Birds, butterflies and golden babies...

 

The eBird Global Big Day is an annual event with a worthy cause as the data collected will be used for bird conservation research. Unfortunately, I usually cannot fully commit to this endeavour but I do try my best. For this year, time constraint and unfavourable weather conditions are some of the obstacles I faced. I did put in a couple hours at a local patch and the forest around the Air Itam Dam was the selected site this year.

There are relatively few babblers surviving here in Penang Island. Trapped on an island that is developing at a rapid pace, these birds are truly put to the test. However in the central hilly region, one species has endured – the Grey-throated Babbler. Being vocal by nature, it is recorded on most visits here. It will take some effort to actually see the bird well and even more so to obtain a decent photograph. And I have no qualms about today’s result.

A male Orange-bellied Flowerpecker provided some vibrance and colours to this short birding endeavour. And a lucky capture when he briefly alighted on an exposed perch elevated the encounter to another level.

The Greater Racket-tailed Drongo is rather spectacular for a common species. My obsession with its namesake has been a lifelong affair and it should come as no surprise that the bird had my undivided attention. It has a habit of following tree dwelling mammals around as the movement of the latter will usually flush out prey for the former. In return, the former acts as sentry. An effective partnership to say the least.

I knew that the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo was following a troop of Dusky Langurs on this occasion but I did not pay much attention these common but beautiful primates until I was done with the former. And to my delight, there were at least two babies present. Many species of langurs have golden babies and the Dusky Langur is one of them.

I hate to admit it but the little ones, oozing with cuteness, overshadowed their feathered associate this time.

Another forest denizen that still calls the Pearl of the Orient home is the Asian Fairy Bluebird. A name like that will have a lot to live up to and the striking male bird does fail in that aspect.

I often find it difficult to obtain good views and decent photographs of this beautiful bird. I cannot recall the last time I had such a memorable encounter with the Asian Fairy Bluebird. So, it was another significant record for today. His duller mate was somewhere around but human nature had me focusing only on the handsome male.

A stunning Malayan Lacewing also had my attention briefly. There is more to life than only birds, you know. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

When the sun finally decided to show itself, it added a soaring White-bellied Sea-Eagle into my so-called Big Day checklist.

The final bird of this post is the Crested Myna. Penang Island has been a stronghold for this previously introduced species and at this particular site, it is the commonest myna species. A local speciality wrapped things up for this time and hopefully, this re-ignition of my birding blog will continue its course.