My Garden Birdwatch 2015

It is time to put on your citizen scientist’s coat and give a helping hand to the conservation of bird life in Malaysia. This year, My Garden Birdwatch (MYGB) will be held on the 20^th and 21^st of June 2015. All you need to do is record and count all the birds you see from your garden for 30 minutes on any of the two dates. It is as easy as that. To register yourself for this significant survey or for more information, please do visit the MYGB website. Below is the image of one of commonest birds in Malaysia that can be found in most residential areas, the Pacific Swallow. Usually ignored by most birders due to its abundance, this graceful aerial feeder has adapted perfectly to living alongside humans. It certainly does brighten up my day every time I see it glide overhead as I head out to work in the morning.

My Garden Birdwatch 2014

Well, it is that time of the year again for all Malaysian birders to do their part to help the conservation work of the one thing that they treasure most in life - the birds. The dates for this year's count have been fixed - which is either on 7th or 8th of June 2014. Just 30 minutes of your time as a citizen scientist is all it takes to make this count a success. If you still have not register for the count, you can do it at the MYGB website. The website also has all the information that you may need to know and as well as the results form last year's count. Here's the commonest species (not surprisingly) from last year's count - the Eurasian Tree-sparrow.

My Garden Birdwatch 2011

This is the second consecutive year for this easy but meaningful bird survey by MNS. I missed out on last year’s survey but I can’t really remember why. So, I made it a point to do it this year. I always do try to do what I can to help the plight of MNS to conserve the delicate balance of nature. It also helps protect the birds and it is always about the birds for me. To find out more about this survey, please visit the website here.

The compound of my apartment block houses quite a variety of bird species despite being located at the fringe of the ever-blooming capital of Penang state – Georgetown City. However, I usually don’t go birding around heavily populated areas as it tends to draw quite a lot of attention. I’m really not an anti-social person. Well, at least when I’m not birding.

So, I decided to conduct the survey from the “safety” of my balcony just after daybreak. Adhering to the criteria of the survey which excludes birds heard or flying over, I recorded 9 different species of birds during the 30-minute survey. Some of the usual suspects were missing from the list but that is what birding is all about. You can never be sure what to expect. Anyway, I did manage to capture a few images in between and this lone Spotted Dove was one of them.

Scarlet-backed Flowerpeckers are undoubtedly one of the prettiest residents around and this pair was kind enough to stay put long enough for me to photograph them. As with most birds the male overshadowed his mate tremendously in terms of colouration.

Even from my balcony, my birding antics did draw some attention. But instead of from my fellow human being, it was from this feral pigeon. I’m sorry, buddy. No matter how loud you coo I cannot include you in my count.