13th December. All downhill to Orang NP.
We started the morning in the bitter cold of Lama Camp but the sighting of a pair of Slender-billed Scimitar-Babblers helped us forget the cold. We packed our bags and set off down the hill and soon the temperatures increased and we started shedding layers as we dropped down to the plains. One of the trucks needed a new tyre and while we waited, we scanned for birds, of course! The cliffs above the garage were festooned with hanging honeycombs swarming with bees. We soon realised that these were attracting a pair of Oriental Honey-Buzzards and we witnessed some spectacular bird behaviour as the Honey-Buzzards flew close to the cliff face and then suddenly smashed into one of the honeycombs, pecking furiously at the pupae contained within while angry bees swarmed around their heads. This was repeated dozens of times in the hour or so that we watched, and we even had time to show some of the curious locals what a spectacle was occurring just above their village. Further down the road, we encountered White-naped Yuhina and Scarlet Finches in a large mixed feeding flock. We eventually reached Orang National Park well after dark and settled into our basic accommodation.
Bird species total: 4210
The Biggest Twitch website will remain online in 2009 to keep you up to date with our birding adventures and let you know how we settle back into normal life, if we do!! We will also share more of our adventures and lots of photos from The Biggest Twitch.