21/11/2009: Nesting Rhinos

I had the opportunity to observe a pair of Rhinoceros Hornbills nesting earlier in the year thanks to Choo Eng. Hornbills are certainly one of the most magnificent of our forest birds. Sadly, their numbers are declining and even more so at places like Bukit Larut in Perak where in the past, it was very likely to see hornbills in every visit. It was at this locality that I saw my first wild hornbill. I can still recall hearing the "locomotive" flight of these impressive birds for the first time. The moment is embedded permanently in my memory. Anyway over a period of 2 months, I managed to make a few trips to observe the nesting rhinos. Here's the proud father at the nest...

The feeding intervals was about an hour and berries were the main food source. This is how the male regurgitates the food...

During my first visit, the female was still sealed up in the nest together with the single chick. In my later visits, only the chick was left in the nest.

Both parents shoulder the responsibility of feeding the chicks. On a few occasions, I was lucky enough to capture both parents at the nest together. All the effort by both the parents paid off in the end because successfully brought another hornbill into this fragile world they call home.

19/11/2009: Bandar PERDA (Penang)

I had another go for the Greater Spotted Eagles again but unfortunately, without success.

There were plenty of egrets in the vicinity as usual and more so where the farmers are ploughing the paddy fields. A pair of immature Brahminy Kites were circling menacingly low above a mixed flock of egrets at such an area. They pose no danger to the egrets as these kites will only take small birds. But the kites are not after the egrets - not directly anyway. They are after the prey that the egrets catch. I have seen this pirate-like behaviour by this species before. Whenever an egrets catches a prey, the kite will swoop down and try to snatch the prey from the egret or make the egret drop the prey.

Anyway, the great images I managed to obtain helped me recover from the disappointment of dipping out on the Aquila eagles again.

Grey Herons are not a common sight in Penang and this immature bird, in the company of Little Egrets, was foraging a bit too far for me to obtain any good images.

Quite a good number of Black-winged Stilts were also seen foraging at the vicinity. I'm not sure if they are part of the same group I usually observed in the adjacent fields but one thing is for sure and that is these graceful waders are now a normal sight in Penang - much to my delight.

If the Brahminy Kites had done their part to cheer me up, the Brown Shrikes almost made me forget why I am here in the first place. This lovely female is as tame as any wild shrike could ever get. She alighted on a rock just next to my stationery vehicle and just stood there for me to photograph. I, for one, most certainly will not turn down an offer like that.

This day surely belong to the Brown Shrikes because I came across another confiding individual and this time, it was a handsome male. Brown Shrikes hold a special place in my heart because it is one of the birds that made me take up this religious hobby of birding. I can still remember that back in my childhood days, I will occasionally come across a bulkier and more aggressive looking Yellow-vented Bulbul (although I don't know the exact name for even the Yellow-vented Bulbul at that time, it is common enough for even a non-birder like me to recognise) around my housing area. It was my Godfather that eventually told me that it was a Brown Shrike and I was truly fascinated with the idea of observing and identifying birds. And the rest, as they say, is history.

16/11/2009: Bandar PERDA (Penang)

I scouted around this vicinity for about an hour or so hoping to capture some images of the Greater Spotted Eagles that was seen here a few days back. The illegal mist nets were a troubling sight and hopefully the Wildlife Department will take the appropriate actions as a few birders have already reported it.

The only raptors that crossed my path today were Brahminy Kites, including this immature bird.

Although there were no eagles around, there were certainly plenty of egrets. I think plenty is an understatement though...

All 4 species that occur in freshwater habitat were seen foraging together in this vicinity. The largest of them all is of course the Great Egret.

I was fortunately enough to come across this fellow having breakfast...

As the name suggests, the Intermediate Egret in the second largest...

Although this species is called the Little Egret, it is only the second smallest of the lot...

The smallest of them all is the Cattle Egret...

While observing the egrets, a female Cinnamon Bittern surprisingly alighted on an exposed area of the paddy field. She gave me enough time to take a few shots before she moved into a more hidden position.

This Zitting Cisticola rushed for cover upon my approaching vehicle. Sorry, buddy...

A flock of foraging White-winged Terns were seen at a flooded patch of the paddy fields. However, the images I obtained did not turn out as good as I had hoped for.

I feel that of late, the Common Moorhen is no longer a common species in Penang. Well, that's usually the story with wild birds here.

A rather confiding immature Black Drongo was the last bird I managed to capture before I decided to call it a day.

14/11/2009: Bukit Gambir (Penang)

I decided to swing by this local patch for a couple of hours of birding before heading to the office. It has been quite a while since my last visit.

Just after dawn, I saw a lone raptor circling overhead and the body shape suggests it was not one of the commoner species of this locality. After further scrutiny, it turned out to be the migratory Oriental Honey-buzzard.

As I was walking along the access road, I came across a rather confiding female Emerald Dove. This species is usually wary of human approach and in most cases you will only get to see it diving into the vegetation.

The distinctive call of the Drongo Cuckoo caught my attention and I decided to try and locate the source. I was successful in locating the bird but it was calling from a perch that was pretty much out of the reach of my camera.

This Dark-sided Flycatcher decided to hawk for breakfast in a recently cleared area of the forest. However, the poor lighting conditions at that time prevented me from obtaining clearer images.

The White-crested Laughingthrush is an escapee that has successfully established themselves in the wild here. Small populations have been seen throughout the central hilly region of Penang Island. A flock of 12 birds were foraging quite noisily along the mid-level of the forest but due to their active nature, my photography skills were really put to the test.

I was rather disappointed when the flock gradually moved deeper into the forest, leaving me without a single clear image. Then, one of them turned back and alighted on a partially unobstructed perch long enough for me to capture a few shots. Thanks, buddy...

I was about to get into my car when a flock of Baya Weavers alighted among the long grass in front of me. The images turned out better than I had expected thanks to the good lighting conditions and the fresh green colour of the grassland.