Raptors still reign supreme

I have not been back to the grasslands of Chuping since the last migratory season and there is always a sense of anxiety whenever I revisit this unique birding site after a lapse. The landscape constantly changes and it is not because of Mother Nature but man. For years, they have been trying out different crops all over this former sugarcane plantation. The worst of the crops is rubber which unfortunately has covered vast areas. The ongoing construction of an industrial park provides no help at all to the dying landscape. But the one thing that has not change so far are the limestone hills imposing their artistic presence.

For this trip, I had a birding couple from neighbouring Singapore. It only made sense that I took them as far away from home as possible and Chuping, being at the northern tip of the peninsular, would be the ideal choice. It was good to find suitable habitats for birds still in existence here. A pond that was the only regular site in Malaysia to house the scarce Bronze-winged Jacana now houses Asian Openbills instead and a fair number of them were present today.

Barn Swallows are common winter visitors to the grasslands here and a confiding individual resting just next be the access road had our attention despite their abundant nature.

The Rufous-bellied Swallow, on the other hand, is a species that will always have my attention. Locally common only in certain parts of the country, this large and vividly coloured swallow stood out from the Barn Swallows that it was resting alongside. The encounter with the Rufous-bellied Swallow was a much appreciated one as it has been a relatively slow morning so far.

The swallows may be beautiful and graceful in flight but we did not drive all the way here for them. We were after something more majestic which are the true rulers of the skies. The vast open landscape has always been the realm of raptors. Overcast skies almost drowned out our plans. Luckily, the first rays of the sun managed to pierce through the rain clouds later in the morning. And with the available thermal, our quarries started swooping into view. Flocks of migrating Black Bazas were a sight to behold. I find these little raptors to be one of the most striking raptors to occur on our shores and naturally, ample time was allocated to witness this spectacle of nature unfold.

The Oriental Honey-Buzzards, like the bazas, are migrants to this land. As always, the plumage variations that this species is infamous for caused some hesitance from me during identification.

One of the most sought after raptors here in Chuping is undoubtedly the gorgeous male Pied Harrier. I was a little to slow to capture his image this but luckily, my guests were not. The female Pied Harrier is often overshadowed by the former but today, she was all I got to show for harriers.

The sight of this pale harrier floating above the grasslands kicked my imagination into overdrive. And for a minute there, he looked almost like the mythical Short-eared Owl that has eluded me all these years. Almost...

A huge silhouette gliding overhead brought me back down to Earth with a thump. My trusted bins quickly revealed my first Greater Spotted Eagle of the season. I have nothing but total admiration for this majestic predatory bird. Being one of the largest raptors in Malaysian skies certainly has a lot to do with it.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Common Kestrel. It is diminutive but still deadly in its own way. Hovering is a trait few raptors possess and the kestrel has mastered the art of dropping down on its prey in mid flight. Lighting was not on our side but it was the only opportunity we had of capturing of this female bird.

Every raptor that crossed our path was given its due attention for this locality has a tendency to spring a surprise or two. Even a juvenile Brahminy Kite has the potential of being something rare.

However, not all birds with immense wingspans were raptors. Purple Herons are a common sight here as well. These water birds also find food in this vast landscape and this individual lazily flew past overhead during our visit here.

From the open grasslands of Chuping, we made our way to the pristine forest of Bukit Wang. It was not the best of weathers as we were greeted by a light drizzle upon arrival. But it would take than a drizzle and a broken bridge to deny these three visiting birders the chance to observe the alluring bird life found here.

The Dark-sided Flycatcher is truly a creature of habit and I found it on almost the same perch as last week.

And it even invited a friend along this time and we were looking at two Dark-sided Flycatchers at the same spot. I now know that this species is omnivorous as it occasionally fed on the fruits.

The Sooty Barbets would have been a lifer for my guests but unfortunately, the flock did not make an appearance. Surprisingly, a male Pale Blue Flycatcher did and it was a lifer for them as well. I could not be certain if the flycatcher was attracted by the fruits as it did not stay long. And it was frustrating that I could not obtain a better image as I seldom come across this flycatcher.

You can pretty much guess how brief this scarce Puff-backed Bulbul visited the fruiting tree by this image alone. Like the flycatcher, I do not have many encounters with this species and its behaviour today only compounded my frustrations.

The other patrons were much more obliging and I was something I should be grateful for. Armed to the core in birding gear, we made the best of situation and captured some memorable images at the fruiting tree. 

The Grey-bellied Bulbul with its lovely colouration was well received as usual. And even the slight drizzle could not drown out its exquisite beauty.

The Buff-vented Bulbuls were present at the fruiting tree for the longest periods today. They certainly made themselves at home despite the gloomy weather.

Another species of bulbuls that took part in the feast were the Cream-vented Bulbuls. Another drab species, this common bird could not do much to raise the level of excitement.

Only one species of flowerpecker was present at the tree and it was the Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker. It may not be as striking as some of the other species but it presence was a welcomed addition of colours and flair.

There are a few birds that depend on forest streams for their survival. The most noteworthy one is the striking Chestnut-naped Forktail but it managed to elude my efforts to photographing it again. The Grey Wagtail is another attractive species often found in habitats like these during the migratory season and this commoner stream dweller at least provider some photographic opportunities before we finally called it a day and made our way back to Penang.

Counting raptors?

October is always an exciting time of the year as the migratory season comes into full swing. It is also time to catch raptors on autumn migration. Bedong is small town in Kedah state where migrating raptors passed through each year. There is a particular hillock in the middle of a palm oil estate where these migrating raptors can be observed and counted. It is definitely not in the same league as some of the other renowned raptor count sites in this region but it is the nearest one to home and that accounts for a lot. However for a rewarding raptor count, hot and sunny weather is an absolute requirement. The Bedong site has changed considerably since my last visit and the ever-growing palm trees now threaten to block our view of the migrating raptors. But the trees were the least of Hor Kee and my worries. The looming thunder clouds were…

It was almost mid morning and yet, no sign of the life-giving rays of the sun. Our raptor count on this overcast Saturday morning was turning be a lost cause. Then the characteristic calls of the Blue -tailed Bee-eater echoed through the vicinity and that is always a good sign. Both of us immediately stare into the heavens above. Migrating bee-eaters are good indicators of approaching raptors and true enough, a lone dark morph Oriental Honey Buzzard leisurely glided into view. And it was surprisingly low.

Oriental Honey Buzzards usually form part of the majority seen during raptor counts here but today, we counted only two. I hope that they are a little late this year or have taken another route south. Got be positive in life sometimes...

Small groups of Japanese and Chinese Sparrowhawks periodically passed through but they were way too far for any photographic attempts. The biggest flock of raptors recorded today was a flock of 30 Black Bazas. My pathetic attempt to capture these striking raptors does them no justice. The poor lighting and distance was just too much for my gear to cope.

By lunch time, things came to a complete stop. Raindrops started to trickle down. It was fortunate that we heeded Mother Nature’s warning and made out way out there and then. Not long after we got into our vehicle, the heavens opened up. The torrential rain washed my SUV clean as we needed to go off-road to get to the count site. But it could not wash away my disappointment as my first raptor count of the season ended with less than 100 raptors. After lunch, we head towards the paddy fields of mainland Penang hoping for some waders to lift our spirits. It has stopped raining by then and the gloomy sky could work to our advantage as we need not deal with the harsh lighting of midday.

The newly ploughed patches were ideal for waders and it did not take long for us to find one teeming with waders. The Long-toed Stint is a small bird and its intricate upperwing patterns blend in well with the environment. A stationery bird can sometimes be overlooked and I am sure we did today. Those that we did managed to pick out numbered up to a staggering 150 birds.

A small number of Little Ringed Plovers were also present and these little guys usually try to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Talking about being inconspicuous, snipes are also back at their wintering ground here. Being masters of camouflage, they are often overlooked. And when that fails, they will fly off to the next cover when threatened. However, this individual did neither although its cover was blown. Another thing that struck us was its plumage. Snipes are a nightmare to identify and we pretty much agreed that this one was a Common Snipe but there is just something about its plumage that did not appear quite right. I suspect the reason it was so confiding was to allow us to obtain good images and torment us later when it came to confirming its identity.

Egrets were aplenty at the paddy fields today. Among all the freshwater egrets, the Intermediate Egret is the one that usually gets the most attention especially from my foreign guests. Although I was not hosting any guests today, it does not mean I do not give the egret any attention at all.

Other than the egrets, there was a big number of Purple Herons present as well. I cannot recall the last time I recorded this many here. Two adult birds standing next to each in the open is certainly not something you see often.

Flocks of Daurian Starlings will usually receive my undivided attention as I do not want to overlook the almost similar but much rarer Chestnut-cheeked Starling which has a tendency to hang out with its commoner cousins. But the only other starling species in this flock are a few Asian Glossy Starlings.

To wrap things up for the day was this flock of Grey-headed Lapwings exhibiting its usual suspicion of approaching humans – birders in particular. 

The one and only (8-10/7/2016)

Taman Negara is an odd name for a national park because it basically means national park in Malay and there are a few national parks throughout Peninsular Malaysia. But none even comes close to Taman Negara. Initial I thought someone did not have his thinking cap on when naming the place. But I see the logic now. Years in a creative agency has taught me to pick up stuff like this. Apparently, Taman Negara is the one and only national park in the country to the person who named it and I could not agree more. It is a true natural paradise and worthy of a name of such arrogance. Before this post sounds too much like an ad to promote the place (which is entirely unnecessary as it is awesome and needs no promotion), I better get ask the ad copywriter in me to take a breather. During a two and a half day tour here with Ben, my Singaporean guest, we spent a substantial amount of time in hides. But Ben’s maiden to visit to the Sungai Relau side of Taman Negara would not have been complete if we did not explore the iconic access road that cuts through the forest. And that is what will be covered in this third and final post of the tour.

Along this access road, one species was heard and seen more often than the rest during our visit – the Rufous-tailed Tailorbird. Surprisingly, based on calls it numbered even the commoner Dark-necked Tailorbird. It may sound contradicting but I only managed one shot of this adorable little guy. It is because I simply do not have time for it and it is certainly not the easiest of subjects to photograph. This is, after all, Taman Negara and I had bigger fish to fry - so to speak.

I encounter the Finsch’s Bulbul quite often because it is not uncommon in the forests of Kedah where I usually bird. But to Ben, this was his best photographic opportunity thus far. We came across parent birds attending to a juvenile. Maternal instinct set in and the parents tolerated our presence as they frantically search for more food to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the youngster.

The month of July is within the breeding season for most of our forest birds and that made it a good time to be birding in Peninsular Malaysia’s premier forest site. The Maroon-breasted Philentoma is certainly not a common bird – not to me anyway. So when we came across a female bird foraging along the middle level of the forest, I was just as excited as Ben. Unfortunately, she was not much in the mood to be photographed and I only managed to take one reasonably good shot. The images we took were good enough for a positive identification. And I was actually happy with this image and thought that was the end of it.

The next day, unbelievably, we saw a male bird at almost the spot. And he was a stunner! Unlike the female, he was confiding and tame. The blue upperparts is satin-like which only enhances the appeal of the bird. The maroon on the breast comes alive only in good light and since the encounter took place just next to the access road, we had plenty of opportunity to admire the bird’s namesake. For the life of me, I could not recall this species ever being so well behaved in the past and I guessed it was either the magic of Taman Negara or something else at work.

We found out later that afternoon that my gut feeling about the philentoma was right. He turned out to be a daddy and was attending to a newly-fledged chick. From a safe distance, we observed the chick being fed by the male bird. Unlike most ravenous fledglings, this one appeared very well-mannered and waited patiently for his dad to ‘prepare’ the meal at hand.

After the feeding, Ben lamented that he forgot to capture it on video. I, on the other, could not even remember I can actually shoot video with my current setup. Some birding moments are just more mesmerizing than others. This episode with the Maroon-breasted Philentomas was certainly one of them.

The male provided good photographic opportunities while performing his maternal duties and I felt bad taking advantage of the situation. Who am I kidding? This is the closest and longest encounter I have ever enjoyed with this sultry species and I relished every second of it. This is why Taman Negara is my favourite forest birding site. I first stepped into Taman Negara about 3 decades ago and it was love at first sight. The birding was remarkable then and it is still remarkable now.

If not for the presence of the adult male, I would have had my work cut out for me trying to identify the fledgling. Like most fledglings, it was constantly hungry and the parent birds had their work cut out for them too. Gradually, the youngster move deeper into the forest until the only indication of its presence was the constant chirping.

During one of our walks along the access road, we chance upon a female Trogon that was surprisingly confiding. Upon further scrutiny, she turned out to be a Red-naped Trogon. The presence of a male bird nearby further strengthened my hunch that they were another pair of breeding birds. I could be not be certain at what stage of breeding they were in but it is good to see forest denizens like this trogon continue to thrive under the protection of this national park.

The Rufous Woodpecker may lack the bright colours of some of the other species but there is beauty in simplicity. Uniform rufous brown combined with black barring throughout, will certainly help to blend the bird into its surroundings. And also its somewhat shy nature has prevented me from obtaining reasonably good images although it occurs in my home state of Penang. This male felt it was high time to rectify all my previous frustrations with his fellow kind and gave me one minute of my best photographic opportunity with the species. I could not have asked for more...

Another conservatively coloured woodpecker that I managed to photograph on this trip was the Buff-necked Woodpecker. Although it forages along the middle and lower storey of the forest, its preferences for dimly lighted areas has always being a stumbling block when it comes to photography. My modest gear does not perform well in low light and the fact that I usually shoot handheld only compounds the difficulty. I expected a better image this time due to the close proximity of the bird but yet again, the elements of forest photography got the better of me.

At times, you do not even have to walk far to enjoy the birding here at Taman Negara Sungai Relau. Since the day we arrived, I could not help but noticed a Spectacled Spiderhunter that hangs around the park headquarters. However due to time constraints (you will never have enough time here as there is so much to see), I was able to photograph it on only one occasion. It alighted on a tree in front of me and I do not need any invites to start shooting. It was just after dawn and the lighting condition was a disappointment. But it was way better than my past attempts of shooting at it at the top most part of the forest canopy.

During my last visit here years ago, I had a lifer in the form of a Jerdon’s Baza. This small raptor is reasonably scarce in Peninsular Malaysia and I was overjoyed to be able to add it into my life list. Since then I have encountered this species a couple of times in the forests of Kedah state. When a lone bird was seen soaring high above the forest next to the headquarters, I was slightly overwhelmed by the feeling of nostalgia. All the great memories of my past visits started running through my mind and there were certainly loads of them. The Jerdon’s Baza is a fitting end to another wonderful excursion to good old Taman Negara – the one and only true national park of Peninsula Malaysia.