Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus nanus) was one of the birds I most wanted to photograph in Borneo. This compact rainforest raptor is found in Borneo and Sumatra, so seeing one in its natural habitat meant being in a very specific part of the world, at the right time, with a fair bit of patience on my side.
Wildlife photography never comes with a guarantee. You can research the location, choose the right season, arrive early, and still come away with nothing. This morning at Sepilok was a reminder that the best sightings often come from preparation, stillness, and resisting the urge to keep moving.
Basecamp: Sepilok B&B
My base for the search was Sepilok B&B, which is conveniently located about a five-to-seven-minute walk from the entrance of the Rainforest Discovery Centre. That short distance matters when you are planning an early start, because the best bird activity often happens before the heat and visitor numbers build.
The Rainforest Discovery Centre is well known among birders because Wallace’s Hawk-Eagles are regularly seen around the reserve. A breeding pair has used the area around the canopy walkway, making it one of the strongest places in Sepilok to try for this species.
The Canopy Walkway
The RDC’s canopy walkway is one of the best features of the reserve. Instead of photographing from the forest floor and pointing up into dark silhouettes, the walkway puts you much closer to eye level with birds and mammals moving through the upper canopy.
That elevated perspective completely changes the kind of images you can make. You are no longer only looking for movement above you; you are watching across the treetops, into perches, flight paths, and feeding areas that would otherwise be hidden.
While waiting for the hawk-eagle, the canopy was alive with other wildlife. Broadbills moved between the branches, giant squirrels worked their way through the treetops, and the forest constantly offered small moments that made the waiting easier. Down on the ground, the Kingfisher Trail is also worth exploring if you want to search for forest kingfishers and other lower-level species.
Hornbill Tower
The walkway includes several observation towers, but the most important one for this search was Hornbill Tower. It rises above the main canopy walkway and gives a sweeping view across the forest.
It is a superb lookout for hornbills crossing the valley, but it also overlooks the area where Wallace’s Hawk-Eagles are often seen. That combination made it the obvious place to commit my morning. Rather than constantly moving between viewpoints, I chose one high-signal location and waited.
The 6:00 AM Strategy
One of the best tips for visiting the RDC is to buy an early-bird entry ticket. The main ticket counter does not open until 8:00 AM, but the early-bird ticket allows entry from 6:00 AM.
Those two hours make a real difference. Most casual visitors arrive later, but birds are often at their most active early in the morning. The forest is quieter, the temperature is lower, and you have more chance of hearing and seeing movement before the day fully wakes up.
The Sighting Timeline
I reached Hornbill Tower at 6:00 AM and settled in for what I expected to be a long wait. Over the next three hours, the Wallace’s Hawk-Eagles appeared three times.
Appearance 1: The Brief Fly-by
At around 6:45 AM, after roughly 45 minutes of waiting, the first hawk-eagle appeared. It came in quickly, perched near the nest area, and left almost straight away. It was not a long encounter, but it was enough to confirm the species and fire off a quick burst of frames.
Appearance 2: The Nesting Pair
At around 7:30 AM, the highlight of the morning happened. Both birds arrived at the nesting area together. Watching a pair of rare rainforest raptors interact around the nest was an incredible experience, and for a few minutes I had the chance to photograph them side by side before they moved on.
Appearance 3: The Perched Male
The final appearance came at around 8:15 AM, when the male returned alone and perched roughly 20 metres from the tower. This time he stayed for much longer, giving me around 50 minutes to observe and photograph him.
He had his back to me for much of the time, so it was not the direct eye-contact portrait I might have hoped for. But that angle revealed the patterning across his back and wing feathers beautifully. Sometimes the image you get is not the one you imagined, but it still tells the story of the encounter.
The Golden Rule: Patience
The biggest mistake I see photographers make at the Rainforest Discovery Centre is moving too quickly. It is tempting to walk up to a tower, wait for two minutes, see nothing, and move on. In a dense tropical rainforest, that usually means missing the moment.
My rule is to choose a strong location and stay there for at least 45 minutes before moving. That is long enough for the forest to settle around you, long enough for birds to return to favoured perches, and long enough to give yourself a genuine chance.
For Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle, that patience was everything. If I had left Hornbill Tower after 20 minutes, I would have missed all three appearances.
Reflection
Photographing Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle in Sepilok was one of those encounters that made every early alarm, every quiet minute of waiting, and every careful bit of planning feel worthwhile. Birds of prey have a presence that is hard to describe: sharp, alert, powerful, and completely at home in their world.
The Rainforest Discovery Centre is one of the best places I have visited for canopy-level wildlife photography. If you are heading there with a specific target in mind, go early, choose your viewpoint carefully, and give the forest time to reveal itself.
