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.