11 months after our first visit to Mahua, we made our second trip there on 9th Feb to 15th Feb. This time besides sifu Khew, first-timers Cheng Ai, David and his better half, Elaine, joined us for this trip.
The weather during the first few days at Mahua Waterfall was mostly cloudy with occasional rain showers in the early afternoon...definitely not the type of weather we want! Compared to last year, the butterfly activity has a drastic drop of nearly 80%! The puddling ground in the carpark which had attracted many species of butterflies was mostly empty! Thankfully, on the 5th day which was the last day of our shoot, we woke up to a clear blue sky and the good weather lasted throughout the day! I was able to catch up on shooting some of my favorite butts like the Kinabalu Swordtail, Green Dragontail and the majestic Raja Brooke's Birdwing! Just to name a few.
I will be posting some of my favorite shots first and as usual, will be asking for ID help, thanks in advance!
Kinabalu Swordtail (Graphium stratiotes)
This pristine fella was seen on the last day at the waterfall, it has more yellow compared to the one CA shot on the 1st day at the carpark. Still my favorite Crocker Range endemic butterfly.
Green Dragontail (Lamproptera meges meges)
The petite graceful one. Glad to see one friendly and thristy individual who came to the waterfall to puddle.
Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana brookiana)
Also encountered on the last day at the waterfall, soaring above us and occasionally came down to feed, giving us the opportunity to see it up close.
Mahua, Tambunan, Sabah 9-15 Feb 2020
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