December
is an exciting month. It is a month full of celebrations and fun. With the
school holidays and of course, Christmas and New Year, it does not get any
better than this. Coincidentally, December has always been a great month for me
– in terms of birding. In recent years, it has produced quite a number of outstanding
birding experiences and a few lifers in between. A short visit to the paddy
fields of Bandar PERDA in Penang this morning,
unfortunately, yielded nothing out of the ordinary. A mixed group of waders
foraging and resting on a slightly flooded patch was given their due attention
– just in case. Towering above the rest of the group were the Grey-headed
Lapwings.
The
presence of a lone adult Imperial Eagle, the first record for the season, hopefully
is a sign of better things to come in the following days. This majestic raptor
was once considered a vagrant to Malaysia but in recent years, a few
individuals have been wintering at this locality regularly. Although this
morning’s encounter was only a distanced observation, I still took the time to
enjoy the moment. I have learned not to take rare species for granted as you
just do not know what the future may hold. For instance, there are no signs so
far this season of the Asian Openbills - another rare visitor that has been
wintering here in small numbers for the past 3 seasons. And I am afraid that
last season’s encounter was my last with this enigmatic stork here. Their presence will be sorely missed and I can only hope that they have found a better wintering ground.
4 comments:
Grey-headed Lapwing and Eastern Imperial Eagle are rare winter visitors to Hong Kong, too.
I agree, let's celebrate them all while we can !
That's a nice collection of waders and the eagle is striking. Very distinct and unique. I hope you have a very joyous season.
John, the Grey-headed Lapwing is no longer considered a rare migrant here in Malaysia.
Thanks, Russell. Same to you.
Nice collection of waders there. You are right to be worried about the future of many bird species. Carry on with your message.
Post a Comment