Saturday 6 September 2014

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.




7 comments:

Sirhana said...

It's a Spectacled Bulbul. Saw it too when I was there the day before you. I thought I saw the cuckooshrike but could not confirm. The eagle and Temmick's sunbird are on my wishlist.

Ron-Nature Adventures said...

Thank you very much for the info. It must have been a juvenile.

Unknown said...

That's a Temnick Sunbird. The Scarlet Sunbird has a dark bluish tail. There's a pair in Air Keroh.

Ron-Nature Adventures said...

Thanks Mr Lim. It certainly looks more like a "Temminck's Sunbird" to me as well. Old book named it "Scarlet".

Unknown said...

I'm based in Seremban. It would be great to join you on your next trip. Did you notice any broadbill nests hanging along the road?

Choy Wai Mun said...

Another good collection, Ronnie.

Teluk Ayer Tawar is not as good as it used to be because you now have to go out by boat to truly enjoy the birds.

Ron-Nature Adventures said...

Mr Lim - did not see any broadbill's nest but saw two of them foraging. Probably not their nesting season.

Mun - yes now one has to take a boat out to see the birds like what Dave and Choo Eng did but the shorebirds are still abundant out there as compare to other areas like Kuala Selangor. That was based on the photos shown.

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