in the world's oldest and second largest tropical rainforest and is accessible only via Borneo Highlands Resort.

What's interesting about the Penrissen Range is that it is still an undiscovered area as far as bird-watching is concerned.

A total of 156 species have been identified in the area prior to the Mini Bird Race, including many endemic species (only in the area covered) plus other interesting species.

Continue reading (incl. pics) at: Birding in the Penrissen Range at Borneo Highlands Resort

No comments: