Day 6: 23.June
2001
0800hr Break camp
and move west and north towards Silaut river.
0840hr First of
3 siamang groups in immediate vicinity of trail begin calling. White
rumped shama heard
0905hr B vigil.
Footmarks, recent, of 3 men moving in the approximate direction of Silaut.
Gaharu hunters returning home suspected. Female Argus pheasant crouching
in undergrowth at side of trail disturbed by party and flies off. Altitude
descending, by degrees, to 470m asl. Flora still dominated by large
diameter dipterocarps (meranti) but few trees seen as large as on Day
5. Ficus spp present but less common than Day 4 and 5. Megalaima
chrysopogon heard
1015hr Pondok in
headwaters of small river flowing to Silaut river. Shavings of gaharu
and Aquillaria wood in pondok and apparently cut from a living tree
and not excavated from a lubang gaharu.' Pondok probably accommodated
four men
1050hr Climbing
to high hill top to give access to ridge trail descending to Silaut
river. Tree diameter smaller and undergrowth scrubby than at any time
in last two days. Prints of tapir and digging/scraping of a deer, probably
muntjac. Racket tailed drongo, Greater racket tailed drongo/ Srigunting
batu Dicrurus paradiseus. Although this is the first record made
in this report, this bird had previously been heard but not seen. Crested
serpent eagle, Spilornis cheela heard. Megalaima mystacophanos
heard.
1120hr Provincial
border stone marking meeting point of three provinces - Jambi, Sumatera
Barat and Bengkulu. Forest around the stone has been thinned out at
some point in last five (?) years with a chainsaw and the stone itself
appears to have been vandalised. Nearby find three trees cut down with
chainsaws but not sawn up. Purpose unknown but possibly illegal loggers
who concluded distance to river too far. Team begins to descend, north,
to Silaut river.
1155hr B rhinoceros,
Spilornis cheela heard. First record of the slender-billed crow,
Corvus enca (burung gagak). Old rintisan now frequent.
1330hr Meet first
indicators of sustained illegal logging at 440m asl and in excess of
1km from Silaut river with Hopea spp - meranti putih felled and
sawn up on site at edge of a substantial flat area. Logging + 6 months
ago. Proceed north towards Silaut river through increasingly disturbed
forest. Well-trodden trail with wooden rollers to facilitate transport
of sawn timber to Silaut river. Prints of Malay tapir and of sambar
deer seen. Both these large mammals survive well in previously disturbed
forest since young regrowth vegetation provides rich browsing opportunities.
1425hr Sustained
and heavy impact of illegal logging over a long period . B. vigil
heard.
1450hr (approximately)
Reach forest edge at Silaut River at approximately 200 and begin to
walk downstream (west) 1738 Alcedo meninting* seen flying upstream very
fast. Identification by deduction.
1740 Large group
of Macaca fascicularis - long tailed macaque/kra seen across
(north side) of Silaut river. Although this is a common primate of degraded
forest and farmland, this monkey is generally uncommon in TNKS forests
and most usually found close to or by large rivers. Many swifts (iapodidae)
- walet - and swallows (layang layang) seen flying over the river at
dusk
Day 1
- 2 - 3
- 4 - 5
- 6 - 7
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