Living colours (Part 1)

It is always nice to hear back from a guest again and a couple of years have passed since Paul’s first birding excursion with me in Malaysia. He hails from Costa Rica – a place where one regularly encounters such divine species like the Resplendent Quetzal. What could possibly trigger his return visit to this part of the world? Well during his maiden trip here, the Mangrove Pitta was sorely missed. And he still needs a Red-headed Trogon to stride closer to achieving his lifetime goal of photographing all the Trogon species in the world. It was doable assignment and confidence was high. All that was needed was another trip to the mangroves of Sungai Batu for the former and a road trip up to the montane forest of Fraser’s Hill for the latter. But after all these years, I still do forget that nothing is a sure thing when it comes to birding. Something that I will be reminded of harshly later in the trip.

Our 3-day birding adventure certainly did not start off well. While waiting to pick up Paul at the hotel lobby, overcast skies loomed with showers agonisingly poured from the heavens. Rain is and always will be one of the most dreaded elements in birding. Anyway, we travelled north to the mangroves as planned and hoped for the best. The Mangrove Pitta may not be looking its best now but it was still an exhilarating lifer for my guest. Compared to the last time Paul was here, getting the Pitta was like a walk in the park. A muddied park but the pitta was certainly worth getting a bit dirty for. It just goes to show again that not everything can go according to plan. But I am glad it did for the Mangrove Pitta this time.

With the first main target of the trip safely in the bag, the weather also improved slightly. Or it seemed that way. Paul has a penchant for brilliantly coloured birds and naturally, he could not resist the alluring beauty of the Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher despite having encountered this species before in his previous visit. Besides, it would a sin to ignore such an obliging individual.

I do think wagtails occur in Central America judging from the reaction of my guest when we came face to face with a Forest Wagtail. Strikingly marked and adorable, this common winter visitor received its due admiration as it swaggered about the swampy grounds.

By the time, we reached the windy Gap Road that leads up to the birding paradise known as Fraser’s Hill, it was already dark. It was an early night for the both of us in anticipation of the all-out birding that is to follow tomorrow. It turned out to be a clear and beautiful morning the next day. Fraser’s Hill is one of my favourite birding sites and I am sure I am not the only birder that feels this way. The cool mountain air, the lush landscape, beautiful architectures and most importantly home to an array of living colours in the form of feathered denizens. All these make Fraser’s Hill what it is.

We set out for the second main target of the trip but much to my dismay, the Red-headed Trogon proved to be elusive even from its usual haunts. Despite numerous attempts throughout the day, the closest we got to it was a lone bird calling from deep inside its forest domain. My work suddenly became much harder than I had anticipated. A male White-tailed Robin did his best to lift our spirits by foraging outside his gloomy domain of the forest undergrowth.

Some of the commonest birds of this hill resort sport brilliant plumage colouration. The Spectacled Laughingthrush is often taken for granted due to its common nature but to my guest, it was a sight to behold as this is his first birding excursion to a montane forest here in Southeast Asia.

The Long-tailed Sibia, like the laughingthrush, is just as confiding. It may be lacking in colours but the long tail and inquisitive nature make it another attractive species as well.

We have only a few endemics here in Peninsular Malaysia. Naturally, I take pride in showing off the Malaysian Hill-Partridge to all my foreign guests. This endemic game bird has been showing well at one particular stake out for the past few years and it did not take long for three of them to scurry their way into today’s highlights.

I sometimes still find it hard to believe that this bird used to be one of the most difficult to find and observe at this site. But that is in the past. Now with a little patience and the right timing, you will get to admire flocks of these amazing birds in their full splendour.

Joining the partridges, was a pair of Malayan Laughingthrushes. Slightly more cryptic and unobtrusive than the Spectacled Laughingthrush, it is still made up of a combination of colours that will capture your attention.  

The dimly-lighted lower storey of the forest is where the Large Niltava can be found. Even in the shadows, the striking colouration of the male bird is undeniable.

On those occasions when he does wander into the sunlight, the true splendour of this sizeable flycatcher will be revealed and it is spectacular. Even with those hideous rings on his legs.

The female on the other hand is a pale comparison to the male’s beauty. Only traces of blue can be found on her but the confiding nature exhibited by this girl deserves a space in my blog post. And she concludes the first half of our birding excursion to one of the most rewarding birding sites in Malaysia. The second half of this birding adventure continues in the next post.