The magic of Christmas?

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.

Mumbo jumbo...

I finally found myself out birding again and this time, I hosted a couple of Singaporean birders. We arrived at the lush evergreen forest of Bukit Wang in the state of Kedah at the break of dawn. Lighting was still relatively poor but the drumming of the resident White-bellied Woodpecker was a great way to start off the tour. The forests of Peninsular Malaysia are teeming with fascinating bird species. That is a known fact. But to see them well, often takes as much luck as anything else. The Chestnut-breasted Malkoha is a fine example. Big and beautiful, this non-parasitic cuckoo can be frustratingly difficult at times. And my best photographic effort of the encounter says it all.

The Chinese Blue Flycatchers that have been showing well at this location of late provided only glimpses despite all my efforts. The Green-backed Flycatcher is another uncommon migrant and this lone male certainly performed much better. Hawking well away from the access road, a record shot was all I could muster but there are no complaints from me.

The distinct call of the Orange-breasted Trogon had me combing every inch of the spot where the bird was vocalizing. It is not a small bird nor is it dully coloured. But when a forest bird is determined to hide from you, there is nothing you can do about it. A stroke of good luck had the bird shift and alighted on an exposed perch and despite the less than ideal photographic opportunity, it was still a treasured encounter.

The sight of a Crested Goshawk may not evoked much of a reaction from birders in the southern half of the peninsular. Up here in the north, this striking raptor is not as common as I would like it to be. And a distant individual performing its courtship display certainly had my attention.

The mangroves of Sungai Batu was rather uneventful. Reports have been coming in of the return of the Mangrove Pitta, which has been missing for months. Unfortunately, I failed to locate the star bird and we had to settle for the delightful antics of the Abbott’s Babbler.

This migratory season brought in what should be the biggest number of Asian Openbills ever. Huge flocks on migration was seen at several localities throughout the peninsular. The numbers were so overwhelming that they darkened the skies. To the birding community, these were true spectacles of nature. Yet, there are people who frown upon these migrating flocks and calling them bad omens associated with natural disasters like landslides. When a similar view was posted in an established Facebook birding group, it definitely struck a nerve. Being superstitious is one thing but this is coming from a member of a birding group. And this is not even the first time this phenomenon has happened. A similar “invasion” took place a few years back only not quite in this magnitude.  At the time of writing these gaping, bi-coloured angels of death have journeyed all the way to Singapore. God have mercy on his poor, frightened soul.

Naturally, we encountered Asian Openbills at several places throughout the day and I do not recall recording this species before at some of the said places. One particular flock numbering about 100 birds was resting and foraging at a flooded patch of paddy field just next to the road and houses in Kedah state. The presence of the storks and birders certainly had the attention of the locals. The most notable thing about this flock was its confiding nature and I suspect the storks could be recent arrivals.

All the way from northern Kedah to mainland Penang, almost every stretch of paddy fields had Asian Openbills in them. I know these storks are nothing new but they still do it for me after all these years. Today’s birding excursion was slightly below expectations. But the performance of a few interesting species, the enjoyable companionship, being out in the field again and the invasion of the Openbills still made it a memorable one in the end.