Birds of Old Gombak Road

Old Gombak Road is located between low land forest leading to a town called Bentong. Although the road is narrow and full of trucks and cyclist but it has the potential to produce lifers. Here are some of the birds seen:

This Scarlet-Backed Flowerpecker was spotted at around 7.30am and it was still pretty dark then. At F5.6 that was the best i could managed.

Initially this bird was recorded as a common raffles malkoha but after checking further i discovered that it was actually a Red-Billed Malkoha ! Its diagnostic red bill, rufous throat and chest area and greyish belly can be seen in these 2 photos. Amazing that i could not spot these features with my bins. This shows that at times we do need to have photo-id. These photos were taken right after the scarlet-backed flowerpecker.

Next bird was a juvenile Brown Shrike, i think

(Note: from cross-references, this bird could also been a Juvenile Female Brown Shrike)

Most babblers are sulking but at times they do give a window of opportunity to have a good view of them just like this Striped Tit Babbler

This is an Orange-Bellied Flowerpecker helping itself with riped berries.

This is a Drongo Cuckoo who does not want to turn around for people to see its front view.

This is a female Black-Naped Monarch.

This fellow looks more like an Asian Paradise Flycatcher !

(Note: Experts informed that it could be a male juvenile Black Naped Monarch)

I think this a Common Iora - Yes ? No?

These are Verditer Flycatcher upclose. Unlike in Perdik, the verditers over here are much more friendly! 

This one is probably a female Verditer Flycatcher.

I could not believe when i saw this Asian Paradise Flycatcher (White Morph). I thought it could only be seen in pristine forest like Taman Negara or Panti etc but certaintly not near an urban area.

This is a side view of a Scally-Breasted Bulbul.

This is the milestone where i completed my birding trip although i have a few more miles to go along this road. Will continue from this point the next time.

Birds of Bukit Kutu, Selangor

Bukit Kutu is well famous amongst the trail blazers and hill climbers. As far as birding activities are concern little have been reported in the area. I decided to visit the place today and see for myself what it has to offer in terms of birding.

These birds look like Asian Brown Flycatchers.

A Black-Headed Bulbul singing its heart's out.

A view of a lake created by the Selangor Dam. This place actually has many more birds than it appears here. The birds here were however either too fast or well hidden for my camera to zoom in on them.

Birds of Serendah - Nov 2011

Today I went to Serendah and this time i bumped into an "orang asli" (aborigines) who is kind enough to show me a new place which he said has a lot of big "burung bangau" (Herons).  He told me he has seen these birds quite often and at times locals could pick up its chicks which have dropped down from the trees.

From afar i could see a colony of herons but could not quite establish their type except for the Grey Heron in the middle. So I asked the guy whether we could get a bit closer and he told me no problem.

When we reached there i could see fresh wild boar tracks - possibly 5 -6 six of them. He led the way through thick shrubs and weeds but somehow he could still lead me right below the tree where the herons were located.

Here is a Purple Heron. Saw about - 6-7 of them flying around as they have spotted us below them. The roost area consisted mainly of Purple Herons and one lone Grey Heron.

You could see the Purple Heron attending to its nest. We saw close to 4 -5 nests but no chicks. Not to disturb their nest building activities, we spent only a few minutes there.

Then we saw this Chestnut-Bellied Malkoha flying in silently. Initially i thought it was a Black-bellied  Malkoha but field guides say that the former is much larger.

These are Common Iora. The middle one looks like a female by the drab color of its plumage. 

This is a male Ruby-Cheeked Sunbird.

...and this one is probably its mate. They are close by.

We saw this lone raptor perched nearby - a Crested Serpent Eagle.

We saw many of these Scaly-Breasted Munias - close to 8-9 of them. The top is probably a juvenile while the one below it could be a sub adult. They can be found almost every where at this place - near the weeds and even at the road sides.

...so as this fellow - A White Breasted Waterhen.

Could this be a Dusky Warbler?

(Note: The experts say its an Arctic Warbler)

Is this Richard's or Paddy Field Pipit?

(Note: The experts say its a Paddy Field Pipit)

I concluded the trip with this Blue-Tailed Bee-Eater. This is probably their season cause i could see them almost everwhere as well.