The island of Si Amil one of the larger Semporna islands of East Sabah has a long history of occupation but currently is uninhabited. There is a kampung of c. 1,500 Bajau Laut on the nearby island of Danawan. Prior to World War 2, Si Amil hosted a Japanese tuna processing factory with up to 800 inhabitants and the abandoned settlement buildings can still be seen. The original forest on Si Amil has been largely replaced with coconuts but some patches of forest remain on the rocky hills at the southern end. The island area is approx. 750 ha with a maximum width of just under 1 km. The forest hosts a troop of Long Tailed Macaques who almost certainly derive from abandoned pets.
On a one day birding visit the 1StopBorneo Wildlife team found 3 examples of Ficus virens one of them fruiting with the figs being taken by Black-naped Fruit doves.
All photos by Shavez Cheema and Chun Xing Wong of 1StopBorneo Wildlife
Danawan island (top) hosts a Bajau Laut fishing village whilst Pulau Si Amil (bottom) is currently uninhabited.
From this satellite photo you can see that all the flat areas are covered in coconut palms whilst the rocky hills still have patches of the original forest.
The fruiting Ficus virens strangler. Shavez Cheema to show the scale.
Male Black-naped Fruit Dove Ptilinopis melanospila the most common bird disperser of figs of the Semporna Islands. These small doves can swallow the largest figs of the Semporna islands produced by Ficus drupacea.
