Birding Marathon (Part I)

I decided to start off my central Peninsular Malaysia 3-day birding marathon at the famed forest of Lanchang in Pahang state. Unfortunately, my intention to reconnect with the Malaysian Rail-babbler that I enjoyed here last year did not materialized. The enigmatic forest dweller proved to be elusive again. The stakeout was still a centre of bird activity and I cannot help but notice an increase of bulbul species. The Yellow-bellied Bulbul was still the most prominent species just like my last visit here.

A few Hairy-backed Bulbuls provided some entertainment as they foraged about the locality in search of sumptuous morsels. This bulbul is comfortable both on the ground and vegetation but the overcast condition made it difficult for my photographic gear.

A third species of bulbul did not go unnoticed due to its size and confiding nature. The Grey-cheeked Bulbul is not as common as the two other species present and it will usually earn my attention whenever our paths crossed.

The avian world has many accomplished songsters. Here in Malaysia, the White-rumped Shama is undoubtedly one of them. The male bird, endowed with his amazing long tail has the looks to match his remarkable vocal abilities making him a treat to both your sense of sight and hearing.  

However, the morning at Lanchang belonged to the babblers. It was a bitter pill to swallow for missing out on the Rail-babbler and to add salt to my injury, it started to make appearances again a few days after my visit. The Black-throated Babbler is probably the next babbler in line for me here but it did not provide much good photographic opportunities.

The Ferruginous Babbler is as sleek as always. A few individuals was all it took to brightened up the locality with their bright colouration and grace.

When it comes to character, very few can outdo the Short-tailed Babbler. There were hardly any dull moments when they came into the picture. These adorable babblers outdid the others today and provided my best images for this visit.

I had the companionship of my former schoolmate, Victor, for this trip. In the afternoon, we drove back to Selangor and visited one of his regular haunts – Sungai Congkak. The heavens was unforgiving and threatened to drown out my anticipation of the birding to come. The rain started to ease soon after our arrival and I took as a good omen. With rejuvenated spirits, we made ourselves comfortable at the photography stakeout of the location. It did not take long for the first subject to arrive and it was a juvenile Tickell’s Blue-flycatcher. Although the youngster was beautiful in its own right, I still prefer the plumage colouration of the adult male. This juvenile eventually matured into handsome male Pale Blue Flycatcher and I have to take back my words as it is now almost as significant a record as the Rufous-chested Flycatcher.

I did not drive 4 hours just to see a Tickell’s Blue-flycatcher which is a species one can easily see in Penang Island. The Rufous-chested Flycatcher, on the other hand, is certainly worthy. The lighting condition was challenging and the bird itself, small and active. But I have only seen this species just a couple of times before and this encounter was the first one to make the long drive down from Penang worth the while.

The striking colouration of the male bird is not often revealed as this species spends most of its time in the cover of the gloomy lower storey of the forest. Its minute size also helps to keep it inconspicuous. But today, we enjoyed great views of this elusive forest denizen.

I have a tendency to ignore duller females in cases where both sexes are present but I made it a point to shower the female Rufous-chested Flycatcher with some affection whenever possible which was not very often.

Incredible as it may seem, the Rufous-chested Flycatcher was not my main target for this location. I was after something commoner. The Rufous-backed Kingfisher is a tiny but striking forest kingfisher that occurs throughout Malaysia. I even come across it in some of my local patches back home in Penang. Birding has not finally gotten to me and I am not starting to lose my sanity. I have been birding for more than half my life but I have yet to obtain one single image of this species despite numerous encounters. Most of the time, all I could muster is a burning vision of a small red speck flying away from me. Photography stakeouts like this is often the only time when one is able to photograph and truly admire the beauty of this forest gem and not to mention, other shy forest species as well.

Under normal circumstances, a Blue-eared Kingfisher would have been able to hog the limelight but today is no ordinary day. The Rufous-backed Kingfisher will not be dethroned. Small and timid it may be but stunning and adorable it definitely is.

The rain made the birding condition less than desirable. Lighting was bad, the ground muddy and slippery and my clothes drenched but I finally managed to experience an intimate encounter with the dwarf Rufous-backed Kingfisher and with the photos to show for it and that is all that really matters.

We made a little detour to a park in the suburbs before calling it a day. The Van Hasselt’s Sunbird is a small but resplendent bird that sadly, is declining from my home state of Penang. A few of them are attracted to the flowering trees here and have been regularly recorded of late. The trees were densely foliaged and that made photography challenging. The active nature of the sunbirds only made it worse. Eventually, I managed to obtain a couple of reasonable shots and this little suburban denizen was a great way to wrap things up for a long but rewarding day of birding in central Peninsular Malaysia.

Natural Born Models

I embarked on another birding adventure to central Peninsular Malaysia and it was back to the chilly montane air of Bukit Tinggi in Pahang. I was here back in March to experience the Mountain Peacock-pheasant phenomenon that has put this hill resort into the world birding map. This time, I was not after the endemic pheasant. This time, it was the resplendent Ferruginous Partridge. Gamebirds by nature are shy and elusive. And I thought my brief glimpse of the bird along the Gap Road in Fraser’s Hill will be as good as it will ever get for me. When news broke of a family of these partridges are showing well at the pheasants’ locality, it was only a matter of waiting for the right time for a revisit.

The Mountain Peacock-pheasants were the first to arrive and the two males put on a good performance. Although this is my second time with the pheasants here, my hands trembled with excitement as I followed their movement with my photographic gear. I guess it will take some getting used to.

How can anyone ever get used to being so close to these majestic creatures? Just look at him…

With my main target of the trip nowhere in sight, the other birds present were given their due attention. The Ochraceous Bulbul is not uncommon especially in montane forest. Its vocal nature tends to give it away quite easily whenever it is presence. However, it is not easy to photograph and a confiding individual should never be taken for granted.

In fact, the bulbul was a bit of a show off and it certainly received everyone’s attention. Yet again, I had to share the locality with other birders. It seemed like you can never be alone here – especially on weekends.

The Oriental Magpie-robin is certainly doing well in this hill resort. You can see this striking songster throughout the vicinity. A family was foraging at the pheasants’ locality and the fully fledged chick was just starting to find food on its own. Whenever the opportunity arises, it would still take full advantage of its parents’ maternal instincts and receive the handouts.

Making decisions is very much a part of life. Sometimes we make good decisions and sometimes, we make bad ones. And then there are times we make horrendous ones. With the disappointment of the partridges not showing clouding my judgement, I left Bukit Tinggi at mid-morning and headed towards Lanchang for my secondary targets of the trip only to find out later that the partridges came out an hour after my departure. All three of them. Well, you might as well kick me in the groin because that was how it felt like. Lanchang is also located in the state of Pahang too and it was about an hour’s drive from Bukit Tinggi. Unlike the later, it was hot and humid but none of that mattered when a Black-throated Babbler hopped into view at the stake out area. This babbler is not new to me but I have no opportunities to capture its images till now.

I spent a considerable amount of time observing, shooting and admiring the Ferruginous Babbler during my last visit to the forests of Taman Negara Sungai Relau but the bird has not lost its novelty with me. I still find it to be a delightful species with a large dose of character and beauty.

Another familiar species was the Yellow-bellied Bulbul. Like the Ferruginous Babbler, Taman Negara Sungai Relau provided plenty of quality time with this species as well. However, its presence did not evoke as much emotions. Maybe it is because it also occurs in good numbers in the forests of Kedah where I often find myself birding.

A screen has been put up to accommodate the high number of birders and photographers (individual hides would only take up more space) to the site. This location is probably the hottest birding spot in Peninsular Malaysia now.

The one species that stands out from the rest is the enigmatic Malaysian Rail-babbler and there are at least 2 individuals frequenting the area. The birds here have grown accustomed to human presence and that gives both birders and photographers a rare opportunity to enjoy them for prolonged periods of time.

The walking gait of the babbler reminiscences the catwalk of those slender-limbed female models as they showcase their beauty and sensuality through graceful and provocative movements of the body anatomy. This is Mother Nature’s version and unlike its human counterparts, no training is required. Well, you will not find me driving more than 400 kilometers just to ogle at female models in a fashion show. But as you can see, I would for this alluring species.

Before I could fully recover from the Malaysian Rail-babbler’s performance and regain my composure, a female Banded Pitta came into the picture. There are a small number of sexually dimorphic bird species here in Malaysia where the female is just as attractive. The Banded Pitta is certainly one of them and although she is not fully matured yet, she is absolutely gorgeous. What she lacks in colour is made up by the striking black and yellow stripes on her underside.

This is the second time this year that I have the privilege to spend time with this extraordinary species and for that I am most grateful. The light was slightly behind the Banded Pitta but it did not matter. I am satisfied with how the images turned out. The colours of the bird are so radiant that even the setting sun could not drown them out.

To wrap things up for my first day of birding in Pahang is a little rodent that I cannot be certain if I have it in my photographic database – the Low’s Squirrel. The disappointment with the Ferruginous Partridge was a bitter pill to show and I hope to make things right the next day. The outcome of day two will be covered in my next post.