My 20 Most Memorable Avian Photos - Second half of 2019

Growing up in a rural environment surrounded by rubber trees, rice fields, orchards and secondary jungles, i have always been fascinated by the colors and sound of nature. 40 years later i am still intrigued by them especially the birds. Here are some of the birds seen from the month of July 2019 to December 2019. Most of them are non raptorial birds.

Black-crowned Night Heron

This heron is a stand-and-wait predator which forages communally. It has a rather long scientific name i.e Ardea nycticorax nycticorax. They will appear during dawn or dusk near areas with large body of water for example lakes, river mouths and ponds. Large colonies can be seen near Putrajaya Wetlands, Rawang, Sabak Bernam, Malim Nawar and Penang mainland. 

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker

A common but very tiny flowerpecker (only 8 cm) which you would likely find in most jungle trails here.

Purple Heron

Apparently in Japan, this heron is called Murasaki-sagi and it also has a very long scientific name i.e Ardea purpurea manilensis. Males are reportedly larger and darker than females.

There are not many field guides describing the blue lores appearing on Black-crowned Night Herons when they are in breeding colors. Here are two breeding males squabbling over a potential nest site.

Grey-throated Babbler

Although quite common here but this babbler is more often heard than seen. They are more common at sub-montane or mountain levels as i have observed.

Grey-Headed Babbler

Although not globally threatened this is an uncommon babbler which mainly dwelled in the under layers of thick jungles. Its a monotypic babbler which can be found only in this region.

Black-capped Babbler

Also a sulker but it can however be seen more often than the above babbler.

Grey-breasted Spiderhunter

Locally named as "Kelicap Pisang" because of its penchant for wild banana flowers as seen above.

Silver-eared Mesia

So happy to have such a colorful bird here. An iconic bird of sub-montane and mountain range. 

They look just as elegant whether from the front or back.

Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush

Another common and iconic bird of the sub-montane and mountain regions over here.

Black-throated Sunbird

Initially i thought i was looking at a new bird but it was just a male Black-throated sunbird in heavy molt.

Sooty-headed Bulbul

From the color of its yellow vent this bulbul is most likely from the Ssp germani. In Northern Sumatera it can be found throughout the higher elevation. 

I saw this accipiter in Northern Sumatera and identify it as a "Besra" instead of a Japanese Sparrowhawk based on its dark greyish upperside, wing tips does not accede the half way line of its tail and broad tail bands. Some birders are a bit sceptical of the id but i will just leave the discourse open for further comments.

Note: correction ! A raptor expert from Thailand as well as other local experts have confirmed that the above accipiter was a juvenile Japanese Sparrowhawk. Case closed !

Oriental-Magpie Robin

Nowadays you will see this robin more often in the cities and town areas. They have adapted well with the humans. The above male OMR was however spotted in the jungles of Pahang and its calls are slightly different than its city dwelling cousins.

The above two photos of a Verditer Flycatcher trying to catch a dragonfly was taken at 8.00am. It was still dark in the jungle but breakfast must be taken whenever opportunity arises.

Dark-sided Flycatcher

A migratory flycatcher in this region. Location: Semangkuk Waterfall, Pahang.

Long-tailed shrike

Some books have described them as butcher birds - probably came from the way they annihilate their prey. I noticed that they too do rattle like a brown shrike but when alarm they would produce a one note call which sounded like "chack" as heard.

The white patch on its outer primaries most likely shows that it is from the nominate Ssp schach.

An Asean Glossy Starling showing its glossy emerald green colors.

Little Cormorant

Little Cormorant has been making a strong presence here. A large number of them can be seen in Malim Nawar ponds and a few in Penang and Perlis. The above was seen in Merbok, Kedah. They are often associated with catching fish underwater but when they are airborne they can actually fly really high as observed.

Dollar Bird

Looks 'same same' but not really identical. Most of them are migratory birds and female is reportedly larger than male. The one above looks darker though.

Large Woodshrike

The tiny white speckles as seen above are actually the remnants of a butterfly.

Waders are an important part of the inter-tidal ecosystem. Most of them are migratory as over-wintering birds will eventually return to their breeding grounds sooner or later.

Common Sandpiper

The above sandpiper should be a 1st winter bird as evidently shown by the streaks on its chest.

Lesser-Crested Tern

Said to breed in the Mediterranean and is a rare winter visitor here. It has a more orangey colored and slender bill than a Great Crested Tern.

Whiskered Tern

(Winter plumage:  overall greyish, lacks black carpal bar and streaks on forehead)

A new decade and a new hope !


THANK YOU.

Wintering Raptors in Peninsular Malaysia - December 2019

Aside from waders, birds of prey are perhaps one of the most watched birds among birders. There are close to 26 species of migratory raptors that have been reliably recorded in Malaysia (Suara Enggang, Vol.19, 2011). Three most encountered raptor species over here are Oriental Honey Buzzard (almost 93%), Black Baza and Chinese Goshawk (Suara Enggang, Vol. 19, 2011). Peninsular Malaysia is an important transit point for migrant birds including raptors. Many migrating raptors passed through Peninsular Malaysia but some do winter here as well. There are three common migration routes used by these raptors (Suara Enggang, Vol.19, 2011) as do by some other migrating birds:

i) Eastern Inland Corridor - an overland route which starts from northern China snaking down through Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.

ii) Coastal Pacific Corridor - a coastal route starting from east China, passing thru Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.

iii) Oceanic Pacific Corridor - a route which uses the oceanic waterway from Japan, Taiwan, Philippine and Borneo.

All the above migration routes are part of a major route named East-Asian Australasian Flyway.

I was fortunate to come across a few wintering raptors recently. Most of them are OHBs and all of them were spotted in Kedah, a state in Northern Peninsular Malaysia. The most striking feature of raptors is in the variability of their plumage when view from below and their identification depends very well on our knowledge of their morphological and plumage characteristics. 

The above Oriental Honey Buzzard (OHB) is most likely an adult male orientalis showing dark eye, grey head and thick trailing edge on the wings. This OHB has only eight tail feathers and they were enough to take it across several continents to reach here. According to Robert DeCandido et al (2015), adults OHB usually migrate first before the juveniles which fly in from October onwards. I believe this OHB will stay around until March next year. By then, its feathers will probably molted well enough to prepare it for the long journey home. 

The OHB below has a gorget which almost covering its entire neck and face. 

Apparently there are three general plumage that can be observed on OHBs:

              i) Intermediate morph

                          ii) Light morph / rufous morph

iii) Dark morph

I think the above OHB could be an adult female orientalis from the intermediate morph showing partially grey head with light sub-terminal band. Note that this OHB has only 5 'fingers' as compared to the usual 6 'fingers'.

The above OHB should be an adult male orientalis from the dark morph. Aside from having dark eyes, male OHB shows dark primary tips and has boldly barred tail.

Watching raptors alone can be tiring. They can come from different directions - front, back, top, left and right. In one second they can be over the tree tops or beyond your eye sight. So your head will need to be constantly rotated 360 degrees. The OHB below appeared silently from my back.

I have some difficulty identifying the morph of the OHB below.

Could it be an immature "Western Honey Buzzard" or perhaps a sub-adult from the ruficollis race?

Note: it has 6 'fingers' instead

Aside from OHB, Black Baza had also 'subscribed' Peninsular Malaysia as their stop-over location. Apparently during the autumn migration, Black Baza is reported to migrate later than OHB. Hence they are most likely to be the last to depart as well (during spring migration).

Black Baza is the best dressed raptor in this world to me.

Generally the best moments to watch raptors are in the early mornings or late evenings. In between those times, here are a few conditions which can enhance your chances of watching them (based on my personal experience):

i) the sky should have some clouds and not just pure blue skies.

ii) some steady breeze should be present.

iii) when you can see some swifts / bee-eaters up in the sky.

Female Japanese Sparrowhawk

OHB and Japanese Sparrowhawks are reported to depart earlier than other raptors during the spring migration. The theory explaining this phenomenon was that they breed further up the equator and they need a head start to reach their breeding site in time for the breeding season. Female Sparrowhawks tends to fly higher than male but the above accipiter was seen just above the oil palm trees. Most likely it was just coming out from its overnight roosting area and was preparing to soar higher. 

I have read somewhere which says that some Crested Serpent Eagle are migratory raptors as well. 

Science without humanity is like a car without its accessories and tires !

HAVE A GREAT NEW DECADE AHEAD !