Birding at Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP)

Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) is one of Malaysia's top birding spot. It is situated near the mouth of Selangor river, in West Peninsular Malaysia. Not only KSNP is an Important Bird Area (IBA) but it also offers its very own unique ecosystem consisting of 3 distinctive habitats namely: i) a secondary forest (about 450 acres), ii) mangroves & mudflats (about 350 acres) and iii) a brackish lake (about 25 acres). Its main trail is just like a big loop and can be easily tracked. All birds sighted in this IBA are well documented in many records.

A bird's eye view of the man-made brackish lake from a viewing tower. The white dots are birds (mostly grey herons)

A congregation of herons. Grey herons outnumbered the purple herons. In this picture you could only see three purple herons. We also saw a Black-Crowned Night Heron thru the scope.

Observing the birds from the tower. Its only 8.15am but the sun is already bright and blazing hot!

Today (6 Aug 2011) we decided to re-visit KSNP after receiving an email from an American birder who has just landed in Malaysia a day before. We reached  KSNP at 7.20am and Alan G was already at the car park and informed us that he has heard an owl calling earlier. We quickly assemble our kits and off we go to hit the trails head-on. The day started positively as we saw a pair of Hill Mynas and heard 2 red jungle fowls calling each other. Then we saw a squardon of pink-necked green pigeons flying overhead. This was follow by some noisy calls of Ashy Tailorbirds, Piedfantails and Coppersmith Barbets. Here are some of the interesting birds we saw in this trip:

This is a Grey Heron having some suntan in the early morning.

This could probably be a juvenile White-Bellied Sea Eagle - distinguished by the large white patch near its primaries.

A Pink-Necked Green Pigeon decided to take a rest.

An Olive-winged Bulbul having its morning snack.

A Mangrove Blue Flycatcher.

A Mangrove Blue Flycatcher pecking on a worm.

This is an adult male Black & Red Broadbill. Looks like Black & Red Broadbills do occur in mangrove and coastal regions as well.

A Spotted Dove looking through between the leaves.

An Oriental White Eye hiding under the shade of a tree.

A Brahminy Kite circling up ahead like a vulture.

A Common Flameback which is quite common in KSNP.

Although its a common bird, we only saw one Oriental Magpie Robin in this trip. 

These are female Laced Woodpeckers. Wonder what are the two ladies doing together?

This is a Mangrove Whistler. Thanks to my American birder friend who has help me to id this bird.

This is a Pied Fantail. There are plenty of them in KSNP - almost every corner of the park you could see one but despite that i could only manage to get one decent shot of this bird.

After so many attempts i finally managed to get a decent shot of this bird - a male Pied Thriller.

A Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker or a Grey-Capped ?

This is an Abbott's Babbler searching for food in midday. It seems not too bothered about human presence.

This is a common Yellow-Vented Bulbul with a peculiar all white head gear.

A Golden-Bellied Gerygone - id by a short blackish bill, pale yellow belly and white tail spot. Another feature which is not so clear here is the whitish lores.

Just like the Pied Fantail, you could find Ashy Tailorbirds almost very where in the park.

KSNP is currently managed by the Malaysian Nature's Society (MNS) which HQ is in Kuala Lumpur. KSNP also offers accommodation at a very cheap price. Should you wish to visit KSNP here are the contact details:

KSNP Office

Tel: 603-32892294

Fax: 60332894311

Email: ksnp@mns.org.my

Black and Red Broadbill (Cymbirhynchus macroynchos)

B&R Broadbills are chunky birds which can be found from subtropical to tropical places esp lowland forest near water catchment areas, streams, and rivers. Although said to be quite common and listed as "Least Concern" by IUCN but it cannot be found in every jungle trails. Nevertheless its a beautifull bird to be seen and photographed. Its nests are constructed just the same way as most broadbills would do i.e. a bunch of loosely constructed twigs and branches with a mixture of dry leaves and at times feathers, hanging from a branch and sometimes from a telephone wire.

Here are some pictures of a sub-adult broadbill which Khoo Swee Seng has helped me to id based on the few spots at its coverts and its dull buffy breast colours. Khoo Swee Seng is one of the more experience birders around this region having spotted close to 535 birds species under his birding cap todate.

The purple like eyes are not the results of sunlight effect or photoshop manipulation but probably because of the bird's age.

Crimson-Winged Woodpecker (Picus puniceus)

Woodpeckers have always fascinate me in terms of their bright plumage and peculiar behaviors.  Crimson-winged woodpeckers are fairly common woodpeckers one could find along the jungle trails up to a height of 825 m.  Locally named as "Belatok Emas" and IUCN has listed them as "Least Concern". They are said to liked insects and larvaes. Here are two males - one is a juvenile taken from a recent trip at Sungai Perdik, Hulu Langat, Selangor, West Malaysia.

Male species of these woodpeckers have red crowns and red submoustachial. Although this bird has no red crown but it has a red submoustachial which is absence in female birds of this species. This fellow is probably a juvenile male.

These two pictures above show the adult male is teaching the juve male to find for food, i guess.