Good vibes...

Sometimes, you can immediately tell if a person is on the same page as you and getting along well will not be an issue. Well, my latest guests was a couple from Singapore and I felt nothing but good vibes from them. The mangroves of Sungai Batu was the first location of the day. The weather was not promising but the slight drizzle could not dampened their spirit. As we geared up to get the tour going, the drizzle came to a complete halt. When my guests revealed that they had a similar preference as yours truly (that is to handhold their photography gear), my initial gut feeling about this birding couple was right on. It was still gloomy when an Abbott’s Babbler came into view and this inquisitive little bird got the ball rolling.

The resident Puff-throated Babbler strutted about the muddy terrain as it went about its daily routine. The beautiful plumage, the amazing song and lovable character makes the Puff-throated Babbler one the most interesting birds to be encountered here.

A flash of brilliant colours caught our immediate attention and I knew exactly what it was. The bleak environment only enhanced the exquisiteness of the Mangrove Pitta. The sun may be shrouded by rain clouds but the vibrancy of this terrestrial beauty illuminates the surrounding just as well.

This is a sight I can never get bored of – a Pitta absolutely confiding and at ease in your presence. My guests mentioned that experiences are a big part of what they seek in birding excursions and if this performance is not one, I do not know what is.

I cannot help but to be slightly tickled by the gait of the White-breasted Waterhen. It is the most commonly encountered rail due to its decision to live a life less elusive than others of its kind. Having said that, it is still a rail and good views like these should not go unappreciated.

Some birds cut very distinct silhouettes even from a distance. The Green-billed Malkoha, the biggest of all in Malaysia, is one such bird. However, there was a slight hesitant me for to call it out this morning as this individual had a shorter looking tail. When we got closer, the doubt about the bird’s identity vanished and we were left with good views of a Green-billed Malkoha enjoying a breather in a short tree.

Our next destination of the day was the hilly forest of Sungai Sedim in Kedah state. The forest is truly an enchanted place. Not only does it house some of the most fascinating animals, it hides them from sight as well. A Grey-chested Jungle-Flycatcher was a first record for me at this site. It is understandable to overlook a small passerine but something as big as a Buffy Fish-Owl can also remained undetected until it decides to silently swoop across your path. It was a young bird and I can only assume there is a population of these nocturnal hunters here.

On the other hand, there are some diminutive forest bird that are quite conspicuous despite their size. Flowerpeckers are recorded regularly along the forested trails of Sungai Sedim. This time, it was a young Orange-bellied Flowerpecker that caught out attention. Lacking the vivid colouration of the adults did not deter the youngster from showing off to my foreign guests.

Spiderhunters are also well represented here and we managed to record three different species. The Grey-breasted Spiderhunter was the only one that provided a decent photographic opportunity when it rested briefly within its sanctuary up in the forest canopy.

It is quite safe to assume everyone knows what a woodpecker does best and the sound of a drumming woodpecker can ignite the spark to any birding excursion. A search among the middle storey of the forest revealed a female Buff-necked Woodpecker. It was testing conditions for photography and this was my feeble attempt to capture the striking plumage of this woodpecker.

It is wise to stop at any fruiting or you could risk missing out on a memorable birding affair. Unfortunately, only one species came for the fruits. But this one species was no ordinary forest bird. It was a Checker-throated Woodpecker and although the distance was not ideal for photography, this woodpecker was still a stunning subject.

On route to our last location of the day, we made a little detour in the hopes of capturing an intriguing nocturnal species that roosts within an empty plot of an industrial park. The Savanna Nightjars of Kulim Hi-Tech Park have provided numerous encounters that left quite an impression on my foreign guests. The plumage of these birds blend perfectly with their surroundings and if not for my encounters with them in the past, their presence can easily go undetected. Against the textures and colours of this concrete embankment, they are almost invisible.

A second bird was spotted not too far away and the detour was paying off handsomely. Unlike the first bird that looked remarkably like a stone, we could almost make out the shape of the bird as we approached it. Nightjars, like owls, are amazing representatives of the avian family tree and this episode with the Savanna Nightjars will go down as one of the highlights of the trip.

We took a leisurely pace to cover the elevated boardwalk of Air Hitam Dalam – our final destination of the day. The bird activity was nowhere near a good day at this local patch of mine. A young Crested Serpent-Eagle perched unobtrusively in the canopy level hoping to evade the humans intruding into its swampy domain. 

It was my guest that spotted the resting raptor and the sighting jolted the trip back to life...

This birding hotspot is a stronghold for the Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher. A handsome male was perched under pleasant lighting conditions and if you can turn away from such a beautiful sight, then you do not deserve to call yourself a birder.

The adult and immature Greater Racket-tailed Drongo was still loitering near the rear car park just like in my last visit here. The youngster looked relatively the same and was as confiding as ever.

The adult, however, lost a tail racket but that did not stop it from parading itself in front of a trio of birders. To capture the true splendour of its resplendent plumage can at times be difficult but not today. This common but impressive species wrapped things up for the day and it has been quite a day indeed. I guess good companionship also contributes to the outcome of a birding excursion at the end of the day.