This is probably the worst photo
I have ever chosen to be used to start off a post - out of focus, wrong
exposure and motion blur. However, it is of a female White-tailed Flycatcher
and I have been looking out for this species for many years. This encounter
completes my life list of flycatchers found in Peninsular Malaysia and that is
certainly cause for celebrations despite the absolutely horrid attempt to
capture her image. But a lifer is a lifer and this turned out to be the
highlight of the trip for me.
I was with a family of
birders from Hong Kong and it is just wrong to spend too much time chasing
after a better image of what is to them an uncooperative little brown job. It
was a half day tour to the forest of Sungai Sedim in Kedah state and the gloomy
weather truly tested my skills and knowledge as a bird guide. The number of
species recorded was lower than usual and I could only pray for a better
excursion tomorrow.
A beautiful sunrise greeted
our convoy as we made our way across the Penang Bridge the next day and the
promise of better weather lifted my burdens for the trip quite significantly. The
first destination was the extensive mangroves of Sungai Batu in Kedah. The
Forest Wagtail has been performing relatively well since its arrival from its
wintering ground this year and inevitably, it was the first bird to greet us.
However, it has an issue with staying completely still and the constant body
swaying does it affect our photographic efforts.
The one bird that my guests
were really looking forward to was the Mangrove Pitta – naturally. When it
appeared, it grabbed everyone’s attention. Its plumage was far from perfect and
the vibrancy of its colouration was somewhat lacking. I guess its moult has not
completed its full cycle. Anyway, much better than the bald-headed look it was
sporting a few weeks back.
The Mangrove Blue-Flycatchers
are back to their usual splendour as well but the pair was a little shy today.
Only the male bird provided me with an opportunity to actually have time to
squeeze the shutter. However, I am not complaining. If compared to yesterday,
today has been incredible so far.
The resident pair of Puff-throated
Babblers was sorely missed today. The Abbott’s Babblers did their best to fill
the void and these natural performers charmed their way into my guests’ birding
experience in Malaysia. When things started to sizzle down, it was time to
proceed to our next destination.
We barely had time to gear up
after our arrival at the Air Hitam Educational Forest when we were greeted by a
spectacle of nature. A flock of Asian Openbills was taking advantage of the thermals
and although they were not in their usual big numbers, it was still quite a sight
to see how many large waterbirds in flight.
The female Tickell’s Blue
Flycatcher was her usual confiding self and her performance was certainly a
breath of fresh air. The weather today was indeed significantly better today
and naturally, so was the birding.
A flash of green at the
canopy level diverted our gaze from the sultry looks of the female Tickell’s
Blue-Flycatcher. The Lineated Barbet may not be as elegantly built as the
flycatcher but being bulky does have its own appeal. This individual chose to
rest on any open perch which they occasionally do and we took the time to soak
in the view.
The Brahminy Kite may be one
of the commonest raptors in the country but to my guests, it is one striking
raptor that they do not have the chance to observe back in Hong Kong.
To wrap things up for the
trip, the resident pair of Black-and-red Broadbills doing what they do best –
mesmerizing my foreign guests with their beauty and manner. I was so relieved
with the results of our second tour. Their teenage son somewhat reminded me of
my teenage years as a birder and I am glad eventually I did managed to show him
the true wonders of birding here in the tropics.
The complete checklist from this time's birding excursion can be found here:
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