Gomantong Caves consist primarily of two caves, each with a horizontal entrance and quite a lot of pit entrances up high. For the last two days I have been mapping the colonies of bats and birds that roost on the walls and ceiling of the lower cave, Simud Hitam (Black Cave). We are just trying to figure out how much stuff is living up there.
I am also working on figuring out which bats live where in the cave. In a big cave with very high ceilings, the way to do this is to spend a lot of time in the cave under the roosts and wait for a dead or dying bat to fall to the floor. Yes, where there is life there is death, and here it provides us an easy way to know what's up there.
So a few photos from my trip to the cave today, where I was happily wandering around solo with my lights, big flash and camera, and a ton of gear in my pack (it weighs about 20 pounds for this type of work).
We arrived at the visitor center and unlike a lot of cave trips, already had all our things ready to go. However, there was very nice bird sitting on a lamppost in the parking lot so it got some attention.
I am also working on figuring out which bats live where in the cave. In a big cave with very high ceilings, the way to do this is to spend a lot of time in the cave under the roosts and wait for a dead or dying bat to fall to the floor. Yes, where there is life there is death, and here it provides us an easy way to know what's up there.
So a few photos from my trip to the cave today, where I was happily wandering around solo with my lights, big flash and camera, and a ton of gear in my pack (it weighs about 20 pounds for this type of work).
We arrived at the visitor center and unlike a lot of cave trips, already had all our things ready to go. However, there was very nice bird sitting on a lamppost in the parking lot so it got some attention.
Crested serpent eagle at the Gomantong Caves visitor center
That would have been enough, and time for caves, when the monkeys started jumping around just down the road so I went over to photograph them.
The ever-so-beautiful red leaf monkey
And that would have been enough, and time for the caves, when the orangutans were spotted!
Baby orangutan heading over to mom. She was eating a durian fruit and the baby would come over and get a bite every once in a while. It was wonderful to see
So unless an elephant was going to walk by, it was time for the caves. What a great start to the day, though.
The walk from the visitor's center to the longhouse at the commercial cave's entrance is a boardwalk through great forest with lots of wildlife
The main entrance to Simud Hitam, the black cave, so named for the many black-nest swiftlets that roost here
This is a test photo for a pic I am working on. The pit you are looking at the bottom of is 85 meters deep. The little hut in the cave is a guard shack to protect the nests from being stolen. They had a theft attempt just yesterday but they caught them as I understand it
Often cited as the tallest guano pile in the world, this extends up and into the darkness for a long ways. I know, that isn't helpful but the guy with the actual height is back at camp. I will update with exact height soon. I think it is well over 100 feet high
A look at a small portion of the ceiling with a telephoto lens. The dark blots are bats, mostly in the genus Hipposiderus. The grayish masses are swiftlet net colonies.
Okay, so finally some cave shots. But that's all I have time for tonight. I leave you with a blue fly or bee of some sort.
A very cool-colored insect heading in to a flower
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