Back to Bukit Rengit - Sept 2013

Despite its isolated location, Bukit Rengit is located at the fringes of the Krau Wildlife Reserve which spans across 76,000 hectares of pristine jungle. This time the birds were generally quiet and it took some hard observation to spot movements in the canopy. But some of the birds were drawn out from the jungle by flying termites which came out from the ground in hundreds.

Greater-Racket Tailed Drongo

Dark-Throated Oriole

The male was really a beauty and it was seen hawking for the flying termites the flycatcher's way.

Scarlet-Rumped Trogon - Male

This trogon was located from its soft calls. Although its bright reddish body sets it out against the dark forest background but i would have miss it if not for its calls.

Dusky Broadbill

Usually seen alone but this time i saw 5 of them and they were rather noisy when in a foraging group. Despite its chunky size its calls were rather like the calls of a mice.

Grey-and-Buff Woodpecker - Male

Banded Broadbill

I have initially thought that this bird was a Black-and-Yellow Broadbill as its first call did not start with an explosive bang which you would usually associate it with this broadbill. Only when it flew into view that i realised it was a different bird. How amazing it was.

Chestnut-Rumped Babbler

The babblers were rather quiet this time - probably because i have only started birding at 10.30am but they were certainly there to be found. 

Rufous-Crowned Babbler

Sooty-Capped Babblers

Spectacle Bulbul

The Hairy-Backed Bulbuls (no photos here) make up the most bulbuls sighted this time.

This is my lifer bird for this time - a "Bar-Bellied Cuckoo Shrike" (see pix below). So i will give it a little more coverage. 

Bar-Bellied Cuckoo Shrike

Its yellowish/whitish eyes and dark bars on lower breast area are quite diagnostic. It was seen foraging with some Chestnut-Breasted Malkohas and a Red-Bellied Malkoha.

Now what you reckon of this bird - a Lesser Cuckoo Shrike? It was seen together with the above Bar-Bellied Cuckoo Shrike,

Once again Bukit Rengit never cease to amaze me. As one Malay villager once told me: "tengok burung ini kira nasib, lah". Who knows one day i may just spot the Great Argus and Garnet Pita which were also heard calling near one of the trails.