ABOVE: Every year a migrant Peregrine Falcon that probably breeds in northern China spends the northern winter months, October to March at Tg Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. This Peregrine Falcon specialises in feeding on Black-bearded Tomb Bats Taphozous melanopogon. This individual falcon or perhaps a series of individuals have visited every year since at least 1970 and possibly for hundreds of years.

In Malay, Tanjung Aru means Cape of the Aru (Casuarina) trees. The whole length of the sandy beach is lined with a band of Casuarina equisetifolia trees. These trees are now old and many are hollow. In 1970 the Peregrine Falcon used to roost on a Casuarina tree where the Shangri La resort now stands and catch tomb bats at dusk as they emerged from the tree hollows.






Wow amazing I stayed at the apartments for a while and loved seeing the bats outside