The return of the dwarf king

Recently, a Black-backed Kingfisher on passage has been performing for birders in the capital city of Malaysia and it brought back bitter memories of this kingfisher gracing one of my local patches last season. Sometimes in life you are given second chances. Unbelievable as it may seemed, I received a tip off that another kingfisher was back at Air Hitam Dalam. Inevitably, I found myself back at this locality for the second consecutive Saturday. I timed my arrival better on this occasion and by the time I stepped onto the elevated boardwalk, the sunbeams have pierced their way through the lush vegetation of the swamp forest.

I was a man on a mission but a pair of Green-billed Malkohas glided into the foliage nearby and momentarily distracted me. This is the only malkoha species left in the reserve and its presence usually do not go unnoticed even when I am not guiding any foreign guests. With a tail longer than its body, I am quite certain I am not alone that feels that the Green-billed Malkoha is an incredible bird.

For a good half of the morning, I scanned the flooded understorey of the forest looking for a tiny but dazzling gem of a kingfisher but to no avail. I heard the call a couple of times. Saw it dashed across my field of view once. And that was it. An exact repetition of last year’s encounter. It started to feel like a frightening annual event for me but I cannot deny the fact that this little ball of feathers got the better of me – again. However, the locality was not void of birds and the middle storey was where most of them were to be found today. The Tiger Shrikes were still undergoing their migration from the north and this juvenile was having a stopover here.

The Brown Shrike, however, is home. For the next few months anyway before it flies back north in spring to breed.

There was a small fallout of leaf warblers today. At least 4 Arctic Warblers were recorded together with an Eastern Crowned Warbler. These little brown jobs are difficult to photograph due to their small size and active nature. One Arctic Warbler foraged for a considerable amount of time on a sparse tree and the absence of foliage was a great advantage for me. I know that there is now a split for the Arctic Warbler. But I am a simple man and I like to keep things simple. No point losing sleep thinking if it could have been the identical Japanese or Kamchatka Leaf-Warbler.

A number of Yellow-rumped Flycatchers (yes, they are using back the old name which I have always maintain to be the better one) seem to have settled down here in Air Hitam Dalam as their winter home this season. All three that I managed to encounter today were not as confiding as I hoped them to be. Only the first winter male, told by his black uppertail coverts, provided some reasonable photographic opportunities.

The resident female Indochinese Blue-Flycatcher was a real sweetheart by doing her best to brighten up the day and it was a commendable effort indeed.

The last bird for this short excursion was none other than a male Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher. I have had so many intimate and fond memories of this species here that I even unofficially christened this alluring species the ambassador of Air Hitam Dalam.

The disappointment with the Black-backed Kingfisher was disheartening. But that is birding. During the time of writing, a number of my fellow birders have scored with this tiny beauty and I am happy for them – honest! It did not come easy and some waited for hours before given the privilege to photograph his royal highness. But a couple of days after, the Black-backed Kingfisher was nowhere to be seen. Apparent, Elvis has left the building. Well, until the next season then...