ABOVE: Ficus subgelderi fruiting at next to the first tower at the Belalong Canopy Walkway on 22 October 2018. This fig last fruited at the end of February 2018 i.e. a gap of around 8 months from one crop to another. All photos by Hanyrol H. Ahmad Sah.
On the previous occasion we focused on the the many birds that arrived to feed on the figs so on this occasion we will illustrate some of the resident wildlife at the Belalong Canopy Walkway that does NOT interact at all with the 10 species of figs that can be found growing next to the walkway.
The same fig as above photographed 13 days previously on 9 October 2018A pair of tiny Bornean Pigmy Squirrels occupy a tree hole in a “rengas” tree next to the Belalong Canopy Walkway. These tiny squirrels feed on surface bark and ants and have never been seen to feed on fruit including figs. Rengas is a local name for trees in the Anarcardiaceae family which produce a toxic black sap which causes a strong allergic reaction in humans.A breeding pair of one of Borneo’s rarest birds the Spectacled Flowerpecker lives in the forest next to the Belalong Canopy Walkway. They visit frequently to feed on the berries of a mistletoe Gianloa arnottiana but they have never yet been seen to feed on one of the fruiting figs in the area .
