Birding at Permatang Nibong and nearby Ricefields - Feb 2014

Finally i had the opportunity to bird at Permatang Nibong, Penang recently. Thanks to Wai Mun for the earlier directions i did find the location with ease. As i was rushing for time on this occasion so i have only covered an area about 400 meter radius behind the Shell station - more like an incidental birding session if you may call it. Some of the ricefields were bone dry while the un-cropped ones were the home of the zitting cisticolas and snipes. Here are some of the birds seen:

White-Vented Myna

Its all jet-black plumage here with just a white patch on its wing were quite diagnostic. Another feature to look for is probably the color of its iris which is different than the jungle mynas as shown below.

Jungle Myna

Wood Sandpiper

Always a nice bird to photograph.

After Permatang Nibong, i went further north to survey the ricefields along the highway leading to the town of Semeling, Kedah. Besides a lone Red Collared Dove flying by, other birds seen here were quite common though.

A Black Shouldered Kite / Black Winged Kite with a prey. The first thing it would do is to "dismantle" the head of its prey and then slowly tearing off its meat.

Brown Shrike

Looks like it was saying: "Hi! finally you have spotted me".

In the ricefields especially during the dry months from January to March, the birds which you would most likely not to miss out are swallows and swifts.

Red-Rumped Swallow

The bird above was actually doing a flight routine akin to a rocket on a vertical takeoff -  ain't no photo tricks or any optical illusion or manipulation here.

A Germain's Swiftlet or an Edible Swiftlet?

House Swift

BEST WISHES AND HAPPY BIRDING!