Birding in Jelebu - 1st Sept 2014

Malaysia is fortunate to have many good birding locations. Here are my top ten (10) birding locations which i would recommend to you before your life time warranty expires. They are based on my personal observations as well as field reports i.e. in terms of its accessibility, varieties and uniqueness.

In no particular order:

i) Gunung Ulu Kali, Pahang - for mountain birds and its uniqueness.
ii) Fraser's Hill, Pahang - for sub-montane birds and its varieties.
iii) Air Tawar-Kuala Muda Mudflats, Penang/Kedah - for its shore birds and varieties.
iv) National Park (Taman Negara), Pahang - for forest birds and varieties.
v) Panti Forest, Johor - for forest birds and varieties
vi) Pulau Mantanani, Sabah - for pelagic birds and its uniqueness.
vii) Danum Valley, Sabah - for forest birds and its uniqueness.
viii) Mount KK Park, Sabah, for mountain birds and its uniqueness.
ix) Kampung Felda/Ladang tebu, Chuping, Perlis - for rarity and varities.
x) Bukit Rengit, Pahang - for forest birds and varieties

Now back to birding - i have not been to this location for many years. So it was inevitable that i decided to see how are the birds getting on over there. Reached the location at about 7.50am which was surrounded by a thin veil of mist. By 8.15 am the mist was quickly replaced by a chorus of the apes which echoed throughout the entire valley. Bird calls started thereafter with a Grey-Headed Canary Flycatcher leading the way. This was followed by calls from two Great Argus and a mini bird wave at about 9.15am. Here are some of the birds photos:

Chestnut-Naped Forktail

It came and took off within 5 seconds but their calls can be heard from a distance.

Crimson/Temminck's Sunbird

Look how well it tried to camouflage itself with the flower of the same color. Although said to be fairly common but you don't see this sunbird everywhere.

(Note: based on experts comments, this bird was most likely a Temminck's aka Scarlet Sunbird)

Black Eagle

 Differentiated from Changeable Hawk Eagle (Dark Morph) through its yellow cere. Correct / No?

Raffles's Malkoha - Male

Dark-Necked Tailorbird

I think it should be more aptly called a Dark-Throated Tailorbird.

Blue-Winged Leafbird - Male

Blue-Winged Leafbird - Female

Lesser Cuckooshrike

Unidentified Swiftlet

I believe it could be from one of the "Collocalia" family.

Barn Swallow

This female bird was a toss between a female Plain Sunbird or a female Orange-Bellied Flowerpecker but i would go for a female Orange-Bellied Flowerpecker in view of its shorter tail.

At this place you can also see various types of  bulbul under one canopy. Here are some of which i have seen:

Cream-Vented

Cream-Vented

Ashy Bulbuls

I believe Ashy Bulbul is now called 'Cinereous Bulbul"

Red-Eyed bulbul

Hairy-Backed Bulbul

Tak hairy pun!

Black-Crested Bulbul

You may think that bulbul is an easy bird to identify. Well try this one below:

Even experts can't really nail this fella!

(Note: this could be a juvenile Spectacle Bulbul)

Velvet-Fronted Nuthatch - Male

Photography is both about science and art. As a birder it was sufficient enough for us to know the basic functions of a camera and its lenses rather than indulging in the image quality of the picture.  But if we can have both i.e good images and greater knowledge of a camera functions, it should be an added bonus. For the above image of the nuthatch i have tried several camera settings before i could come out with this decent photo. Here are the "exif" of the photo:

ISO: 12800
F-Stop:  f5.6
Exposure: 1/2000
Metering mode: partial
Shooting mode: handheld

As it can be tiring walking up and down at this location, so i have laid down a marker at this point for my next adventure here.