Overwhelmed is the word (22/02/2014)

I have not done my usual circuit of birding spots in mainland Penang for quite a while and I decided to give a try. First stop was the marshlands of Pulau Burung. This former favourite of mine is now a pale shadow from its glory days and it is all thanks to someone's bright idea of turning a wildlife haven to a scenic lake. Surprisingly though, one species seems to be thriving in this new environment - the Lesser Whistling-ducks. A quick count revealed 90 birds and this is my personal highest count. 

With the marshlands being practically dead, I diverted my attention to the adjacent mangroves. At least 3 Black-capped Kingfishers were present but these striking birds are extremely shy and difficult to approach.

The Blue-tailed Bee-eater, on the other hand, is as tame as it comes for a wild bird. The magic of Pulau Burung dwindles on...

Big waterbirds like the Purple Heron still call this place home and for that, I am grateful. 

The Grey-headed Lapwing is an uncommon migrant to this locality and this morning's record of two foraging birds was a much-needed compensation for missing out on capturing a much rarer visitor - the Ruff. I have no one to blame for that failure but my slow reaction and the perimeter hoarding board.

The resident Red-wattled Lapwings were in their usual numbers but the two species appeared to be avoiding each other despite the fact that they were less than 100 feet apart. 

While waiting for the Ruffs to reappear, a family of Little Grebes came exceptionally close to my stationery car. The blue structure in the background is the hoarding board I mentioned earlier. A simple structure that does its job, of keeping intruders out and rare waders such as the Ruff out of sight and reach of desperate birders, to perfection. 

A slow drive along the coastal mudflats yielded nothing much except for a resting Brahminy Kite. 

The White-breasted Waterhen is a true exception to the rail family. It is undoubtedly the friendliest and tamest rail in Malaysia. Are you sure you are even a rail, bud?

The next two sites in my circuit were the marshlands of Batu Kawan and the scrublands of Juru. Unfortunately, nothing much was about and it was a real disappointment.  The paddy fields of  Kubang Semang was the last destination for the day and much to my delight, it was not another letdown.

A small flock of Grey-headed Lapwings resting along the paddy stalks kept me well occupied for a while. There is nothing out of the ordinary to come across this species here during the migratory months but the surprisingly tolerant behaviour the birds were exhibited was indeed something to shout about. Usually, these birds will fly off at the slightest sign of danger - but not today. 

Who would have ever thought that this is a common sight in Penang? The answer is nobody - well, not before 2 years back anyway. That was the time when the Asian Openbills started to colonize Peninsular Malaysia from the neighbouring country of Thailand. 

Still, when I came across a flock of at least 300 foraging along a single canal, I was overwhelmed. It is rare to see big concentrations of large waterbirds in Malaysia, except for egrets, and this was certainly quite a sight. This is my highest count of these unique water birds and I could not help myself to stop whatever it was I was doing and just enjoy the spectacle. 

I also decided to take some flying shots as I recalled I did not have that many good shots of them flying. The storks being huge and a little slow made my task a little easier as well. 

With the current dry spell being one of the worst in recent years and the temperature skyrocketing off the charts, I decided to call it a day. The conditions may have taken their toll on me but the birds look set to brave it out. It just goes to sure how poorly adapted we humans are without our technology. 

A jolly good tick (18/01/2014)

When news broke out of a Northern Shoveler wintering at the one of the former mining ponds of Malim Nawar in Perak, it was just a matter of when I had the time to make the 4-hour round trip to the locality. I had to endure 2 weeks of agony before I suddenly found myself with a free Saturday and together with Choo Eng and James, we arrive at the pond slightly after dawn. 

This is the second consecutive season that this locality has produced rare wintering ducks. Last year, it was the fourth confirmed record of a Tufted Duck in Peninsular Malaysia. However this year's Northern Shoveler, the third confirmed record in Peninsular Malaysia, makes it even rarer than the former. Like the Tufted Duck last year, it did not take us long to locate the celebrity duck.

The Northern Shoveler is considerably bigger than the other ducks that I have encountered before. But despite its size, it is quite shy and wary of human presence. Most shots were taken from a distance and I was lucky to manage a couple of closer ones after some stalking efforts. All in all, the Shoveler was an impressive species and a memorable mega tick that is up there among the best for me.

We had to keep our enthusiasm for better shots in check because of the presence of feral water buffalos. Although not as aggressive as the African Cape Buffalos, they can pose quite a threat to a wandering birder and even more so when there are young ones around.

The Northern Shoveler was in the company with a pair of Garganeys. The latter is a scarce migrant to our shores as well. The Garganeys were, surprising, even shyer than the Shoveler and good shots were certainly not possible. A couple of years back, a pair of Garganeys turned up at my local patch in Pulau Burung and they were certainly not as shy as this pair. But then, Pulau Burung always had a way of "taming" the birds that seek refuge there. 

Some of the other waterbirds that we managed to capture while waiting for the Shoveler to put on a better performance were this Yellow Bittern - looking for some breakfast.

And there were quite a number of Long-toed Stints present in the vicinity as well.

Snipes were also a common sight this trip and this is a Common Snipe resting at the water’s edge.

Purple Swamphens are one of the most distinct waterbirds that occur here in Malaysia with their enormous size and bright colouration. Unfortunately, none of them came close enough for any really good shots this time round. 

The majority of the terns here today were White-winged Terns and their number was in the hundreds.

With the breeding season in full swing, territorial calls are on overdrive and one of the most distinct ones today is the persistent and piercing notes of the Plaintive Cuckoo. Both the male and female put on quite a show for the visiting birders from Penang.

A handsome Common Iora striking a pose for some visiting birders…

The Greater Coucal was also more accommodating than usual and I took full advantage of its gracious mood today.

In fact, they seemed to be everywhere today. Here’s one enjoying a good tan…

The only way you can ever get close to Red Junglefowls on foot is to be able to make yourself invisible. And since I am no magician, I have to be content with shots like this.

The third notable sighting of the day was a flock of 6 Temminck's Stint foraging on some expose mud at the edge of one the ponds. In fact, this is the highest number I have ever recorded of this species. The Temminck’s Stint turned out to be a lifer for both of my companions and we took the time to appreciate this plain-looking but scarce wader.

To everyone celebrating the coming Chinese New Year, I wish you Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Finally, some Christmas cheer (21/12/2013)

This migratory season has thus far produced some truly outstanding records which included two first records for Malaysia. When Dave recorded one of these “firsts” again in one my regular birding spots in mainland Penang, the paddy fields at Permatang Pauh, I took advantage of a free morning to search for this distinguished guest. I thought I was up to a great start when I spotted a medium-sized raptor resting on a low wooden stake. But the possibilities of it being the Himalayan Buzzard recorded by Dave earlier evaporated into thin air when I got close enough to it. I took a record shot of it anyways maybe just as a reminder that I let a juvenile Brahminy Kite got the better of me.

The mighty Aquila eagles are back from their breeding grounds up north. Here, the Eastern Imperial Eagle looks over its winter domain.

It is always good to see Grey-headed Lapwings. But fortunately, the numbers seen today are nothing compared to the high numbers recorded on previous seasons.

With the marshlands at Pulau Burung still recovering from all the “beautification” works, I will just have to live with shy Common Moorhens like this one for the time being and hope the former will once again be able to provide sanctuary to the water birds there.

On the other hand, some water birds like the Pond-heron is usually quite confiding most of the time.

Now, the reason for my visit here is to look for a little brown job called the Manchurian Reed-warbler. I am truly grateful for Dave’s comprehensive account of his encounter with this rarity in his blog and on how to differentiate this species from the commoner Black-browed Reed-warbler (thanks, Dave!). Typical of all Reed-warblers, it was a nightmare to observe and look for the field ids on the bird as it was foraging among the dense reeds. And I am not even going to elaborate how I spend almost an hour shooting at reeds – just reeds. In the end, it was still a great lifer. In fact, a much-needed lifer.

A rather confiding Oriental Reed-warbler nearby kind of lifted my spirits as I managed to obtain my best images of this species to date. Compared to the smaller Manchurian, photographing this fellow was a walk in the park!

Merry Christmas to you too…

Despite missing out on photographing the Manchurian Reed-warbler, this morning’s birding was quite a good one. I guess this flock of low-flying Black Bazas had something to do with it as well.

To everyone who is celebrating Christmas, may your and your family have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!