Buff-banded Rail @ Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo, East Malaysia

Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis) is a colorful, very active and attractive resident bird can be found in Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo, East Malaysia

The photos were taken using Nikon D500 paired with Nikkor 500 PF lens, ISO 640, F 6.3, EV -1.0. 

Penampang is a district located in the West Cost of Kota Kinabalu, just few km away from the capital city. Penampang has a large area of paddy field which attracts a lot of birds both residents and migratory birds.

Kota Kinabalu can be considered as a transit place for many bird watchers and birders to Sabah, Borneo, East Malaysia as it is a gateway to other more exciting bird watching and bird photography destinations in the island, such as Mount Alab, Rainforest Discovery Center (RDC) and Mount Trusmadi. 

Due to its geography, Kota Kinabalu has a large bird population and varieties with a recorded more than 30 species of birds. It certainly entices many birders to be there. The main target birds include different types of kites, eagles, parrots, bee-eaters, swallows, kingfishers, shrikes, weavers, flycatchers, bulbuls, pigeons just to name a few. It has become a destination for migratory birds too. Other excellent nearby birding locations are Kampung Sembulan and Tanjung Aru.