A fiery red sunset view from the top floor of Pullman Miri Waterfront. — Photos: AIDIL/The Kayangan Hunter
Despite all the hornbill being a protected bird species in Sarawak, it didn’t stop three delinquents from capturing Faridah, one half of the Jimmy-Faridah hornbill couple beloved by the community, and making a quick getaway in their vehicle. This incident happened in Miri,10 years ago. The two oriental pied hornbills have been nesting in the same place for years and have produced over 50 offspring, a significant contribution to maintaining the hornbill population in the park.
In the days that followed after Faridah’s disappearance from the forest, a forlorn Jimmy was seen flying around the area and calling incessantly for its missing mate.
Sadly, Faridah was found dead following the arrest of the poachers.
When Faridah’s carcass, preserved by the Museum Department and returned to the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, was displayed by the window of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation’s Ranger Post H58, Jimmy mournfully perched on the window ledge to have a last peek at Faridah, even pecking at the window screen as if hoping she would come back to life and fly into the wide blue sky with him once again.
Hornbills are meant to mate for life and there were concerns that Jimmy would pine away after the demise of his beloved mate. But to the delight of those who followed the heartbreaking story of Jimmy and Faridah with bated breath, the dashing hornbill found love again, first with Juliet, andthen most recently with Valentine last year.
Oriental pied hornbill Jimmy feeding his mate, Juliet, who is inside the nest at Ranger Post H58. — Sarawak Forestry Corporation
Her name is a nod to Valentine’s Day being just around the corner when the birds were first spotted in courtship.
“Meet Jimmy’s new-found love. These are the latest images of a female being courted by Jimmy, our very own flamboyant oriental pied hornbill of PNR (Piasau Nature Reserve). The female is seen surveying the nest cavity which has been the birthplace of numerous young hornbills in PNR,” said the Sarawak Forestry Corporation in a social media post, accompanied by photos of the two birds.
Hornbills are totally protected under the Sarawak Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998.
The penalty for keeping them as pets, hunting, killing, selling, trading or possessing any recognisable part of the bird is three years’ jail and a RM25,000 fine.
Borneo is home to several hornbill species, including the rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) – which is Sarawak’s state bird – the helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil), black hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus), white-crowned hornbill (Berenicornis comatus), wrinkled hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus), bushy-crested hornbill (Anorrhinus galeritus) and wreathed hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus).
The oriental pied hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) is a smaller hornbill, and sports a creamy pale yellow bill and casque. It is mostly black, with a white belly and white outer tail tips and wing edges that show in flight.
Making the Lun Bawang’s nuba laya (‘mashed’ rice wrapped in itip leaves) is quite labour intensive.
During a Tourism Malaysia Sarawak “Jom! Kembara Miri” media trip recently, we visited the tree cavity at Ranger Post H58 at the nature reserve, used by Jimmy and his mates as their nest.
We were lucky to have Jimmy swoop in and perch on a tree branch high overhead, within a minute or two of us getting out of the bus. He was joined shortly by Valentine, much to the thrill of the group.
Piasau Nature Reserve park warden Muhammad Zuhdi Zulkifli gave us a crash course in Hornbill 101: When it is time for the female hornbill to lay eggs, she will seal herself up in the tree cavity using mud, often mixed with faeces and mashed fruit, leaving only a narrow opening through which the male will deliver food. This provides protection from predators and other hornbills who might fancy this tree for their own nest.
Once the chicks are ready to fledge, the female has to break out of the nest. By then, the seal will be brick-hard and she has to painstakingly chip away at it with her bill, before squeezing herself out, followed by the chicks.
The nature reserve has walking trails, as well as jogging and cycling paths for the public. There is sandy beach vegetation on the coast which transitions to a coastal forest inland. With almost a hundred fauna species in this area – including numerous bird species – it is quite a draw for nature enthusiasts and avid birdwatchers.
Formerly known as Piasau Camp, it was once owned by Sarawak Shell Berhad and was home to many of the oil and gas company’s staff. Piasau Nature Reserve was gazetted at the end of 2013, and formally handed over to Sarawak Forestry Corporation in May 2016.
Kopi beras is made from adan rice, which is tossed in a wok over medium-high heat until golden brown.
Celebrating tradition and heritage
Besides the Piasau Nature Reserve, which is just a stone’s throw from Miri city centre, there are a number of nearby spots you can squeeze into your day if you are exploring the city. Canada Hill is a popular spot among locals and tourists alike, with its huge “Miri” sign overlooking the city and the gorgeous sunsets the state is known for.
Here is also where you can take a look at the Grand Old Lady, the first oil well in Malaysia, also known as Miri Well No.1. It struck oil in December 1910 and was retired only in 1972. In 1973, Shell handed the oil well over to the state government to be kept as a historical monument.
Ahead of the annual Irau Aco Lun Bawang (Lun Bawang Festival), which is held in Lawas in early June to great fanfare each year, our group was treated to a glimpse of the Lun Bawang community’s celebration of heritage and culture, through a music performance featuring their bamboo orchestra.
This was followed by a delicious lunch with a variety of traditional dishes, including nuba laya (“mashed” rice wrapped in itip leaves). It was a sweltering hot afternoon, but it didn’t stop us from sampling “kopi beras”, a beverage made from rice that is tossed in a wok over medium-high heat until golden brown to bring out the flavour. The Lun Bawang use beras adan, a white short-grain rice which they cultivate.
We also visited the Kedayan community at Kampung Peliau where we were given a rousing welcome with, yes, more song and dance. Garbed in their striking red and black traditional attire, we listened to their Muzik Sedaman performance, often performed during the harvest season and traditionally by the youths while their elders work in the rice fields.
Nature’s artist
During our three-day stay in Miri, we rushed to meet the setting sun every day, finding ourselves in a different location each time. Although the view from Canada Hill was nice, and Coco Cabana’s coconut trees by the seaside made for a postcard-perfect sunset scene, the most memorable sunset outing of this trip was from the 24th floor of Pullman Miri Waterfront.
With a view of the river spilling into the South China Sea, and the dark silhouettes of boats and ships against the fiery sun casting red, orange and yellow on the clouds in the sky, we were lucky that everything came together at the right time to present us with a most spectacular sunset on our first day in the city. There is a restaurant on this level, with outside seating available if you want the full sunset outdoor experience.
Dishes from the Lun Bawang community presented on banana leaves.
A new hotel in Miri, the Mercure Miri City Centre, also offers a great view at its Cavakita craft cocktail bar and South American-inspired restaurant. It is a striking view indoors as well, with its Borneo-inspired decor and artwork sporting bold, vibrant colours on every floor. Its lobby greets you with a gelato bar and a sprawling mural artwork by local artist Jagung and his team, before you even reach the check-in counter.
This hotel has an entire floor dedicated to a co-working space for the digital nomad or modern remote worker.
As part of the Accor group’s commitment to sustainability and reducing environmental impact, each room at Mercure Miri City Centre is equipped with a water filter to provide guests with drinkable water, while reducing use of plastic mineral bottles.
The Kedayan's Muzik Sedaman is traditionally played during the harvest season.
For those seeking a bit of a slightly off-the-beaten-track feel, you can rent a beach chalet for a couple of days at the family-run Tim’s Seaside Hideout and have a BBQ party outside while watching the sun go down.
Long walks on the beach, anyone? Bring your own pina colada, of course.
There are beach houses that accommodate up to 10 guests, but also smaller units that are good for a quiet getaway for two.
On this visit to Miri, we didn’t venture very far from the city centre – nothing was more than an hour’s drive away – but the experiences we had were diverse enough to offer something for most travellers, especially those in a time crunch.
