Local and common birds in November 2022

 Here are just a few nice ones seen in November 2022. 

A female Ruby-cheeked Sunbird with a caterpillar. It was under the thick shade of a macaranga tree.

Another common bird - a Blue Throated Bee Eater.

This a male Ashy Minivet. 

Some books like Robson - says that it is a winter visitor in this region.

Lesser Cuckooshrike

This one looks like a female.

Pacific Golden Plover (in winter plumage)

A common winter visitor

Red-wattled Lapwing

A resident wader

Red Collared Dove

A female

A Scarlet Minivet

Also a female.

You wont miss this bird during this time of the year.

Brown Shrike

Scaly-breasted Munia

You can find this munia in every corner of the paddy fields in Penang - along the tall lalang weeds.

Hope to see more birds in December !

Birds and waders in October 2022

 At times local birds can look just as nice as those rare deep forest birds. 

Yellow-bellied Prinia

Pro photographers would always tell you to focus on their eyes because that is where the centre piece of a photo. Learnt this technique from a bird sifu.

Red-eyed Bulbul

This is a very common bulbul in the forest / forest edge. I would usually ignore them but this photo looks like a keeper. 

Oriental Magpie Robin

Another very common bird in this region and this is a female.

Yep! -  the 'machine gun' birds are back !

Brown Shrike

A common migratory passerine !

This one was silent through out the day and it is slightly larger than the next shrike.

Tiger Shrike

Smaller than a Brown Shrike but very noisy - it was rattling for the entire day.

Here are some waders seen in October.

Wood Sandpiper

Although it has broad looking scapulars but it's long whitish supercilium and straight bill separates it from a Common Greenshank.

Curlew Sandpiper

They come in various types of bill length as depicted below.

A Curlew SP with a very broad bill based.

This Curlew SP has a slightly longer and thinner bill.

While this Curlew SP has a slightly shorter bill.

A typical looking Curlew Sandpiper - it's an adult in winter plumage.

Here is a comparison of two small stints

                                                      
                        Red-necked Stint                                                      Long-toed Stint                              

                 

Long-toed Stint

A Long-toed Stint with a Lesser Sand Plover

This could be a juvenile Marsh Sandpiper.

At times they can be mistaken as a Common Greenshank.

A juvenile Lesser Sand Plover

A Lesser Sand Plover and a Red-necked Stint

Pacific Reef Egret (Dark morph) - note its little white patch at its throat.

Finally here are some photos of an ancient-looking 'chickens'.

Grey-headed Swamphen / Purple Swamphen

According to the more experienced birders, the one with a darker head is a juvenile.

They have got nice cotton-liked butts

With the rapid development and industralisation of Penang mainland, I wonder how long can this area remained a sanctuary for this beautiful 'hens'.

MORE BIRDS PHOTOS IN NOVEMBER I HOPE ! 

SELAMAT MENGUNDI FOLKS !

Juvenile Waders in late August and month of September 2022

The earliest recorded arrival of waders in KKM was in late July but in 2022 I didn't manage to visit the place in July.  So the photos here depict the waders in late August until September 2022.

Common Redshanks.

It's like they have risen in sequence - the right ones rose first followed by the ones of the left (behind).

Due to the hot afternoon sun, these Common Redshanks took shelter among the small mangroves before I spooked them away.

Common Redshank - most likely an adult.

One of best route to Penang is by sea because there are less traffic jams. 

On this trip there were many juveniles seen and because they were quite skittish, so there were many aerial shots this time.

One adult and two juvenile Lesser Sand Plovers (LSP) at one go.

Usually when they first arrived, they are very sensitive to their surroundings. They will take flight as soon as you enter their comfort zone.

More juveniles LSP here.

This juvenile LSP came quite close.

This is another Lesser Sand Plover but I am not sure whether this is an adult or a juvenile which has just molt into a fresh winter plumage.

Lesser Sand Plover

This should be an adult.

Aside from juvenile LSP, there were also other juvenile plovers seen like this juvenile Greater Sand Plover.

A Greater Sand Plover with a Red-necked Stint

Here it is again.

This time with a Lesser Sand Plover.

Another juvenile LSP.

A nice looking adult Lesser Sand Plover. Since it was just August, they still retained some of their breeding plumage.

According to some literature, this LSP could be from the 'atrifrons group' - no white patch on its forehead. Have a look at the illustration below.

But you would definitely find it hard to ID the groupings for a juvenile LSP or a LSP with a wintering plumage.

Another juvenile LSP in flight.

This one is most likely an adult LSP - uneven and jagged primaries and absence of fresh small coverts.

Oops wrong turn !

Two adult LSPs

Juvenile Greater Sand Plover with a juvenile Lesser Sand Plover.

The front one is certainly a juvenile LSP.

A mix group of waders this time.

Common Redshank with LSP and a Red-necked Stint.

There are also some LSP with an unusual darker plumage like the one indicated here.

You can actually easily identify a juvenile LSP from this group - can you?

This one is certainly an adult Greater Sand Plover.

A mix group of adult LSP and a RNS

Here is a Red-necked Stint (RNS) still spotting some breeding plumage.

Another juvenile LSP.

Taking off.

They will fly away now but they shall return again the next time.

This Pacific Reef Egret has been a regular visitor at this place.

Besides birds, sometimes you would come across other stuff on the beach. Here is a beach full of shells.

At times you can also find some nice ones.

and of course some unusual ones.

That fisherman must be frustrated of not getting the Big One so he dumped his reel into the sea.

A miniature Tuk Tuk.

Hoping the view will remain just as nice as this one in times to come.

HAPPY WADING !