Third time's a charm? (15/11/2014)

Hor Kee came back from Chuping last Sunday with some exciting results and the sighting of the Racket-tailed Treepie was the one that really caught my eye. It has been a decade since my one and only sighting of this enigmatic but scarce northern species. And I have been hunting for a chance to obtain its image ever since. This was my third visit to Chuping this season and I was really hoping for something extraordinary this time. In the end, I dipped out on any would-be lifers and treepies as well but even so, Chuping still provided a memorable trip. I did not only have Choo Eng as my companion this time but Hor Kee as well.

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that the Asian Pied Starling has been officially removed from the Malaysian checklist and they performed well during that visit. Much to my delight, the starlings put on another splendid performance for the visiting birders again. Since this is one of the few places where it is regularly seen, I took as many images as they were willing to provide. 

The status of the Red Collared Dove is also shrouded with uncertainty. Initially, the birds that occur in the Peninsula Malaysia were either escapees or introduced birds. Recently, there is a strong indication that the birds that occur in the northern region of Peninsula Malaysia are natural colonizers from the north. Like the starlings, Chuping is one of the few strongholds for these beautiful doves. Here, they congregate in exceptionally high numbers and for the record we counted no less than 300 of them today.

There are a few other high-numbering sightings as well this trip. The migratory Black Drongo is common in suitable open country habitats throughout Peninsula Malaysia but today in Chuping, it is second only to the doves with an impressive figure of more than 100 individuals. With so many present, you would have thought I would be able to muster a better image than this one. However, the Black Drongo is usually a skittish bird despite occurring in open areas and they are not one that finds strength in numbers.

The Black-winged Kite is a petite raptor also found in open country and scrubland habitats. What it lacks in size and tenacity, it makes up in grace and beauty. A hovering bird is quite a sight and my poor attempt at capturing the moment does it no justice. It is normally found singly or in pairs. However when it comes to Chuping, you can throw the rule book out the window. Along a single electrical cable between two pylons, we counted 17 individuals. 

We also bumped into KC and Swee Yian from the MNS Perak Branch Bird Group shortly after our arrival at the locality. It was great to meet up with them again after such a long time.

A circling Oriental Honey-buzzard caught our full attention. This species with its highly varied plumage can sometimes be mistaken for something else and vice versa. We just wanted to be sure since we are at the hottest spot in Peninsula Malaysia in terms of rare migrants (and temperature).

Raptors ruled the day at Chuping as we stumbled onto the path of migrating Black Bazas. These are probably the last few to pass through as the raptor migration period was already tailing off. 

Among the Bazas, there was also a lone Grey-faced Buzzard and it was my first of the season. The distance prevented me from obtaining better images of this striking species. I guess there's always next time...

The grasslands here play host to wintering harriers every season and it is one of the best places to observe these graceful raptors. The Eastern Marsh Harriers and Pied Harriers are the two species found here so far. Today, the smaller Pied Harrier outperformed its larger cousin. I managed to obtain images of all three of its normal plumage variances. To start things off is this strikingly-marked male quartering his domain in search of breakfast. 

A confiding female did her hunting close to our stationery vehicle for a prolonged period of time. 

The juvenile is substantially different from the adults. Its overall dark plumage also makes it quite recognizable which is something you do not get to enjoy in most juvenile raptors. 

Here is a male Eastern Marsh Harrier and not a female Pied Harrier as I had initially put it down as (thanks, Dave!).



Chuping is also a regular wintering ground for another exceptional raptor. Rare throughout the rest of the Peninsula, the Common Kestrel is undoubtedly one of the star birds of this birding hotspot. Today's encounter was the best so far because we managed to observe a female bird preying upon what looked like an insect. And I managed to obtain the best image of this falcon to date. 

We came across a total of 3 individuals throughout the trip. Unfortunately, this female perched on a dead tree was slightly blocked and our attempt to re-position our vehicle saw our subject gliding away towards the far horizon. 

A small little mammal foraging along the access trail turned out to be a mongoose. Typical of the species, no second chance was given for improvement shots as it scrambled back into cover once it sensed our presence.

My third visit to the Little Cormorants’ pond finally yielded a reasonably close shot. This lone bird was slightly more confiding than usual as it rested among the reeds. So, I guess third time's a charm after all. 

The pond provided another pleasant surprise in the form of a female Pygmy Cotton Goose. This species, together with the Lesser Whistling Duck, are the only resident ducks in the Peninsula. However, the goose is a rarer bird and I have only recorded it on only a few other occasions elsewhere. It was personal new record for this site and a fitting end to another great trip to the great grasslands of Chuping.

As we were on the road heading back to Penang, Hor Kee received a text message from KC. They just had a family of 3 Racket-tailed Treepies at the exact location where we were searching for them just before we decided to call it a day. I guess if it is not meant to be, it is not meant to be...

 

21/12/2011: Mainland Penang

I was back at the marshlands of Pulau Burung at the break of dawn but despite the good weather, there was nothing much about this time. All the scarce migrants like the Garganeys and Little Stints were no where to be seen. After about an hour, I decided to search for greener pastures elsewhere. I cannot recall the exact reason why I chose to visit Batu Kawan but it turned out to be one of the most crucial decisions that I have ever made in my life.

Upon my arrival, there was this particular dead tree with quite a few large birds resting on it. However, two of them had somewhat odd body shapes. Once I had my binos on them, their identification was crystal clear even at that distance – Oriental Darters! Apart from the historical records, there has been only one confirmed sighting of this enigmatic waterbird in Peninsula Malaysia and that was last year at Kinta Nature Park in Perak. I then quickly took a few record shots just to make sure I have photographic evidence in case the birds decide to disappear before I could get closer. I guess I have learned my lesson well from all my previous rarity sighting records where I was not able to support my finds with photographs and inevitably, resulted quite negatively on me.

Anyway, they were reasonably tame as I got as close as I possibly could by car. Using my car as a hide, I took quite a number of shots and the Darters were more than happy to oblige. As far as I could tell, both of them appeared to be adults birds in non-breeding plumage and there was not much difference in terms of colour and size.

The Darters were exhibiting their typical behaviour of drying itself and preening on exposed perches like this dead tree. It is most probably they had completed their morning hunt when I came across them. Much to my delight, my presence did not seem to bother them at all and I was given the opportunity to observe them going about their normal routine.

Looks like Christmas is early again for me this year and this lifer is one that I have been keeping an eye out for as long as I could remember. It fulfills most of the criteria that I look for in a bird that is worthy to be considered a mega lifer. It’s rare and it’s big and furthermore, it’s a waterbird. And even the moderate quality of the images due the distance and lighting did not seem to matter all that much. What is important is the fact that I was lucky enough to be at the right place and the right time to enjoy certainly one of my best birding moments ever. Merry Christmas and I hope you guys will enjoy your stay here…

Unfortunately, my encounter came to an abrupt end when a marauding White-bellied Sea-eagle came a little too close for comfort and caused the waterbirds in the vicinity to panic and flee - including the Darters. In flight, their long narrow wings carry them with ease and their necks are held outstretched. They stayed relatively close to each other as they flew and disappeared from sight among some vegetation at the far distance. I am not sure if the 'handshake' effect of these flying shots are due to my camera settings at that time or I was still recovering from all the excitement. Anyway despite a careful search of the area, I failed to relocate the Darters again.

And so, I finally had the time to pay homage to the other birds present. The marshlands here are quite rich in birdlife and there are always quite a number of large waterbirds around like this subadult Grey Heron.

The plumage of this juvenile Purple Heron blends rather well among the adjacent grasslands.

During the migratory season, there will be a large influx of Egrets to the locality and the Great Egret is one of the four species that have been recorded here.

The Changeable Hawk-eagle is another common sight at the marshlands and I photographed this one while it was contemplating what to have for breakfast from a dead tree stump.

As for the waders, not many were around. The Red-wattled Lapwings are quite conspicuous and their presence usually does not go unnoticed.

This Terek Sandpiper was rather wary of my approaching car and I had no choice but to photograph it from a distance.

My next destination was the scrublands and mangroves of Juru. The Black-capped Kingfisher is one the most striking of our commoner kingfishers. However, it is terribly shy and this shot is one of the better ones I have managed to obtain so far.

The Brahminy Kite is a common resident along the mangrove belt here and two were seen patrolling the skies today.

At my last destination, the Sungai Dua paddy fields, I spent some time photographing this rather confiding Blue-tailed Bee-eater that was posing so elegantly against a nice green background.

At one of houses next to the fields, I also managed to photograph this Mongoose foraging inside its compound. Although it is not uncommon, this small but deadly predator is seldom seen in the open for long periods of time.