I was back at the marshlands of Pulau Burung at
the break of dawn but despite the good weather, there was nothing much about
this time. All the scarce migrants like the Garganeys and Little Stints were no
where to be seen. After about an hour, I decided to search for greener pastures
elsewhere. I cannot recall the exact reason why I chose to visit Batu Kawan but
it turned out to be one of the most crucial decisions that I have ever made in
my life.
Upon my arrival, there was this particular dead
tree with quite a few large birds resting on it. However, two of them had
somewhat odd body shapes. Once I had my binos on them, their identification was
crystal clear even at that distance – Oriental Darters! Apart from the
historical records, there has been only one confirmed sighting of this
enigmatic waterbird in Peninsula Malaysia
and that was last year at Kinta
Nature Park
in Perak. I then quickly took a few record shots just to make sure I have
photographic evidence in case the birds decide to disappear before I could get
closer. I guess I have learned my lesson well from all my previous rarity
sighting records where I was not able to support my finds with photographs and
inevitably, resulted quite negatively on me.
Anyway, they were reasonably tame as I got as
close as I possibly could by car. Using my car as a hide, I took quite a number
of shots and the Darters were more than happy to oblige. As far as I could
tell, both of them appeared to be adults birds in non-breeding plumage and
there was not much difference in terms of colour and size.
The Darters were exhibiting their typical
behaviour of drying itself and preening on exposed perches like this dead tree.
It is most probably they had completed their morning hunt when I came across
them. Much to my delight, my presence did not seem to bother them at all and I
was given the opportunity to observe them going about their normal routine.
Looks like Christmas is early again for me this
year and this lifer is one that I have been keeping an eye out for as long as I
could remember. It fulfills most of the criteria that I look for in a bird that
is worthy to be considered a mega lifer. It’s rare and it’s big and
furthermore, it’s a waterbird. And even the moderate quality of the images due
the distance and lighting did not seem to matter all that much. What is
important is the fact that I was lucky enough to be at the right place and the
right time to enjoy certainly one of my best birding moments ever. Merry Christmas and I hope you guys will
enjoy your stay here…
Unfortunately, my encounter came to an abrupt
end when a marauding White-bellied Sea-eagle came a little too close for
comfort and caused the waterbirds in the vicinity to panic and flee - including
the Darters. In flight, their long narrow wings carry them with ease and their
necks are held outstretched. They stayed relatively close to each other as they
flew and disappeared from sight among some vegetation at the far distance. I am
not sure if the 'handshake' effect of these flying shots are due to my camera settings
at that time or I was still recovering from all the excitement. Anyway despite
a careful search of the area, I failed to relocate the Darters again.
And so, I finally had the time to pay homage to
the other birds present. The marshlands here are quite rich in birdlife and
there are always quite a number of large waterbirds around like this subadult
Grey Heron.
During the migratory season, there will be a
large influx of Egrets to the locality and the Great Egret is one of the four
species that have been recorded here.
The Changeable Hawk-eagle is another common
sight at the marshlands and I photographed this one while it was contemplating
what to have for breakfast from a dead tree stump.
As for the waders, not many were around. The
Red-wattled Lapwings are quite conspicuous and their presence usually does not
go unnoticed.
This Terek Sandpiper was rather wary of my
approaching car and I had no choice but to photograph it from a distance.
My next destination was the scrublands and
mangroves of Juru. The Black-capped Kingfisher is one the most striking of our
commoner kingfishers. However, it is terribly shy and this shot is one of the
better ones I have managed to obtain so far.
The Brahminy Kite is a common resident along
the mangrove belt here and two were seen patrolling the skies today.
At my last destination, the Sungai Dua paddy
fields, I spent some time photographing this rather confiding Blue-tailed
Bee-eater that was posing so elegantly against a nice green background.
8 comments:
Hi Mun,
Great finding. Congratulation, it seem Christmas come early for U every year.
Ha, ha! I guess you're right, Hakim. Thanks.
Lovely series Mun..keep it up
Congrats on this mega-find!
Thanks, Sulaiman & Hor Kee.
Wow.... Darters. Congratulations Mun.
You have outdone yourself this time, Mun! The darters looked like sinuous sculptures as they preened in the dead tree. The subadult heron photo is perfectly lovely.
cheers,
Wilma
Thanks, Madi & Wilma!
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