The Bukit Hijau
Recreational Forest
is a birding locality in the state of Kedah that I have not been for quite a
long while. So today, with my birding companions Choo Eng and James, I
revisited the area with much hope and anticipation - as always. And I was not
to be disappointed. Right next to the car park was a fruiting tree and the
birds were just starting to feed.
Although the fruits were
a little too high for good photographic opportunities, we had a delightful time
just recording the different species drawn in by this natural banquet. In fact,
the only patron that I actually took a few shots was not a bird but an Agile
Gibbon. Normally shunning human, I guess the temptations of the fruiting tree
was a little strong for this graceful but shy primate to resist.
I was momentarily
distracted from the fruiting tree when a family of Checker-throated Woodpeckers
foraged quite noisily nearby. Although not that rare, it is not often that one
gets to observe a whole family interacting and going about their routine.
Little did the youngsters know that all their begging and whining not only got
them the attention of the parent bird but a few visiting birders as well.
When we made our way
deeper into the forest, we came across another fruiting tree. The majority of the patrons here were Bulbuls. Your identification
skills are usually put to the test when the time comes to differentiate brown
Bulbuls. Often, the distinguishing features are found on the head region and
that can be a problem if the bird is just being plain difficult...
But nothing a little
perseverance won't overcome. White iris...Cream-vented Bulbul.
A male Tiger Shrike in
breeding plumage is something that I still can never get enough of. As he is a
pure carnivore, the fruiting tree is of no interest to him. Most probably, he
was just passing through or perhaps the presence of quite a number of small
passerines at a single tree caught his attention.
It was truly a handsome
bird but I had to get off the beaten trail to reduce the distance between us.
My over-zealousness to obtain better shots resulted in me getting more than
just shots of a Tiger Shrike. Leeches! Well, you know what they say - you
haven't really "bird" in a tropical forest until you get your first
leech bite.
With midday approaching
we took a little breather from all the "hard work" of identifying
brown Bulbuls. Midway through our brunch at a little F&B stall near the car
park, a flying lizard decided to join us.
Our next destination was
Choo Eng's estate which was only a few kilometers away. What makes this
rubber/palm oil estate any different from the rest? Well, it belongs to a
birder and the thriving bird populations there are probably aware of that as
well.
A confident
Rusty-breasted Cuckoo got the ball rolling. Belting its territorial call
persistently from the foliage of the rubber trees, it performed well for us and
finally, I have added this beautiful parasitic species into my digital photo
album.
Like the similar looking
Plaintive Cuckoo, it is also more often heard than seen. However, its
preference for more forested areas makes it even more elusive which explains my
futile attempts in the past.
The Brown-streaked
Flycatcher is a rather scarce resident in Malaysia and can be easily mistaken
for the much commoner Asian Brown Flycatcher due to its uncanny resemblance to
the latter. I have had only about a handful of encounters with this species in
the past and thanks to Choo Eng's keen eyesight, I got my second photo lifer of
the trip. One of the advantages of taking up bird photography is having photo
lifers. Although not quite the same magnitude as real lifers, it is
nevertheless exciting and gives me yet another reason to venture out into the
field whenever I have the free time.
My third and final photo
lifer was a foraging Mangrove Whistler that totally ignored our presence
altogether. Don't be misled by the name as the signature whiplash call of this
species can be heard quite far inland and in various habitats. I never had any
luck with this species until today and although the lighting condition was a
little less than desirable, I am quite happy with my images in the end. Like
the Brown-streaked Flycatcher it was another dull brownish bird but this duo helped
turn ordinary to extraordinary and I guess this time brown is all the colour I
need.
