The Honeyguide

The Malaysian Honeyguide is undoubtedly one of the rarest and least documented resident bird species in Malaysia. During our maiden visit to the Bukit Wang forest reserve in Kedah back in 2010, Choo Eng heard the Honeyguide’s distinct call and it was the first indication of its occurrence here. In fact, the call is usually the only telltale sign of its presence because it usually takes some effort and a little luck to successfully trace the call back to the bird itself.

In time, we realized that it was a male bird and he has this habit of returning to the same spot to call for prolonged periods. This “singing perch” provided excellent views of the Honeyguide as he will be quite tolerant to human presence. Numerous birders from every corner of the country and beyond came to enjoy the opportunity to observe this rarity in the flesh and it is all courtesy of this particular behaviour.

The decision of the local council to repair a hut that was next the singing perch was the reason the Honeyguide kept out of sight momentarily at one time. I guess all the commotion was simply too much for the poor bird to tolerate. And just when it seems that all was lost, he reappeared at another singing perch about a few hundred meters from the original location. It is at this second location that most birders managed to obtain reasonably better images due to the easier shooting conditions there.

Now almost two years since our very first encounter, the bird has apparently left the area again. And from the look of things, this time it is for good. The actual reason behind the latest disappearance remains a mystery but one thing is for sure, the Malaysian Honeyguide is once again a rare denizen of our forest.

16/01/2010: Bukit Wang (Kedah)

My first trip to this locality made quite an impact on me and I was just itching to make a second one. When the opportunity finally presented itself, I hit the road before dawn and reached the car park of the locality about the same time I saw the rare migratory Taiga Flycatcher on my last visit. Much to my delight, the flycatcher was already out and about…

Gradually, it got used to the presence of my vehicle and I got pretty close to the celebrity bird. As the lighting got better, so did my images. It has started to develop its breeding plumage as I could make out traces of light red on the breast region.

I even managed to capture it feeding on some kind of a caterpillar...

This Black-thighed Falconet was perching way beyond the reach of my camera. Although it is not uncommon, I am still waiting for my chance to capture this adorable little raptor from a close distance.

This Pig-tailed Macaque was camera-shy and gradually made a retreat to the forest when I tried to capture its image.

This striking male Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker was not much better and kept himself partly hidden from me most of the time.

If only all my targets are as obliging as this one…

My spirits were lifted when I managed to locate a calling Malaysian Honeyguide from the canopy level. Although the angle and distance prevented to obtain great shots but I was quite satisfied with my record shots. This scarce canopy species is rarely documented and ever since my first encounter back in 2003, it has always been high on my wanted list.

A pair of Bushy-crested Hornbills was kind enough for me to capture their image as the pair rested on a far tree. Although I could only obtain record shots due to the distance, I am quite please with how the shots turned out.

In birding, there are lifers and there are MEGA-LIFERS. When an unfamiliar raptor flew quite high over the forest, I took the “shoot first, talk later” approach. Based on past experiences, a photo is certainly worth a thousand words – especially when one is alone and comes across a rare bird. It turned out to be a juvenile Himalayan Griffon and that certainly qualifies as a MEGA-LIFER. Vultures are extremely rare in Malaysia and the Himalayan Griffon has been recorded only as vagrants. Coincidentally, one was seen in Singapore on this very weekend as well. As this is my first encounter with a wild vulture, it was by far one of the most exciting 30 seconds of my life and that was roughly the time I was given to aim, focus and shoot. Although my image was a rather poor one, it was good enough to help me identify the species and for others to help with its identification later on. What a terrific start to the year!