It took a moment to acclimatize
to the hot and humid conditions of lowland tropical rain forests after three
days in Fraser’s Hill. The short trek to Sungai Congkak Forest Reserve’s stakeout
point reminded how good we had it up at the hill resort. My Australian guests
were on the final leg of their 4-day tour and this would be their last
destination. The distant thunder threatened to cut short this last excursion
here in Selangor state. But all worries about the gloomy weather and pesky mosquitoes
vanished when the first bird of this birding hotspot made an appearance. The
Horsfield’s Babbler is not common anywhere in Malaysia. It has been years since
my last sighting of the Horsfield’s Babbler and the confiding nature of this
individual got me just as excited as my guests. I finally have images of this
scarce but drab-looking forest bird and it felt good.
Lowland babblers are
generally difficult to observe due to their active nature and preference for
dense vegetation. Stakeouts like this is probably the only place you can enjoy
intimate encounters with them. The White-chested Babbler occurs in one of my
local patches and it took a lot of effort to obtain the handful of images I
have of this species. Here, the bird is much more confiding and will
occasionally abandoned its skulking behaviour and wander out into the open.
There are two passerines in
Malaysia that walk instead of hop as they move about the forest floor. One is
the enigmatic Malaysian Rail-Babbler. And the other, though not so charismatic,
is the Black-capped Babbler. Like the former, its distinctive call is usually
the only indication of its presence. When seen in good light, the Black-capped
Babbler is quite a striking bird and I certainly do not come across this all
that often.
The reigning star bird of
this locality is the Rufous-backed Kingfisher. Amazing colouration makes it a
true jewel of the forest but its minute size makes it difficult to locate. I was
smitten by its beauty when I made my maiden visit to the location last year. No
longer a first timer, I thought I would be able to control my emotions better
this time but I was wrong. I was just spellbound. This little kingfisher is
truly something else.
Even without eye contact, this
image of the Rufous-backed Kingfisher facing away was still a keeper to me.
There were a few newcomers to
the stakeout and one of them was a female Siberian Blue Robin. She was still
wary of human presence and kept her distance. That was a real shame because
although it is not a rare bird, I still do not have any decent photographs of
this migratory robin. By then the weather had turned for the worst. When the
rain started to trickle down, we knew better than to stay on. So concluded my
tour with the Knights. It was a rewarding trip and I enjoyed it as much as my
guests.
I stayed over at Victor’s
place for the night with the intention of dragging him along for some birding
in the morning before I take the long drive back to Penang. He took me to a
wader roost in Jeram along the Selangor coastline and we timed our arrival with
the rising tide. We were greeted by a spectacle of nature as hundreds of waders
were roosting on the sandy shore. It was their high tide roost and the
landscape of the beach allowed us to creep right up to them without giving away
our presence.
Initially, I was overwhelmed
by the sheer numbers present at such close quarters. One of the reasons animals
flock together in big numbers is to evade a predator as there is safety in
numbers. Sometimes a predator may become disoriented and unable to single out
one quarry to pursue. It has the same
effect on photographers as well. When I finally regain my composure, I found
that the majority of the waders present were Lesser Sand-Plovers and some were
sporting their smart summer plumage.
Red-necked Stints were in
good numbers here as well and like the plovers, some were in breeding plumage.
At times, these peeps wandered very close to my position. It has been a long
time since I last enjoyed such intimate encounters with roosting waders. Most
of the roost sites in Penang have shifted to inaccessible locations. I am glad Victor
brought me to this location. It was just like the good old days when wader
watching was awesome back in my home state.
Despite a careful sweep,
there were no rarities among the flock. I was not disappointed. Birding is not
always about rarities and lifers. It is also about losing yourselves among the
wonders of nature. It is about finding solitude in your main passion in life.
It is about discovering experiences that last a lifetime. Even a common species
like the Curlew Sandpiper can awe and inspire – especially if it is in its
splendid breeding plumage.
Whenever the roosting flock
took flight, it was a whirlwind of wings and feathers. The sight and sound of
hundreds of birds taking off and alighting back at the same place was breath
taking indeed.
This is how you shoot at this
wader roost. Camouflaged attire to blend in. On your knees to break the human
form, for better photographic angle and to show gratitude to a greater power
for the opportunity to experience this rewarding moment.
The waders gradually
disappeared with the receding tide. We then combed the rugged shore line for
any other birding highlights to add to the visit here.
Like a scene from the
Cretaceous Period, three prehistoric-looking beasts were hunting along the exposed
mud. Even at this distance there is no mistaking the Lesser Adjutant.
There are a few ways to
describe this endangered stork but I do not feel ugly is one of them. Every
bird is beautiful in its own way. This stork is one of my favourite birds and
that will tell you how I feel about its appearance. Unfortunately, the Lesser
Adjutant is getting scarce in my home state and a sight like this is rare to
come by.
I guess habitat destruction
and human encroachment is to blame. I am always a sucker for large water birds
and the Lesser Adjutant being the biggest here in Malaysia, will always have a special
place in my heart.
During my drive back to
Penang, I made a quick detour Kek Lok Tong Temple for a break and some birding.
This temple is a popular birding location and since it is at the halfway point
of my drive home, it is a regular pit stop of mine whenever I travel back from
the central region. True to its reputation, I was greeted by a pair of
Red-whiskered Bulbuls at the entrance to the temple. The origins of the pair is
questionable as native birds are restricted to the north of the peninsular.
However, there were doubts about their vocal abilities and aesthetic appeal.
The Blue Rock-Thrush is very
much a part of this temple cave. Located at one of the many limestone outcrops
throughout Ipoh town in Perak, the temple is an ideal refuge for this beautiful
dweller of rocky terrains. As usual, the male is more striking than the female
and had my initial attention.
The female does not lag very
far from the male in the looks department and received a fair share of affection.
There is another avian
resident of this temple cave. One that has somehow managed to evade me on every
visit here. The Blue Whistling Thrush is somewhat uncommon as I do not come
across it often when I am out in the field. This temple is probably one of the
best places to observe and photograph the species. But as fate would have it,
it was another failed attempt. To take its place was a surprisingly tame female
Asian Emerald Dove. This usually shy member of the dove family provided a
fitting end to my interstate birding adventure.
