Givin' in to temptation...(17/05/2014)

I was back at the swamp forest of Air Hitam Dalam in Penang because for the time being, this is the place to be. And I am not the only one feeling this way as the car park was a little crowded even at the break of dawn. I then decided to make my way to the other side of the reserve and left the others at the car park area which is by the way, one of the main birding spots for this locality. I do not think of myself as an anti-social but birding alongside groups of total strangers is not exactly my cup of tea.

There were quite a number of egrets still present in the vicinity. They are either over-wintering birds or have started to breed somewhere in Penang state as well. This is a relatively big group of Great Egrets taking a breather overlooking the commercial fish ponds.

It was certainly a sight to behold when the Asian Openbills came back to rest in the hundreds from their morning fiesta at the adjacent paddy fields. I counted at least 350 birds this time. 

An inquisitive male Ashy Tailorbird stopped me at my tracks when he suddenly alighted on some overhanging branches right in front of me at eye level. I took any many shots as I could before he dived back into the undergrowth. 

The Crested Serpent-eagle is the largest raptor that is regularly seen here. Although it may not be as fierce as some of the other eagles in Malaysia, it still strikes an imposing figure.

While trying my best to capture some images of a foraging White-chested Babbler, in which I failed miserably, this skink crept into full view and just enjoyed its spot in the sun. Anyway, it made my cursing ceased and I took a moment to soak in the beauty of this rather under-appreciated reptile. 

The mischievous Long-tailed Macaques are regulars to this swamp forest. Well, as long as they do not create too much of a nuisance, we get along just fine. Save it, bud. We both know that's only for show.

When you hear a pitta, the adrenalin in you body starts pumping. When you hear more than one calling simultaneously, then you start developing breathing difficulties and if you do not take immediate action, you may even lose consciousness. So, when I heard the diagnostic "too-few, too-few" calls from at least two Blue-winged Pittas from the direction of the car park, I immediately made a mad dash to the vicinity before I suffer the consequences. True enough, at least two pittas were present and I will never pass up an opportunity to observe and photograph pittas - even if it means birding along side strangers. 

Most of the star birds that occur in this locality, including this pitta, will get to live the good life. Those with an eye for detail will comprehend what I am trying to say here from the images below. Anyway, these are my best of the species to date and it would have been a near-impossible achievement under any other circumstances.   

The two of them does not appear to be a breeding pair as they were not too friendly towards each other. The Blue-winged Pitta is vocal even when on passage and the persistent calls do not necessary mean that they are here to stay. Now, if these Blue-winged Pittas start to breed at this locality, what will the impact be on the small population of Mangrove Pittas that reside here? I have not seen or heard the Mangrove Pitta for quite a long while now and I cannot be sure if it has got anything to do with the presence of these Blue-winged Pittas. 

A few other species are also attracted to the area and took centre stage in between the performances by the pittas. A lone Abbott's Babbler found it hard to resist the temptations on a couple of occasions. Being a skulker by nature, it did not stay out in the open for long. I guess it will take some time for it to get accustomed to this new lifestyle. 

This Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, which was present in the vicinity, was not given its due admiration from my other compatriots. But I have learned never to take things for granted. What that is common today may not be so in the near future. Anyhow, I will always have a soft spot for the species. It was one of the first birds that converted me to a life of birding at a tender age. How could a young boy not be intrigued by those racket tails and I still am – intrigued that is.

Change is the only constant in life (10/05/2014)

It has been more than a year since my last visit to the Bintang Hijau Forest Reserve along the Kupang-Grik Highway in northern Perak. This must be one of the most remote and wildest locations in the list of birding spots that I do my Saturday birding. Access to the forest is via the network of both active and inactive logging trails. That means you will not find any picnickers or day-trippers here. And inevitably, it is one of the best localities for forest birding.

So, you can imagine my dismay when I discovered that parts of this forest reserve (reserved for logging that is) are being converted into rubber plantations. And I thought the scheduled logging (sections of the reserve will be logged and then allowed to recover as other sections are logged) activities was bad. This is even worse. Rubber trees will be the only trees left in these areas from now on. Welcome to my world. 

Anyway, change has always been a part of life. May it be in work, relationships and yes, birding. You either deal with it or let it put you down. So, we dealt with it and made the best of whatever that is left - which is still quite a vast area of pristine tropical rainforest.

I have always lamented on the difficulty of obtaining great shots of forest birds and today, is certainly one of those days. Do not get me wrong. I love forest birding also and we had a great trip today. We recorded about 70 species in 6 hours. It is just that I wish I was able to obtain more images to show at the end of the day. I guess that is why this post is rather wordy - to make up for the lack of images.

The Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike is an adorable and striking little bird that tends to be quite restless when foraging. Coupled with the fact that the lighting was not on my side, this was the best I could conjure.

A male Orange-backed Woodpecker on an exposed trunk and in good light...but way up in the canopy and well beyond the comfort zone of my gear. 

The same goes for this Grey-bellied Bulbul...

Choo Eng lifted my spirit when he found a male Rufous-collared Kingfisher just next to the logging trail. This forest kingfisher is not that uncommon but it is more often heard than seen. Its mournful, persistent call gets even the most experienced birder excited. Relatively confiding, he performed well enough given the habitat he was in.

Here is the habitat. All you need to do now is to trace the call back to the source; find an angle that is not blocked to shoot the subject; make sure you do not accidentally step on a snake or any deadly creature that may be lurking while you are at it; and all this time try to be as silent and inconspicuous as possible so as not to spook the subject to disappear into the vegetation and never to be seen again for the rest of your life. Maybe I should take up an easier hobby like skydiving. 

We also recorded a few raptors today including this Oriental Honey-buzzard circling above the forest. It does appear to be the migratory subspecies and by right should have taken the spring passage back north.

The resident race of the Striated Swallow is the best looker among all swallows and martins that occur in Malaysia. Here are a few of them taking a breather at the top of a sparsely crowned tree. Unfortunately, this stunning species does not occur in my home state of Penang and I have not really had any good photo opportunities with it. 

Another noteworthy find for this trip was the tracks of a Malayan Tapir. This unique but endangered mammal is active at night like most large mammals found here in Malaysia. The tracks were quite recent and the animal had most probably crossed this trail the night before. 

Since we are on the subject of Tapirs, we saw a new set of traffic signs depicting tapir crossing on the way back. This is new to me because the usual signs that we see on Malaysian highways are deer and elephant crossings. But this is a good thing. The forest here is home to the tapir long before we humans built a highway right across it. A little respect and caution when you drive here at night is not too much to ask I reckon.

My Garden Birdwatch 2014

Well, it is that time of the year again for all Malaysian birders to do their part to help the conservation work of the one thing that they treasure most in life - the birds. The dates for this year's count have been fixed - which is either on 7th or 8th of June 2014. Just 30 minutes of your time as a citizen scientist is all it takes to make this count a success. If you still have not register for the count, you can do it at the MYGB website. The website also has all the information that you may need to know and as well as the results form last year's count. Here's the commonest species (not surprisingly) from last year's count - the Eurasian Tree-sparrow.

Keep calm and bird on...(03/05/2014)

I have been told from an early age that one only has to fear two creatures that roam the tropical rainforest of Malaysia – the Asian Elephant and the King Cobra. There are numerous other species of animals that can cause mortal harm but I guess these two, being unpredictable and deadly, are right at the top of the list. I have to thank my lucky stars for not having to face any of them on foot so far. So when Choo Eng and I came across fresh elephant dung along the access trail at Sungai Sedim Recreational Forest in Kedah, it was enough to send a slight shiver up my spine.

The thought of elephants lingered in the back of my mind. I also told myself to be a little more caution today and do not let the birds take over my senses and logic again. That worked for a little while until a Diard’s Trogon started calling from the forest edge. We managed to locate the bird after some effort and it was a stunning male bird. Unfortunately, the shooting conditions really tested my equipments’ capabilities.

A male Red-throated Barbet foraging way below the canopy level is something you do not get to see very often. Barbets on a whole are usually heard rather than seen. Their persistent call is the only thing that will give away their presence. Each species has its own distinctive call and easily recognizable once learned.

Another forest denizen that usually keeps out of sight is the Broadbills. Again, their calls are the only indicators of their presence and for most of the time records are based on calls alone. This morning, a lone Banded Broadbill perched much lower than its preferred canopy domain and allowed me to take one single shot before it disappeared out of sight.

Bulbuls are well represented in the forest here but today, only this Buff-vented Bulbul was willing to be photographed. Well, maybe not that willingly…

The Oriental Honey-buzzard can be quite varied in appearance. Sometimes, it is the smallish head that gives its identity away. This individual that was circling above the forest canopy had a plumage that resembled the Crested Serpent-eagle.

Despite their enormous size and the racket they usually produce whenever they are present, hornbills are shy and timid creatures. Even at a far distance and partially hidden, this male Wreathed Hornbill was not too thrilled about my presence and flew off shortly after.

Rules are meant to be broken (19/04/2014)

Owls are creatures of the night. During the day, they roost inconspicuously away from sight. When night falls, they begin stir and that is when their day truly starts. Or so it seems. Air Hitam Dalam, a small patch of freshwater swamp forest at the northern end of Penang state, is where owls do not adhere to the rules. It is not unusual to see these nocturnal predators up and about in broad daylight. My latest encounter really left me amazed and bewildered at the same time. It was an extremely confiding Brown Hawk-owl calling non-stop right out in the open. 

Eventually it did come to its senses, slightly anyway, and retreated to a shadier perch where it continued with its persistent calling. This went on throughout the morning and it finally sizzled down to a stop at noon. 

During my observation, it did shift about a few perches and totally ignored human presence - birders, photographers, day-trippers, anglers, workers alike. The Brown Hawk-owl is not uncommon in Malaysia. It even occurs within human settlements. I have many past encounters with this species but never one so prolonged. Never so close. This individual was so tame that I initially thought it was an escapee. 

In the end, it provided me with one of my best and most memorable owl encounters. Owls have always been one of my favourite groups of birds. They are beautiful, mysterious, elusive and deadly. What is there not to like?

Although the trip belonged to the owl, the other birds present also performed well. The Asian Openbills are now sporting their smart breeding colours. 

The Spotted Wood-owl is also regularly seen here in the daytime. If it was any other day, I would be a little excited to find one. But today is certainly not any other day and the performance by the smaller hawk-owl will be extremely difficult to beat.

 
Air Hitam Dalam is the best place in the world if I should be so bold, to see Mangrove Blue Flycatchers. But don't just take my word for it – take his…

Now, there are flycatchers and there are paradise-flycatchers. To me, the latter is just simply out of this world. Divine is probably a better word to describe the white-phased males with their elongated tail feathers and all. I guess observing one dancing about the sunlight in the canopy level is the closest I will ever get to seeing angels. Unfortunately, even my best attempt this morning does not do any justice to this stunning creation of God and it is not due to lack of trying - just lack of luck. 

The Greater Racket-tailed Drongo also possesses elaborate tail feathers but it is no angel. Tenacious by nature, God have mercy on anything that incurs its wrath during the breeding season which is about now and that includes even large raptors.

A Crested Serpent-eagle not taking any chances and keeping well clear of the drongo…

This locality also happens to be the best place in Malaysia to see the Streak-breasted Woodpecker. One of the resident pairs did make a brief appearance and was given its due admiration and respect. 

The Common Flameback may not be as rare as the former but it is nevertheless another striking denizen of this swamp forest. 

Most of the migratory passerines would have undergone their spring passage back north. So, I was quite delighted to see this handsome breeding plumage Tiger Shrike still present at the locale. 

Due to the presence of quite a number of sought-after species here of late, it can get a little crowded at times. Baiting is a common practice for photographers looking for the perfect shots and the Tiger Shrike certainly did not pass on a chance for an easy meal. I do not have anything against baiting as long as the birds are not put in harm’s way. From what I see, the birds get fed and the photographers get their shots. I am no ornithologist and this is just my point of view. In the case of this Tiger Shrike, he looks like he could use some extra ounces before he partakes on his tedious journey back north. 

A Greater Coucal foraging out in the open is not a common sight and it was a fitting end to a great trip.