Almost
exactly one year ago today I set out to seek a wintering Black-backed
Kingfisher at one of my local patches, the Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest,
in conjunction with the annual Global Big Day. The dwarf king managed to elude
me on that occasion. And now, here I am again, attempting to locate another or
possibly the same Black-backed Kingfisher during a Global Big Day. They say
lightning never strikes the same place twice. Well, I can pretty much guess they
are not birders and have no idea how cruel birding can be. Yet again, this
spectacular little bird refused to reveal itself and lightning certainly struck
twice – thrice in fact if I really wanted to lament about another failed
attempt two years ago. However, it was not all gloom for despite the wet and
cold week that was, it was a surprising beautiful morning today.
This
birding location has lost much of its lustre and the dawn chorus is noticeably
less impressive of late. One species that is still prominent is the
Olive-winged Bulbul. Its bubbly territorial call filled the vicinity of the
concrete boardwalk. In fact, one was using the boardwalk ropes as a stage for
its post-dawn repertoire.
It
may not be uncommon or exceptionally striking but the Olive-winged Bulbuls put
on a grand performance today and that certainly provided some cheer.
Some
cuckoos have the tendency to be unobtrusive. I would have walked passed this one
if not for the exposed perch it alighted on. It was very cooperative and I had
ample time to observe and photograph. And yet, I was indecisive of its
identity. Juvenile cuckoos can be difficult to distinguish and this youngster
was putting me to the test. It boiled down to either a Plaintive Cuckoo or a
Brush Cuckoo and I was leaning towards the latter.
After
consulting my buddies, my initial guess was right and it was indeed a Brush
Cuckoo – a species that I have not recorded before from this location.
As
it was a Global Big Day, I tried to record down as many species as possible and
stopping only when good photographic opportunities presented themselves. However,
the peculiar call of the Black-and-Red Broadbill immediately halted my efforts.
For this bird does not required any good photographic opportunities to have my
undivided attention. It is probably one of the most striking and charismatic feathered
denizen at this locality. And a pair was frolicking about the forest canopy.
Unfortunately,
the lighting condition was unforgiving and I was struggling to obtain any decent
shots.
Meanwhile,
a Common Myna was happily singing as it foraged close to where I had positioned
myself below the broadbills. This bird is just so full of character and I
cannot help thinking it is somewhat amused by my desperate attempts for better
images of the broadbills.
The
sweet song of the Mangrove Blue Flycatcher which was missing from the dawn
chorus started to serenade the surroundings later in the morning. It has been
months since I last saw this stunning species and this confiding male reminded
me why it is such a favourite with my foreign guests. The pandemic has
prevented any foreigners from entering Malaysia and my guiding endeavours for
now are nothing more than memories. The recent spike in the number of
coronavirus cases has covered my country with a cloud of uncertainty again and we
can only hope and wait for the sun to shine through once more.
Another
soothing moment was the encounter with the sole female Indochinese Blue Flycatcher
of this locality. I am not certain of the lifespan of this flycatcher but this
girl has brightened up my trips here often enough to have me missing her due to
my inconsistent visits to this site nowadays.
The
minute Black-thighed Falconet is a regular feature here in Air Hitam Dalam.
Something in the lower canopy level caught the interest of this individual and
made it dived down from its lofty vantage point. Now within the range of my
camera, I was presented with this unexpected opportunity to capture some images
of this beautiful raptor. Well, at least I can take comfort that one dwarf was
showing well enough.
As
the temperature rose, the migratory Black Kites started to soar above their
wintering ground. For years these graceful raptors have taken refuge here and from
the looks of things, this season will not be any different. The kites wrapped
things up for this time and despite missing out on the kingfisher again, it was
a relatively enjoyable day out in the field with a decent count for my Big Day
as well.
