06/12/2009: Bandar PERDA & Kubang Semang (Penang)

I decided to hunt for more Aquila Eagles at the same locality taking into consideration the success of yesterday's search. At the paddy fields in Bandar PERDA, I was faced with the same dilemma as yesterday - the Greater Spotted Eagle was resting on a distance pylon with no way to reduce the distance.

While scanning the other pylons in the vicinity, I spotted a migratory Peregrine Falcon using the pylons as a place to rest as well.

Large-billed Crows are facing stiff competition from the highly successful House Crows here in Penang and I feel that their numbers are greatly reduced. This rather confiding individual was foraging at the edge of the paddy fields and I took full advantage of the situation to obtain more images of this species into my collection.

The Brown Shrikes were tame as usual like this lovely lady...

I decided to spend more time at Kubang Semang this morning as this is where I saw the Imperial Eagle yesterday. As it was still a little to early for the eagles to hunt, I concentrated my attention to a mixed flock of Black-winged Stilts and Grey-headed Lapwings. The stilts were rather confiding as usual...

And much to my delight, so were the lapwings this morning...

One of the fields had quite a number of foraging waders. I tried my luck to see if by chance the Temminck's Stint was around but the only stints here were the Long-toed Stints.

There were a couple of Curlew Sandpipers in the vicinity as well...

Snipes are notoriously difficult to identify and this shy individual was no exception. I can only guess it is a Common Snipe...

I came across a few Black Drongos hawking for insects just above the paddy fields. The low angle provided me with a good opportunity to obtain their images.

As the morning sun rose higher, I spotted a couple of Black Kites circling in the sky above. I took it as my cue to start my search for the eagles and true enough, I could make the shape of 2 large raptors circling at a far distance. I put my poor car through the "rally regime" again to reduce the distance and fired away my camera. One of the raptors turned out to be a juvenile Imperial Eagle and is most probably the same bird I saw here yesterday.

Unfortunately, it turned and soared away from me after a short while. The remaining raptor was a juvenile Greater Spotted Eagle and it, on the other hand, remained to provide me with a very good show indeed. Merry Christmas to you too!

05/12/2009: Bandar PERDA & Kubang Semang (Penang)

I managed to convince myself to visit the paddy fields of Bandar PERDA again despite dipping out on the last few visits to locate the Greater Spotted Eagles.

The ploughed fields attracted the usual patrons like this Jungle Myna...

And Pond-heron...

I find the Brown Shrikes here to be exceptionally tame and like the last visit, I managed to obtain great portraits of little predatory bird. Here are a few females which are not camera-shy at all...

This male was hunting from a signboard at the edge of the paddy field...

From this vantage point, it swooped down and caught a dragonfly with its feet in mid air and returned to the same perch with its prized catch.

He then removed parts of the wings, transfer to poor insect to its gaping mouth and swallowed it whole. I feel so lucky to be at the right place and the right time to capture these images.

As I was about to give up hope on the eagles and move to the adjacent paddy fields, a large dark raptor resting on one of the pylons caught my attention immediately. After further scrutiny, it turned out be an adult Greater Spotted Eagle - finally! I tried to get closer to the resting eagle but I soon realized that this was the closest I could get without getting myself knee-deep in mud and water of the flooded field. Well, beggars can't be choosers and I was just happy to observe the eagle from a distance and took a few record shots.

As I was observing the first eagle, a second one flew across the horizon, unfortunately also at a great distance. The birder in me was more than satisfied with observing two of these magnificent raptors but the bird photographer in me felt otherwise. I couldn't help but to feel a little disappointed as I made my way to the adjacent paddy fields.

Upon my arrival at the paddy fields in Kubang Semang, I was greeted by a foraging immature Purple Heron. This species will usually take flight when approached but not this time though...

My disappointment with the Greater Spotted Eagles earlier vanished with the sight of another eagle circling low over the paddy fields.

When it landed in an overgrown patch of the fields, I drove as quickly as possible to the vicinity and searched frantically for about 15 minutes before I managed to pick it out from the dense vegetation and it turned out to be an immature bird. I waited patiently for it to show more of itself but I guess it wasn't in the mood to be photographed.

All was not lost when another eagle circled overhead. Initially, I thought it was another Greater Spotted Eagle. After seeking Dave's help and doing some homework, it turned out to be a juvenile Imperial Eagle. Looks like Christmas came early again for me this year and with the same species providing the magic. About this time last year, I recorded my very first Imperial Eagle at this very locality. This raptor is a scarce migrant and it took me nearly 2 decades just to see one. Merry Christmas, big guy!

Large raptors have to put up with constant harassment from House Crows at a locality like this and if the crows are not around, there are always others to take their place. In this case, it was a Black Kite.

I managed to capture both the raptors in one frame and I guess size is not a hindrance to the smaller kite at all.

28/11/2009: Kuala Gula (Perak)

Choo Eng and I decided to visit this locality at the northern coast of Perak which is basically mangroves and mudflats for a day trip.

As it was high tide, some of the water birds can be seen resting along the canal like these Common Redshanks.

In the case of Purple Herons, you have to be "quick on the draw" or you will end up with only "butt" shots...

We came across quite a number of Silver Leaf-monkeys on this trip, including this troop that was foraging along the access road.

A rather confiding Drongo Cuckoo was a much welcome sight as there was nothing much about. As the name implies, it is a cuckoo that looks very much like a drongo.

And this is the real deal - an Ashy Drongo.

This foraging female Ashy Tailorbird was a little too active for me to capture any good images although she was just on the bush in front of me.

The Peaceful Dove on the other hand, remained perfectly still...

One thing about birding in the mangroves is that you must be able to bear the heat. As noon approaches, your tolerance level is really put to the test. Anyway, 3 Lesser Adjutants were making full use of the heat and were seen riding on the thermals quite high up in the sky.

What does a bunch of dead trees at the fringe of the mangroves hold for a couple of tired birders?

Well, that's the beauty of birding. You just don't know what to expect. And which winged jewel could be waiting for you to discover around the next corner. In this case, it was a handsome Large Hawk-cuckoo.

I can still remember my first encounter with this species and the first word to come out from my mouth was "Sparrowhawk" because this species has a distinct similarity to the raptor especially in flight. Well, 14 years later and I still blurted out the same mistake to Choo Eng. The only difference is the time it took for me to rectify the error was almost immediate.

Although it gradually moved deeper into the vegetation, it remained in the vicinity for quite a while - much to our delight. The encounter alone made it worth the while to travel here all the way from Penang.

The lake was particularly deserted this time round...

The only consolation of walking all the way to the lake was this group of about 30 Black Bazas circling in the sky above.

Brahminy Kites are a common sight here as well...

One individual really put on show and came so close to me that I couldn't fit the entire wing span into frame.

21/11/2009: Nesting Rhinos

I had the opportunity to observe a pair of Rhinoceros Hornbills nesting earlier in the year thanks to Choo Eng. Hornbills are certainly one of the most magnificent of our forest birds. Sadly, their numbers are declining and even more so at places like Bukit Larut in Perak where in the past, it was very likely to see hornbills in every visit. It was at this locality that I saw my first wild hornbill. I can still recall hearing the "locomotive" flight of these impressive birds for the first time. The moment is embedded permanently in my memory. Anyway over a period of 2 months, I managed to make a few trips to observe the nesting rhinos. Here's the proud father at the nest...

The feeding intervals was about an hour and berries were the main food source. This is how the male regurgitates the food...

During my first visit, the female was still sealed up in the nest together with the single chick. In my later visits, only the chick was left in the nest.

Both parents shoulder the responsibility of feeding the chicks. On a few occasions, I was lucky enough to capture both parents at the nest together. All the effort by both the parents paid off in the end because successfully brought another hornbill into this fragile world they call home.

19/11/2009: Bandar PERDA (Penang)

I had another go for the Greater Spotted Eagles again but unfortunately, without success.

There were plenty of egrets in the vicinity as usual and more so where the farmers are ploughing the paddy fields. A pair of immature Brahminy Kites were circling menacingly low above a mixed flock of egrets at such an area. They pose no danger to the egrets as these kites will only take small birds. But the kites are not after the egrets - not directly anyway. They are after the prey that the egrets catch. I have seen this pirate-like behaviour by this species before. Whenever an egrets catches a prey, the kite will swoop down and try to snatch the prey from the egret or make the egret drop the prey.

Anyway, the great images I managed to obtain helped me recover from the disappointment of dipping out on the Aquila eagles again.

Grey Herons are not a common sight in Penang and this immature bird, in the company of Little Egrets, was foraging a bit too far for me to obtain any good images.

Quite a good number of Black-winged Stilts were also seen foraging at the vicinity. I'm not sure if they are part of the same group I usually observed in the adjacent fields but one thing is for sure and that is these graceful waders are now a normal sight in Penang - much to my delight.

If the Brahminy Kites had done their part to cheer me up, the Brown Shrikes almost made me forget why I am here in the first place. This lovely female is as tame as any wild shrike could ever get. She alighted on a rock just next to my stationery vehicle and just stood there for me to photograph. I, for one, most certainly will not turn down an offer like that.

This day surely belong to the Brown Shrikes because I came across another confiding individual and this time, it was a handsome male. Brown Shrikes hold a special place in my heart because it is one of the birds that made me take up this religious hobby of birding. I can still remember that back in my childhood days, I will occasionally come across a bulkier and more aggressive looking Yellow-vented Bulbul (although I don't know the exact name for even the Yellow-vented Bulbul at that time, it is common enough for even a non-birder like me to recognise) around my housing area. It was my Godfather that eventually told me that it was a Brown Shrike and I was truly fascinated with the idea of observing and identifying birds. And the rest, as they say, is history.

16/11/2009: Bandar PERDA (Penang)

I scouted around this vicinity for about an hour or so hoping to capture some images of the Greater Spotted Eagles that was seen here a few days back. The illegal mist nets were a troubling sight and hopefully the Wildlife Department will take the appropriate actions as a few birders have already reported it.

The only raptors that crossed my path today were Brahminy Kites, including this immature bird.

Although there were no eagles around, there were certainly plenty of egrets. I think plenty is an understatement though...

All 4 species that occur in freshwater habitat were seen foraging together in this vicinity. The largest of them all is of course the Great Egret.

I was fortunately enough to come across this fellow having breakfast...

As the name suggests, the Intermediate Egret in the second largest...

Although this species is called the Little Egret, it is only the second smallest of the lot...

The smallest of them all is the Cattle Egret...

While observing the egrets, a female Cinnamon Bittern surprisingly alighted on an exposed area of the paddy field. She gave me enough time to take a few shots before she moved into a more hidden position.

This Zitting Cisticola rushed for cover upon my approaching vehicle. Sorry, buddy...

A flock of foraging White-winged Terns were seen at a flooded patch of the paddy fields. However, the images I obtained did not turn out as good as I had hoped for.

I feel that of late, the Common Moorhen is no longer a common species in Penang. Well, that's usually the story with wild birds here.

A rather confiding immature Black Drongo was the last bird I managed to capture before I decided to call it a day.

14/11/2009: Bukit Gambir (Penang)

I decided to swing by this local patch for a couple of hours of birding before heading to the office. It has been quite a while since my last visit.

Just after dawn, I saw a lone raptor circling overhead and the body shape suggests it was not one of the commoner species of this locality. After further scrutiny, it turned out to be the migratory Oriental Honey-buzzard.

As I was walking along the access road, I came across a rather confiding female Emerald Dove. This species is usually wary of human approach and in most cases you will only get to see it diving into the vegetation.

The distinctive call of the Drongo Cuckoo caught my attention and I decided to try and locate the source. I was successful in locating the bird but it was calling from a perch that was pretty much out of the reach of my camera.

This Dark-sided Flycatcher decided to hawk for breakfast in a recently cleared area of the forest. However, the poor lighting conditions at that time prevented me from obtaining clearer images.

The White-crested Laughingthrush is an escapee that has successfully established themselves in the wild here. Small populations have been seen throughout the central hilly region of Penang Island. A flock of 12 birds were foraging quite noisily along the mid-level of the forest but due to their active nature, my photography skills were really put to the test.

I was rather disappointed when the flock gradually moved deeper into the forest, leaving me without a single clear image. Then, one of them turned back and alighted on a partially unobstructed perch long enough for me to capture a few shots. Thanks, buddy...

I was about to get into my car when a flock of Baya Weavers alighted among the long grass in front of me. The images turned out better than I had expected thanks to the good lighting conditions and the fresh green colour of the grassland.