Raptor Watch @ Bedong - Oct 2012

Balancing family commitment and hobby interest can be quite a demanding task but when there is a window of opportunity for our hobby we will quietly disappear into thin air and head towards the birding site in no time. Although it was just for about 2.5 hrs of birding but it was well worth it. Met a couple of new friends (Choo Eng etc) as well as familiar raptor experts (Seng, Carol etc) up on the hill where a 4WD and sun screen would be greatly appreciated. Most of the raptors were thermaling quite high up on their autumn migration towards south. Looks like they are using the east route. So most images taken were only for record shots. Here are some of the uncommon raptors seen at this site:



While waiting for a positive confirmation from the raptor experts, this raptor was presumed to be a "Common Buzzard - Dark Morph"?.  Note: raptor experts have replied that the above raptor is most likely a Changeable Hawk Eagle - Dark Morph !



Black Baza

They are like butterflys up in the skies. Most of the raptors seen were comprised of this group.

 

 

Osprey



Probably the star bird sighted on this trip. We saw 3 of them.

 

 

 

 

 

I believe these are Oriental Honey Buzzards.

 

Paddy Field Pipit

We also saw this lone pipit on the way down from the hill.

 



Kuala Muda Mudflats - Oct 2012

I went back recently and had some time to look at a few nearby mudflats. There were not many waders around but they were quite close.

Chinese Pond Heron

This Chinese Pond Heron is about to change into its breeding plumage. 

Common Kingfisher - Female

 

 

I believe this fellow is a Pacific Golden Plover - Juv? 

 

 

 

 

These are Pacific Golden Plovers

 

Common Sandpiper

Although it has more brownish colors but the "white gap" at the side of its body says that this bird is a Common Sandpiper

 



Little Heron

 

  A cross breed between a Jungle Myna and a Common Myna - how about calling it a "Junmon Myna"?

 

 One look it may be mistaken as a Germain's Swiflet but its darker body color indicates that this could just be an Edible-Nest Swiftlet.

 

Common Iora

 This Common Iora - presumably a female was seen searching for a nest inside an electrical pole.

 

  This fellow has some wings as well but its a bit mean looking than the feathered ones. I understand that this is a "Carpenter Bee".



Birds in October 2012

I did a quick bird watching session at some nearby areas today and it looks like the Winter Visitors birds have taken over the scene from the local birds. Most of them are in their summer clothings.

I believe this fellow was just a Paddy Field Pipit instead of a Blyth's due to its clear supercilium. Some how it would appear at the same place during this time.

Grey Wagtail

Asian Brown Flycatcher

These are Brown Shrikes rattling away

Some local birds which were seen although not many:

Black-Crowned Night Heron?

The top is an adult and the bottom is probably a sub-adult.

Hill Mynahs

 There were 6 of them up on this tree calling out loudly.

Waders of Kapar - Sept 2012

This is the time of the year where waders are said to make travel arrangments to escape the blistering cold at their breeding site. Although a bit sceptical initially but a seasoned birder (AngTH) affirmed that this is the best time to see waders (both Winter Visitors and Passage Migrants) in their breeding plumage. So off we went to look for waders at the Selangor coast with the hope that we were lucky enough to spot a wader with a coloured tag on its leg. The afternoon weather was nice for bird watching but certaintly not for photography.

Eurasian Curlew



Sometimes the waders do fly in as an individual.

or in a loose formation like the above group.



Or in a tight formation like this one.

At its peak, they can literally fill up the sky.

If they are spooked by raptors, they can produce the following phenomenon:

This formation which is quite similar as those "applied" by sardins in the ocean and some munias is meant to confuse the raptors as they will most unlikely to be able to identify any weak/juvenile ones among those flock of waders.

After going thru frame by frame, i was finally able to spot  a wader with flags on it 

The above images show a Bar-Tailed Godwit with a tag on its left leg. From the scope we could see clearly that the tag was black at the top and green at the bottom which was presumely originated from Thailand. We did also saw (with a scope)  another wader (a Great Knot) with a tag of black on the top and white at the bottom which was said to be originated from Chongming Dao, China.

We also saw many terns such as these ones:

Aleutian Tern?





Nope its was just a Common Tern due to lack of dark band on its secondaries :(

Gull-Billed Tern

Caspian Tern

Common Greenshank

Whimbrel (right) with a Godwit

Lesser Sand Plover (still at breeding plumage)

Lesser Sand Plover



Eurasian Curlew

Bar-tailed Godwit

Red-Necked Stint?

Painted Stork

Locals said this fellow has made his home here.

A Great Knot - resting

 There were also redshanks (in thousands), ruddy turnstones, black-tailed godwit, pacific golden plovers, grey plovers, common sandpipers, grey herons, a white bellied sea eagle flying by, brahminy kites, and probably many more in between these thousands of waders.