Rehat is the Word (Day 8 - 09/07/2010)

Day 8 was still considered as a 'rest' day as not a lot of participants were out in the field. One week into the expedition and I guess everyone needed a day's break. Apart from the small mammal group and bat group, the rest were busy cleaning up the base camp and helping one another out in their respective tasks.

Several of the camera trap boys were assigned to help out the small mammal group except for Metis, Moon and Bon whom were instructed to search around the forest behind the base camp for Gaharu saplings. Gaharu trees (family Thymelaeceae), which can grow up to an approximate height of 50-60 metres, are considered as one of the most logged trees in Brunei and hence are quite extinct in Sungai Ingei.

Finding these Gaharu saplings now? A very hard task I have to say!

According to one of our Iban boatmen, illegal loggers came to Sungai Ingei during the 50s and 60s and had logged these Gaharu trees intensively. Nowadays, even the saplings are hard to find in Sungai Ingei. However, a few Gaharu saplings were luckily found by the boys as assisted by Samhan (field coordinator) and Haji Bakhtiar (Iban boatman). These saplings were collected for the event on Day 9.

Apart from that, Stephen Hogg (our wildlife photographer) also gave a short demonstration to the camera trap team on how to set our camera traps properly in the field. Stephen is also the designer of the camera traps that are currently used by the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition Camera Trap Team and also massively used by WWF in camera trapping sessions.

Here are some pictures from Day 8:

Relocating the Gaharu saplings into soil bags
L-R: Dr. Charles, Bon, Moon and Metis

Stephen Hogg demonstrating the correct
methods in setting up camera traps in the field

I designed these traps so you guys better do it my way!

To be continued...

Posers of the Forest (Day 7 - 08/07/2010)

Dr. Zohrah, our deputy vice-chancellor of UBD, had to return to the campus to settle some official matters and hence decided to leave on Day 7 with her assistant, Amalul and also our project administrator/camp manager and chief guide, BB and Angus respectively. Hajah Yatty from the Museums Department also joined them as she has to return for work too.

Two Iban boatmen were therefore given the responsibility to bring them back to Bukit Sawat in the morning. As a result, 5 people had left the base camp on Day 7.

Dr. Zohrah and Amalul had collected enough fish samples for their research during the first week of the expedition and the results are yet to be analyzed. A doa selamat was recited before their departure and everyone helped out in loading their luggage onto the boats. It was like a casual farewell but no tears were shed of course!

Doa Selamat recited before their departure

Ready to leave!
L-R: Dr. Zohrah, BB and Amalul

Yatty waving frantically. I ride SOLO!

Amalul hiding his tears while the boat leaves the base camp

The water level of Sungai Ingei was very low that morning

Day 7 was also a rest day for the camera trap groups as they worked hard the day before. However, other research groups such as the small mammal group, tarsier group, frog group and bat group had to go to the field to gather more data. You will see how the camera trap boys and the paramedics/chefs actually made use of their relaxing day of Day 7. Work aside, there is always some time to have fun in Sungai Ingei :)

The small mammal group were working very hard as usual
L-R: Catherine, Cikgu Haji and Salwa

The camera trap boys were working hard in the water too! :p

Since the water level was low, it was a great time to take
pictures near the river with all the beautiful landscape
L-R: Haji Ramlee (chef), Arpin, Haji Roslan (paramedic), Metis, Moon and Jeff

Backstreet Boys of Sungai Ingei

To be continued...

Roadblocks (Day 6 - 07/07/2010)

Team Samhan, one of the two camera trap groups of the expedition, set out to the field really early on Day 6 (as early as 7am!) to set more camera traps. Their destination involved taking a boat to another area in the Sungai Ingei Protection Forest called Sungai Berar.

Sungai Berar is another small river that branches out from the meandering, upper catchment of Sungai Belait and is actually quite far away from the base camp. The boat ride from the base camp to the mouth of Sungai Berar took approximately 3 hours, which included stops due to obstructions along Sungai Belait.

According to the Iban community, Sungai Berar is an important area for some rare species of freshwater fishes to breed. Every season, thousands of fry will spawn from this river but ironically, the Iban fishermen seldom visit the area.

The journey to Sungai Berar was a treacherous one because of the unexpected happenings that welcomed Team Samhan. Team Samhan is made up of Metis, Ishlah, Moon, Arpin (borrowed from Team Angus), Haji Bakthiar and Samhan himself. The forest police also escorted Team Samhan on that day and luckily they did!

Team Samhan
L-R: Arpin, Samhan, Haji Bakhtiar, Ishlah, Moon and Metis

The upper catchment of Sungai Belait makes the river narrower and hence results in a lot of meanders. The whole journey from the base camp to Sungai Berar saw 7 trees that had fell and blocked the Sungai Belait. These trees are big and it was impossible for any boats to access further up into the upper catchment.

One of the big trees that had blocked the Sungai Belait

However, luck was on Team Samhan's side as the forest police had brought their chainsaw! The sound of the working chainsaw echoed through the forest and there was also an incident in which an Argus Pheasant called out upon hearing the chainsaw.

These forest police are so tough and they did their parts by sawing all the trees that had blocked the river. It wasn't an easy task and proper methods had to be applied in sawing these big trees. The forest police even climbed onto the felled trees and occasionally dived into the river in planning out their tasks.

The police forest getting their hands dirty on one of the big trees

All smiles after successfully sawing a part of the felled tree

Apart from the felled big trees that blocked the whole river, there were also some trees that partially blocked the Sungai Belait but there were 'gaps' under these trees in which the boat could pass through. The water level that day was quite low and if it was any higher, the boat wouldn't be able to pass through under these trees via the 'gaps'.

Can you see the gap under the felled tree?

It wasn't easy to maneuver the boat to go under
the trees via the gaps...but hey we did it!

So I've mentioned about two obstruction types: 1) big trees that had fallen and blocked the entire river in which chainsaw was needed and 2) trees that partially blocked the river but has 'gaps' below them in which boats can pass through.

The third obstruction type involved smaller trees that had fallen and blocked the river but the boat was able to go through directly above the felled tree. This is also dependent on the water level of the river and involved the boat in moving and sliding above the felled tree.

However, this feat could only be done if the load of the boat is light and therefore, Team Samhan had to step out of their boat a few times and balanced themselves on these trees while waiting for the boat to slide pass the trees. Dangerous balancing act I have to say!

Balancing act on one of the smaller trees.
Lose your focus and you get wet :)

After all these obstructions, Team Samhan eventually reached Sungai Berar and they ventured into an unexplored trail, which includes swamps and ridges and set their camera traps for the next two hours. The forest type in Sungai Berar is composed of riverine forest, kerangas forest, freshwater swamp forest and mixed dipterocarp forest. Team Samhan finished their work by 1pm and safely went back to the base camp after a hard day's work. Here are some pictures taken in Sungai Berar.

Ishlah setting up a camera trap

The trees in Sungai Berar are huge!
L-R: Arpin, Ishlah and Metis

Relaxing after a well-deserved lunch-break

Back in the base camp, our main chef Haji Ramlee wanted to make everyone fatter by preparing a special tea time meal which included his hand-made martabak and curry! Team Samhan made it back just in time for tea time. Here are some pictures to wrap up today's blog post.

Haji Ramlee in action!

and he prepared all meals with a big smile! :)

Azri, assistant chef, preparing the curry

Tea time is ready!

and Amalul was the first to savour his meal! NYAMAN TUU!

Thumbs up for the martabak!
Thank you Haji Ramlee and Azri!

Guess what's for dinner? :)

To be continued...

Trees Are Everywhere! (Day 5 - 06/07/2010)

It's the same activities for Day 5 as every research participant set out to the field to conduct their relevant projects. The day was hot and sunny and the river level was quite low. Just a great weather for drying our damp and smelly clothes! :)

Dr. Ulmar and Rosli went to the Batu Melintang waterfall area and had decided to camp for a few nights at the Hot Springs. As mentioned in Day 4, they were surveying for frogs and could only work at night. They were also escorted by the forest police.

Dr. Zohrah and her assistant Amalul continued their research despite the low water level. Dr. Lane and his assistants, Zaedi and Mayyer, seemed to love their work as they checked their harp traps for a few times within that day. Dr. Yustian and Andrios rested during the day time and went out to search for their tarsiers at night. Both would only come back during the wee hours of the night!

As for Dr. Charles' teams of small mammal and camera trap people, everything went pretty well. The small mammal team managed to gather some interesting data for the day whereas the camera trap teams ventured far into the forests of Sungai Ingei Forest Reserve in setting up camera traps. Keep in mind that both the camera trap teams of Team Angus and Team Samhan went towards different trails to maximize the camera trapping efficiency.

Here are some pictures taken during Day 5:

Fish Group
L-R: Dr. Zohrah, Amalul and Haji Roslan (paramedic)

Tarsier Group
Andrios and Dr. Yustian

Bat Group

L-R: Zaedi (robin), Mayyer (batgirl) and Dr. Lane (batman)

Camera Trap Group: Team Angus
L-R: Faisal, Jeff, Bon and Angus

Camera Trap Group: Team Samhan
L-R: Ishlah, Metis, Yatty and Arpin

Team Samhan taking a lunch break in the forest

Arpin with his Agathis borneensis friend

Bon setting up a camera trap

Some parts of the camera trap trails
require you to cross streams and rivers via logs

Jeff and Bon operating the camera trap

To be continued...

Go! Go! Go! (Day 4 - 05/07/2010)

It was a sunny morning in Day 4 and everyone in the base camp woke up really early to prepare themselves for the day. The smell of breakfast filled the main hall and a handful of participants were seen gathering outside the toilet area and brushing their teeth like a group of kindergarten kids. Most of them still had droopy eyes.

Others decided to hang their laundry as the amount of sunlight was plenty. The weather for the past few days and nights had been wet. At the far end of the base camp, our Iban boatmen were seen taking their morning dip in the beautiful river. The water level of Sungai Ingei had become moderately low as the water had subsided.

Day 4 marked the day in which all research participants set out to the field to conduct their relevant projects. Keep in mind that 5 research projects were conducted as led by 5 scientists:

Dr Joseph Charles

The status and distribution of mammals, primates and hornbills in the Sungai Ingei Protection Forest Reserve

• Small mammal diversity in Sungai Ingei (by cage traps and pitfall trapping)
• Surveys of endangered cats & larger mammals in Sungai Ingei by camera trapping
• Primate diversity in Sungai Ingei
• Hornbill diversity in Sungai Ingei
• Overall avian diversity in Sungei Ingei

AP. Dr Zohrah Hj Sulaiman

Biodiversity of Freshwater Fishes of Sungai Ingei, Brunei Darussalam

The small mammal group was consisted of BB, Salwa, Catherine and Pei Fen. These girls have been well-trained for this particular project and I must say that it's not as easy as it sounds. This project required them to set cage traps and pitfall traps at strategic areas in the Sungai Ingei Forest Reserve so as to study the small mammal diversity in the area. Traps were checked in the morning, afternoon and late noon for any caught animals. Final results will be discussed during the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition seminar in 2011.

The fish group was consisted of Dr. Zohrah (freshwater fish expert) and Amalul. In addition to that, the Iban boatmen were crucial for this project. Dr. Zohrah had actually started her project on Day 2 and thereby had collected some preliminary results. Final results will be discussed during the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition seminar in 2011.

Small Mammal and Fish Group
L-R: Hj. Roslan (paramedic), Stephen Hogg (photographer), Dr. Zohrah, Amalul,
Yatty, Salwa, Dr. Charles, Catherine, Pei Fen and Cikgu Haji (boatman)

The camera trap group was divided into two teams namely Team Samhan and Team Angus. Team Samhan is composed of Metis, Ishlah, Moon, Haji Bakhtiar (Iban senior guide) and led by Samhan himself. On the other hand, Team Angus is composed of Jeffery, Bon, Faisal, Arpin and led by Angus himself.

Both teams were led by their respective leaders to set camera traps in various, unexplored places in the Sungai Ingei Forest Reserve. Trails explored by either teams (whereby camera traps were set) can be as far as 6km-10km in length and forest types covered consist of riverine forest, kerangas forest, kerapah forest, peat swamp forest and freshwater swamp forest.

The camera trap teams would leave the base camp in the morning and would normally finish their work by late noon. Therefore, the camera trap project would require very fit people in order to be conducted. Final results will be discussed during the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition seminar in 2011.

Camera Trap Group (Both Team Samhan and Team Angus)
L-R: Faisal, jeff, Bon, Moon, Metis, Haji Bakhtiar, Samhan, Ishlah and Arpin

Resting in the deep forest

Crossing rivers via fallen trees is never easy!

Moon taking some time off to pose for the camera

AP. Dr Ulmar Grafe

Survey of Amphibians and Insect Biodiversity in Brunei Darussalam

• Survey of Amphibians in Brunei Darussalam
• Survey of Insect Biodiversity in Brunei Darussalam

The amphibian group is mainly composed of Dr. Ulmar and Rosli. Dr. Ulmar is an expert in frogs and he covered wide areas in the Sungai Ingei Forest Reserve in search for frogs and other amphibians. The frog group travelled as far as to Batu Melintang (a waterfall) and climbed a steep hill to reach the Hot Springs area, which is approximately an hour's boat ride from the base camp.

They set up a sub camp there and did their project intensively for a few nights. Note that the frog project was done during the night only. Other areas in which frog surveys were done by Dr. Ulmar and Rosli were in the vicinity of the base camp itself. Frogs caught were kept as specimen for further analysis and any frogs which were caught as duplicates were also released. Final results will be discussed during the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition seminar in 2011.

Dr. Ulmar (white) and Rosli (green) all packed and

ready to leave the base camp for a few nights

They took a boat to Batu Melintang (1 hour boat ride)

AP. Dr David Lane

Biodiversity survey of forest-dependant bats and Heteroptera (water bugs) in Sungei Ingei Forest Reserve

• Studies of Forest-dependent bats and their diversity in dipterocarp forests of the Sungai Ingei Forest Reserve
• Investigation of Heteroptera (water bug) diversity in the head water streams of the Sungai Belait catchment at Sungai Ingei Forest Reserve

The bat group was led by Dr. Lane and his assistants were Zaedi and Mayyer. This project required the use of harp traps in trapping the bats in the Sungai Ingei Forest Reserve. These harp traps had to be strategically set up and they are heavy to bring around in the forest too.

The harp traps were checked in the morning and late noon to see if any bats had been caught. Bats that were caught were analyzed in the base camp and were either released or kept as specimen. In addition to that, survey of waterbugs in the river was also done by Mayyer. Final results will be discussed during the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition seminar in 2011.

Mayyer (white) and Zaedi (blue) checking the harp trap in the base

Dr. Indra Yustian

Survey of Tarsiers (Tarsius bancanus) in Sungai Ingei Forest Reserve

The tarsier group is mainly composed of our Indonesian friends namely Dr. Yustian and his assistant Andrios. Dr. Yustian is an expert in tarsiers and has been working on these elusive mammals for years in the Indonesian forests. His methodolody for catching the tarsiers (Bornean tarsier: Tarsius bancanus) is by using mist nets, which are also used for catching birds.

Tarsiers are so difficult to track and the only feasible way to find them is to sniff their urine traces on the branches and stems of small trees. The mist nets were set up in various places in the Sungai Ingei Forest Reserve and the tarsier people had also set up sub camps near these mist nets. Since tarsiers are nocturnal animals, Dr. Yustian and Andrios only went out to do their work at night. Final results will be discussed during the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition seminar in 2011.

Tarsier group with Stephen Hogg
L-R: Dr. Yustian, Stephen and Andrios

To be continued...