Reaping rewards from the reeds - Part 2

Still using my vehicle as a mobile hide but abandoning the bittern approach to hunting, I drove slowly skirting the marshlands of Batu Kawan in search of more birds. Yellow Bitterns are undoubtedly the commonest of all the bitterns here. They are usually more confiding as well and it is not too difficult to approach them especially if you do it using a vehicle.

The lighting conditions and obstructing vegetation often foiled my attempts for better images of this species as usual.

With years of experience, you will be able to master the art of field craft to enable you to approach birds easily – in your dreams, that is. A lot will ride on luck and the mood the birds are in. Most of the time you can and will be outdone by the birds, trust me. But sometimes, when the birds are obliging enough and Lady Luck is by your side, you will get what your heart desires.

Unlike the bittern, I found the Eurasian Moorhens to have little tolerance for human presence. It took some effort before I managed some reasonable images but these lovely and graceful birds are worth the trouble. This birding hotspot has a good number of Eurasian Moorhens and I encountered them a few times throughout the trip.

I thought they were shy on water but on dry land, they are even worse. When out of its element, this water bird is likely to feel particularly vulnerable which is understandable. God forbid if it lets a birder enjoy fetching views of its awkward gait. Or worse, post the images on his blog for all to see.

The next dweller of this marshy realm stopped me at my tracks. For when it comes to beauty, the Grey-headed Swamphen is utterly gorgeous. Boasting a plumage of shades of purplish-blue and not to mention a striking red bill and frontal shield, this water bird is certainly a feast for the eyes. This individual was resting openly at edge of the marsh when our paths crossed and with the lighting much in my favour, today’s birding excursion provided yet another treasured encounter for me.

It is not an uncommon species but I do not come across it often enough in my usual birding locations here in northern Peninsular Malaysia. This locality and its vast reed beds is probably the last stronghold of the Grey-headed Swamphen in Penang state but that did not make it easy to encounter one. This was my fourth visit here and the first time I actually got to see the bird.

Purple Herons, though common, are another spectacular water bird that is thriving here. Unfortunately, I did not have much luck with the adults today.

The juveniles lacking the vibrancy of the adults are still impressive. Despite its towering stature, the Purple Heron can be relatively shy at times. Young birds have a tendency to be bolder and that offered some compensation for their duller appearance.

A confiding juvenile Purple Heron right out in the open may not be that exciting to most. But for me, a sucker for water birds especially the big ones, the youngster’s performance certainly did not go unappreciated.

This photo depicting a pair of Asian Openbills perched over the marshlands somehow reminded me of my amazing trip to Cambodia. Well, this is certainly not Cambodia – not even by a long shot. But for a place located within of one the most rapidly developing states in the country, it is heaven sent.

Asian Openbills are the most numerous of the big water birds found here in the marshlands of Batu Kawan. I have come to learn from previous trips that they are exceptionally bold here as well. And I cannot help but to take a number of images of these unique storks - again.

With a diet that consists primarily of snails, I thought that the Asian Openbills have it made. There were plenty of Golden Apple Snails judging from the eggs deposited throughout the vicinity. It was not until I started following foraging storks that I realized it was not a walk in the park for them. It took effort to fill their stomachs - just like every other bird species. I must have observed at least three individuals but not even one ended its foray with success.

I rarely use a tripod for my photography and that is a major hindrance when shooting videos. That is why I usually keep my crappy clips for my own viewing. Anyway, one Asian Openbill was hunting so close to my vehicle that it would be a shame if I only took still images. Luckily, I could brace my gear against the window sill of my vehicle and it provided the support I needed for a decent video capture. The day just keeps getting better.

On the opposite side of the access road from the marshlands lies a big area of mangroves. A network of shallow tidal canals weave their way among the exposed roots and one such canal ran quite close to the access road. I invested some time here because of the presence of foraging waders. There were no exceptional species present but birding is not always about rarities. Poise and sensual, the Black-winged Stilt is one of my favourite waders. This lone male was not perturbed by my presence and continued his daily routine in full view.

Smaller but no less elegant was the Marsh Sandpiper. This individual was obtaining its striking breeding plumage and soon, it will probably be able to give the stilt a run for its money. I have not used these words in a long time - reflections of wings and inspiration...

A preening ‘Swintail’ Snipe had my undivided attention as I saw an opportunity to confirm its identity. Or so I thought. I took a lot of images with emphasis on the tail region especially when fanned out. Back home, I sent my best efforts to my man Dave only to be disappointed again. The images did not quite show the outer tail feathers well enough and without that, it is impossible to tell the Swinhoe’s Snipe from the Pin-tailed Snipe.

I normally keep my post light but since I have touched on the subject, do allow me to attempt to finish what I started. These two images were taken with permission from Dave Bakewell’s posting on snipe identification. The title of the article is Keep Calm and Study Snipes. Well, calm is not exactly what I feel when it comes to identifying these snipes. It is, please excuse the language and no disrespect to the author, fucking frustrating. Anyway, here is a Swinhoe’s Snipe with its tail when fanned out for a positive identification...

And here, a Pin-tailed Snipe. Go knock yourself out. On a more serious note if you are interested to know how to truly differentiate the two snipes, here is Dave’s informative article.

Although this trip was predominantly for water birds, the land birds did play a part to make this birding excursion complete. I have not noticed any other munias present here apart from the Chestnut Munia. It could just be a coincidence but whatever the reason may be, I am glad this species has found refuge here because I do not think it is doing well in other localities. A pair of these seedeaters was drawn to some dried mud on an area of red earth. I guess the mud was actually some vegetation unintentionally dragged out from the marsh and the munias were picking out edibles.

The red earth and heatwave barely complimented the stunning colourations of the Chestnut Munias well and I waited in vain for them to improve the situation for my photographic efforts.

A pipit flew across my moving vehicle and alighted just next to the access road. It did not budge as I rolled slowly next to it and such confiding behaviour usually belongs to only one species. Even without lifting my binoculars, I knew it was a Paddyfield Pipit, the commonest and only resident pipit in Malaysia. However, it has been an amazing day and it could not hurt being a little more optimistic. Perhaps there was still one more moment of magic left for me. A few photos later the bird in question, now standing all so elegantly on a tiny mound, was indeed a Paddyfield Pipit. I know I may be demanding at times but any bird, regardless of status, performing this well certainly deserves some loving.

With summer fast approaching, this Blue-tailed Bee-eater should be starting its migration back north soon. A skilled aerial hunter of open country habitats, it usually tolerates intrusion as long as you hide your human form. I did exactly that resulting in a prolonged and rewarding observation of a common but attractive winter visitor.

As I was about to part ways with Blue-tailed Bee-eater, it was joined by another. There was one more moment of magic left for me after all. The second individual was also looking its best and all prepped up for the breeding season.

Just when I thought I have seen everything there is to see, something unexpected took place. When returning from its flying assault on insects, the bee-eater misjudged the strength of a twig and landed clumsily. In fact, it almost fell from the flimsy perch and held on to whatever pride it had left belly up. Now, that is something you do not see very often with this agile bird but mistakes do happen. Just like the Japanese proverb, even monkeys fall from trees.

As a closing for this surprisingly long post for a visit to a local patch, the species selected to do the honours was not my typical choice. It is not even a bird but a lotus flower. I came across a few in bloom as I made my way to back the harsh reality of life. Somehow the sight of this bright flower in a dull landscape captivated me. Normally, flowers do not have such influence over me but it is not exactly normal times now. I took it as a message from Mother Nature. True we are now plagued by a lethal element but even in our darkest hour, there is always hope and it will shoot up from the most unlikely places to make our world beautiful again. Until then, stay home and stay safe to all. The Penang Birder signing out for now.