Exploring the Jungle Trails of Ulu Langat Forest - July 2014

It was believed that the world is currently surrounded by about 31% of rain forest. In Malaysia the percentage is about 56.4% as of year 2011 (source: Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia). Forest has been with earth since the era of dinosaurs, sustaining the existence of modern homo sapiens until today. Scientist, biologist, entomologist, herpetologist and even anthropologist have been treating the forest as their second home. If you are not too much of a birding person, you could actually see many things in the jungle example plants, flowers, insects, bugs, butterflies, fruits etc. With this view in mind i went for a short exploratory stroll along the jungle trails of Ulu Langat forest.

Here is a trail leading to Gunung Nuang. Hikers and Trekkers used this place as their endurance training ground. Quite a safe place to watch wildlife and insects.

Flowers of Wild Ginger Plant in full bloom

Rufous Piculet

Here is a bug

Note: This could be a common "Leaf Beetle" from the family "Chrysomelidae". Apparently it has been a food source for some people who called: "Entomorphagist"

This is not your ordinary grapes. An orang asli once told me that if there are no animals eating a fruit, don't waste your time looking at it. It is probably poisonous!

White-Tailed Flycatcher

It perched silently inside a densely shaded tree. My lifer for this year !

(note: White-Tailed Flycatcher is a species of flycatchers from the genus "Cyornis" in the "muscicapinae" family  which is the subfamily group from the old world flycatchers family "Muscicapidae". IUCN has rated this flycatcher as "least concern" but it is certainly not a common bird down here).

Sooty Barbet (Calorhamphus hayii)

Ha ! Ha ! Ha ! you must be joking !

Note: In the latest 9th edition (2014) of the Clements checklist/checklist 6.9, brown barbet has now been split into two species i.e Calorhamphus hayii (which was said to be widely distributed in Southeast Asia) and Calorhamphus fuliginosusas (which was said to only occur in Borneo). 

It was encouraging to know that there are clear streams around.

An Oriental Magpie Robin was trying to figure out how to eat a cicada which it has found on the roadside.

Rufous-Tailed Tailorbird

Grey-Headed Canary Flycatcher

Another bug - a BIG one that is ! Could it belong to the beetle family "Chrysomelidae"?

Astictopterus jama jama aka Forest Hopper

This is a forest dwelling skipper. It was reported that there were about 1,200 types of butterflies in Malaysia of which 1,180 are in Peninsular Malaysia (latest figure (2014): 1,967 butterfly sp in Malaysia). For bugs or other insects, you may triple the figure mentioned. So the chances of you discovering a new insect or butterfly and have them named after you is much higher then say birds. In Malaysia  we do have our own scientist been named after insects or animals for example Prof Yong HS (Topomyia yongi - a type of mosquito), Rhacophorus norhayati (a type of flying frog), Phobaticus chani (the world longest stick insect) to name you a few.

Could this be a "Vestalis smaragdina" or is it "Vestialis gracilis" ? But it is a damselfly for sure.

(Note: according to Professor Norma, who is currently the Head, Institute of  Biological Science, University of Malaya, this is a female Vestalis which makes it a bit difficult to differentiate between V. amethystina or V. amoena)

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher perched on a tree branch and on a dead tree stump.

Wallace's Hawk Eagle

My second lifer within a week. It was silent and was taking short flights from one tree canopy to another.  Subject to unreported sightings and based on current records, the sighting of this raptor was the first of its kind at this location.  IUCN status:  "Vulnerable" !

(note: It looks like an adult bird and the size of its "crop" may suggest that it has just taken some hefty meal)

Blogging and Nature Trekking - July 2014

I have just discovered recently that my blog has been translated into a Russian blog - "ron-nature-adventures.ru" ! So if you have a Russian knocking at your door don't blame me. I have tried using wordpress but it was too depressing that i could not even post anything from there. Don't they have any better things to do!

I have some spare time recently and went for a short birding cum nature walk at this new location. In the jungle you can actually see, feel, hear and smell so many things. You can see things as small as a bug like this one:

or some nice flowers like the ones below:

or a colorful butterfly like the one here.

Danaus melanippus hegesippus

Family: Nymphalidae

Subfamily : Danainae

Genus: Danaus

Species: melanippus

Subspecies: hegesippus

Common Name: "Black Veined Tiger"

Note: Butterfly Circle Group reported that this butterfly can be found near coastal/mangrove areas but this location was certainly far from it.

Amazingly, i have heard squirrels at this location making calls like birds. Unfortunately can't download their calls here.  I have wanted to play the recording from a  rail babbler but decided against it for fear that "benda lain yang keluar nanti" - zombie, pontianak, hantu raya etc !

I have also realised that in order for you to have many "hits" or "likes", you will need  to post nice and sharp photos but unfortunately i can't do that with the birds i have seen here. Reached the location as early as 7am and it was pitch dark. Only the sound of crickets and a dozen of pin-stripped-tit babblers greeted me at this ghostly hour. 

  This owl was the first bird i have spotted. I believed it was a "Collared Owlet"

Black-Browed Barbet

Golden-Throated Barbet

Barbets featured quite prominently at this place, probably due to the abundant of berries which were just about to ripe.

Note: experts were equally surprised to learnt that Golden-Throated Barbet can be seen at this location as they are often associated with upper mountain regions. I guess birds do fly around when their habitat is threatened or when there are abundance of food in a particular area.

Checker-Throated Woodpecker - Male

Little Cuckoo Dove

Long-Tailed Sibia

Took me awhile to id this bird but finally settled for a "Little Pied Flycatcher" - Juvenile

Blyth's Hawk Eagle

On my way out i came across this feather which i believed is a "tail feather" of some large bird - most likely from an eagle or an owl. Any suggestions?

While i am completing this post there were about 298 lives whom have perished for nothing.  Its a pity and a tragedy of an epic proportion.  RiP passengers and crew of MH17 !

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST, PEOPLE !
AND OH YES DON'T FORGET TO PRAY HARD AS WELL!

Birding in Ulu Langat Forest - May 2014

My birding journey in May 2014 continued with a trip back to the forest of Ulu Langat, Selangor. Photography wise, there were not many opportunities as the day was cloudy and most of the birds were up in the canopy. But for just less then 3 hours i was able to see and heard a total of 17 species of birds. Here are some of the "ok-lah" photos taken during this short outing:

Ruby-Cheeked Sunbird (Anthreptes singalensis) - female

This female sunbird has all the diagnostic features pointing it to an adult bird.

Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica)

Most of the time you would only see this dove doing a fast zig-zag flight in between the forest trees.

Spectacle Spiderhunter (A.flavigaster)

Distinguished it from Yellow-Eared Spiderhunter (A. chrysogenys) by its clearer/broader ring around its eyes.

Little Cuckoo Dove (Macropygia ruficeps) 

If you are familiar with this dove, you will realise that Little Cuckoo Doves are more often seen at hill stations rather than at a low land forest.  I believe the doves were most likely a pair as i saw courting behaviors among them whereby "head nodding" and "chasing maneuvers" were performed. 

Note: check out the eyes of the dove on the right ! 

Are these "medicine men" or "plant poaches"?

Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela)

Despite how hard it tried to hide itself, it was not too difficult to spot such a big raptor.

Lesser Cuckooshrike (Coracina fimbriata)

At 20cm, this lesser cuckooshrike is no larger than an Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis). You got to see it to believe its size.

Orange-Bellied Flowerpecker (D. trigonostigma)

Spectacle Bulbul (P. erythropthalmos)

Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo (D. paradiscus)

I certainly did not snip-off one of its spiral racquets with photoshop. 

Other notable records from this trip was probably the calls made by a "Rufous-Fronted Babbler" (Stachyris rufifrons). It is reported to be the host brood for Drongo Cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris) which coincidentally were also heard in this trip.