Steven Wong is a renowned Malaysian nature guide and wildlife photographer. He is an expert on the snakes of Malaysia and leads herpetology-focused expeditions. Steven is also a genuinely kind person, generous with his time and knowledge. He and a friend stayed at MCM for a few days during the week that Alie and I were there. I was thrilled when he invited us on a night walk on Thursday. It was really fun, and I was especially excited that I got to hold a snake—a docile Asian Slug Snake.
On Friday, June 27, David, his friend John, Alie, and I piled into David’s car for a day of birding and butterflies. Jeriau Waterfall, a popular nature attraction about three miles from Bukit Fraser’s town center, was one of the prettiest places we visited. Below, David spreading “bait” for butterflies.
After a lovely walk along the creek, we returned to find these beautiful winged jewels waiting for us.
On Saturday, Alie went birding with Adam and seven other birders who were also staying at MCM. After a week, I was tired, so I stayed “home” and took a nap. A torrential downpour with loud, close thunder began around 3:00 PM. The guys thought the rain might bring in more moths during the next few days, but Alie and I would be leaving the following morning. Before we leave MCM, here is one more set of the fantastic moths that we saw there.
Goodbye Fraser’s Hill, hello Bukit Tinggi. Late Sunday morning, our driver picked us up for the three-hour drive through beautiful Malaysian landscapes. We saw well over 100 macaques on the drive—one big guy showed us why there are so many. We also learned why our driver quickly rolled up the windows whenever we approached a group by the side of the road.
We checked into Colmar Tropicale, a resort at Bukit Tinggi, about an hour from Kuala Lumpur in the highlands. After lunch, we set off to locate the bird blind in the Japanese Gardens so that we’d know where to find it the following morning. Most birders visit Bukit Tinggi for two species: Mountain Peacock-Pheasant and Ferruginous Partridge. Nearly all sightings of these birds are in early mornings, so we were shocked and thrilled to find the partridge at 3:00 PM.
The blind is just a little open area behind a ratty black net with some random holes. I sat on a stump someone had placed near the net and leaned forward in an effort to get in a better position for photos. What I didn’t realize was that the stump had been placed on a big tree root; when I leaned forward, it shifted, and I fell off. The stump then rolled into the net, flushing the partridge—never to be seen again (by us). I suppose it was all very funny, but it meant this photo was the best I would get.
Above, the view from the path around the Japanese Garden was breathtaking.
Colmar Tropicale’s “town center” on our first evening. The quirky resort is modeled after the 16th-century town of Colmar in Alsace, France. It’s convincing enough to draw quite a few visitors in summer. It looks quiet, but it was busy with people earlier in the day.
Starbucks was still open at 8:00 PM. Who would have guessed that it would not be open again the next morning at 8:00 AM? Fortunately, we could get coffee at the 7-Eleven!
During our three days at Colmar Tropicale, we never saw the Peacock-Pheasants despite spending much of our time at the blind. We assume it was because we couldn’t get there early enough. Walking to the Japanese Gardens from the hotel would have meant a two-mile trek uphill, most of it quite steep, and we just weren’t up to the task. Without our own car, we were stuck waiting for the first hotel shuttle at 10:00 AM. Still, we enjoyed our stay, relaxing and appreciating the wildlife that we did see.
We watched a Javan Myna, a life bird for both of us, bathe in the fountain in front of the hotel while we waited for the shuttle to the Japanese Gardens. A fly-by Great Hornbill was a treat to see, and Alie snapped a photo of a high-flying raptor that was good enough to confirm it as a Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle, another lifer for both of us. We saw a new species of monkey, A Dusky Leaf Monkey. There were squirrels in the woods, a few butterflies in various places, and a surprising number of moths on the bathroom walls of the lovely Japanese restaurant where we enjoyed a couple of nice meals.
This entire trip was amazing—from dazzling moths and birds to monkeys, snakes, and more. I am grateful to Alie for joining me on this adventure and to David Fischer for welcoming us at MCM and sharing his passion for the natural world. If you would like to see more, check out my iNaturalist observations for insects, mammals, herps, and a few plants. I took about 8,000 photos, so I’ll probably continue posting to iNat for a year. For all the bird info and photos, see our eBird trip report.
Birding for Life 