Birds of Forest Edge

Malaysia (including Sabah and Sarawak) is blessed with many places to watch birds (both endemic as well as migrant Sp etc). In Peninsular Malaysia there are several birds which you may encounter along the forest edge. Here are some of them.

The bird (above) is a Yellow-bellied Prinia. The calls it makes may not be as what the image suggests but it can certaintly be heard from a 50 meter radius.

You can find this Pied Fantail in your gardens as well as near the forest edge.

These are White-rumped Munias. It seems to have a bi-coloured bill.

This is a Yellow-vented Bulbul - a juvenile.

Some books called this bird a Peaceful Dove while some has named it as Zebra Dove.

This is an Ashy Tailorbird.

Another common bird of forest edge - a Common Iora.

This is a Rufous Piculet. Although said to be a common bird over here but its not easy to be seen. At times they do come out near the forest edge to hunt for food like this one.

These are Grey-bellied Bulbuls. They are not really common but they can be spotted near the forest edge at times.

This is a Spectacle Bulbul - hiding itself in the thickets of a forest edge.

This is a common Olive-backed Sunbird (female).

I did saw this Baya Weaver (male) near a forest edge.

Blue-Winged Leafbird

The most common leafbird which you may find near the forest edge.

Pied Thriller

You may also find this bird in the garden or mangroves or places where there are water flowing like rivers and lakes.

Kuala Selangor Nature Park - 2012

Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) is about one(1) hour's drive from KL. Not only it is famous as a tourist spot but its also an important research area for scientists like ornithologist, herpetologist, botanist etc. I decided to re-visit the place to see its birding activities at this time of the year. The sky was clear but the temperature got a bit more humid towards late morning. Greeted me at the entrance was a group of these Common Flameback Woodies.

Just love to see its bushy red crown.

Pecking nearby was his mate - a female Common Flameback.

These two ladies were seen squabbling over something - it could probably be over some domestic matters. As you enter the park compound you will come across these message boards. The entrance to the trail is at the right side of the photo below.

There were ample spots and directions provided to assist you in your exploration as depicted in the image below.

The first bird seen inside the trail was this Barred Eagle Owl. This bird was not easy to be photographed not because it is an uncommon bird but it was more due to the hundreds of mozzies trying to grab me for their breakfast. This owl was seen at about 7.50am, preening itself probably after an overnight rain. Initially it was quite alert of my presence but later it went about its own business.

Look Ma no head !

As expected, there were no visiting herons or egrets except for this lone Collared Kingfisher at this time of the year.

A view from one watch tower to another.

You will not be wronged if you thought that this bird was some kind of a nuthatch.

Yup it was a Great Tit - a common resident bird at this place.

This Oriental White-Eye is also common here.

This male Ruby-cheeked Sunbird certaintly has some fantastic colors. Unfortunately my camera went out of focus at the crucial mo.

Initially i was curious on why this Pacific Swallow was on the ground instead of flying around which it would usually does. When i went thru the photo then i realised that it was actually beside an egg. Not sure how the egg got there but it must have tried to protect it. Nevertheless i did not see the bird on my way back. Hopefully i did not step on it, oops!

You can find this Ashy Tailorbird at almost every location here.

This Brahminy Kite has a rather peculiar wing shape. I guess the secondary feathers were just growing after a successful moulting.

The images above show a Changeable Hawk Eagle - immature as confirmed by the experts. Its standing posture indicates that it is ready to fly off or just perhaps getting ready to swoop down on its first prey.

Nearby the raptor i could see a female Scally-Breasted Munia feeding its chicks.

Watching closely the surrounding area was this adult scally-breasted munia.

This is another common bird at this place - a Pink-necked Green Pigeon.

This Blue-Throated Bee Eater was also seen perched instead of flying around.

Here is a lone Little Egret and a Striated Heron/Little Heron foraging nearby each other. In addition to the birds, KSNP has a variety of crustaceans to complete its eco-system. Here are some miniature but lovely crabs or crabbies as i call them. Sounds like a famous resort area in Thailand isn't ?

 

I ain't no crab expert but i believe the crab with the huge claw could be a dominant male - probably a type of fiddler crabs.

Female Sunbird

When i first started bird watching, all female sunbirds will look the same to me ! After going several times in the fields, you can learn how to differentiate them accurately.

Here are some of my own diagnostic breakdown: i) Eyes - the color of its eyes is not a good field mark to look at. I believe most female sunbirds have red color eyes if seen from certain angle. ii) Tip of the tail - the tip of a purple-throated sunbird-female's tail has white tips and so as a female olive-backed sunbird. So this bird is neither a female purple-throated sunbird or a female olive-backed. iii) Throat & Breast colors - these are two good field marks to look at. A female ruby-cheeked has a pale rufous or pale orange throat while the breast color of a female red-throated sunbird is more greenish. As for the images above you could see that its throat and breast are more yellowish in color. iv) Eye rings - this field mark can be a bit more tricky to observe. According to field guides, a brown-throated female sunbird has a pale yellowish eyering but not as denser as a red-throated which is slightly on a greyish-tinged side. So therefore i believe the images above point to a female brown-throated sunbird. It does not have white tail tips, its throat and breast are more yellowish and it has a pale yellowish eyering. Male sunbirds are however easier to identify. These are brown-throated sunbird (images below) - juvenile.

Olive-Backed Sunbird (Female)