Knock, knock...

The trip did not start out all that smoothly. There were delays here and there during the journey to Bukit Panchor State Park. When we arrived at the destination, we were disappointed to find the boardwalk flooded from last night’s downpour. However, sometimes things do happen for a reason. As we lingered around the entrance to the boardwalk contemplating our ill luck, the surrounding forest started to come alive. First was the array of calls. Followed by movements among the vegetation. Then a Stripe-throated Bulbul decided to start the morning by calling from an exposed perch and I should have known then that was a sign that today was going to be special despite the locality’s unimpressive record of late.

No, it took a handsome Tiger Shrike in breeding plumage to make me realize that. After a prolonged observation of this Tiger Shrike on the prowl for breakfast, it was a unanimous decision to stay put and wait for whatever else that may pass through here.

A Yellow-vented Bulbul may not be a species that local birders desire due to its abundant nature but you cannot really hold that against it.

It is good to see that the Jungle Myna is still predominant here – for now.

More often heard than seen, the Gold-whiskered Barbet should be the commonest Barbet species here. I was lucky enough to catch this individual as it took a breather among the foliage of the forest canopy. It is an impressive bird and every sighting will not go unappreciated.

Both the Yellow-bellied Prinia and Rufescent Prinia occur here in Bukit Panchor. Their ranges may even overlap but the Yellow-bellied Prinia will not venture into the forest proper and this foraging individual provided a brief moment to capture its image when it alighted on a bare perch.

My attention was immediately diverted when a Buff-necked Woodpecker started to call in the vicinity. This species is not common here in Penang State and when the woodpecker finally revealed itself, there was no shame in not being able to contain my excitement.

We were given ample time to enjoy the encounter and wonderful views. The missing red malar stripe meant that it was a female and her performance today was most commendable.

Several other species came and went but one of the most notable was a Little Green-Pigeon in flight. A pair of Lesser Green Leafbirds was attracted to a nearby fruiting tree. Judging from the images I obtained, the tree was just not near enough for my modest equipment.

The Blue-throated Bee-eaters filled the vicinity with their calls but kept a distance for most of the time. One did alight slightly closer but the lighting condition was most challenging.

There was just something about the trees surrounding us that were drawing in woodpeckers. The Rufous Woodpecker was the second species to be recorded but it was a distant encounter. As the name implies, the Common Flameback is one of the commoner species of woodpeckers in the country. The plumage especially the male with flaming red crest, is amazing and a close encounter like this one can still, very much, rock my world.

When things started to sizzle down, we decided to venture into the forest which was our initial plan. The mass of Bertam Palms is a distinct feature of this park but there are hardly any bird activities among these prickly vegetation at this site.

Birding in this dense and gloomy forest was frustrating as usual. I rarely had any opportunity to raise my camera despite the occasional birdwave or two. This Dark-sided Flycatcher ought to be back in the mountainous regions of northern Asia by now but here it is, testing the patience of a few birders by remaining in the darkest spot of the forest.

From the look of things, the group of Fruit Bats residing at the hut along the access trail just got a little bigger. The paler individuals I assume are young ones and the parents were a little anxious of my presence – a situation that I quickly remedied.

One of the highlights of the day was this 3-inch caterpillar. If memory serves me right, this is the biggest caterpillar I have ever laid eyes on and it was quite a sight. I will not hazard a guess of its true identity. Insects are mostly beyond me and this little mammoth certainly was.

When things do fall in place when birding in the forest, something remarkable will usually unfold. A family of Checker-throated Woodpeckers kept us company for quite a long time from the cover of the forest canopy and initially, I did not think anything significant would materialized from this. Then, one decided to descend from its lofty domain and alighted almost at eye level. This is one of the reasons why we birders endure all those hours wandering aimlessly in the heat and humidity of the tropical rainforest time after time – a chance to experience the alluring bird life found here up close and personal.

The incomplete chestnut colouration on the plumage suggested that it is a young bird but it did not make much difference. I was mesmerized by the presence of this woodpecker for it is a striking bird. The birding excursion here this time was surprisingly fruitful and it just goes to show one cannot truly know what to expect when it comes to birding. And this confiding young Checker-throated Woodpecker certainly played a big role in the outcome of the trip. 

Birding blues...

 

At first light, I found myself soaking in a spectacular sunrise and the overwhelming aroma of the biggest landfill in the state. With the restriction of interstate travel still very much in place, there are limited choices as to where Hor Kee and I could venture to and I guess Pulau Burung is as good a site as any here in Penang. Anyway, the Asian Koels dominated the dawn chorus this time as it is still breeding season for these parasitic cuckoos. Despite being for than a foot long, they have a remarkable ability to stay out of sight. Hence, an image of the sunrise...

We scanned the larvae-infested lakes hoping for any uncommon migrants but there were none to be found. As usual, the flocks of Lesser Whistling-Ducks filled the locality with their presence and whistling calls. Of late the weather has been sweltering but at this hour, the sun’s penetrating rays have yet to reach their full potency and provide the much desired golden hues for photography.

The Little Grebes were also in good numbers today. Beautiful and adorable, they will always have my attention whenever they wander within the comfort zone of my gear. The lakes surrounding the landfill here is probably the only remaining wetlands in the state that is still rich in bird life. And that is something I am most grateful.

For a species so elegant, the call of the Black-winged Stilt leaves much to be desired. Judging from the vocalizations today throughout the vicinity, the Stilts have found sanctuary here again and are thriving. After all these years, I still find it hard to resist their charm.

Crakes are usually difficult to see well – usually. This morning, we had at least 3 White-browed Crakes that frequently abandoned their skulking nature and provided good views. Despite fortune being in our favour, the Crakes are small and active birds. Following their movement was not easy and only a handful of the images turned out reasonable.

The Javan Pond-Heron is a regular migrant and every season (around this time of the year when it is identifiable), a number will be recorded especially from the northern states of the peninsular. This individual, stalking at the edge of the lake, was only in partial breeding plumage but with enough traces of its true identity.

A foraging male Olive-backed Sunbird momentarily diverted my attention from the water birds. A few of the trees next to the lake was in bloom and the nectar addict was having his sugar fix. The lighting was harsh and the hyperactive Sunbird hardly provided any photographic opportunities.

Red-wattled Lapwings are a regular feature here. These striking waders prefer the grassy river bank to forage and rest. As long as you stay in your vehicle, your presence is usually tolerated and all hell will not break loose.

A relatively confiding snipe shared the foraging ground of the Lapwings today. Although good views were obtained, it remained to be just another “Swintail” Snipe at the end due to the lack of evidence to proof otherwise.

The Greater Painted-Snipe is an intriguing species that I sorely lack field experiences. Its somewhat crepuscular and shy nature is the reason why. Today, however, we came across 3 individuals and 2 were in the open. Naturally, all were the duller males. To have a spectacular female in full view would have been phenomenal but things like that do not often take place in the real world. Anyway, one of males appeared to be absolutely relax in this untypical behaviour and the lighting condition was the only let down of this memorable encounter.

We left the Painted-Snipe to his morning siesta and heads towards the nearby state park of Bukit Panchor. Spring will see the Blue-throated Bee-eaters replacing the Blue-tailed Bee-eater here in Peninsular Malaysia. The former being a breeding visitor and the latter, a winter visitor. A few of these striking birds were seen hunting near the park entrance.

I cannot really recall my last visit to this locality and that would make it years. One thing about this location is that the habitat may be pristine enough but there are less birds here than you would normally expect. But it was not like this always. Once upon a time, the forest here was home to some truly incredible birds like the near-mythical Giant Pitta and you could also hear the far-carrying call of the amazing Great Argus on a regular basis. Once upon a time...

I do have to admit that the vegetation here is dense and it is not the easiest of sites to bird. We did come across some birds and a few bird waves but almost everything eluded my camera. A pair of Checker-throated Woodpeckers were foraging quite close to the access trail and provided a rare opportunity for me to actually put my camera to use. You know that I am scraping the bottom of the barrel when an image of this quality is included in my blog post.

A flock of White-bellied Erpornis exhibited little fear of our presence which is quite typical of the species. Being inquisitive and charming, it normally brightens up any forest excursion. And one even stayed still long enough for its image to be taken.

One of main highlights our visit here shares the sky with the birds but it is not a bird. A hut that was initially built to provide shelter for weary trekkers has been taken up by group of fruit bats (if any reader happens to know the exact species, please enlighten me). These winged mammals have a bad reputation which is totally uncalled for. I find these nocturnal creatures intriguing and like all other wildlife, deserves our respect and admiration.

On the way out of the park, a Stripe-throated Bulbul was exceptional vocal along the forest edge. By that time, it was blistering hot but it did not deter us from taking some time to appreciate this lovely bird before calling a day. The birding today may not have been exceptional but it is always good to be able to just get out into the field.

Things that go bump in the night (20/06/2015)

Owling is a term used by birders to describe their quest to search for night birds in the dead of the night and it proves to be one of the most unique and intriguing field experiences. A group of four perfectly sane and logical men from Penang (Dave, Choo Eng, Hor Kee and yours truly) decided to do some owling in the swamp forest of Bukit Panchor State Park in southern mainland Penang. We crept out of our respective homes at a God-forsaken hour and reached our destination a couple of hours before dawn. As we cautiously walked along the narrow elevated boardwalk that cuts through the swamp, we soon found ourselves surrounded by an array of eerie and ghoulish sounds but they were music to our ears. And for once in my life, I was overwhelmed by the variety of bird species present in an owling excursion.

Eventually, we made up our mind to focus our attention on two particular species - the Gould's Frogmouth and Oriental Bay-Owl. The two of them had us walking to and fro the boardwalk in a game of hide-and-seek. Each time one of them sounded closer than the other, we would head towards its direction. Just as we were about to lose hope, Dave pointed his torchlight in front of us and I was dumbfounded. An Oriental Bay-Owl was perched on an exposed vine and looking straight at us. It was so close I did not even need my binoculars to admire every intricate detail of this beautiful creature of the night.

However when I tried to capture its image, I found that my camera could not focus on it. My emotions were on overdrive at that moment and I also know that the owl will not stay for long. I panicked and decided to manually focus my camera resulting in dozens of crappy shots. When I regained my composure, I checked the Auto/Manual focus switch on my lens only to find it was on Manual. I must have accidentally switched it to Manual earlier on during the search. When everything was finally right, I only managed to take one single shot before the owl disappeared back into the cover of darkness. And to add salt to the injury, my camera’s exposure was also wrong. It would have been a perfect encounter if not for my dreadful mistakes. Well, like I always say, it would not be birding if everything goes according to plan all the time.

As I was still cursing myself, Dave directed his torchlight above us and the words Gould's Frogmouth escaped his lips. Although it was nothing more than a whisper, it resonated with such amplitude in my ears that I was almost knocked off my feet. This is my second ever encounter with this species. The last time I saw it was about 20 years ago at Pasoh forest reserve in Negeri Sembilan. And for the second time this night, I was left trying to catch my breath due to another exhilarating encounter.

The frogmouth was more confiding than the owl and it stayed for a much longer time. I even had time to capture it from another angle. Frogmouths are probably the weirdest looking of our Malaysian birds. The massive head and piercing eyes and not to mention a head full of whiskers are not exactly what one would consider to be beautiful traits. But they are truly fascinating and mysterious birds and that is more than enough to make them one of my favourites.

Dave rose to the occasion one last time and found us a Sunda Scops-Owl. This adorable little owl is not uncommon and also occurs even within human development. But like all night birds, it can quite elusive most of the time and good views are not easy to come by. It was perched quite low but sadly, it also did not stay long as well. Although I had it in focus this time and with the right exposure, it did not show its face to me and this was my best effort. Despite the photographic failures, this is one of my best owling excursions and a revisit to this nocturnal hotspot is just a matter of time.

Choo Eng and Hor Kee had to make a return trip home because of prior engagements while Dave and I decided to take full advantage of our lucky streak and made our way to the hilly forest of Sungai Sedim in Kedah. Unfortunately, our luck seemed to have run out as soon as the rays of the morning sun brightened up the land. We managed to record more than 60 species during our 5-hour visit but nothing out of the ordinary was present and the photography was not particularly great as well. Just a few hours ago we were surrounded by the calls of 3 species of owls among others. Now, it was the trogons' turn - the Scarlet-rumped, Diard's and Red-naped Trogon. The latter could have made our day if it was perched a little closer because it was hardly obstructed by the vegetation and it was a handsome male. 

The Scarlet-rumped Trogon did not reveal itself except for its characteristic call. Two Diard's Trogons were calling persistently and in the end, we only managed to locate this female along the canopy of the forest.

This male Black-and-yellow Broadbill did not help much in providing more excitement to the trip. He was also a little too far for any great shots.

A flock of noisy and inquisitive Chestnut-rumped Babblers filled the vicinity with their mellow and loud calls. Unfortunately, they were quite active and kept to the dimly-lighted understorey of the forest where photography was a real challenge.

A heavily moulting Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo provided a temporary rush as we were not completely sure of its identity initially. But when we moved closer and had a better look, its identification was no longer an issue. The Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo is indistinguishable from the former in the field at the present time as the degree of fork on the tail is highly variable but lucky for us, it occurs here in Malaysia only in the migratory season.

I thought things were finally going to turn around when we came across a fruiting tree. But only a few species of Bulbuls were present including 15 Scaly-breasted Bulbuls. The height of the tree was a little beyond the reach of my gear and on this occasion and I enjoyed the encounter through my bins. To wrap things up for this time, a Dark-necked Tailorbird that foraging very close to me but ignored my presence. On the drive back to Penang, I asked Dave how on the Earth he located the night birds during our owling session. He replied know the habits of the subjects, a whole lot of luck and enough self-confidence to believe it is there although you cannot be sure of it. So, now you know.

Saved by the bill...(23/05/2015)

I have been neglecting a few birding sites in Penang of late and so, I decided to head south this time to Bukit Panchor State Park. This locality used to house quite a number of lowland forest species but it has deteriorated tremendously in terms of bird life. To be honest, the only reason why I still visit this place is hoping to find something short of a miracle - the Giant Pitta. But even that hope is now diminishing. During the past two visits, I only managed to shoot one single bird respectively. For this trip, I ended up empty handed and after two hours of trekking through the forest, I decided to move on to another locality. As I was about to reach the car park, I could hear an emcee making announcements and music been blasted at a decimal that would even drown out the far-carrying territorial call of the Great Argus. By the way, this used to be the only place in Penang where this spectacular pheasant occurs. Only God knows what other events go down at this state park and how frequently. I am not saying these events are bad but if you are going to hold them amidst the wonders of nature, show a little appreciation and respect. If not, why bother to hold them at such a locality in the first place? 

I was in a foul mood when I left Bukit Panchor and since I was in dire need of some quality birding time to get over this state of mind, one birding site came to mind immediately - Air Hitam Dalam. It was past mid morning when I finally arrive and after greeting a couple of birding friends at the car park, I decided to head to the elevated boardwalk. 

The striking colours of the Black-and-red Broadbill stood out like a sore thumb even from a distance. I slowly inched my way closer. Much to my delight, it was unperturbed by my approach and went about its business. The magic of Air Hitam Dalam prevailed yet again and I was rewarded with an encounter of a lifetime with this exceptional avian beauty. 

The encounter started off with the broadbill very close but unfortunately, in very strong backlight.

I made a request, as politely as I possibly can, for the broadbill to shift to the other side of the boardwalk where the lighting was better. Astonishingly, it obliged. Now, that's a good girl!

This broadbill is relatively sluggish and it tends to move about at a leisurely pace. During my observation, it foraged along every level of the forest from the undergrowth to the canopy.

When it has an insect prey in sight, it steps up a gear and goes into overdrive. Due to the lighting conditions, most of my images of it devouring its prey were blur and soft. All except for this one, that is. 

Eventually, the broadbill moved deeper into the forest and out of sight. I tried to make amends for ignoring the other species that came along during my time with the broadbill and it included notable species like the Blue-winged Pitta and Streak-breasted Woodpecker. But in life, sometimes you only have one shot and you have to seize the moment because you might not have a second chance. A female Ashy Tailorbird that was busy preparing for the breeding was very little compensation. 

The colour of the native Green Crested Lizard can certainly catch your attention...

If not for his deafening territorial calls, I would not have noticed this male Asian Koel that was perched slightly lower than usual. Head on, this cuckoo was hidden from sight but from the side, I managed to find a less obstructed angle to capture his images. This is certainly one bird that you hear more often than you see and I am happy with this encounter. 

At the rear car park, the female Mangrove Blue Flycatcher was venting out her frustration of being ignored the entire morning from an open perch. When all else fails, the 'in-your-face' approach will not...

Air Hitam Dalam has an under-utilized canopy walk. It is nothing compared to the behemoth structure at Sungai Sedim and probably about ten meters above ground and one hundred meters long. I have only been on this canopy walk a couple of times since it was built. I wanted to capture some shots of this educational forest from a different perspective. My godfather frequently reminds me to include shots of habitats and other things in my blog as it will make it more interesting. 

And guess who was also enjoying the view from the canopy walk area. If I did not know any better, I swear the broadbill was following me around this time and not the other way round...

Again it was exceptionally tame and comfortable in my presence and looking absolutely gorgeous even with a loose feather sticking out from its crown. 

For the second trip in a row, I was blessed with the opportunity to observe and enjoy this fascinating bird at such close quarters. To wrap things up for this time, here is one last image of the broadbill.