Kuala Muda River Tributary and Pond Herons - March 2014

Recently i was at a river bank near some river tributaries which flow directly to the Kuala Muda river mouth. This place is not as spectacular as the Air Tawar or Bagan Sungai Buloh mudflats but there is always something to see here. As i was scanning the river banks, i saw this Javan Pond heron walking slowly towards me.

As i was clicking my ancient camera which sounded like an old typewriter, it must had stunned the poor little bird. (Note: you can already see its crown plumes extending from its head. It was reported that male plumes are typically longer and sometimes more numerous than the female's. Males with damage crown plumes may find it difficult to obtain mates).

It then decided to detour and walk towards a group of Little Egrets or sometimes also known as Lesser Egrets. You can see that they were wearing their famous yellow "sandals". The Javan Pond heron subsequently disappeared into the mangroves.

Foraging nearby were two Chinese Pond Herons (below).

Can't really see its crown plumes here but its elongated back plumes can clearly be seen.

I only realised back at home that these Chinese Pond herons were actually staring at a snake (below right of photo).

I am not sure whether this was a sea snake or a "pambu" but from my initial research it could either be a "Crab-Eating Mangrove" snake (Fordonia leucobalia) or a "Glossy Marsh" snake (Gerarda prevostiana). Could it also be a "Dog-faced Sea Snake (Cerebus Rynchops)? Meantime as you can see there are also snakes on the mudflats, in this case on a river bank. So beware birders who like to venture deep into the mudflats.

For comparison purposes, here are some adult Chinese Pond Heron and Javan Pond Herons in full breeding plumage. Photos were taken at the Bagan Belat mudflats a few days later.

Javan Pond heron

Chinese Pond Heron

From my brief observation recently at the two different locations it appears that the population of the Javan Pond Heron was slightly more than the Chinese Pond Herons. Need more field trips from other fellow birders to verify this population numbers. 

Birding in Lower Montane Forest - Feb 2014

Birding at this lower montane forest which is about 750 meter - 1500 meter asl have always been fruitful. Not only this place is well kept but it has always provided some new surprises each time i have been there. Good place for bird photography as well. I will keep this location a mystery but from its photos you could have probably guessed it correctly.

Initially i thought this bird might just make it into my first country bird listing.

Asian Fairy Bluebird

But it turned out to be just a female Asian Fairy Bluebird.

Scaly-Breasted Bulbul

It is not easy anymore to spot this bird. It appears that chances of seeing them would probably be better near the edges of primary forest. That was why its current status is now stated as "Near Threatened" instead of "uncommon".

Black-Headed Bulbul

Its song was not too bad but still lose out to a Stripped-Throated Bulbul.

Gold-Whiskered Barbet

Blue-Eared Barbet

Its beak reminds me of the American F35A fighter jet. Despite its small size its call can be heard from a distance if you happened to be near a valley. As you can see all the above photos were taken from the same fruiting tree. So if you happen to come across a fruiting fig tree do stay around for awhile and you might just be rewarded with a variety of birds.

Adult male White-Rumped Sharma

Sub-adult White-Rumped Sharma i guess

Forked-Tail Swift - a cooki ?

Female Mugimaki Flycatcher

Male Mugimaki Flycatcher

Orange-Headed Thrush - Male

Red-Bearded Bee Eater

Still have not yet get any good photos of this bird.

Streaked Spiderhunter

Japanese Paradise Flycatcher 

Large Woodshrike

Orange Breasted Trogon - Male

Orange Breasted Trogon - Female

Lesser Gymnure

Ground Squirrel?

(Note: it was a Common Treeshrew - Tupaia glis)

Black Laughingthrush

First time seeing this bird here. One was seen grabbing a large spider from its web.

Ochraceous Bulbul

When in a group you could hear their very unique call/song - it's like they are "talking" to each other.

Red-Billed Malkoha

"Always preserve your environment for once its gone you will never ever enjoy it like before".

Common Greenshank and Marsh Sandpiper

Sometimes you will find that some birds might resemble another bird species based on its photo images.  One of those bird species which may caught you off guard if not for closer observation is the similarity between Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) and Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis). How close are their similarities? - have a look at the photo below:

For an expert who is familiar with the differences between the two bird species, he/she could have easily identify the Marsh Sandpiper and the Common Greenshank from the above photo. According to Dave Bakewell, "Marsh Sandpiper is rarely mistaken for a Common Greenshank. It is usually the other way around when a Common Greenshank contrives to make itself look thinner and more elegant than usual"

I was lucky recently to be able to watch the two bird species close to each other on the mudflats. For a start i will first show you the photos of some Common Greenshank.

A trio of Common Greenshank

which was later joined by a Little Egret

Common Greenshank in flight

Now here are some photos of the Marsh Sandpiper.

A Marsh Sandpiper strolling beside a Common Greenshank

Marsh Sandpiper

Marsh Sandpiper in flight

From the first photo of the Marsh Sandpiper above, you could clearly see that its size is smaller than a Common Greenshank. You could have also noticed that its bill is thinner than a Common Greenshank. If you are in the mudflats quite often you will also noticed that the Marsh Sandpiper's movement is quicker than a Common Greenshank. In addition i have also observed that when they (the Marsh Sandpipers) are wading for food in the mudflats they tend to move their bill from side to side. 

So as you can see, photography can play the role of both educating as well as confusing people but like most experts would advise you, the best way to observe/study the birds is to look at them in the field or rather in the mudflats in this case.