Exploring the Ex-Mining Ponds of Malim Nawar - Sept 2013

Birding trips will be getting lesser and lesser for me but when there is an opportunity we will need to grab it and go as far and wide as possible to look for our dream birds. The "Pull-Factor" was stronger than the "Push-Factor" in this case as i have never been to this place before (for birding that is) and also i have wanted to see the "Little Stint" and "Greater Painted Snipe". Locating this place was not a problem as there were ample road signs but searching for the illusive birds is another story to be told. This place was huge indeed filled with craters of former mining ponds - some were really huge while some were shallow enough for birds to stand on it. There were a few which have dried-out to the base.  There were lots of birds here no doubt but unfortunately i did not get my dream birds.  Nevertheless i have some great flight shots.

A mix flock of  waterbirds in the middle of an island within a pond

Little Grebe

Purple Heron

Grey Heron

Common Kingfisher

This was the first wintering bird seen by me here.

White-Throated Kingfisher

Common Stork-Billed Kingfisher

Of course there were also some very common resident birds like these ones:

Spotted Dove

Javan Myna

Its like he is practicing to dive for food - the myna way.

Barn Swallow

Black-Winged Stilt

It was reported that some of this bird has been given a red ID card.

White-Winged Tern

 Is this bird a resident bird as well? - some says yes some says no.

Purple Swamphen

This bird has a long history behind him. In America, Africa and Europe it has a similar looking cousins from the family named "Gallinue" while in New Zealand it is called "Pukeko" - not potato lah!

A Flock of Black-Crowned Night Heron

Here are some of the other wintering birds which i saw at this place.

Again i believe the experts would agree with me that these were just "Paddyfield Pipits".

Citrine or Yellow Wagtail?  

Probably just a 1st winter Yellow Wagtail in view of absence of isolated ear coverts line.

Chinese Pond Heron

Its about to change his summer clothing into something more sober.

Pacific Golden Plover

Little Ringed Plovers

Finally the highlight of the day is the sighting of this Accipiter.

Crested Goshawk

Although it is not my lifer but i think this was the first reported bird at this place.  I believe it is a male from its greyish facial colors.

 This was what the birds were aiming for - free talapia (black morph). Black morph talapias were said to be more delicious then the domesticated white morph talapia (oh yes - fishes also got white and dark versions). 

For various reasons this place was the "temporary home" for many of the malaysian first - eg Tufted Duck, Masked Finfoot etc. So it is not surprising that many people will continue to bird here. 

Back to Bukit Rengit - Sept 2013

Despite its isolated location, Bukit Rengit is located at the fringes of the Krau Wildlife Reserve which spans across 76,000 hectares of pristine jungle. This time the birds were generally quiet and it took some hard observation to spot movements in the canopy. But some of the birds were drawn out from the jungle by flying termites which came out from the ground in hundreds.

Greater-Racket Tailed Drongo

Dark-Throated Oriole

The male was really a beauty and it was seen hawking for the flying termites the flycatcher's way.

Scarlet-Rumped Trogon - Male

This trogon was located from its soft calls. Although its bright reddish body sets it out against the dark forest background but i would have miss it if not for its calls.

Dusky Broadbill

Usually seen alone but this time i saw 5 of them and they were rather noisy when in a foraging group. Despite its chunky size its calls were rather like the calls of a mice.

Grey-and-Buff Woodpecker - Male

Banded Broadbill

I have initially thought that this bird was a Black-and-Yellow Broadbill as its first call did not start with an explosive bang which you would usually associate it with this broadbill. Only when it flew into view that i realised it was a different bird. How amazing it was.

Chestnut-Rumped Babbler

The babblers were rather quiet this time - probably because i have only started birding at 10.30am but they were certainly there to be found. 

Rufous-Crowned Babbler

Sooty-Capped Babblers

Spectacle Bulbul

The Hairy-Backed Bulbuls (no photos here) make up the most bulbuls sighted this time.

This is my lifer bird for this time - a "Bar-Bellied Cuckoo Shrike" (see pix below). So i will give it a little more coverage. 

Bar-Bellied Cuckoo Shrike

Its yellowish/whitish eyes and dark bars on lower breast area are quite diagnostic. It was seen foraging with some Chestnut-Breasted Malkohas and a Red-Bellied Malkoha.

Now what you reckon of this bird - a Lesser Cuckoo Shrike? It was seen together with the above Bar-Bellied Cuckoo Shrike,

Once again Bukit Rengit never cease to amaze me. As one Malay villager once told me: "tengok burung ini kira nasib, lah". Who knows one day i may just spot the Great Argus and Garnet Pita which were also heard calling near one of the trails.

Exploring Kampung Jergoh, Lanchang

My great outdoor adventures continued with a trip down to a road less traveled. This time i have decided to explore the unknown or rather a new place named "Kampung Jergoh" which is located quite near to Bukit Rengit. Going there was a breeze as the road is well maintained and tared all the way. Zipping through several villages you will see lots of plantations along the way i.e. rubber trees and oil palms and only a few patches of jungle in between them. Despite the location being a "kampung" area you could stop near a bridge before Kampung Jergoh and watch the traffic in the sky. You can see birds crisscrossing and i believe the birds were probably using this area as one of their routes to another location. However i did not stayed until sunset to record whether the same birds have used back this same route to roost.

Here is one the few patches of jungle seen from the road side. From here i could see the brown-backed needle tail, wreath hornbills, blue-rumped parrots, asian glossy starlings, blue-crowned hanging parrots flying by.

Before this signage there is a bridge where i flushed a bird which size resembles a turkey. It perched quite low inside one of the bushes and i believe it could be a barred eagle owl. The road after this signage will actually lead you to someone's home and since there were no barriers on the road i actually drove straight into his compound. Luckily there were no kenduri at that time otherwise i would be like gate-crashing a party.

Birding was done basically from the road side but i found this trail along the way. There are not many birds inside this trail - probably due to the over night shower which drenched much of this area. One of the many advice from the old folks when exploring a trail or jungle as i could remember until today was not to take home or remove any objects which are never meant to be in a place - for example a nice looking round pebble inside a tree hole or under a tree, a nice looking insect which suddenly appear on the trail or stepping on tree shoots or ant mounts which grow under a tree etc. These were some of the "pantang larang" one need to observe or be aware of. The best thing to do is to follow this well known quote: "Don't Take or Leave Anything Behind Except Your Footprints" !

Here are some of the birds seen at this location. Photo were more for id purposes rather than for its aesthetic values.

Black-Winged Flycatcher Shrike

Brown-Backed Needletail

This was one of a few winter visitors seen here although some field guides also indicated that some of them could be common residents as well.

Spectacle Spiderhunter

Tiger Shrike

This fella was certainly a winter visitor. It was very skittish - probably just arrived after a long haul.

Arctic or Eastern Crowned?

Another winter visitors at this place and i have recorded it as an Arctic Warbler.

Little Green Pigeon - Female

Javan Myna

Orange-Backed Woodpecker - Female

Maroon Woodpecker

Spectacle Bulbul

Overall this place could spring a few lifers or two if you could reach there earlier than me. Just put a note in your travel log that this could be some of the new birding places which you might just want to explore in the near future.