The
forest of Bukit Wang in Kedah state beckoned again and this time I was with a
group of relatively young guests from Singapore. It is always comforting to see
young people getting involved with birding and bird photography. I have to
admit I envy their youth as I have now come to terms with my own middle age.
Gone are the days of my hardcore birding. Fatigue and reluctance to go the
extra mile often set in especially when a day of birding draws to a close. And even
the twitcher in me has somewhat lost his influence over life’s decisions.
During
my last visit, the Chinese Blue Flycatcher provided only glimpses. Forest
birding can be unpredictable and today, the male bird made sure we do not end
up empty handed again. I have encountered this uncommon migrant at this
locality before but he still deserves my undivided attention. When the sun
finally found its way into the forest understorey, we were presented with the
true appeal of this flycatcher.
Another notable migrant we came across here was a male Green-backed Flycatcher.
Equally as stunning as the male Chinese Blue Flycatcher, he provided one of the main
highlights of the trip.
At
the mangroves of Sungai Batu, the Mangrove Pitta made an uncharacteristic brief
appearance – much to our dismay. The Forest Wagtail on the other hand, was the
saviour for our visit here and provided a commendable performance.
I
have not seen the Mangrove Blue Flycatcher here for months and had feared for
the worst. That was before this male made an unexpected appearance and put my worries to rest.
All
these years of guiding, I do not think I have ever taken my guest birding in
Penang Island. The Pearl of the Orient has lost most of its glitter. Destruction
of habitat is one of the main reasons. But there is always a first time for
everything. One of the most frequently questions asked by my guests would be
what is the latest “star” bird in Penang? This time, I replied without the
slightest hesitation – Asian Emerald Cuckoos at the Penang Botanic Gardens with
an Oriental Scops-Owl thrown in for good measure. From that moment on, the
cuckoo became the main target for the rest of this 2-day tour.
From
all the info that I could gather, there are at least three cuckoos present with
one of them being a male bird. The cuckoos are attracted to the caterpillars
found on the bamboo clumps in a landscaped garden and will make daily forays for
these tasty morsels. This species is not a lifer for me but I have yet to
photograph this scarce migrant. The last time I saw the Asian Emerald Cuckoo at
this location was about 15 years ago and at that time, I do not even own a
camera. It was late afternoon by the time we arrived at the bamboo garden. As
expected, there was a crowd as this species would be a lifer for most.
Years
of birding have made me an observant man and I could tell, as we got down from
the car, that something in the clumps of bamboo had the attention of the crowd.
A quick gesture of my hand and my guests immediately quickened their pace and
made it to the crowd just in time to see a female Asian Emerald Cuckoo perched gorgeously
on a slightly exposed bamboo shoot. Life can be beautiful sometimes.
She
then flew to a nearby tree in order to further awe us with her stunning beauty. However, the chosen tree had a number of obstructing branches and that
hindered our efforts for improvement shots. The cuckoos’ appearances at this
spot are rather unpredictable and I thank the big guy above for giving us the
opportunity to admire this spectacular bird. And that was the only encounter with
the cuckoo for the rest of day. The magic of Christmas at work again? I would like
to think so.
With
the main target in the bag, I finally had the time to scoot over to some nearby
bamboo clumps to look for the Oriental Scops-Owls. It is not a typing error.
Two owls have been reported before our arrival and we faced no difficulty at
all locating the pair. A few bird photographers were at the roosting tree and
these migratory owls are truly adorable because of their miniature size.
Lighting
was less than ideal and the dense foliage prevented unobstructed views.
Although the owls have been seen quite regularly for the past few days, I still
took as many shots as possible in this testing condition. One thing that I have
learned in life is never to take anything for granted. One can never be
absolutely sure of what tomorrow holds.
The
second Oriental Scops-Owl had an even smaller window from which its image can
be obtained. But these nocturnal hunters are not all that common here in Malaysia
and they certainly have my love and affection. At the time of writing, I was made aware by Krys, the moderator of the excellent website called Oriental Bird Images, that there are three recognized colour morphs for this little owl and these two apparently are brown morph individuals.
We
were back at the Penang Botanic Gardens the next morning. This was
unprecedented for me as a bird guide. For the second consecutive day, I am at a
birding site in Penang Island. Apparently, the female was just not quite enough.
And the male Asian Emerald Cuckoo is now the main target. I do not blame my
guests for deep inside, I was also disappointed at missing out on the male Asian Emerald Cuckoo yesterday.
Minutes
turned into hours and there was still no sign of any feathered emeralds – male
or female. At one time, I went to check on the Oriental Scops-Owls and they were also absent. Lucky
for me, I did not hold back any effort to photograph them the day before. Some
of the commoner species present at the location did help us to pass the time
like this angelic Little Egret in breeding plumage.
The
White-throated Kingfisher patrols the stream here regularly. Though often
ignored, it received some attention this time from the humans present in its
territory.
The
kingfisher shares the stream with a migratory Grey Wagtail. The latter can be
seen combing the sandy banks for food. I guess there is an uneasy truce between
the two species because the kingfisher is an opportunistic hunter and if ever
given the chance to seize the wagtail for food, it probably would.
Crested
Mynas are doing very well here in Penang Island and the gardens is one of its
strongholds. For my Singaporean guests, this locally common species was another
lifer because Penang is after all, the best place for this bulky myna in Malaysia.
Although
it is also green and glossy, the Asian Glossy Starling is definitely not in the
same class as our target bird. There was a fruiting tree within the bamboo
garden that has been attracting flocks of this common bird to feast and linger
in the vicinity.
Marcus,
one of my guests, became the man of the hour as he was the first to spot the
male Asian Emerald Cuckoo. He did not have to utter a single. From his body
language alone, I knew the moment we have been waiting for has arrived. Even
from a distance, there was no denying the resplendence of a male Asian
Emerald Cuckoo. Under the sunlight, his upperparts sparkled like a true gem living up to his
namesake. Everyone present, seasoned or rookie, was mesmerized by this scarce
migrant.
Unfortunately
he did not stay long but during his brief appearance, he did shift positions a
few times. Like an idol high up upon a pedestal, the male Asian Emerald Cuckoo bestowed
upon us two minutes of pure birding ecstasy with his brilliant colouration in
full view. The agonizing 3-hour wait, the brief appearance and the luck of the
draw are some of the other factors that made this moment one of the year’s best
for me. If not for the determination of my young guest to get the male bird, it
is very likely this chapter in my life would not have taken place at all.
After
the performance, we regained our composure and planned for the remaining half
of the day. Since Lady Luck has been a constant companion these past few days, I
decided to try our fortune at the stakeout in Bukit Larut. The weather was not
promising when we finally arrived at the location. Rain is a regular
feature in this town and I fear our luck could finally be running out.
The
shrill vocalization of the Chestnut-naped Forktail suddenly echoed through the
vicinity. We held our breath. Through the gloomy undergrowth, the male bird hopped
into view and it was an emotional rollercoaster all over again for my young
Singaporean guests. By that time, I could feel a slight drizzle but it will
take a lot more than that to dampen our spirits now.
When
the king arrived, we could not even feel the rain drops anymore. The splendour
of a male Rufous-collared Kingfisher can brightened up any situation. As this was
my second experience at the stakeout, I have yet to get accustomed to viewing this
striking kingfisher up close and personal like this. It was certainly breath
taking.
The
Hooded Pitta was probably put off by the impending storm and was sorely missed.
Unfortunately, the Green-backed Flycatcher and as well as a juvenile Siberian
Blue Robin only made a brief appearance. In the end it was the handsome male
Orange-headed Thrush that provided one last adrenalin rush for our group before
we decided to call it a day.
An
inquisitive Spectacled Langur saw us off as we packed up our gear and these
docile monkeys are a common sight here at the foothill of Bukit Larut. We did
not encounter as many species as I had anticipated for this 2-day birding
adventure. However, the amazing moments with the Asian Emerald Cuckoos were
significant enough for my guests to consider the tour to be a successful one.
And I cannot argue with that.
I would like to take this opportunity
to wish all those celebrating a Merry Christmas and to all, a Happy New Year.
2 comments:
Well once again a successful couple of days birding and congratulations on the magnificent capture of the male Asian Emerald cuckoo, superb pictures amongst many once again. It's good to see that the island of Penang is at this time still showing some great highlights if one has the patience and fortune. Another great post :-))
Thank you, Kieron. The cuckoos certainly demanded a whole lot of patience.
Post a Comment