Lesser Sand Plover vs Greater Sand Plover

Lesser Sand Plover and Greater Sand Plover are one of those charadrius plovers which have different winter, summer and probably immature plumages to feast your eyes. Lesser Sand Plover has quite an extensive range (Birdlife International data) and over here their numbers can be six or seven times more than Greater Sand Plover. Currently there are two races of Lesser Sand Plovers. They are i) C.m atrifrons or Spot-fronted Sand Plover and ii) C.m mongolus or Black-fronted Sand Plover (Suara Enggang, Vol. 20. No. 1 (2012). The one which mostly occur here according to most field guides is C.m atrifrons or more commonly known as Tibetan Plover.

Their stunning head patterns and breast bands during summer/breeding season have kept many waders enthusiast as well as bird photographers returning to the intertidal zones. Here are some of them in their winter plumage. Photos were taken recently (Jan to Feb 2020) from the inter-tidal mudflats around Kuala Muda and the North Central Selangor coastline. Due to their winter plumage, most of the photos here appear like monochrome which makes it difficult to differentiate the various races within this species. Aside from that you can however able to see their different sizes and winter plumages from the various photos depicted here.

LESSER SAND PLOVER

A small group of Lesser Sand Plovers enjoying their early morning basking on the mudflats.

Lesser Sand Plover in flight

Their upper wings plumage can vary according to age, weather etc.

You may have noticed the different breast bands on the above Lesser Sand Plovers

From my observations, most of them would have a small patch of whitish foreheads when they first fly in from their northern breeding grounds and this whitish foreheads will spread wider while they are wintering here. More observations will be required to confirm this statement. 

They would constantly look upwards if they spot any raptors - usually its the Brahminy Kites.

Here are a few cute little ones.

Lesser Sand Plover with a Kentish Flover (third from right)

This one has an upturned 'eye-brow'.

GREATER SAND PLOVER

Here are some Greater Sand Plovers among the many Lesser Sand Plovers

LESSER AND GREATER SAND PLOVER

Here are a few charts to depict the general distribution of the Lesser Sand Plover and Greater Sand Plover in Peninsular Malaysia. These charts are by no means scientific but they do provide some baseline data on the movements of the plovers around this region. The data at Kuala Muda coastline were taken from Kampung Permatang, Keriang (5.5639, 100.3600) up to Kuala Muda coast (5.6028, 100.3489) while the info for Teluk Air Tawar-Bagan Belat (TAT-Bagan Belat) site were collated from Bagan Belat up to Kampung Batu 20. All info were extracted from entries of birders in ebird Malaysia.

CHART 1

Chart 1 shows the number of Lesser and Greater at Kuala Muda and TAT-Bagan Belat. Both Lesser and Greater Sand Plover numbers appear to be on downward trend from 2016 onwards although Lesser Sand Plover numbers show a steep upward trajectory from 2017 to 2019. The Greater Sand Plover numbers however appear to show a significant decline in 2019 (211) as compared to the numbers in 2015 (1130) i.e a substantial decreased of 81%.

CHART 2

Chart 2 shows the comparison of the number of Lesser Sand Plover at Kuala Muda Coast and TAT-Bagan Belat region. As you can see the numbers at TAT-Bagan Belat region begin to declined from year 2016 onwards and remain plateau thereafter. Meanwhile on the other hand the numbers of Lesser Sand Plovers at Kuala Muda coast has increased from year 2017 onwards. The reason for this can be attributed to the land reclamation works (to cope with the rising sea level) at TAT-Bagan Belat region which begin in late 2106 and continued through out 2017 and 2018. So it is most likely that the Lesser Sand Plover population in TAT-Bagan Belat has 'migrated' to Kuala Muda coast during that period.

CHART 3

Similarly the number of Greater Sand Plover started to plunged at both Kuala Muda and TAT-Bagan Belat regions from 2016 to 2017. Their numbers eventually increased in 2017 at Kuala Muda coast while the numbers at TAT-Bagan Belat continue to decline.

CHART 4

Chart 4 shows that while the number of Lesser Sand Plover at Kuala Muda has risen from 2017 onwards but the numbers at Mersing and TAT-Bagan Belat have declined from 2018 onwards. 

CHART 5

As expected, the coastline of Kapar has supported the most Lesser Sand Plovers in the western side of Peninsular Malaysia (37%), followed by Kuala Muda (31%) and TAT-Bagan Belat (16%). 

CHART6

For Greater Sand Plovers, Mersing and TAT-Bagan Belat area seems to share the same proportions at 15% and 12% respectively while Kapar (62%) has been the most popular roosting site for both Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers alike.

A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS

A CHART SHOWS A THOUSAND MEANINGS !

HAPPY WADER WATCHING !

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 !