Breeding season is here

 

Heavy work schedule, illogical access restrictions to my usual birding haunts, the ongoing coronavirus situation and perhaps even age have been keeping me away from the field. My love for birding is not fading. That is certain or I would not have found myself wandering about the all-too-familiar river trail in Air Hitam Dalam on my birthday. Spending some time rejuvenating my soul in the morning and a quiet dinner with my dearest in the evening. That is celebration enough for me.

A lone Black-thighed Falconet brooding over whatever it is that the smallest raptor in the world broods about was the first bird to gain my attention.

Among the canopy of the swamp forest, a male Asian Koel prepared himself to defend his territory – a daily routine now as it is the height of the breeding season for this parasitic cuckoo. As expected, his loud and persistent vocalization soon echoed throughout the locality.

Almost rivalling the intensity of the Asian Koel was a pair of Collared Kingfishers. No doubt fuelled by the approaching breeding season, the pair was confiding and courted among the foliage of the riverine trees. And I took a moment to appreciate the performance.

The Common Iora possess quite a range of calls and songs. It did not take me long to locate a pair that was moving about the edge of the forest as they were calling persistently. The striking male did not appreciate my intrusion and retreated into the forest. His mate, startled by his sudden departure, veered through a gap among the foliage at the reason behind the chaos and provided me a brief window of opportunity to capture her image.

As I made my way further along the access road, a pair of pipits scooted away from me and alighted. Now, this family of birds are not the easiest to identify. Come to think of it, near impossible for some species. However, only one will pair up and breed here on Malaysian soil and that is the Paddyfield Pipit.

My attention soon drifted from ground to the nearby bushes as another common resident was preparing for the breeding season. The Yellow-bellied Prinia is a vocal bird and during the breeding season, even more so. And it tends to be bolder and regularly showing off its lovely plumage from exposed perches near the top of the bushes.

A Brahminy Kite on the hunt sent the prinia diving for cover. Although this raptor is rarely a threat to small birds, the sinister shape of a soaring raptor is enough to cause an abrupt end to the prinia’s vocal performance.

It was a colourful conclusion to this short excursion as the last bird I encountered was a pair of Common Flamebacks. The striking couple was foraging at the car park area and I delayed my departure from this local patch of mine – naturally. And to wrap things up for this time is a decent capture of the male with his flaming red crest reminding me just how good it can get when you spend time in the field.