11 countries taking part in Borneo Bird Race
Published on: Thursday, September 25, 2014
KOTA KINABALU: The Second Edition Borneo Bird Race is back again and this time birders from 11 countries are taking part in the race to see who can spot the most birds within six days from Sept 25 until Oct 3.The birders will cover over 1,000km of beautiful rainforest, coastal regions, freshwater swamps, lowland forests and mountain ranges of three states namely Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.It is a race but a different kind of race where participants sometimes wait patiently and quietly to locate the winged animals – that is more than 600 and found throughout the island of Borneo.ADVERTISEMENT
In this race, as Cede Prudente of Sandakan Borneo Bird Club pointed out, the participating teams' objective is to spot as many birds as they can in each leg that begins at dawn."They will enjoy the beauty of the land while spotting the birds…it's unlike any other race where participants try to outdo the others to claim the number one spot," he said.Teams that recorded the highest number of species and the longest list will earn the prestigious "Bornean Bristlehead Cup" Trophy.In the race last year at the rainforests of Brunei and Sabah, 24 birders from seven countries spotted more than 400 species.ADVERTISEMENT
Team Wild Bird Club in the Philippines won the race last year with 148 bird species spotted while team Nature Society from Singapore came second with 144 birds spotted and team Bird Conservation Society of Thailand, in third place, managed to spot 136 species.Prudente said the event this year is even more interesting since Sarawak, the Land of the Hornbills, has been added to the race list.
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He said that of the more than 600 bird species in Borneo, more than 200 are endemic to Sabah such as the Mountain Blackeye, Chesnut Crested Yuhina and the beautiful Borneon Bristlehead at Kinabalu Park and Sepilok."And it is interesting to note that the Flower Pecker bird was recently documented in Brunei," he said at a press conference during which Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Chairman, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai and Sabah Parks Chairman, Tengku Datuk Zainal Adlin were also present.He said the bird race provided the opportunity also to highlight other related findings and events."There at least three new species of mammals and insects are being discovered in Borneo every single month."So, it is an exciting event for us," he said.Hence, the Borneo Bird Race will provide the publicity to Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei as destinations as not only birding destinations but for other activities as well, Prudente said.Asia, he said, is fast becoming a bird-watching destination in the world and with more than 20 million bird enthusiasts from all over the world, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei could be the top destinations for the bird watching industry in the future.Bird watching, he said, can be participated even by young children to senior citizens."The event goes beyond the birds because we have the forests and ecosystem that is very fragile," he said.Therefore, with the introduction of the bird race, it will create awareness also considering the importance of preserving these fragile forests and ecosystem to the winged animals, he said."Over the years since bird watching has been introduced to Borneo, there was impressive feedback and outcomes that helped awareness, conservation and promotion for Borneo as birding destination," he said.Next year, he said, National Geographic would be film-documenting the Borneo Bird Race.Such is the impact of the birding industry that Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei must capitalise on it because there are direct flights from all over the world to Kota Kinabalu, Brunei and also Kuching.And Kalimantan, Indonesia, might be included in the Borneo Bird Race list in the future, said Prudente, but it will be an even bigger challenge if that notion materialises.He said there were keen inquiries also from birders in Australia, US and the UK on the Borneo Bird Race.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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