The
Important Bird Area of the Teluk Air Tawar – Bagan Belat coastline injected a
dose of exhilaration into the local Penang birding community by playing host to
a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull. It is undoubtedly a rare migrant to our
shores and four enthusiastic birders including yours truly decided to try their
luck for this would-be lifer. Birding at this locality is now mostly a maritime
affair due to current landscape and restricted accessibility to roosting spots.
And the local fishermen now have an additional source of income by ferrying
birders around.
A
beautiful sunrise, surprisingly, was the first thing to have my attention as we
left the jetty. I guess age is making me more susceptible to other wonders of
nature apart from birds.
Naturally,
anything that remotely resembled a gull was given due attention and a flock of
Brown-headed Gulls loitering along the edge of the tide got the ball rolling
for this twitching endeavour.
The
concrete poles of cockle farms in the vicinity are prized commodities among the
gulls and other seabirds. And we decided to scrutinize these manmade perches
for our target.
One
of our companions caught sight of an odd one among the Brown-headed Gulls but
we could not relocate it despite all the effort taken. However, we could still
take comfort in observing the commoner Brown-headed Gulls in close proximity
with the diffused lighting of the overcast sky as an added bonus.
The
most conspicuous species in these congregations is usually the Great Crested
Tern and it is no different today. If I should be so bold to add these cockle
farms do provide the best photographic and observatory opportunities for this
impressive member of the tern family.
Overshadowed
by the immense presence of the Great Crested Terns, our attention span on this
a lone Common Tern was inevitably brief. And a record shot of this common but
elegant winter visitor in order to include it in this post was the least I
could do.
There
are an assortment of manmade poles sticking out of the water throughout the area
and I guess they all should serve a purpose. And for this Whiskered Tern, it
was the perfect vantage point to take a breather and watch the world go by.
Then
came another non-birding moment during our twitch for the Lesser Black-backed Gull. I
was drawn to the view of my island home surrounded by thick clouds from above.
It is confirmed. I am diversifying.
The
water was rather choppy today and my sea legs were put to the test. Constantly
peering through my binoculars and camera did not help the situation. But
birders on a twitching mission do not have time to be seasick especially when
dipping out is almost a certainty. We resorted to scanning the vast mudflats but
the tide is not exactly ideal. The low tide stacked the odds against us and
roosting terns like this Whiskered Tern were the closest we got our target
bird here.
The
waders are back in good numbers again this season but unfortunately, they were spread
out too far and too wide on the exposed mud. A few Curlew Sandpipers did wander
relatively close to our boat as we entered a river mouth.
It
is always a delight to see the adorable Red-necked Stint and this individual
was too preoccupied with feeding than to take much notice of our presence. Hopefully,
it is taking notice of other dangers present in the vicinity.
A
juvenile Brahminy Kite patrolled the shore line for breakfast. This common
raptor is predominantly a scavenger but if the opportunity presents itself, an
unwary stint would make a good snack.
As
expected, a number of Pond-Herons were also foraging along this muddy
coastline. At this time of the year, the majority of them will still be
sporting their dull non-breeding plumages.
The
gleaming white plumages of the Great and Little Egrets make it hard to overlook
these graceful water birds. A small flock hunting along the edge of the water
convinced me to take a few shots before I carried on with the search for a rare
gull.
One
species that truly towers over the rest is the Lesser Adjutant. I am always grateful
that this stork can still survive in my home state because it is one of my
favourite water birds. This individual was rather suspicious of our approach
and quickly made its way to a safer distance.
As
we made our way back to the jetty, a Grey Heron on lofty perch greeted our
return and provided the last encounter for the trip. Disappointment from
dipping out on the Lesser Black-backed Gull was inevitable but that is all part
of birding and we live to twitch another day.
