Birding
is more than a hobby to most hardcore birders. It is more like a religion. And
like all religions, there will be times when your faith gets tested. The morning
that I spend birding at the Bukit Panchor Forest Reserve in the southern tip of
mainland Penang on this beautiful Saturday
morning was one of them. This reserve is prime habitat as the forest is still
quite undisturbed. Along certain stretches of the jungle trail, the forest
literally creeps right into the trail itself. Do not get me wrong. I do
appreciate that a habitat like this still exists within the borders of my rapidly
developing home state. By right, it should be a birder’s paradise and it is –
just not all the time. The birds are there. The only problem is finding them
and convincing them to stay put long enough for you to have a decent view – let
alone photograph. It all boils down to your field craft, effort, timing ands a
whole lot of luck. Did I mention a whole lot of luck?
One
of the reasons I have this blog is to try and keep my birding experiences and
memories alive through words and photography. I can consider myself lucky that
I usually have enough material for my blog from all my birding excursions. This
trip had me braving the onslaught of leeches, mosquitoes and scorching heat in
the humid tropical rain forest. All I have for show is a single bird – a
Malaysian Hawk-cuckoo calling from an exposed perch. The encounter with the
cuckoo was a good one and I manage to capture some pretty decent shots.
But
the trip was as bad as it seemed. I did record a fair bit of good forest birds
which unfortunately, did not give me the opportunity to photograph them. Then I
thought perhaps I could put it in words and describe the encounters. But how
can I describe the feeling of seeing of a Rufous-collared Kingfisher darting
through the middle storey of the forest. How do I tell the frustration of
having a Buff-necked Woodpecker play a little hide-and-seek with you around a
tree trunk at eye level and well within your gear’s shooting capability? I am also
at lost with words about the sudden rush of adrenalin that jolted through my
body when an Emerald Dove decided to fly off from the ground just a few steps
ahead of me. And the disappointment of yet another failed attempt to relocate a
creature of almost mythical stature called the Giant Pitta.
But
this is the reality of birding in the forest. Sometimes, everything just comes
in place perfectly and sometimes, your faith in this so-called hobby gets
tested. Despite all my grumbling, I will be back again at this locality in
future because I just cannot deny myself the opportunity of what I may
encounter in the next trip. It could be yet another letdown or it could be a trip
filled with memorable encounters that will last a lifetime. To wrap things for
the day is a photo of a skink hunting for breakfast among the undergrowth of
the forest.
12 comments:
The Hawk Cuckoo is quite the bird, Mun! And such wonderful shots of it must have made the trip worth it. I remember encountering leeches unexpectedly in the Australian jungle at night; not a good experience at the time, but a very memorable one that brings that trip back into sharp focus in my mind even after 30 years! I very much enjoyed reading about your experience. Great post.
Thank you, Wilma. Yes, leech bites do take some getting used to.
Looks like a good place to see bottom dwellers - pittas, babblers, night jars, rail babbler etc.
It was, Ronnie. But unfortunately, not in recent years.
keep going bro~ when i was not enough energy to birding or bird photography, ur blog always encourage me~
No matter how hard we try, sometimes we get very little to show for our efforts.
Still, I always reckon it's better to bash out into the woods and fail, rather than just stay at home.
Anyway, nice shots of the cuckoo, these are always interesting.
Thank you, Adolph. Your words really made my day.
You are absolutely right, John. Thanks!
The skink is a Eutropis rugifera.
Thank you, Muin. You're the man...
I really like this post, Mum. Sometimes (or most of the time!) birding is just like that.
Thanks, Ayuwat.
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