A tale of two twitches

 

Before my birding tour in central Thailand ended, it came to my attention that Yellow-breasted Buntings were also seen and photographed at the Bluethroat site back in Penang. To have two mega rarities literally together of which one is critically endangered and a global lifer for me was too good to be true surely. But the images surfacing in social media say otherwise. Well, my pending visit to the locality escalated from gradually to urgently. I had ample time at the airport when I waited for my flight back to Penang. Normal folks would be homesick and all that but I am a birder and we are a breed apart. As I sipped my over-priced coffee at one the cafes, there was only one mind on my mind – Yellow-breasted Buntings. A plan was formed before I boarded the plane. By the time I climbed onto bed, it was midnight. At the break of dawn, I found myself at the grasslands of Kubang Semang in mainland Penang for my first twitch in years. I have not had so much excitement in my birding life for a long time and it was invigorating to say the least.

It was a Monday and the chosen day was also part of the plan. A mega like the Bluethroat will have any place in Peninsular Malaysia crowded especially when the bird is stable and regular. Add another mega into the mix and you do the math. It was empty when James and I arrived at the site. Just as I was about to pat myself on the back, other like-minded ‘bird’ people started pouring in. And I guess a working Monday is not much of a hindrance after all. The male Bluethroat, as expected, did not take long to reveal his stunning presence. Having just experienced a similar encounter less than twenty-four hours ago, the usual thrill of a successful twitch was a little lacking.

All my years of birding has taught me quite a number of things and taking birds for granted is not one of them. I continued to shower the Bluethroat with attention while James and a few others who have spent enough time with the Bluethroat last week, were on the lookout for the Yellow-breasted Buntings.

An Oriental Reed-Warbler wandered into view and this common but at times elusive migrant, warranted some attention as well.

When anxiety set in, I side everything aside and focused all my attention in finding the main reason behind this rare weekday excursion. It was a hive of bird activities at this patch of grasslands. As fate would have it, I have the Baya Weavers to thank for this bustling atmosphere. And I do not mean it in a good way. The similarities between a female Baya Weaver and the buntings were undeniable. Inevitably, every movement by the former will have my bins locked onto them and there were about a dozen of them around.

The Munias can never to be mistaken for the buntings but their movement will occasionally distract me from my quest. The majority of these adorable birds were White-headed Munias. On any other day I would have invested some time and effort to document them but today is not the day.

The same can be said about the Black-headed Munias.

As the day grew hotter, fatigue and frustration heightened. I was distracted by the Baya Weavers so often that I can now recognise their jizz in an instance. And a lone bird foraging at a short distance do not strike me as one of them. Before I could switch to my camera, my lifer took off but I alerted the rest of its presence nevertheless. Soon after, a Yellow-breasted Bunting popped into view and there was no denying its identity now. However, there was no icing to the cake. I can blame it on my gear or even old age but it will not change the fact that this horrible image was all I have to show at the end of the encounter.

The outcome of the twitch was a bitter pill to swallow. I am well aware I could have just as easily missed the Yellow-breasted Bunting altogether. I refuse to believe that my experience with this species will be nothing more than a case of so close and yet so far. No, there has got to be more and I have to make sure of that. Four gruelling work days had to pass before a re-visit was possible. The resident Bronze-winged Jacana which used to be a rarity, was the first to greet me during my second attempt at the critically endangered Yellow-breasted Buntings.

The present status of this vagrant is a sad tale indeed. It used to be common where it naturally occurs but common does not mean invincible if share your home with humans. Rampant trapping and hunting have driven the Yellow-breasted Bunting to the brink of extinction. The world does not need another example like the Passenger Pigeon to show just how fragile the wellbeing of wildlife can be. And now, there are at least three individuals wintering in my neck of woods. It will be a shame if I do not give it my all to connect with this species before it is too late. Minutes turned to hours and still no signs of the celebrity birds despite the number of eyes looking for them. Naturally, I was not alone as it was the weekend after all.

Nothing is ever a sure thing when it comes to birding. It does not matter how skilled you are or how meticulous is your planning and strategies. If the bird does not want to be seen or photographed, there is nothing you can do about it. Fortunately, luck was on my side and a Yellow-breasted Bunting suddenly decided to alight in front of me. There is a God after all.

From the images posted on social media, one of the birds was an adult male and the other two were either first winter or female birds in different stages of moult. The individual that I was staring was not the adult male and that was the only thing I can be sure of at that time. Opinions from knowledgeable friends and resources online indicated that it was a female. Although not as striking as a male bird, she has more than enough captivation to leave a lasting impressive.

Best of all, she was obliging enough to allow all those present to obtain photographic memories of the encounter. And all the earlier ill feelings she and her kin caused, was forgiven.

Almost immediately after she retreated, a second bird was spotted. However, it could not live up to the first encounter due to the distance. The second bird also turned out to be a female but her underparts are more heavily streaked and lacking the colour intensity.

When she took flight, another individual followed and I can only assume was the first female. And that concluded my observation of the Yellow-breasted Buntings. I found my closure in the end and the world is a beautiful place once again.

Just in case you are wondering, the handsome male Bluethroat was still around and performing for a number of admirers since morning. However, it was the female Bluethroat that caught my eye today. It is common knowledge that the duller female was the shyer of the two at this location. Anyway, it was a record shot more than anything else but completed my observation of the rare Bluethroats as well.

A surprisingly confiding Yellow-bellied Prinia held me back from my making my journey home. Like what I mentioned earlier, nothing in birding should ever be taken for granted and even the commonest species deserve some attention especially if they are performing well like this.