Bukit Larut is not new to me. Back in my
teenage years, this rustic hill resort located in the state of Perak was heaven
sent. Wild and teeming with birds, every visit was pure ecstasy except when it
rained (it is the wettest part of Malaysia after all). Nowadays, it is pale
comparison. There is a noticeable drop in the bird population and I am not even
going to mention about how they run the jeep shuttle service up the hill.
Anyway together with my guests Nigel and Jimmy, we decided to give Bukit Larut
a chance to proving itself worthy again as a birding hotspot. There is now a
stakeout at the foot of the hill and the feathered patrons there were the main
targets of this trip. As it was my first visit to this spot, I was equally as
excited as the Oh brothers. I tried my best to conceal my emotions as I do have
a reputation to keep.
It did not take long for the first bird to
appear and it turned out to be the biggest and baddest one of them all. The Rufous-collared Kingfisher is a true
gem of the forest that does not reveal its splendour all that often. This handsome
male bird out in the open and at such close proximity, provided the excursion with
an excellent start.
Set against the gloomy surroundings of the
forest understorey, the bright colouration of the Rufous-collared Kingfisher was
just incredible. I have my fair share of frustrating encounters with this
kingfisher before and the performance of this individual, deserved my wholehearted
appreciation.
And for once, the dense vegetation of the
forest could not deny me the opportunity to admire and photograph this kingfisher
to my heart’s content. Its size and robust nature gave it the edge over the other
patrons and the king usually had the whole stakeout to himself.
Once the Rufous-collared Kingfisher was done,
the other patrons started to appear. The next bird to grace the vicinity was
another cracking species. The migratory Orange-headed Thrush is uncommon enough
to make me feel giddy once again. I am now quite sure I will be making a few more
trips here before the end of this migratory season.
The contrasting colouration of orange and
grey makes it an attractive species indeed. In recent years, I have been privileged
enough to come across the Orange-headed Thrush more frequently than ever before.
And this individual is maintaining that trend and for that, I am most grateful.
Pittas are remarkable creatures. It does not matter
if it is a common species. Every encounter with one of these terrestrial birds
is an exhilarating one. In Malaysia, the Hooded Pitta breeds in northern
Peninsular Malaysia but it occurs as a migrant throughout the country like this
individual.
I do not have many intimate encounters with
this pitta as I find the resident ones up north to be exceptionally shy. The
only other time a Hooded Pitta had me trembling with excitement was at another
stakeout in central Peninsular Malaysia. That may all change if strutting about
in the open at this stakeout becomes an annual affair for this charming
migrant.
Of all the birds present today, one managed
to outdo the rest and earned itself bird of the day. Forested streams and
rivers are home to a group of intriguing but shy birds known as forktails.
Their plumages are strikingly marked and they have a habit of flicking their
tails which just enhances their demeanour. The Chestnut-naped Forktail is not a
rare bird and it even occurs in a few of my regular haunts. The reason for me
to drive more than 100 kilometres to see this one is because I could finally
ogle at its true beauty and capture the moment at close range.
Today, this male Chestnut-naped Forktail
stayed the longest at the stakeout offering the three of us ample time to spend
with this beautiful species. I simply adore the intricate patterns he sports on
his upper breast and his lovable antics was irresistible. He alone would have
made the drive here worthwhile and I am sure my guests agree.
I know that birding at a stakeout is not old
school. The thrill and challenges of locating birds on your own is missing. But
given the situation of the world today, birding is a far cry from the good old
days. Back then, it was so much easier for birders to enjoy a rewarding
excursion. With the drop in the numbers of birds and the constant destruction
of birding sites, stakeouts are a much welcomed addition to my birding routine.
And for difficult species like this Chestnut-naped Forktail, it is probably the
only way to obtain excellent views and images.
At one time, the Chestnut-naped Forktail decided to forage on the ground in front of us and it was probably the best moment with this fascinating bird. The movement of the forktail somehow gives an impression of the bird being light footed and graceful. Not unlike a ballerina on stage and it was a truly captivating performance.
Being the smallest of the lot, the
Green-backed Flycatcher could only sneak in between appearances of the bigger
birds. It was a handsome male bird and this uncommon migrant played a small part
to make our visit here so memorable.
A good excursion will usually build up a good
appetite and we headed to a nearby food court location within the Taiping Lake
Gardens as noon approaches. A public display of affections by a pair of
Long-tailed Parakeets on top of one of the many Rain Trees in the gardens, had
my undivided attention and lunch will just have to wait. Nigel who lives in
Singapore do not share my enthusiasm as this species is common in the southern
half of the peninsular. In fact, Taiping is probably the closest to home where I
stand a good chance to encounter this native parakeet.
Another species that is absent from home but
present here is the Oriental Pied Hornbill. Because of its small size and common
nature, this hornbill is often taken for granted. It can be quite confiding at
several localities throughout the country but I do not encounter it often
enough to pass an opportunity as good as this. The usual stares from the other
visitors to the gardens did not prevent me from enjoying the moment.
Love was certainly in the air because like
the parakeets, the Oriental Pied Hornbills looks set for the coming breeding
season. The Taiping Lake Gardens is known for its romantic setting and this
pair of love birds fits in perfectly.
As we headed back north, I made a little detour to
another former favourite birding site of mine – the marshlands surrounding the
Pulau Burung landfill in mainland Penang. Like Bukit Larut, this site has seen
better days and human intervention was one of the root causes for this locality’s
downfall. As we drove alongside the perimeter fencing, a sense of nostalgia
started to develop from within. During the good old days, there were no fencing
and the marshlands was left literally to the care of Mother Nature. Naturally,
birds and other wildlife thrived.
A flock of Lesser Whistling Ducks and other
water fowl resting along the water’s edge almost brought me back to the glory
days of this birding haven. Almost...
Little Grebes still managed to endure in the
current environment. A pair was leisurely paddling along the lake and it was a
picture of utter bliss.
But dangers lurk throughout the marshlands and the water birds here like these Lesser Whistling-Ducks have to be vigilant of predators like the Water Monitor Lizard.
This is one of the best sites to photograph
the elegant Blue-tailed Bee-eater and it remains so till this day. Finally something
to cheer about. We took our time with these common winter visitors before
departing to the next location of the day and they were obliging indeed.
It has been awhile since I last paid homage to the urban owls of Bukit DO. As usual, one of the regular walkers of this suburban park pointed out the roosting owl upon our arrival. It was on a high perch and the lighting was not exactly on our side. However, it is always good to see the Barred Eagle-owl still calling this modest park home.
The paddy fields of mainland Penang was the next location of the day. Most of the fields had fresh paddy stalks and that
made it difficult to locate the water birds that find sanctuary here. When we
came across a recently planted patch, there was a flock of Grey-headed Lapwings
present. Normally, these birds have low tolerance towards approaching birders. They
were friendlier on this occasion and we managed to obtain some reasonably good
images.
Only a few juveniles were among this flock
and the pale colouration made it relatively distinct from the adults.
Apparently there is no getting over the Asian
Openbill phenomenon and today’s excursion had a fair share of these unique
storks. A small flock was foraging among the paddy stalks and the sea of green
provided a nice backdrop for our photo session. One of the storks is starting
to moult into breeding plumage but it remained further away throughout our
observation.
The rest of the Asian Openbills present
sported slightly different plumage coloration due to age and different stages
of moult. Again, the storks tolerated our intrusion and was more confiding than
the ones I used to encounter before the invasion.
This is my favourite image from our encounter
with the Asian Openbills. Although almost half the storks were hidden by the paddy
stalks, the scenic landscape and the bond between the two was absolutely captivating
to my eyes. It has been a long time when I last enjoyed an outstanding
excursion like this. But then again Christmas is almost here and everything
tends to be more beautiful and sweet this time of the year.
A formidable Crested Serpent-Eagle overlooking its swampy domain at the Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest was a good encounter to wrap things up for the day. It may be a common raptor but when a predatory bird is as confiding as this, it should not be taken for granted.
