Living colours (Part 2)

Some of the birds found here in Fraser’s Hill find it hard to respect personal space of others. But for birders, it is a trait that is most welcomed. Rufous-browed Flycatchers can be ridiculously tame at times and this individual came close enough for me to give a pat on the head. I guess this is the magic of Fraser’s Hill.

No visit here is ever complete without feasting your eyes on the splendid colouration of the Silver-eared Mesia. No doubt it is common and conspicuous here but I do not get to see it often enough. And after all these years, it can still get me excited.  

This trip the Silver-eared Mesias outdid themselves and provided several intimate encounters and photographic opportunities that were simply amazing.

I am well aware of the sexual dimorphism found in this species. Perhaps both sexes are just as spectacular that I do not even bother to take notice of the differences all that often. Here, the male in front exhibits a slightly more intense colouration to the throat and nape area compared to his mate.

However, not all avian residents of Fraser’s Hill are confiding and this resting Mountain Imperial-Pigeon reminded us that we are dealing with completely wild birds here and occasionally may not adhere to the will of man.

With its preference for the canopy levels, the Large Cuckoo-shrike usually does not provide close encounters. But it is not uncommon here. Its vocal nature especially in flight makes it rather conspicuous in a way.

It took some persistence to finally obtained great views of the Fiery-tufted Barbet this trip. This remarkable resident of the montane forest is a pure delight to photograph and it certainly left a lasting impression on my guest.

The larger than life personality with eye lashes that are the envy of women everywhere and as well as vivid coloration makes the Fiery-tufted Barbet one of the most distinct species of birds found here.

On the last day of our birding adventure, we have not forgotten about the Red-headed Trogon. We spent the morning along Hemmant’s Trail as there was where we came the closest to tasting success. A male bird offered a brief view at a distance and that only compounded our frustrations. After checking out from the hotel, we decided to give it a final try. It was almost noon and with each passing minute, our chance grew ever slimmer. Just as we about to give up hope, I spotted the trogon resting just next to the forest trail. Finally, after more than six attempts along this isolated stretch of the hill resort, we got the Red-headed Trogon. It would have been perfect had it been the male but the all the anxiety leading up to this moment and the confiding nature of this female bird made the encounter as good as it is ever going to get.

We took our time to savour the moment and this girl was more than happy to oblige. I am not sure about my guest but I was feeling a little out of breath as we positioned ourselves the best we could to capture her images. It could have been the sight of the trogon perched so elegantly on this curvy vine or the suspense of the hunt. She did shift position once during our observation before flying deeper into the forest to join her mate. The male, yet again, taunted us from a distance. I guess in life, sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

Here is Paul, on his knees, in the presence of a startling beauty. He added one more trogon for his lifetime gold and yours truly, an overwhelming sense of satisfaction (and relieve) for helping him achieve his targets for the trip. Just in case you are wondering why I am taking photos of a human instead of a trogon, the latter was so cooperative I had ample time to do basically anything I want.

Shortly after mist began crawl up from the valley below and rain clouds darkened the sky. It could well be only a coincidence but I like to take it as divine intervention. A soft word of gratitude was uttered to a higher power before we start our descent from the birding haven. Fraser’s Hill proved once again why it is one of the best birding locations in Malaysia. And for both of us, it was certainly a memorable visit. It is routine for me to stopover at the Kek Lok Tong cave temple in Ipoh for my drives back to Penang. The temple with its impressive and artistic limestone formations is quite a sight to behold. Although Paul did give this natural phenomenon its due attention, it was not our main reason for the visit here. The temple grounds were rather devoid of interesting birds this time with the exception of a Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo hunting along the boundary of the temple.

At the car park area, we encountered one of the reasons birders flock to this place of worship – the resident Blue Rock-Thrushes. Accustomed to human presence, these limestone dwellers usually provide great photographic opportunities. The female although slightly less intense in colouration put on a memorable performance for a couple of weary visiting birders.

But once the radiant male makes an appearance, all eyes and lenses were on him. The Blue Rock-Thrush was a fitting end to another fantastic road trip and his vivid colouration certainly went well with my guest’s taste for luscious colours of the avian world. The drive back was smooth although there intermittent showers along the way. But one thing is for sure. Both of us, had one particular bird in our thoughts and it was the Red-headed Trogon that almost got the better of us.

Living colours (Part 1)

It is always nice to hear back from a guest again and a couple of years have passed since Paul’s first birding excursion with me in Malaysia. He hails from Costa Rica – a place where one regularly encounters such divine species like the Resplendent Quetzal. What could possibly trigger his return visit to this part of the world? Well during his maiden trip here, the Mangrove Pitta was sorely missed. And he still needs a Red-headed Trogon to stride closer to achieving his lifetime goal of photographing all the Trogon species in the world. It was doable assignment and confidence was high. All that was needed was another trip to the mangroves of Sungai Batu for the former and a road trip up to the montane forest of Fraser’s Hill for the latter. But after all these years, I still do forget that nothing is a sure thing when it comes to birding. Something that I will be reminded of harshly later in the trip.

Our 3-day birding adventure certainly did not start off well. While waiting to pick up Paul at the hotel lobby, overcast skies loomed with showers agonisingly poured from the heavens. Rain is and always will be one of the most dreaded elements in birding. Anyway, we travelled north to the mangroves as planned and hoped for the best. The Mangrove Pitta may not be looking its best now but it was still an exhilarating lifer for my guest. Compared to the last time Paul was here, getting the Pitta was like a walk in the park. A muddied park but the pitta was certainly worth getting a bit dirty for. It just goes to show again that not everything can go according to plan. But I am glad it did for the Mangrove Pitta this time.

With the first main target of the trip safely in the bag, the weather also improved slightly. Or it seemed that way. Paul has a penchant for brilliantly coloured birds and naturally, he could not resist the alluring beauty of the Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher despite having encountered this species before in his previous visit. Besides, it would a sin to ignore such an obliging individual.

I do think wagtails occur in Central America judging from the reaction of my guest when we came face to face with a Forest Wagtail. Strikingly marked and adorable, this common winter visitor received its due admiration as it swaggered about the swampy grounds.

By the time, we reached the windy Gap Road that leads up to the birding paradise known as Fraser’s Hill, it was already dark. It was an early night for the both of us in anticipation of the all-out birding that is to follow tomorrow. It turned out to be a clear and beautiful morning the next day. Fraser’s Hill is one of my favourite birding sites and I am sure I am not the only birder that feels this way. The cool mountain air, the lush landscape, beautiful architectures and most importantly home to an array of living colours in the form of feathered denizens. All these make Fraser’s Hill what it is.

We set out for the second main target of the trip but much to my dismay, the Red-headed Trogon proved to be elusive even from its usual haunts. Despite numerous attempts throughout the day, the closest we got to it was a lone bird calling from deep inside its forest domain. My work suddenly became much harder than I had anticipated. A male White-tailed Robin did his best to lift our spirits by foraging outside his gloomy domain of the forest undergrowth.

Some of the commonest birds of this hill resort sport brilliant plumage colouration. The Spectacled Laughingthrush is often taken for granted due to its common nature but to my guest, it was a sight to behold as this is his first birding excursion to a montane forest here in Southeast Asia.

The Long-tailed Sibia, like the laughingthrush, is just as confiding. It may be lacking in colours but the long tail and inquisitive nature make it another attractive species as well.

We have only a few endemics here in Peninsular Malaysia. Naturally, I take pride in showing off the Malaysian Hill-Partridge to all my foreign guests. This endemic game bird has been showing well at one particular stake out for the past few years and it did not take long for three of them to scurry their way into today’s highlights.

I sometimes still find it hard to believe that this bird used to be one of the most difficult to find and observe at this site. But that is in the past. Now with a little patience and the right timing, you will get to admire flocks of these amazing birds in their full splendour.

Joining the partridges, was a pair of Malayan Laughingthrushes. Slightly more cryptic and unobtrusive than the Spectacled Laughingthrush, it is still made up of a combination of colours that will capture your attention.  

The dimly-lighted lower storey of the forest is where the Large Niltava can be found. Even in the shadows, the striking colouration of the male bird is undeniable.

On those occasions when he does wander into the sunlight, the true splendour of this sizeable flycatcher will be revealed and it is spectacular. Even with those hideous rings on his legs.

The female on the other hand is a pale comparison to the male’s beauty. Only traces of blue can be found on her but the confiding nature exhibited by this girl deserves a space in my blog post. And she concludes the first half of our birding excursion to one of the most rewarding birding sites in Malaysia. The second half of this birding adventure continues in the next post.

Nightbirds steal the limelight

The Nine Emperor Gods Festival usually brings rain to the lands here and this year is no different. Daily thunderstorms in the evenings were a slight worry as I picked up my British guests from a boutique hotel in the heart of Georgetown City. The first destination of the day was the mangroves of Sungai Batu in Kedah state. The weather was surprisingly pleasant and I led the way into this swampy domain with rejuvenated confidence. A handsome male Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher was the first bird to greet us and being relatively new to birding in the tropics, the vivid colouration of the flycatcher certainly captured my guests’ attention.

My guest had their hearts set on seeing a pitta for this trip and this is one site where you stand a very good chance. The Mangrove Pitta was their first pitta in the wild and the performance by this locality’s celebrity bird certainly swept my guests off their feet. I remembered my first ever pitta sighting well and it was a Blue-winged Pitta in the middle of a rubber estate. It was a brief view for the younger me unlike what my guests were enjoying – a prolonged intimate encounter that will last a lifetime.

As the natural illumination increased so did the level of bird activity. The resident Abbott’s Babblers will usually be able to inject a dose of excitement to any visit with their charming and inquisitive nature. Something on the ground had this one on full alert. This is a posture one does not usually see this species adopting and it will make a nice addition to my rather comprehension collection of images.

Judging from the confiding nature of this Forest Wagtail, it is safe to assume that it is one of the individuals that wintered here last season. It is always a challenge to photograph this species due to its constant movements. But there is no denying the fact it is a striking species and I am elated of its return here.

The Blue-tailed Bee-eaters were also back for the winter and their graceful sallies after flying insects are always a welcomed sight. A few were seen resting and preening on a dead tree and this image shows the difference between an adult and an immature.

There were a flock of Red Collared-Doves on the same dead tree but our presence did not go down well with them. The flock took flight leaving only one male bird that took his sweet time to depart.

The best encounter from this visit to the mangroves was a lone Little Cormorant resting on a wooden stake overlooking a commercial fish pond. This species is starting to establish itself in the northern half of the peninsular and the number of sightings are increasing. This is by far the closest I have been to a Little Cormorant as I find it to be shy by nature here. I have a soft spot for water birds even more so for those I do not across all too often like the Little Cormorant. Even the less than ideal lighting cannot influence the exhilaration of the encounter.

The second destination of the day was the hilly forest of Sungai Sedim. The current spell of rain and wind left a trail of destruction along my favourite access trail of this recreational forest. The number of birds recorded was lower than usual and it was truly a let down when compared to first locality. This Ferruginous Flycatcher could have save the trip here if it was perched a little lower.

As we heading towards the next birding location, we made a little detour for the roosting Savanna Nightjars at the Kulim Hi-Tech Park. The remarkable camouflage of this nocturnal bird never cease to amaze my guests. Today, despite a careful search, only one was recorded. And for that I was most grateful.

A quick swing to the paddy fields did not yield anything out of the ordinary but it was nice to see the migratory Grey-headed Lapwings and Daurian Starlings back for the winter. There was a moment of suspense when we spotted a Barn Owl perched outside one of the nesting boxes provided by the farmers to entice these biological pest controllers to breed and multiple. Unfortunately, it hopped back into the nest box before we could obtain any better images.

The last destination of the day was the swamp forest of Air Hitam Dalam. Again, the birds were not showing well and I had to dig really deep to provide my guests with one memorable encounter. A third record of a night bird for the day and it was a roosting Spotted Wood-Owl. Nestled unobtrusively among the canopy of one of its favourite roosting trees, it managed to elude detection until the very last minute. Undoubtedly, it was a great way to end the visit to this local patch.

On the way out of the reserve, flocks of Asian Openbills were seen flying in from the adjacent paddy fields. These enigmatic storks flew quite low overhead and it did not take long for us to locate them. Hundreds of Asian Openbills resting on a patch of paddy field is an amazing sight. As I slowly drove towards them, the anticipation of the experience that was to come was overwhelming. However, life do not always go according to plan. A passer-by, no doubt amazed for the sight of storks, over zealously got out from his car in an attempt to capture the spectacle with his mobile phone. A flurry of wings and feathers later, we were left staring at an empty patch of paddy field. I was dumbfounded. A stream of nasty deeds to be executed on the passer-by flow through my thoughts. But no matter what, it will not undo what is done even if I castrated the guy. My guests managed to rack in one more lifer and appeared to quite content. The Asian Openbills were a great way to wrap things up for the day. Despite the slightly lower than usual number of birds being recorded, my guests were in high spirits as we made our home. But not before I gave the passer-by an evil eye when our paths crossed briefly.

A sky full of raptors

Dipping out on the Oriental Plover last season at the grassland outside Taiping in Perak state left a devastating blow to my spiritual well being. It was a deep wound that may have healed as time passed. But the scar remained. An invitation by Hor Kee (who suffered the similar fate) to check the grassland again as this migratory season commenced, was accepted without much hesitation. The sight of 50 Pacific Golden-Plovers (a known associate of the distinguished Oriental Plover) upon our arrival at the locality sent a stream of adrenalin through my veins with such vigour that left me lightheaded. However, the exhilaration was short lived. Upon further scrutiny, there was no Oriental Plover among them.

We scouted around the remaining areas of grasslands but without success. It was relatively slow in terms of birding. A Long-tailed Shrike calling from a lofty perch provided some compensation. Although this species is not uncommon in this part of Peninsular Malaysia, it is a species that rarely occurs back in my home state of Penang. Of all the shrikes found here in Malaysia, I find the Long-tailed Shrike to be the most appealing. Its distribution may have an influence on this matter.

A Spotted Dove that alighted near our stationary vehicle received some unexpected attention as there was basically nothing else about.

From the flat grassland, we made our way to the vantage point atop Scott’s Hill to try to eradicate another disappointment from last season when we spent at least two excursions staring at empty blue skies during the peak of raptor migration.

Our faith in the locality was restored when we saw a flock of about 100 Chinese Sparrowhawks riding the thermal as they make their way south for the winter. This flock alone had more migrating raptors than the whole of last season at this site. During our 2-hour observation, this species formed the majority and several flocks were recorded.

Most of the migrating raptors were high up in the sky and photography was almost a lost case. Record shots like this of a lone Japanese Sparrowhawk were aplenty.

Even the larger Oriental Honey-Buzzard passed through at great heights...

Except for one but it was heading the other direction and in no particular hurry. It was, after all, the resident race of the Oriental Honey-buzzard and it provided the best raptor images of the day. Soaring gracefully just above the tree line, it had our undivided attention. Unlike its migratory counterparts, resident Oriental Honey-Buzzards are not exactly common raptors.

However, not all the resident raptors recorded today were as confiding. A pale morph Changeable Hawk-Eagle flew past about the same altitude as the migrants.

Another highlight from this brief raptor count came in the form of Rufous-bellied Eagles. An adult swooped down at a juvenile in mid-flight and although it was not a vicious attack, the display of aerial agility was spectacular. My modest gear could not capture the true essence of the bout but it was an exciting experience nonetheless.

Evolution has made the Brown-backed Needletail aerodynamically perfect and trying to photograph the world’s fastest bird is no walk in the park. However, today the lighting condition was ideal and this one was cruising a leisurely pace. I took the opportunity to capture a few images of which one turned out reasonable. This wonder of nature was the last bird we recorded before we made our way to the last destination of the trip.

Both residential and commercial developments have been sprouting up like wild mushrooms in Batu Kawan ever since the Second Penang Bridge was opened to public. Inevitably, a significant area has lost its charm as birding localities. A newly discovered wader roost near some major developments including a much-anticipated one by a Swedish-founded furniture company. This rose among the thorns was where we headed before calling a day.

I always have a soft spot for waterbirds and I just wanted to check out the site before it is too late. An expanse of mud and water may not appeal to normal folks but no one ever said birders are normal folks. This bleak landscape plays host to several species of birds and that to me makes it irresistible.

It is heartening to see big waterbirds like the Grey Heron still has a place to call home here in Penang state. The lighting was harsh at the time of our visit and not much hope was put into the outcome of the images taken there.

Overall, this new site certainly has potential and pushes all the right buttons for me. A return trip at a more ideal time will not be too far in the future. A foraging Long-toed Stint made sure of that.