Back to the Mudflats - March 2014

The months of March and April are the best times to see waders at full "bloom".  With that reason i was back at the Bagan Belat mudflats again with the hope of catching a glimpse of the waders just before they make their long flight back to their breeding grounds. This time my trips were not plan but just make do of the chances that came along to me. As you may realised by now in any birding trips either in a group or by yourself there are always some stories to tell or report to your friends.

Here is an Eastern Marsh Harrier (a female i believe) which flew above my head as i was walking to the mudflats. It circled a few times before it went off towards the direction of Bukit Mertajam. This was what some birders would termed it as a "chance sighting". 

Barn Swallow

Saw this swallow taking a sip of sea water.

A group of Great Egrets and Little Egrets

Was hoping to see a Chinese Egret but it turns out that they were all just Great Egrets and Little Egrets. From the above photo the bird on the right looks like an Intermediate Egret.

The tide was rising fast and what was left was just a patch of mudflat for the pond herons to share with the egrets.

I have another opportunity to watch the waders a few days later, so off i went again to the place. This time the tide was way down and i could only photographed the waders from a distance.

As you can see there were only pockets of waders left as most of them have probably gone back to their breeding grounds. Here you could also see some of the Bar-Tailed Godwits were in their breeding plumage. Also around in great numbers were the Great Knots - the birds which have a black patch on their breast as described by Dave Bakewell in his recent blog posting.

Javan Pond Heron

Here you can see its long head plumes. Adult males were reported to have more of these plumes than females.

Chinese Pond Heron

This Little Egret was probably mitigating some land ownership dispute between the Javan and Chinese Pond Herons.

Striated/Little Heron

As i was watching the waders out there this little heron was passing slowly in front of me. This must be a young adult as its back plumes have yet to form fully. Nevertheless its plumage colors really blended well with the mudflats.

As usual the Common Greenshanks came quite close instead of wading at the edge of the beach.

A couple of Great Knots in flight with other waders. The waders would often shift their feeding sites as i have observed at this location.

Can you spot a lone Black-Tailed Godwit here?

Here it is !

Waders landing on the other side of the mudflats.

A kettle of Brown Headed Gulls followed the routine.

Saw at least 30 of them this time. Unlike the flight patterns of Plain-Pouched Hornbills or the Canadian Geese (as seen from Nat Geo), in the flight of the Brown-Headed Gulls i have noticed that it was always in straight lines and that there was a bird in front to lead and another bird would fly further behind from the main flock - probably acted as a "sweeper".  Overall it was a wonderful experience to see these gulls in flight.

Kuala Muda River Tributary and Pond Herons - March 2014

Recently i was at a river bank near some river tributaries which flow directly to the Kuala Muda river mouth. This place is not as spectacular as the Air Tawar or Bagan Sungai Buloh mudflats but there is always something to see here. As i was scanning the river banks, i saw this Javan Pond heron walking slowly towards me.

As i was clicking my ancient camera which sounded like an old typewriter, it must had stunned the poor little bird. (Note: you can already see its crown plumes extending from its head. It was reported that male plumes are typically longer and sometimes more numerous than the female's. Males with damage crown plumes may find it difficult to obtain mates).

It then decided to detour and walk towards a group of Little Egrets or sometimes also known as Lesser Egrets. You can see that they were wearing their famous yellow "sandals". The Javan Pond heron subsequently disappeared into the mangroves.

Foraging nearby were two Chinese Pond Herons (below).

Can't really see its crown plumes here but its elongated back plumes can clearly be seen.

I only realised back at home that these Chinese Pond herons were actually staring at a snake (below right of photo).

I am not sure whether this was a sea snake or a "pambu" but from my initial research it could either be a "Crab-Eating Mangrove" snake (Fordonia leucobalia) or a "Glossy Marsh" snake (Gerarda prevostiana). Could it also be a "Dog-faced Sea Snake (Cerebus Rynchops)? Meantime as you can see there are also snakes on the mudflats, in this case on a river bank. So beware birders who like to venture deep into the mudflats.

For comparison purposes, here are some adult Chinese Pond Heron and Javan Pond Herons in full breeding plumage. Photos were taken at the Bagan Belat mudflats a few days later.

Javan Pond heron

Chinese Pond Heron

From my brief observation recently at the two different locations it appears that the population of the Javan Pond Heron was slightly more than the Chinese Pond Herons. Need more field trips from other fellow birders to verify this population numbers. 

Birding in Lower Montane Forest - Feb 2014

Birding at this lower montane forest which is about 750 meter - 1500 meter asl have always been fruitful. Not only this place is well kept but it has always provided some new surprises each time i have been there. Good place for bird photography as well. I will keep this location a mystery but from its photos you could have probably guessed it correctly.

Initially i thought this bird might just make it into my first country bird listing.

Asian Fairy Bluebird

But it turned out to be just a female Asian Fairy Bluebird.

Scaly-Breasted Bulbul

It is not easy anymore to spot this bird. It appears that chances of seeing them would probably be better near the edges of primary forest. That was why its current status is now stated as "Near Threatened" instead of "uncommon".

Black-Headed Bulbul

Its song was not too bad but still lose out to a Stripped-Throated Bulbul.

Gold-Whiskered Barbet

Blue-Eared Barbet

Its beak reminds me of the American F35A fighter jet. Despite its small size its call can be heard from a distance if you happened to be near a valley. As you can see all the above photos were taken from the same fruiting tree. So if you happen to come across a fruiting fig tree do stay around for awhile and you might just be rewarded with a variety of birds.

Adult male White-Rumped Sharma

Sub-adult White-Rumped Sharma i guess

Forked-Tail Swift - a cooki ?

Female Mugimaki Flycatcher

Male Mugimaki Flycatcher

Orange-Headed Thrush - Male

Red-Bearded Bee Eater

Still have not yet get any good photos of this bird.

Streaked Spiderhunter

Japanese Paradise Flycatcher 

Large Woodshrike

Orange Breasted Trogon - Male

Orange Breasted Trogon - Female

Lesser Gymnure

Ground Squirrel?

(Note: it was a Common Treeshrew - Tupaia glis)

Black Laughingthrush

First time seeing this bird here. One was seen grabbing a large spider from its web.

Ochraceous Bulbul

When in a group you could hear their very unique call/song - it's like they are "talking" to each other.

Red-Billed Malkoha

"Always preserve your environment for once its gone you will never ever enjoy it like before".