The black sheep...

The southwest monsoon has started to sweep into the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and rain has been a prominent feature of late. It was cold and wet when I waited at the hotel lobby for my latest guest. Even as we were making our way to the forest of Sungai Sedim, we were constantly tormented by intermittent drizzle. I had to put on a brave face and stay positive. It could be a very long day for me if the weather does not improve. All my worries were put to rest when we trekked up the Gunung Bintang access trail. The drizzle had stop and the dawn chorus filled the vicinity with hope of what the brand new day might bring. Graeme is an experienced birder from London and it will take something out of the ordinary to push his buttons. The penetrating whistle of the Rufous-winged Philentoma stopped us at our tracks. This striking flycatcher is no ordinary bird and a confiding male singing on an exposed perch is no ordinary encounter despite the testing shooting conditions. Buttons pushed? Most certainly...

Woodpeckers form one of the most amazing and stunning family of birds in Malaysia. The forest here is home to quite a few species of these birds and one of them is the impressive Orange-backed Woodpecker. On this occasion, the bird was below eye level as the access trail was next to a deep ravine. The elevated view provided an intimate and memorable encounter as a pair of them moved about noisily along the middle storey of the forest.

The fruits of the active fruiting tree a few weeks back should be depleted by now but I did walk past the tree just to be sure. Birdwaves also offer several species at a single spot but unlike fruiting trees, the patrons hardly stay still making it hard to observe them let alone photograph. A male Scarlet Minivet is a very good reason to ignore other species at a birdwave and give it the attention he truly deserves. The vivid red colour pierces through the foliage of the canopy like a hot amber and he stood still long enough for me to capture a lousy shot that does no justice to the true resplendence of this forest dweller.

A quick detour at the Kulim Hi Tech Park after the morning session at Sungai Sedim yielded expected results. The resident Barred Eagle-owl was at hand again to thrill and intrigue my foreign guest with its unworldly beauty.

The next location we visited was the paddy fields of mainland Penang. Although by now most of the migratory waterbirds would have undertaken their journey back to their breeding grounds in the north, it is still the best time to catch the Pond-herons in their respective breeding plumages. From a drab-looking heron, they now sport striking plumage colourations which is a remarkable transformation. The Chinese Pond-heron may be the commonest of all the Pond-Herons but in my book, it is the most attractive. An individual in full breeding plumage, may it be in good light or in the shade, will have my undivided attention.

Despite a careful search, there was no sign of the Indian Pond-heron – the rarest Pond-heron of them all. As a consolation, we found no less than 5 Javan Pond-herons. Although the latter is not that rare, it is good to see them again after a lapse of one year. My love affair with the Pond-herons is an annual fling and it was truly rekindled this afternoon. It was most unfortunate that this Javan Pond-heron was strongly backlighted but it was so obliging that I did not have the heart to shun it.

Every time a tractor goes to work at the fields, so will the birds. The tractors plough to loosen up the soil. The birds follow the tractor to reap easy rewards. Invertebrates, insects, amphibians, small mammals are greedily snapped up. We came across one such scene and egrets formed the majority of the birds present. One thing I love about birding is you never know what to expect. Among the sea of white feathers, one individual stood out like a beacon in the dark. Perhaps more like the black sheep of the family. It was an intermediate morph Little Egret and I guess it can be considered rare as this is my first ever sighting. There is an individual at Malim Nawar in Perak for the past few seasons but I never got round to locating it because every time I am there, it was to twitch for some mega lifer.

It was very sociable and I found it hard to isolate it from the rest of its compatriots for a photograph.

Decades of birding has moulded me into a patient man and good things usually come to those who wait. It took a while but the Little Egret did wander away from the rest momentarily and that certainly made my day.

Only after then I paid some attention to the other egrets that were present and most of the Cattle Egrets were sporting their smart breeding plumages. This confiding individual stood very close to our stationery vehicle and looking very smug for my camera.

The last location for the day was the freshwater swamp forest of Air Hitam Dalam. This once amazing birding hotspot is starting to lose its charms. It never quite recovered ever since the falling of the huge tree in the middle of the reserve. Having said that I am very grateful that the Mangrove Blue Flycatcher still calls this place home.

To wrap things up for the first day, a Black Kite gliding casually overhead just as the weather started to turn for the worse. And the timing could not have been better as we were heading to our vehicle for the journey back. Anyway a handful of these elegant raptors were recorded but they will soon join others of their kin at their northern breeding grounds.

The next dawn we were again greeted by dark skies and drizzle. We were blessed because just like yesterday, the weather improved upon our arrival at the birding site. A pair of Chestnut-naped Forktails flitting about the stream that runs alongside the landscaped recreational area of Bukit Wang Forest Reserve access trail got the ball rolling. Bukit Wang proved to be a good decision again and Graeme, being more of a birder than a bird photographer, was really soaking in the presence of the rich avifauna despite the lack of good photographic opportunities.

I finally lifted up my camera when a foraging Chestnut-breasted Malkoha alighted momentarily on an exposed perch way up in the canopy level. Common as it may be, I have very few images of this striking but shy cuckoo and it is not due to lack of trying.

We came across a few birdwaves here as well and one particular wave brought out a true feathered jewel of the forest. The white morph male Asian Paradise Flycatcher (I will not let recent taxonomical updates get in the way with my tribute to this exquisite bird), is proof that angels do exist in this world. Words can hardly describe the moment you see one gracefully waltz through the foliage of the forest, long tail trailing and all, in search of insect prey. Even my terrible attempt in trying to immortalize the encounter in digital format could not undermine this moment of pure magic. That is what the male Asian Paradise Flycatcher does best – providing memories that last a lifetime.

I thought our photography woes were finally over when we came across an active fruiting tree. But all the barbets, leafbirds, bulbuls and flowerpeckers that came were no where close to be as confiding as their counterparts at a fruiting tree in Sungai Sedim. This made me realize how lucky it is to be able to experience this natural phenomenon at one of my local patches on a yearly basis. The only bird that gave us some decent images was a flock of Black-headed Bulbuls.

This is one of the few places in Peninsular Malaysia where the scarce Wallace’s Hawk-eagle is regularly encountered. This time, it suddenly glided just above our heads and I could even make out the dark chestnut head with my naked eyes. I fumbled with my camera and by the time I had the beautiful raptor in focus, it was simply too late. But it was certainly one of the highlights of the trip – for both of us. A pair of Black-thighed Falconets was caught in a compromising position but the distance of the love perch from our position denied us any good images.

As we making our way to the car park to call it a day, the virgin jungle of Bukit Wang had a parting gift waiting for us. A flowering at the entrance was attracting a lot of insects. The insects in turn attracted a predator. A female Korean Flycatcher rested contentedly among the foliage no doubt after a feasting on the insects. She also provided the best photographic opportunity of the day. Part of her tail was blocked by the perch and judging by my luck with photography today, would not have it any other way. This common migrant provided the perfect ending for another memorable birding excursion spanning over two days and two states here in northern Peninsular Malaysia.

The complete checklists for all the locations covered in this post can be found here in eBird Malaysia.

1. Sungai Sedim Recreational Forest (Kedah)

2. Kulim Hi Tech Park (Kedah)

3. Permatang Pauh Paddy Fields (Penang)

4. Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest (Penang)

5. Bukit Wang Forest Reserve (Kedah)

One more time...

There was still time for one more trip to the revered fruiting tree in Sungai Sedim and some unexpected free time provided with just the opportunity I needed to make it happen. I have been keeping tab on the patrons of the tree via social media and a couple of photos of the Thick-billed Flowerpecker certainly had my attention. Although this species is not new to me, it will be great if I could finally have this scarce resident’s image in my collection. I was a little surprise upon arrival to find that I have the tree all to myself this time. It may sound a little selfish but I appreciated the solitude. Anyway, it did not take long for the first batch of birds to arrive and the one that foraged the closest to me naturally was the first to be photographed. The Cream-vented Bulbul managed to slip past my sensor during my last visit but this time, I made sure history will not repeat itself.

The eyes say it all for some bulbuls. The Cream-vented Bulbuls has white irises while the Spectacled Bulbuls, on the other hand, has red eyes with yellow eye rings. However, the latter was a little more wary than usual today and showed off this defining feature from far perches.

To complete the collection of “eyed” bulbuls, a flock of Red-eyed Bulbuls foraged along the lower parts of the tree just like during my last visit. And I welcomed their performance as they gorged to their hearts’ content right in front of me.

The Grey-bellied Bulbul proved to be one of the main highlights at the fruiting tree again. I have admit I have taken numerous images of this striking species before but how can I possibly resist from obtaining a few more - especially when it is so very confiding.

I cannot recall the last time I witnessed Yellow-bellied Bulbuls at this fruiting tree but a flock did make a brief appearance today. Their bright colouration and vocal nature made them conspicuous. And they allowed me to obtain a few of their images before they disappeared back into their realm among the lower storey of the forest.

Another species of bulbul that looks slightly out of place at a fruiting tree is the Hairy-backed Bulbul. A flock came to the tree during my last visit and they were here again today. I guess they find the tantalizing fruits hard to resist.

Bulbuls especially the duller ones are not exactly sought after birds of the forest. Normally, it is not easy to obtain good views as they tend to forage along the forest canopy. The Buff-vented Bulbul is one such Bulbul and to me, it deserves a fair amount of attention as well.

The Finsch’s Bulbuls were quite wary today and I am not sure if the presence of all the picnickers around the vicinity had anything to do with it. They were oblivious of the natural phenomenon that was taking place at a tree close to them. I do not blame them. You have to be a bird person to noticed birds at times even if it involves a dozen species at a single tree. Talking about bird persons, a couple of British birders came and enjoyed the fruiting tree later in the morning. One of them has been staying in the capital city for the past few months and I assume for work. These guys actually took the effort to drive up north to bird and Sungai Sedim was part of their itinerary. Birding sites around Penang are not part of the convention circuit for visiting birders. But who knows? Maybe the sites here are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

Flowerpeckers were my main focus today. A rather plain but rare flowerpecker in particular – the Thick-billed Flowerpecker. I was probably at the tree for about an hour and caught a glimpse of my target bird. But that was it. Just like that it vanished and I did not even managed to see the tail wagging habit of this species. I waited for the remaining morning for it to return but determination can only get you so far in birding. Fate determines the rest and it is not to be today. For this visit, I paid more attention to the duller females than their striking male counterparts and the majority present were female Orange-bellied Flowerpeckers.

When you sport a plumage colouration like a male Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, you are bound to attract attention. There were a number of them present today and I tried my best not to let them distract me too much from my quest for the Thick-billed Flowerpecker.

Easier said than done...

The Yellow-vented Flowerpeckers which proved to be difficult during my past visits were more obliging this time...

Most of the time anyway...

As usual, the Yellow-breasted Flowerpeckers were brazen when it comes to gorging on the succulent fruits. With almost total disregard for human presence, these adorable forest denizens provided another memorable photo shoot session.

The Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker is the only other flowerpecker that equals or even exceeds the aesthetic appeal of the Orange-bellied Flowerpecker today. Most of the birds, including this cracking flowerpecker, patronizing on this fruiting tree will usually required a substantial amount of work in order to obtain decent views. It is only at a fruiting tree like this that you are given an opportunity to intimately admire and capture the beauty of these birds without interrupting the natural routine of the birds. This is, after all, Mother Nature’s feeding station.

Leafbirds tend to keep to the top most parts of the tree just like this male Greater Green Leafbird. I can clearly recall leafbirds being bullies at a fruiting tree during my visit a forest reserve in Selangor last year. However, the leafbirds here are about as aggressive as a dove. The only birds being occasionally nasty here are the male flowerpeckers.

A female Lesser Green Leafbird abandoned the safety of the canopy to indulge on the tasty morsels offered by the tree. The green plumage of a leafbird is quite remarkable and photographs cannot completely capture the true essence of this colouration.

Another common forest bird that is renowned for its vivid colouration is the Asian Fairy-bluebird. Even the name itself projects an image of divine beauty and that describes the male bird aptly. However apart from fruiting trees, this species spends most of their time in the canopy level and well out of sight. Unlike the leafbirds, female bluebirds are much duller than their male counterparts and one individual has been visiting the fruiting tree quite regularly. Despite the presence of food, she still held true to shy nature and provided very little photographic opportunities.

An unfamiliar brown bird flitting about the tree above the fruiting tree distracted my attention momentarily. Striking and colourful birds usually do not pose much of a problem when it comes to identification. A dull-coloured one, on the other hand, can very well cause sleepless nights. Thankfully, that was not the case this time. A prolonged look and some images on the camera LCD later confirmed my earlier suspicion. It was a female Zappey’s Flycatcher. And since there is no way of distinguishing her from the much rarer female Blue-and-White Flycatcher, I will leave it as it is. It is a significant moment for me as I have had only a handful of encounters of this scarce migrant and this is my first sighting of a female. No wonder she look unfamiliar at first glance.

A Striated Heron is nothing much to shout about and I have recorded it at this locality before. However, an individual hunting among the rapids did strike me as rather odd. I know that the heron is a skilled hunter but it is certainly pushing its abilities here at this fast flowing river. Anyway, this common waterbird wrapped things up for another rewarding excursion at this fruiting tree despite the frustrating episode with the Thick-billed Flowerpecker.

I have been contributing to eBird Malaysia since it took flight almost 2 years ago. I wonder why I do not make it a point to include a complete checklist at the end of every posting. Besides creating awareness, it might even get others to start contributing as well. All the data collected will certainly be put to good use. That would be good as Mother Nature needs all the help she can get. So here is the complete checklist of the birds recorded at Sungai Sedim Recreational Forest today.