A Day at the Rice Field - Feb 2013

While the big guys headed to Malim Nawar and Melaka to tick their lifers, i went up north to survey a small patch of rice field which was not too far away from the Bedong Raptor Watch site.

Rice Field at Dawn

There were less birds seen in the morning as compared to in the afternoon. Most of the birds seen (i.e Egrets, Herons, raptors and Pigeons) came from the coastal front which was just behind me when i took this photo. Except for the raptors and pigeons which zoomed past like rockets, others flew in and landed on this rice field and remained through out the day.

This was the first raptor seen at this rice field in the morning. This majestic Aquila is thought to be an Imperial Eagle or perhaps a Greater Spotted Eagle though its positive id is hard to ascertain due to its distance. It was seen at around 8.20am and circled a few times before heading eastward - most likely will pass through the Bedong raptor watch site.

Black Headed Munia

Pond Heron

Great Egret touching down

There were only pockets of Little Egrets and Great Egrets seen here.

Cattle Egret in Flight

Pond Heron in flight

Most of the birds were made up of Pond Herons and Cattle Egrets.

Other birds seen and heard in the morning was a Black Drongo (1), Yellow-Bellied Prinia (2), Z. Cisticola (heard calls only), Spotted Dove (4), Brown Shrike (1) and Common Iora (2).

A view of the rice field in the afternoon from a different angle. I only had a small tree for shade.

While scanning the rice field, i saw this Cinnamon Bittern.

Red Collared Dove

They were everywhere at this place.

Most of them were males i believed except for the bird above. The bird above should be a female Red-Collared Dove and not an Eurasian Collared Dove - id'd from a tinge of red color on its plumage as verified by an experienced birder, John Steed.

A tractor came in and started to work. Suddenly there were birds everywhere.

I believed these are Striated Swallows.

Allen J & Pearson's (2012) field guide however suggested that the best way to determine these swallow's genre is thru a DNA test. Until the test results are determined, together with Barn Swallows they were the only swallows sighted at this place.

Black Baza

A beautiful and distinctive underwings and body pattern which Nature has created for us.

Initially thought as a Chinese Goshawk from its undertail 3 bands but raptor expert KC Lim reckoned that it could just be a Crested Goshawk due to its more whitish underbelly.

These raptors were probably the few remaining ones in the tail-end of their migrating session. Most of them headed eastwards like the earlier Aquila. I left this baking hot place at around 6pm.