Borneo is where I got my start in exploring the tropical rain forest and getting really serious about my wildlife photography.  I first went to Borneo as a research assistant for a year.  Then I did my Ph.D. research there over several years.  I turned my Ph.D. project exploring the rain forest canopy and studying strangler fig trees and associated wildlife into my first National Geographic magazine article back in July 1997.  Since then, I have been back to Borneo over 25 times working on various National Geographic articles and other projects.  It will always hold a special place in my heart.

This photograph of Rhinoceros Hornbills in the rain forest canopy is one that I dreamed about for years.  It was actually on my very first day in the rain forest in Borneo that I saw a Rhinoceros Hornbill flying over head, way up in the upper canopy, and thought “I have to find a way to get up there to get pictures in the canopy”.  It took many years for me to perfect my tree climbing skills and create the opportunity to get this shot by rigging a blind very high up in a large dipterocarp tree on a hillside near a fruiting Ficus tree.  I spent a great many hours in that blind over many days, until one day a group of hornbills stopped in this tree before visiting the Ficus, and I got this shot.

See a full gallery of my Borneo rain forest images at www.timlaman.com.