A sign from above (05/07/2014)

I have to admit I am not much of a football fan but when it is my favourite team, Brazil, playing Columbia in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, it was something not to be missed. The game kicked off at 4 in the morning here and by the time I saw Brazil got through to the semis, it was almost time for my Saturday birding. Unfortunately it had also started to rain and I have no choice but to brood at home until the weather improves.

As I was contemplating about calling off my birding excursion, I heard the characteristic song of the White-rumped Shama. As it was not coming from the direction of any of the neighbouring units, I decided to peer over my balcony and investigate. A male White-rumped Shama is rather unmistakable and there was one, flitting about the line of trees within my apartment compound. I am certain he is an escapee and although this may not be his habitat of choice, it is sure the hell better than his prison cage. I wanted to capture him enjoying his new found freedom but he was gone before I could set up my camera. Stay safe and stay free, bud...

I took this as a good omen and packed up for my birding trip as planned - this and the fact that it has finally stopped raining. I decided to visit the nearest local patch to my home for a couple of hours as I left the house later than usual. Bukit Gambir is a mixture of scrub, secondary forest and fruit orchards and it has been years since my last visit. 

Yellow-vented Bulbuls are one of the commonest species to be found here and it did not take me long to find one among the scrub vegetation next to the access road. Due to their ability to adapt and thrive near and within human settlements, this species can be found in nearly all habitat man has ventured into and left his trail of destruction. It used to be survival of the fittest but survival of the most adaptable seems to make more sense nowadays. 

The growl-like calls of the Pink-necked Pigeon coming from the canopy level is good enough a reason for me to stop and search. These pigeons are not the most nimble of birds and they soon gave away their presence. Pink-necks are the commonest of the three Green-pigeons that occur in Penang Island and again, it is because they are adapting well to life alongside man. The more colourful male was a little wary of my presence but his mate treated me just like an old friend and posed for my camera. That's my girl!

I never had much luck in capturing images of the Black-naped Oriole despite the fact that it is a common bird. Its musical call and bright colours make it rather conspicuous even to normal folks. I remember seeing this yellow bird long before I started birding and the population in Malaysia seems to be maintaining itself quite successfully. This male alighted on one of the trees next to the pair of Pink-necked Pigeon and I managed to take a couple of shots before he moved on. 

There were plenty of banana trees scattered all over the fruit orchard and a number of them were flowering. A good chance to catch a Little Spiderhunter I thought to myself. And whoosh, something flew overhead and alighted on a banana flower in front of me. It was not a Spiderhunter as hoped, but a male Plain-throated Sunbird. Close enough I guess...

One of the reasons that I am still drawn to this local patch after all these years is because it is home to the Asian Paradise-flycatcher. I have yet to obtain images of the male bird that I can be proud of and I was hoping that my good fortune will see my wish fulfilled today. Imagine my excitement when I did manage to come across this species - a pair foraging along the middle storey of the forest. But I guess my luck has finally run out because I came agonizingly close to capturing the brown-morphed male bird only to be defeated by his energetic pace and the dense surrounding vegetation. The female, on the other hand, did stay still long enough for me to take a few record shots.

A fruiting scrub helped to ease my earlier disappointment with the flycatcher. The little blue berries are quite nice to look at and all but it was what that was gorging on them that got my undivided attention - Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers. Against all odds, it was the more attractive male bird that came close to me this time. Absolutely striking and adorable, this little bundle of feathers and colours still evokes my senses every time. 

I almost forgot. Here's the duller female...

The nest of the Baya Weaver is an architectural feat that unfortunately has drawn too much attention from the wrong crowd. I just cannot understand why humans need to decorate their homes with the homes of others. I do not blame the nest collectors because it is simply a way to make a little extra. If there are no demands for the nests, it would be pointless for the collectors to carry on. Bukit Gambier used to have colonies of nesting Baya Weavers. Sadly, that is a thing of the past. Like today, I only came across one nest and it was still a "bachelor’s pad". At this stage, this unfinished nest is where the male will sing, dance and beg for a willing female to accept as him as a mate. Once that is accomplished, he will finish up the nest and start a family.

I was a little anxious about how the bird life was fairing at this locality because development projects are starting to creep into its boundaries. The good news is this local patch still provides sanctuary for the birds and I still have a place close to home that can satisfy my addiction for birding. The bad news is, for how long?

29/05/2010: Bukit Gambir (Penang)

I paid a short visit to my local patch hoping to get a couple of hours of birding before heading into the office on this beautiful Saturday morning. This is one of the strongholds of the highly-successful Crested Mynas – an introduced species that is doing very well in Penang Island.

A Zebra Dove cooing its territorial call on an exposed cable provided the best images for this short outing.

There are a few resident Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters in this locality and this dead tree happens to be one of their favourite perches.

This handsome male Pink-necked Green-pigeon was resting outside a newly-built nest but with the morning sun behind him, it was quite impossible for me to obtain any really good images.

I had another tough time trying to photograph another malkoha and this time it was Penang Island’s only species - the Chestnut-breasted Malkoha. How difficult can it be to photograph a 1.5 foot long bird? Well, a picture says a thousand words…

As I made my way back to my car, I found another bird foraging just next to it. As with my last visit, I waited for it - this time a Zebra Dove, to gradually move further away before I got into my car. I guess word got around that this car belongs to a “bird-friendly” guy.

08/05/2010: Bukit Gambir (Penang)

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My baby is finally back after spending 2 months at the Sigma service center.

I decided to swing by this local patch to test out my lens and the agonizing wait was worth it because the guys at Sigma did a rather good job and it is almost as good as new now.

The Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher can be heard at almost every visit to this locality. However, it tends to keep to the dense and dim area of the forest – making it quite difficult to capture good images. Anyway, this is the female…

And this is the male….

The persistent territorial call of a Plaintive Cuckoo lead me to a dead tree at the edge of the fruit orchard. Although this male bird was rather confiding, I just could not find an angle where I could capture a clean shot.

A male Thick-billed Green-pigeon alighted on a nearby tree while I was still admiring the cuckoo and once I diverted my attention to him, it did not take long for him to fly for cover.

A pair of White-crested Laughingthrushes made their presence known with their loud calls filling the vicinity. Although this species originated from escaped cage birds, it is rather wary and shy. Their active nature also contributed to the difficulty of getting good images.

Anyway, I did better this time than the previous encounter where I could only managed to capture a single decent shot.

As I made my way to the car to start off another weekend at work, I came across this Scaly-breasted Munia foraging right next to car. Anyway, I let it had its fill before I got too close.

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14/11/2009: Bukit Gambir (Penang)

I decided to swing by this local patch for a couple of hours of birding before heading to the office. It has been quite a while since my last visit.

Just after dawn, I saw a lone raptor circling overhead and the body shape suggests it was not one of the commoner species of this locality. After further scrutiny, it turned out to be the migratory Oriental Honey-buzzard.

As I was walking along the access road, I came across a rather confiding female Emerald Dove. This species is usually wary of human approach and in most cases you will only get to see it diving into the vegetation.

The distinctive call of the Drongo Cuckoo caught my attention and I decided to try and locate the source. I was successful in locating the bird but it was calling from a perch that was pretty much out of the reach of my camera.

This Dark-sided Flycatcher decided to hawk for breakfast in a recently cleared area of the forest. However, the poor lighting conditions at that time prevented me from obtaining clearer images.

The White-crested Laughingthrush is an escapee that has successfully established themselves in the wild here. Small populations have been seen throughout the central hilly region of Penang Island. A flock of 12 birds were foraging quite noisily along the mid-level of the forest but due to their active nature, my photography skills were really put to the test.

I was rather disappointed when the flock gradually moved deeper into the forest, leaving me without a single clear image. Then, one of them turned back and alighted on a partially unobstructed perch long enough for me to capture a few shots. Thanks, buddy...

I was about to get into my car when a flock of Baya Weavers alighted among the long grass in front of me. The images turned out better than I had expected thanks to the good lighting conditions and the fresh green colour of the grassland.