Shades of brown (04/05/2013)

The Bukit Hijau Recreational Forest is a birding locality in the state of Kedah that I have not been for quite a long while. So today, with my birding companions Choo Eng and James, I revisited the area with much hope and anticipation - as always. And I was not to be disappointed. Right next to the car park was a fruiting tree and the birds were just starting to feed. 

Although the fruits were a little too high for good photographic opportunities, we had a delightful time just recording the different species drawn in by this natural banquet. In fact, the only patron that I actually took a few shots was not a bird but an Agile Gibbon. Normally shunning human, I guess the temptations of the fruiting tree was a little strong for this graceful but shy primate to resist.

I was momentarily distracted from the fruiting tree when a family of Checker-throated Woodpeckers foraged quite noisily nearby. Although not that rare, it is not often that one gets to observe a whole family interacting and going about their routine. Little did the youngsters know that all their begging and whining not only got them the attention of the parent bird but a few visiting birders as well.  

When we made our way deeper into the forest, we came across another fruiting tree. The majority of the patrons here were Bulbuls. Your identification skills are usually put to the test when the time comes to differentiate brown Bulbuls. Often, the distinguishing features are found on the head region and that can be a problem if the bird is just being plain difficult...

But nothing a little perseverance won't overcome. White iris...Cream-vented Bulbul.

A male Tiger Shrike in breeding plumage is something that I still can never get enough of. As he is a pure carnivore, the fruiting tree is of no interest to him. Most probably, he was just passing through or perhaps the presence of quite a number of small passerines at a single tree caught his attention. 

It was truly a handsome bird but I had to get off the beaten trail to reduce the distance between us. My over-zealousness to obtain better shots resulted in me getting more than just shots of a Tiger Shrike. Leeches! Well, you know what they say - you haven't really "bird" in a tropical forest until you get your first leech bite.

With midday approaching we took a little breather from all the "hard work" of identifying brown Bulbuls. Midway through our brunch at a little F&B stall near the car park, a flying lizard decided to join us. 

Our next destination was Choo Eng's estate which was only a few kilometers away. What makes this rubber/palm oil estate any different from the rest? Well, it belongs to a birder and the thriving bird populations there are probably aware of that as well.

A confident Rusty-breasted Cuckoo got the ball rolling. Belting its territorial call persistently from the foliage of the rubber trees, it performed well for us and finally, I have added this beautiful parasitic species into my digital photo album.

Like the similar looking Plaintive Cuckoo, it is also more often heard than seen. However, its preference for more forested areas makes it even more elusive which explains my futile attempts in the past. 

The Brown-streaked Flycatcher is a rather scarce resident in Malaysia and can be easily mistaken for the much commoner Asian Brown Flycatcher due to its uncanny resemblance to the latter. I have had only about a handful of encounters with this species in the past and thanks to Choo Eng's keen eyesight, I got my second photo lifer of the trip. One of the advantages of taking up bird photography is having photo lifers. Although not quite the same magnitude as real lifers, it is nevertheless exciting and gives me yet another reason to venture out into the field whenever I have the free time.

My third and final photo lifer was a foraging Mangrove Whistler that totally ignored our presence altogether. Don't be misled by the name as the signature whiplash call of this species can be heard quite far inland and in various habitats. I never had any luck with this species until today and although the lighting condition was a little less than desirable, I am quite happy with my images in the end. Like the Brown-streaked Flycatcher it was another dull brownish bird but this duo helped turn ordinary to extraordinary and I guess this time brown is all the colour I need. 

Soaked to the bone (04/04/2013)

It was drizzling when I dragged myself out of bed. The cold air was making me sluggish but to miss yet another birding trip was unforgivable. As Choo Eng and I were making our way across the Penang Bridge, it really started to pour and we had to consider carefully where our destination would be on this dark and damp morning. At the time, we had no idea that the rain will eventually cause Penang Island's worst flash flood in 5 years and luckily by the time we got back home, the flood had subsided.  

Anyway, we were car-birding along the eastern side of Kedah state when Choo Eng spotted a couple of Barred Eagle-owls roosting on a huge Rain Tree. Although I feel sorry for the owls, braving tropical downpours with hardly any shelter is something that is very much a part of their lives. Birds and animals are more than prepared to face anything that is thrown at them by Mother Nature. Sadly, evolution simply did not have time to make them withstand the destructive nature of man as well.

Eventually, we found ourselves at Tengas - a locality which basically consists of plantations and secondary forests. I have not visited this area for many years now and naturally, quite a substantial area of the forest has been replaced with plantations. With the birds laying low and no signs of the weather improving, we were back on the move again sooner than anticipated. 

Our final destination was the scrublands of Penanti in mainland Penang. Here, the Red Junglefowl is a relatively common sight. And I thought the cold weather today will make this skittish species a little more tolerant. I guess I was wrong…

Even from a far distance, this gamebird is not willing to take any chances with approaching humans.

The rain also brought out hoards of flying termites - much to the delight of the birds found here. The termites are like a never-ending food supply and a feasting was inevitable. One of the birds of benefited from this natural occurrence was the White-throated Kingfisher. 

A little birding to help get through the week (28/03/2013)

A quick detour to the wetlands at Batu Kawan, Penang did not yield anything out of the ordinary. In the absence of the weekend anglers as it being a weekday, I basically had the place all to myself. That itself is a luxury that I rarely get to enjoy at this locality. I have had a couple of great encounters with the Common Kingfisher here and today, a female hunting from a reasonably close perch provided the highlight of the day.

Big herons like the Grey Heron and Purple Heron are a common sight and the populations here are thriving. In fact, I think this is the best place to observe them in Penang. This young Purple Heron, positioned against all-green background, was a photographic opportunity that was hard to turn down.

A couple of weeks ago, I participated in a MNS waterbird survey by boat along the coastline here. Apart from the usual waders, we did manage to see 4 Lesser Adjutants foraging on the mud but there was just no way to get close enough for any reasonable shots. However, a Large-tailed Nightjar that was nesting among the grassland close to the jetty where we boarded the boat provided some excitement for the trip. Because this species has adapted so well to living within human settlements, it is by far one of the commonest nightbirds in Malaysia and its signature monotonous call can be heard in most neighbourhoods. Despite of this, it is not easy to come across one in the daytime and encounters like these are far and few.

Sometimes wishes do come true (23/03/2013)

With the migratory season drawing to a close, I decided to visit the marshlands (I have to stop referring to the wetlands here as marshlands because they now look more like lakes) at Pulau Burung, Penang to check if there were any migratory waterbirds around. However, it was not the birds that caught my immediate attention upon my arrival but the row of newly-planted trees along the water's edge. My last visit to the area had me thinking what are the plans for this area and now, it is crystal clear. Dave was right - the local authorities are going to turn it into a "proper" landscaped lake. I don't mean to be a pessimist but I sincerely doubt that their vision of a landscaped lake and mine is the same. I just hope that the birds will gradually be able to adapt to this change.

As I was moving along the adjacent mangroves, I jammed on my brakes when I heard the diagnostic call of the Mangrove Pitta. When I finally traced the call to the source, a river stood in the way between me and my quarry. With no crossing anywhere within the vicinity, I had no choice but to take a few record shots from a slight distance. My only other record of this elusive species here was about 2 years ago. Although Pittas are terrestrial birds, they do have a tendency to call from a lofty perch and this one was belting out its territorial call persistently from the very top of a scrubland tree. 

How does one get close to a Black-capped Kingfisher? I have absolutely no idea. This shot like the many others I have taken of this extremely skittish species is from a distance. I find this behaviour rather odd for an open country kingfisher especially when the other kingfishers that share its habitat are more tolerant. 

This snipe has the utmost confidence in its ability to camouflage itself when threatened and rightfully so because I would have missed it if not for the lone Common Sandpiper that was foraging next to it. 

Some birds, on the other hand, do not have to rely on stealth for protection simply because they have no natural enemies - except for man that is. A good example is this Crested Serpent-eagle perched conspicuously on a dead tree next to the mangroves. I am not sure if it is out of curiosity or fear but the raptor actually turned around to face me when I started photographing it. But then again, maybe it just felt like turning around. 

The pair of Asian Dollarbirds from my last visit was still present at the same area. Unfortunately, this time they were a little hesitant to perch as low as the last encounter. 

The mangroves here are certainly one of the best places in Penang to see the Greater Flameback - a species that is confined to such habitats. In fact, I think it is more regularly encountered here than the similar-looking but more widespread Common Flameback. 

The Cattle Egrets have started to sport their smart breeding plumage. The landfill has become an ideal feeding ground for these egrets and despite the sanitary issue, they seemed to be really thriving with this way of life.

Just before I concluded my visit here, a Blue-tailed Bee-eater gave a performance that was reminiscence of the good old days when the marshlands habitats were at their prime. It was as if the little fellow was trying to reassure me that everything here is going to be fine. I certainly hope so, bud. 

My next destination for the day was the paddy fields at Permatang Nibong, Penang. The Pond-herons have also started to sport their breeding plumage but for today, only the Chinese Pond-herons were recorded.

At the Asian Openbill haunt, I could see even from a distance that there were quite a big number of them present this time. I made myself comfortable (I have a feeling I was going to be there for quite a while) in my car at a strategic spot and pretty soon I was surrounded by Asian Openbills. Most of them were resting on the trees as usual and true enough, I eventually counted about 120 individuals - making it an all-time high personal record.

There were a few that were flying about and some were just coming in to join their resting compatriots.

There were even storks resting on perches overlooking the former fish ponds.

A Great Egret alighted in the middle of one of the ponds and momentarily distracted me from the storks. And unlike the storks, it does not seem to mind getting its feet wet. 

I have been lamenting to Choo Eng that the storks here somehow do not fancy standing or resting on the ground - unlike other places. Even when they do, they become wary of human presence. But today, they certainly proved me wrong. At least 2 groups were taking refuge among the paddy stalks...

And some were even standing out in the open. And to think that I thought I will never get to photograph them standing from a reasonably close distance. 

I know the Asian Openbill is probably not a big deal anymore in Malaysia. Particularly every birder here and even Singapore has now seen it thanks to the huge influx this season. However, I guess I am still spellbound by these storks. I made a wish for the Asian Openbill to hopefully become a regular sight in Penang when I saw my very first one a few years back. It looks like that wish is coming true. Seeing them in such huge numbers and at such a close proximity was simply an incredible affair. A scene like this is more likely to take place in India or Thailand but instead, it is here in my home state of Penang. This encounter has left quite an impact on me. I honestly do not know how to describe this overwhelming feeling inside of me. I guess you just had to be there. Anyway, this juvenile provided the best photos for the day. In fact with the green background, they may be my best images of this charismatic species yet.