Birding along Sendat - July 2013

Sendat river flows along two towns which are Ulu Yam Bharu and Ulu Yam Lama in Selangor. It also offers many level of "white-waters" for the die-hard white-water blazers. This was the first time i have been to this place and i was unsure what to expect in terms of birding. Birding alone in the jungle can be scary ! You just never know what might jump out from the bushes - anacondas, jumping spiders, leopards, snakes, tiger-eating men etc. The last one is the most scariest ! The road leading to the location is all tared although its quite narrow at certain places. Entrance to the recreation area was RM1.00 but you will need to pay RM30.00 if you wish to do photography and another RM200.00 for video shooting. Reached the end of the tared road and started birding at about 9.00am. Saw quite a number of birds but no lifers though. 

Emerald Dove

Saw it just before the end of the tared road. It was seen here collecting fruits from the road side.

Juvenile Blue-Throated Bee-Eater

When i first saw it i thought i might have seen my new lifer but after checking the field guides it was just a juvenile Blue-Throated Bee-Eater. Also saw two adult birds but they did not perch. Nevertheless this was the first time i have seen a juvenile of this bee-eater species.

Asian Dollar Bird

As usual it would perched at the highest tree trunk.

Brown Barbet

The only barbet seen at this place.

Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher

They were the most noisiest bird at that time.

Orange-Backed Woodpecker

The male certainly did not give me any chance.

Black-Naped Monarch

From afar i saw a blue bird taking a few dips into the water. I quickly rushed to the area thinking it could be a kingfisher but found that it was just a black-naped monarch taking a few early bath.

Spectacled Bulbul

Black-Headed Bulbul

This fellow's head has a glossy sheen.

Verditer Flycatcher

Whiskered Treeswift

They seem to be at every places.

There were also a number of butterflies here but only a few have obliged to stay put.

Chocolate Albatross

Banded Yeomen

Commander

Chocolate Grass Yellow

Overall this place has the potential to produce many lifers example owls, nightjars etc. The only advice is that never go there alone. 

Taman Rimba Ampang - Revisited - July 2013

When the waist-line is expending sideways it was time to hit the birding trail. Since my free time is limited to the afternoons one of the nearby places which i could think off is Taman Rimba Ampang. This place used to have plenty of birds but the numbers have dwindled down significantly lately. Today is no exception but it could be due to my birding time which was late in the afternoon or could it be due to the road construction which was just behind the "loji" area? Nevertheless the resident birds can still be seen.

When i initially spotted this fellow from its back i thought it could just be a spiderhunter.

Purple-Naped Sunbird

Aha its a Purple-Naped Sunbird. It was probably the same one which i have spotted last year when it was still a juvenile. You could however spot the yellow gape at the base of its bill but take note of its orangey legs which was contrary to most field guides have depicted.

Grey Sailor?

Watching butterflies has added a new dimension to my birding adventures. When there are a few birds to see the butterflies make up the numbers. Watching butterflies are quite similar to birding. Some can be quite skittish and some just don't stop flying. One also need to spot the subtle features on its upper wings or under wings to differentiate between them. 

Note: Experts have confirmed that the above was a "Short-Banded Sailor".

Another butterfly species which resemble a dead leaf.

Note: experts confirmed that it was a Malayan Leaf Butterfly (Kallima Limborgii)

Grey-Bellied Bulbul

Pacific Swallow

Female Whiskered Treeswift

Spectacle Bulbul

Black-and-Yellow Broadbill

Always a nice bird to see but this time however it perched quite a distance away.

White-Throated Kingfisher

The only highlight of this trip was probably the sighting of the black-and-yellow broadbill. The rest of the birds were quite common at this place.

Yellow-Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)

Yellow-Vented Bulbul should be the most common bulbul which you can find in this region. Its bubbly song can be heard in the early mornings and its diet are mainly fruits. One of the best ways to photograph this bird is when they are enjoying their meals. Here are a series of photos depicting a sub-adult yellow-vented bulbul eating a ficus:

Not sure why is he eating a semi-ripe ficus as these fruits will usually be strawberry-red and then turned purple when they are fully ripe. 

Since the tree is fruiting, it has also attracted other yellow-vented bulbuls.

These birds could have been the sub-adult bird's parent as you can see the difference in the color of its vent which are more intense.  

Birds and Butterflies - June 2013

Date: 30 June 2013 (Sunday)
Time: 1.30pm - 4.00pm
Location: Perdik, Selangor
Objective: General Bird Watching
Weather: Clear skies, sunny and humid

Birds seen today were common ones although i also heard a Tiger Shrike calling which signaled the return of migrant birds. (Note: after reviewing the calls further, apparently the "machine-gun" like calls were most likely came from Crested Jays and not those of Tiger Shrikes !). Also saw lots of butterflies today.

Drongo Cuckoo

It was seen hawking for insects but did not vocalise at all.

Greater-Racket Tailed Drongo

It was also seen hawking for insects but it prefered to stay deeper inside the forest. This drongo was seen at the same location as the above drongo cuckoo and was silent as well.

Ruby-Cheeked Sunbird

Saw the entire family - one male (as above), a female and their juvenile offspring.

Little Spiderhunter

At the top of his crown/head you could actually see some little black streaks.

There were quite a number of butterflies seen today. Some were small, some were flying up and down non-stop while some were quite colorful. 

Banded Yeoman

Malayan Laskar?

Nope! according to the Butterfly Circle Group it was a "Colour Sergeant"

Male Horsfield Baron 

I am beginning to learn how to id butterflies as well :-)

Stripped-Throated Bulbul

Its song can be quite melodious to the ears as well.

Common Iora

Look at its wing pattern which is quite different here.

Stripped Tit Babbler

These are the only babblers which you could probably find in

the afternoon as most babblers would prefer to come out in the morning.

Greater Green Leafbird

Whiskered Treeswift

They were probably having an AGM here as i saw lots of them flying around and some perched as well.

Saw this leafbird having a good time splashing itself from a natural waterhole.

Other birds seen today was a scarlet minivet and a blue-eared kingfisher which flew across the trail.

Birding in Hazy Conditions - June 2013

This was the first time i go birding in a hazy condition. You can really smell the difference in air quality especially  in the jungle although the index i believe has not breach the critical 200 mark in Selangor. While the Nation and Singapore were engulfed by smoke from our neighbouring country for the past 30 years during this time of the year but  it did not really effect the birds presence.

Female Coutesan (Euripus nyctelius euploeoides)

Thinking that there will be few birds at this time (late afternoon) and in this condition so i decided to take this butterfly's photo. Thanks to the Butterfly Circle Group which assisted in the ID. Apparently this butterfly is rare in Singapore but it can also be found in Thailand.  

Red-Eyed Bulbul

Buff-Vented Bulbul

Also saw other bulbuls namely Grey-bellied and spectacle bulbuls but the above two were more obliging.

Common Flameback

A woodie which i have not seen for quite some time at this place.

Velvet-Fronted Nuthatch

I believe this was a female. Although reported to be common at forest edge and low elevations but the last time i have seen this bird here was back in  2010. It was foraging in a mini bird wave together with other birds namely blue-wing leafbirds, orange-bellied flowerpeckers, pin-stripped tit babblers, and a ruby-cheeked sunbird. 

Blue-winged Leafbird

I think this could be a sub-adult male blue-winged leafbird which was seen in the mini bird wave.

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker

This fellow was also seen in the mini bird wave.

Whiskered Treeswift

According to Yang Chong - the above photos (those in flight) were Grey-Rumped Treeswifts - their numbers are usually higher than Treeswifts and they fly higher.

You can see the effect of the hazy conditions on the above photos.

Although you may have come across most of the birds seen here today except for probably the Velvet-Fronted Nuthatch but overall i am satisfied because i was able to get rid of the birding bug which has been bothering me for the past few days. 

Note: also heard two Indian cuckoos calling.