It
has been about a year since my last pelagic trip. Thus, it was too good of a
chance to pass when Hor Kee invited me to join him and Dave for a day of
birding out at sea. It was not smooth sailing all the way as the fishing boat
left the dock later than usual because of poor weather. Here in Kedah’s Tanjung
Dawai Fishing Village, our pelagic birding is not from chartered boats. It is
done from this particular fishing boat. We follow the fishermen out at dawn and
come back only when they are done at dusk. And it is all thanks to Choo Eng who
knows the owner of the boat.
As
soon as we got into the fishing zones, the weather improved and like clockwork,
the birds will appear once the boats cast their nets. All those trapped and
discarded fish are natural magnets to the birds and they will come in from
every corner of the sea. During the
migratory season, terns numbering to the thousands are drawn to these fishing
activities. As it is mid-June now, only the resident terns are likely to be around.
It is also a little late for southern sea birds like shearwaters on their
passage up north as well.
The
Bridled Terns are the commonest terns at this time of the year and form the
majority present today. They are also the most confiding and at times, flew
very close to the boat.
A
few of the Bridled Terns were in their smart breeding plumage and a much
welcomed difference from the usual mottled plumages of both the juvenile and
non-breeding adults. Unfortunately, there was not much good photographic opportunities
as they kept their distance most of the time.
A
Lesser Crested Tern in breeding plumage was a pleasant find because it should
have migrated back to its breeding grounds by now. Whatever the reason, it
provided some excitement to our maritime excursion that has started to become
somewhat dull.
Sometimes
in birding, you do not need many birds to make a trip worthwhile. You just need
one. A bird like let's say a Roseate Tern in breeding plumage. This scarce off-shore
tern is my second lifer this week and it made waking up at 4 in the morning to brave
a pre-dawn shower, endure the tormenting conditions of the open sea and tolerate
the scorching temperature of the midday sun the second great decision I have
made this week.
The
Roseate Tern has a tantalising
pink hue on its underparts that is only prominent in good light. Together with
its slender appearance and graceful maneuverability, it is truly a feast for
the eyes.
Naturally,
it had our undivided attention. It stayed in the vicinity for at least a few
hours and provided a memorable performance to the three of us. Capturing the
Roseate Tern in action was no easy task due to the shooting conditions from the
boat. But there was no way I was going to give up without giving it my all
first. The Almighty must be looking down on me today because I found that I managed
to capture more good shots than I had anticipated.
After
going through his images back home, Dave told us that there were at least two Roseate
Terns present and not one as we had earlier suspected. The man's eye for the
finer details is unbelievable. I certainly did not notice it. Perhaps the
aftermath of all the emotions from laying eyes on my very first Roseate Tern
clouded my vision. A very slight difference in the wing and tail feathers'
stage of moult and bill colour were the only differences between the two birds.
After scrutinizing my images, I found only a single image of the second bird
with its
left outer primary
being the most noticeable difference.
It
is much easier to identify Roseate Terns when they are in breeding plumage. The
minussensis race of the Common Tern
with the red legs is quite similar to the former and the root cause of
misidentification between the two species.
With
my newly acquired field experience, I found that I could differentiate the
Common from the Roseate Tern (when seen together) even without the aid of my
bins. The latter is a much more elegant and slender tern. And the former is
simply more of a brute. A small number of Common Terns were recorded today and
are most probably over-summering birds.
In
fact, the Roseate Tern has almost the same jizz as the Black-naped Tern.
However, the latter is a much paler tern. It is almost wholly white and still is
the closest thing I will ever get in seeing an angel.
Our
fishermen friends were also kept happy by the good haul today. Although the
amount of anchovies (their main target fish) caught was significantly low, they
did quite well with other small fish species.
We
got back to dry land with a couple of daylight hours left. Dave still needed a
Mangrove Pitta for his Big Year and the Merbok mangroves along the coastline
here is one of the most extensive and unexplored mangroves in Peninsular
Malaysia. He also happens to know of a spot where you can drive right to the
edge of the mangroves and wants to try his luck there. It was just next to a
Malay village and upon arrival, instantly reminded me of my beloved Air Hiram
Dalam back in Penang. I intentionally left all my gear in the car as we stepped
towards the mangroves. Years of birding has taught me that long shots and
anything short of a miracle will only take place when you are least prepared or
equipped. True enough, we were greeted by no less than three Mangrove Pittas!
It may sound odd but this is the first time I have ever seen a Mangrove Pitta
in the mangroves. Just in case you are wondering, I ran back to the car and
grabbed my gear soon after we heard the calls.
Eventually,
one of the pittas came quite close and alighted on a Rambutan tree. The only
reason I know it is a Rambutan tree because it had unripe fruits on it.
Otherwise, it will be just another "tree" next to the mangroves.
We
started off the day with an unexpected sighting of three Wreathed Hornbills
flying low above the coastal trees where our fishing boat was docked. And
Mother Nature felt it was only right that we end this outstanding trip with
another hornbill. This male Oriental Pied Hornbill was foraging on a dead
coconut stump as we made our way out of the mangroves.
With the light
disappearing at such a rapid pace, I tried my best to capture a few images.
Lucky for me, one of them came out relatively good. Although Oriental Pied
Hornbills are the commonest hornbill in Peninsular Malaysia, I have not had as
many encounters with them as I would love to. One of the reasons is the fact
that they are absent from my home state of Penang and that is a real shame.
