The
last time I participated in a bird race was the annual Fraser’s Hill International
Bird Race (FHIBR) back in 1995 and we got a commendable third place then. For
the benefit of those not familiar with the term Bird Race, it is basically a
competition to see who records the most number of bird species within a certain
locality in a given time frame. In the case of the FHIBR, each team is given 24
hours to record to do it within the borders of this renowned hill resort –
renowned for its rich birdlife that is. The criteria are simple – at least 2
members of a team must see and agree on the identification of the bird in order
to put it down. Birds that were heard do not count. The arbitrators, race
officials and checkpoints play an important role in maintaining a certain
standard and order to the competition but as with all bird races, a lot is
dependent on the integrity of the participants.
When
Choo Eng invited me to join him for this year’s FHIBR, I obliged as it has been
quite a while since my last one. The third member of our team was none other
than James Ooi – one of the members of my team during the ’95 race. Siew Thye
came along as a non-participating member (each team is restricted to 3 members
only) and it was a rather good experience for him. We decided to call ourselves
team Penang Aquilas in honour of these magnificent raptors’ recent regularity
of wintering in our home state of Penang.
Besides, it was an intimidating name as well.
As
expected I did not have much time for bird photography. Heck, we didn’t even
have much time to eat and bathe! Jokes aside, a bird race is like birding on
overdrive and it can be rather tiring at times. But it is definitely not short
on excitement and drama. Anyway, one of the birds that I did manage to
photograph was this common resident – the Oriental Magpie-robin.
Come
to think of it, the commoner birds were the majority that I photographed this
time. The Mountain Bulbul is almost a certainty here at Fraser’s Hill but I
remembered well that we missed out on this species during the ’95 race. I guess
luck plays an important – as usual.
The
Large Niltava is a rather attractive flycatcher of the montane forest and can
usually be seen hawking for insects along the access roads and bungalow
compounds. The male bird possesses a brilliant blue plumage that can only be
truly appreciated when he is seen in good light. The female, on the other hand,
has the brilliant blue colouration reduce to the collar and head region only.
Another
common flycatcher of this hill resort is the Rufous-browed Flycatcher. Occasionally
overlooked due to its smaller size and duller colouration and as well as its
preference for hunting among the shadows of the forest under storey. Its sweet
but soft whistling notes are usually one of the indicators of its presence.
The
highlight of the trip in terms of bird photography is courtesy of a bird
species so strikingly-coloured and attractive, it leaves you no choice but to
believe in the existence of a greater being. Only He with his divine power is
capable of creating such a heavenly work of art in a form of a bird. A bird
called the Sultan Tit. Bright yellow colouration contrasting beautifully with
the remaining black plumage and a wicked crest. Enough said.
Here’s
a photo of my team mates in the thick of action…
Other
than the birds, we also managed to photograph a rather curious Small-toothed Palm
Civet that was checking us out from the safety of the overhead electrical
cabel…
And
a confiding Keelback Snake momentarily distracted us from the race.
I
bet you’re wondering how we faired in the race. Well, we managed to record 68
species altogether and it was good enough to make the Penang Aquilas champions
for the 26th FHIBR! The weather was rather dry and hot during the
entire race and the birding was not as good as usual. We had to really dig deep
to come up with the result but it was certainly worth all the effort. Other
than the bragging rights of being the winners this year, we also received
trophies, binoculars, fieldguides and cash prizes. Not bad for 24 hours of
intense birding!
