Images from Indonesia

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As this year's trip was very much about getting some video for a change, I took relatively few photographs - I've put a few together here as a hotch potch of memories. Not a single monkey or ape among them...

Bird of the trip was definitely this white-bellied sea eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster, which flew over as we were heading across Kumai Bay, just moments after we'd seen a pair of Irrawaddy river dolphins. These eagles are among the largest raptors found in south-east Asia. Other birds of prey are commonly seen, such as this Wallace's hawk eagle Spizaetus nanus.




The most common frog is the green paddy frog Hylarana erythraea, and we usually see a range of anurans, such as this unidentified (so far) leaf litter frog.





Odonates are always a photographic favourite in Tanjung Puting - the most common species is Brachygonia occulata, a small but beautiful dragonfly (first and last of these images). Damselflies and dragonflies are diverse in Indonesia, and repay close attention.






And some random images - a tiny praying mantis on my book, a caterpillar sealing a folded leaf with silk, and a pitcher plant, Nepenthese reinwardtiana.

Injured orangutans

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Orangutans have surprisingly challenging lives - it's especially difficult being a male. These two Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) were both seen at Pondok Ambung, and both had been seriously hurt. The first is a sub-adult wild male, who had clearly been attacked by another male. The suppurating wounds left by the bite marks are horrendous, but a natural part of the lives of many male orangutans. After passing over the camp and finding a fruiting tree, he stayed for some time feeding, allowing outstanding views by the whole group.



The second film is of Pan, the son of Princess, a rehabilitated female who has lived at Camp Leakey for many years. Pan is used to people, and I suspect that he tried to raid a klotok, and the angry boat owner attacked him with a machete. The vet was called the next day, and as the wound looked clean, I suspect that he will recover fully.

Camera trap bearded pig

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Film of a Bornean bearded pig captured using a camera trap. There were many tracks near our camp at Pondok Ambung, and this confirmed what was making them.

Candirejo - Central Java

Visit Mark Fellowes Nature Photography

This year's tropical biology field course was the first where I'd decided to concentrate on video, rather than photography, as a means of recording what we'd seen. The next few entries are quick summaries of some of the highlights of the trip. Our first long stay is in a small village, Candirejo, which is located near the temple of Borobudur, a World heritage site for its historic interest.

The following video shows some of the invertebrate species seen in the village: