A solemn start to the season (19/10/2013)

I have not been out in the field as often as I would like to of late due to my working schedule and other commitments. However with the migratory season now in full swing, I just have to make the time – one way or the other. So, it was off to one of my favourite haunts – the marshlands of Pulau Burung, Penang. This locality has undergone a major make-over since the last migratory season and from the looks of things, all the effort was not for the better in terms of birding. Previously, during the migratory seasons this place would be teeming with birds - both residents and migrants. But today, it looks partly deserted. Even the commoners were few and far. This rather confiding Paddyfield Pipit did its best to try and restore my faith in this birding locality and it worked to a certain extent.

I can take comfort in the fact that the resident Purple Herons still call this place home and this lone adult was foraging among the long grass by the edge of the river. Generally shy by nature, it is often difficult to get close to this graceful waterbird even when using the one’s car as a mobile hide.

The Collared Kingfishers are regularly encountered among the vicinity of the mangroves. With their raucous calls and bright colouration, it is in fact rather difficult to miss them if they are around. And with three resting on the same perch, it is downright impossible.

Pulau Burung used to be the best place to observe and photograph Wood Sandpipers. Although this species is quite common throughout the country during the migratory season but it is only here that the birds come just short of letting you giving it a pat on the head. Today, not even a mediocre performance was given. The birds were absent from their usual spots and whenever I did come across one, it kept its distance. However, all was not lost. This Common Sandpiper reminded me why this birding hotspot holds a very special place in my heart.

The resident waders were seen at their usual spots and that certainly brightened up a slightly overcast morning. The vocal Red-wattled Lapwings were still in good numbers along the drier grasslands…

And as for the Black-winged Stilts, well these graceful waders have seen much better days. Only a handful was present today at the edge of the river.

The Chestnut-winged Cuckoo is a undoubtedly a very stunning bird, gracing us with its presence for only a few months each year as it avoids the cold, harsh winter up north. But it is also a very shy bird. I guess this photo, taken from a distance as this is as close as I was allowed today, says it all.

Yellow Wagtails come in all sorts of colours, races, sub-races, seasonal moults, etc, etc. To keep life simple and my sanity intact I just call them as they are, Yellow Wagtails - period.

The highlight of the day, surprisingly, turned out to be a mammal - a Wild Boar foraging in the open in bright daylight. The foraging must be good along this section of the access road next to the mangroves because the boar was so preoccupied I was able to drive rather close to it. But the clicks from my camera reminded it how dangerous humans can be and it bolted hastily into the safety of the mangroves.

A ruckus along the river attracted my attention and it turned out to be two male Monitor Lizards fighting for the affections of a female. Boys will be boys, I guess…

While I was making my way back, I came across a fine-looking Crested Serpent-eagle resting on a lamp post along the busy main road. This species is quite accustomed to human presence and it is not unusual to see it resting comfortably on such perches.

And a handsome Brown Shrike back from his northern breeding grounds wrapped things up for the day. 

Bedong - A new raptor count site for Malaysia

 Bedong is a small laid-back down in Kedah,  north of Sungai Petani and south of Gurun and is located in the central Kedah plains, to the west is Gunung Jerai, and the east is the Bukit Selambau "Hills". Generally, the east of Kedah is covered by hills and mountain ranges. Therefore every autumn, raptors migrating from the northern hemisphere will pass through this not so narrow choke point, compared to the Isthmus of Kra in southern Thailand. Yet it still present good opportunities for raptor viewing from a hillock at Bedong, near Kongsi 6. Last year volunteers from MNS counted about 60,000 raptors over a 45-day period. We decide to name the hillock Aun Tiah Hill to honour the grand not so old man of Malaysian raptors, Mr Lim Aun Tiah.

Now to the birds, or rather raptors, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Chinese Goshawk, Grey-faced Buzzard and the Black Baza are all easily seen here. Generally peaking towards mid and end October. What makes Bedong so special is the number of the not so common migratory raptors. Booted Eagles, Ospreys and Aquilas were seen. Black Kites and Harriers (both Pied and Eastern Marsh) were occasionally seen and they tend to migrate lower. The rarest for last year's count should be the Common Buzzard but for me the raptor of the count should be the Rufous Bellied Eagle, a 1st occurance for this location.

MNS will be doing the count again this year, we are looking for volunteers, especially from now till 10th October, although the numbers of raptors going through are low, and will be building up, it is easier to spot rarities. A big thank you to last year's volunteers, and those had already indicated to me they are interested in this year's count.

Tan Choo Eng

Malaysia Nature Society, Penang

Note: Choo Eng and I did a count on 28/09/2013 from 0930 - 1230 hrs and here are the results

1) Japanese Sparrwohawk - 104

2) Oriental Honey-buzzard - 9

3) Chinese Goshawk - 1

4) Accipiter spp. - 71

Ready, set, go! (22-23/06/2013)

The last time I participated in a bird race was the annual Fraser’s Hill International Bird Race (FHIBR) back in 1995 and we got a commendable third place then. For the benefit of those not familiar with the term Bird Race, it is basically a competition to see who records the most number of bird species within a certain locality in a given time frame. In the case of the FHIBR, each team is given 24 hours to record to do it within the borders of this renowned hill resort – renowned for its rich birdlife that is. The criteria are simple – at least 2 members of a team must see and agree on the identification of the bird in order to put it down. Birds that were heard do not count. The arbitrators, race officials and checkpoints play an important role in maintaining a certain standard and order to the competition but as with all bird races, a lot is dependent on the integrity of the participants.

When Choo Eng invited me to join him for this year’s FHIBR, I obliged as it has been quite a while since my last one. The third member of our team was none other than James Ooi – one of the members of my team during the ’95 race. Siew Thye came along as a non-participating member (each team is restricted to 3 members only) and it was a rather good experience for him. We decided to call ourselves team Penang Aquilas in honour of these magnificent raptors’ recent regularity of wintering in our home state of Penang. Besides, it was an intimidating name as well. 

 

As expected I did not have much time for bird photography. Heck, we didn’t even have much time to eat and bathe! Jokes aside, a bird race is like birding on overdrive and it can be rather tiring at times. But it is definitely not short on excitement and drama. Anyway, one of the birds that I did manage to photograph was this common resident – the Oriental Magpie-robin.

Come to think of it, the commoner birds were the majority that I photographed this time. The Mountain Bulbul is almost a certainty here at Fraser’s Hill but I remembered well that we missed out on this species during the ’95 race. I guess luck plays an important – as usual.

The Large Niltava is a rather attractive flycatcher of the montane forest and can usually be seen hawking for insects along the access roads and bungalow compounds. The male bird possesses a brilliant blue plumage that can only be truly appreciated when he is seen in good light. The female, on the other hand, has the brilliant blue colouration reduce to the collar and head region only.

Another common flycatcher of this hill resort is the Rufous-browed Flycatcher. Occasionally overlooked due to its smaller size and duller colouration and as well as its preference for hunting among the shadows of the forest under storey. Its sweet but soft whistling notes are usually one of the indicators of its presence.

The highlight of the trip in terms of bird photography is courtesy of a bird species so strikingly-coloured and attractive, it leaves you no choice but to believe in the existence of a greater being. Only He with his divine power is capable of creating such a heavenly work of art in a form of a bird. A bird called the Sultan Tit. Bright yellow colouration contrasting beautifully with the remaining black plumage and a wicked crest. Enough said.

Here’s a photo of my team mates in the thick of action…

Other than the birds, we also managed to photograph a rather curious Small-toothed Palm Civet that was checking us out from the safety of the overhead electrical cabel…

And a confiding Keelback Snake momentarily distracted us from the race.

I bet you’re wondering how we faired in the race. Well, we managed to record 68 species altogether and it was good enough to make the Penang Aquilas champions for the 26th FHIBR! The weather was rather dry and hot during the entire race and the birding was not as good as usual. We had to really dig deep to come up with the result but it was certainly worth all the effort. Other than the bragging rights of being the winners this year, we also received trophies, binoculars, fieldguides and cash prizes. Not bad for 24 hours of intense birding!

Shades of brown (04/05/2013)

The Bukit Hijau Recreational Forest is a birding locality in the state of Kedah that I have not been for quite a long while. So today, with my birding companions Choo Eng and James, I revisited the area with much hope and anticipation - as always. And I was not to be disappointed. Right next to the car park was a fruiting tree and the birds were just starting to feed. 

Although the fruits were a little too high for good photographic opportunities, we had a delightful time just recording the different species drawn in by this natural banquet. In fact, the only patron that I actually took a few shots was not a bird but an Agile Gibbon. Normally shunning human, I guess the temptations of the fruiting tree was a little strong for this graceful but shy primate to resist.

I was momentarily distracted from the fruiting tree when a family of Checker-throated Woodpeckers foraged quite noisily nearby. Although not that rare, it is not often that one gets to observe a whole family interacting and going about their routine. Little did the youngsters know that all their begging and whining not only got them the attention of the parent bird but a few visiting birders as well.  

When we made our way deeper into the forest, we came across another fruiting tree. The majority of the patrons here were Bulbuls. Your identification skills are usually put to the test when the time comes to differentiate brown Bulbuls. Often, the distinguishing features are found on the head region and that can be a problem if the bird is just being plain difficult...

But nothing a little perseverance won't overcome. White iris...Cream-vented Bulbul.

A male Tiger Shrike in breeding plumage is something that I still can never get enough of. As he is a pure carnivore, the fruiting tree is of no interest to him. Most probably, he was just passing through or perhaps the presence of quite a number of small passerines at a single tree caught his attention. 

It was truly a handsome bird but I had to get off the beaten trail to reduce the distance between us. My over-zealousness to obtain better shots resulted in me getting more than just shots of a Tiger Shrike. Leeches! Well, you know what they say - you haven't really "bird" in a tropical forest until you get your first leech bite.

With midday approaching we took a little breather from all the "hard work" of identifying brown Bulbuls. Midway through our brunch at a little F&B stall near the car park, a flying lizard decided to join us. 

Our next destination was Choo Eng's estate which was only a few kilometers away. What makes this rubber/palm oil estate any different from the rest? Well, it belongs to a birder and the thriving bird populations there are probably aware of that as well.

A confident Rusty-breasted Cuckoo got the ball rolling. Belting its territorial call persistently from the foliage of the rubber trees, it performed well for us and finally, I have added this beautiful parasitic species into my digital photo album.

Like the similar looking Plaintive Cuckoo, it is also more often heard than seen. However, its preference for more forested areas makes it even more elusive which explains my futile attempts in the past. 

The Brown-streaked Flycatcher is a rather scarce resident in Malaysia and can be easily mistaken for the much commoner Asian Brown Flycatcher due to its uncanny resemblance to the latter. I have had only about a handful of encounters with this species in the past and thanks to Choo Eng's keen eyesight, I got my second photo lifer of the trip. One of the advantages of taking up bird photography is having photo lifers. Although not quite the same magnitude as real lifers, it is nevertheless exciting and gives me yet another reason to venture out into the field whenever I have the free time.

My third and final photo lifer was a foraging Mangrove Whistler that totally ignored our presence altogether. Don't be misled by the name as the signature whiplash call of this species can be heard quite far inland and in various habitats. I never had any luck with this species until today and although the lighting condition was a little less than desirable, I am quite happy with my images in the end. Like the Brown-streaked Flycatcher it was another dull brownish bird but this duo helped turn ordinary to extraordinary and I guess this time brown is all the colour I need. 

Soaked to the bone (04/04/2013)

It was drizzling when I dragged myself out of bed. The cold air was making me sluggish but to miss yet another birding trip was unforgivable. As Choo Eng and I were making our way across the Penang Bridge, it really started to pour and we had to consider carefully where our destination would be on this dark and damp morning. At the time, we had no idea that the rain will eventually cause Penang Island's worst flash flood in 5 years and luckily by the time we got back home, the flood had subsided.  

Anyway, we were car-birding along the eastern side of Kedah state when Choo Eng spotted a couple of Barred Eagle-owls roosting on a huge Rain Tree. Although I feel sorry for the owls, braving tropical downpours with hardly any shelter is something that is very much a part of their lives. Birds and animals are more than prepared to face anything that is thrown at them by Mother Nature. Sadly, evolution simply did not have time to make them withstand the destructive nature of man as well.

Eventually, we found ourselves at Tengas - a locality which basically consists of plantations and secondary forests. I have not visited this area for many years now and naturally, quite a substantial area of the forest has been replaced with plantations. With the birds laying low and no signs of the weather improving, we were back on the move again sooner than anticipated. 

Our final destination was the scrublands of Penanti in mainland Penang. Here, the Red Junglefowl is a relatively common sight. And I thought the cold weather today will make this skittish species a little more tolerant. I guess I was wrong…

Even from a far distance, this gamebird is not willing to take any chances with approaching humans.

The rain also brought out hoards of flying termites - much to the delight of the birds found here. The termites are like a never-ending food supply and a feasting was inevitable. One of the birds of benefited from this natural occurrence was the White-throated Kingfisher.