A Field Report from Base of Nuang - 2015

As the earthly things unfurled around us nowadays you may realised that this planet is actually divided between the 'believers' and the 'non-believers', the 'haves' and the 'have nots', the 'rights' and the 'lefts' etc etc. In politics there are no such things as the middle kingdom. Its like you choose either 'MU' or 'Liverpool', 'tosai' or 'nasi lemak', 'LA Lakers' or 'Boston Celtics' or simply either 'Letchumi' or 'Minachi'. It looks like even radio DJs are into it - seek a new life Ben ! However unlike humans, birds have no preferences. To them its either survive or perish !

It goes the same for these stinking bugs too.

Even at noon surely there are some birds out there as i asked myself. As the nation is undergoing some transformation, this place is experiencing some changes too. If you have been to Nuang recently you can see that the trails have been cemented from the base to the top. I could still smell the cement at that time and now one could just ride their scramblers right up to Camp Lolo. I fear for the worst but luckily the common birds and some not so common ones are still out there even at such odd birding time.

In the afternoons most of the birds will be hiding far inside the shades and these are some of the things you should be aware off when birding during those hours. I believe the bird on the left was a Buff Vented Bulbul while the bird on the right was a Puff -Backed Bulbul.

Little Spiderhunter

This is the whistle blower of the jungle. It will alert other birds if it sees any uncommon visitors even for such as an appearance of a black giant squirrel. 

Raffles's Malkoha

Much smaller in size than other malkohas and its calls were like the sounds made by a cat. Pictured here is most likely a sub-adult male.

Buff-Necked Woodpecker

It seems that this woodpecker can be seen more often in between April to June.

You might probably have a hard time guessing the above bird under such light.

Large Woodshrike

Unless until it moves into a shade. Here is a male Large Woodshrike based on the greyish color of its head. It does hawks for insects but unlike flycatchers it does not fly back to the same branch after hawking the insects as observed here. Its true identity however is still under scrutiny by scientist as some research have reported that its DNA is closer to those of flycatchers (or the family of Prionopidae). 

Note: i have also recorded its calls which was taken inside a very low and thick foliage - just like the usual spots where you might find a common tailor bird or some pin stripped tit babblers. Due to the location of its call i had some hard time figuring out its calls until a veteran birder assisted me. What was it doing inside a low foliage is anyone guess but i believe it was probably looking for bugs rather than building a nest there - this can be further validated.

If you have done sky diving or base jumping, you will usually jump first and then open the chutes later. This was exactly what this Blue-Eared Barbet did. It was seen diving head-on first and then open its wings a few seconds later.

Blue-Eared Barbet

Although its size is just slightly larger than a Black-and-Yellow Broadbill, its calls especially its first calls were really loud. Despite its common status here, most of the time you will hear its calls rather then seeing it. This time it has decided to come out in the open.

Did u say something about my big mouth?

Oriental Magpie Robin is a common bird down here.

This was a surprise find. Although other birders have reportedly seeing Oriental Pipits at this location but this was the first time i have personally seen it here.  It could have resemble other pipits if not for its longer beaks and yellow base etc

The location where they were seen was just a small patch of greens but i guess they don't mind it. It shows that they do not have any special preference for an open field to forage. 

There were two of them and this one here was probably saying "wow what a feeling" while enjoying the sun rays. From the looks of their behavior like sun bathing and staying alert towards their surroundings, they might have just landed when i saw them.

My other half has lost her job recently due to company's restructuring exercise so there will be less birding trips for me which mean less postings as well. Hopefully she can find a part time work to sustain the family. As you can see some of the photos presented here were nothing spectacular as compared with other fellow birders but the field info presented here will hopefully be of some importance to the field of ornithology.

Happy Birding!

My Garden Birds 2015

This post was created in conjunction with MY Garden Birdwatch 2015 event which will be officially held from 20 - 21 June 2015. This citizen science project which is basically similar as the "Big Garden Birdwatch" held in UK every year is organised to survey primarily the type of birds which can be found near to our residence/home. In Malaysia, this project was initiated by the Bird Conservation Council of the Malaysian Nature Society but run and participated by ordinary people like you and me. Here are some of the birds which i have seen near my housing area in KL and other nearby cities.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Some has called this a "Common House Sparrow" but Craig Robson's field guide had actually differentiated the two species. The field mark which defined a Eurasian Tree Sparrow is the black patch on the head sides which are absent from a House Sparrow.  I believe the Eurasian Tree Sparrow will again top the chart in this year's count.

Occasionally and especially in the morning i could see them (about 10 to 12 birds) coming down to the road side pecking on the gravels like some sand martins would do. It would be interesting to find out what are those 'stuff" which they are eating.

Javan Myna

Some young punks must have copied its hair style.

Now how about this way?

A well combed hair with some gel applied.

Javan Myna appears to be more common only in certain areas particularly in Klang Valley and in areas where human population are denser. However the population of its close relative i.e. the Common Myna are apparently more abundant elsewhere (i.e based on the survey results collated by MY Garden Birdwatch since 2010)

Yellow-Vented Bulbul

It appears to me that Yellow-Vented Bulbul are more common in the outskirts of town but some of them have also adapted well to city life.

Rock Pigeon

They look like chickens and they do walk like chickens but they ain't chickens ! These are common rock dove/pigeon. Although their population may not be as many as those in Trafalgar Square but they can be quite numerous in towns and cities.

Oriental Magpie Robin

You can find OMR in both rural as well as urban areas.

So as this Peaceful Dove

Peaceful Dove

From the above photo, you may think that one adult bird was feeding a juvenile but the reality was that the bird was actually providing some "inducement" to the other bird  - something like a "buah tangan/hantaran" as a pre-copulation gesture.

This was what i meant.

A group of Pink-Necked Green Pigeon

You would expect to see Pink-Necked Green Pigeon more often in the forest but in some areas of the cities like in Petaling Jaya, they can be quite numerous. Here is a few of them on top of my neighbour's mango tree.

Pied Fantail

If you are staying in the "kampung" or near the forest edge, you may at times find Pied Fantail coming to your home to forage or even to nest.

Black-Naped Oriole 

Black-Naped Oriole can be seen in your garden or neighbourhood if it has lots of fruiting trees but their population may not be as widespread as the above birds.

 Here is a juvenile/sub adult Black-Naped Oriole

This "Nona" fruit (Annona squamosa) is super delicious! You must try it.

Brown-Throated Sunbird (Male)

One of my favorite sunbirds. Note the color on its head sides which appears greenish and not brownish as described by some field guides. Any other opinions out there?

Here is another sunbird.

Olive-Backed Sunbird (Male)

A splendid looking male Olive-Backed Sunbird which you may occasionally find in your garden. You may be aware that internationally there is currently a bird called "Blue Throated Brown Sunbird" (Cyanomitra cyanoleama) which can be found in Africa. 

So perhaps a consideration can be made to re-named the above bird as a "Blue Throated Olive-Backed Sunbird" (Nectarinia jugularis) or just "Blue Throated Sunbird" instead? Other notably common birds which you would most likely come across but their photos are not depicted here are the common House Crow, Common Myna and Asian Glossy Starling.

HAPPY BIRDING !

The Amazing Red Bearded Bee-Eater

Red Bearded Bee-Eater or scientifically named Nyctyornis amictus is one of the only four (4) bee-eater species which can be found in Malaysia so far. It is a resident bee-eater and it is quite common in mid mountainous regions. Its diet is reportedly to be predominantly insects and recently i had an opportunity to see a male bird trying his luck on a beetle.

Here you can see the beetle between its mandibles. The beetle was probably caught from the nearby foliage and brought to the tree branch. The tree was about 20-30 feet high located in the mid level of a nearby primary forest.

The bee-eater tried its best to get the bulky and slippery beetle into a good edible position.

At one time the beetle was just inches away from freedom and here you can see that it was merely dangling at the tip of the mandibles. 

The bee-eater then tried other ways to get the beetle into position.

But the beetle was very stubborn and wouldn't want to give in. So the bee-eater decided to whack the beetle a couple of times on the branch until it passed out !

With the now almost "immobilised" beetle between its mandibles, the bee-eater tried again.

After about 15 minutes of maneuvering its prey, the beetle finally went down the bee-eaters's throat. Burp ! The bee-eater was motionless on the branch for a couple of minutes after swallowing the huge beetle. 

Then the final conclusion of the entire process - the wiping of beaks. This arboreal foliage-gleaning insectivore would probably not be eating again for the next few days.

HAPPY BIRDING !

Birds of Hutan Lipur Perdik - Apr and May 2015

The world of academia was once considered as sacred as the mountains of Madinah but nowadays it is hard to trust anyone in the academia. When academia at the top behave like some rogue politicians, deceiving, belittle and sabotaging its own people while quietly emptying the coffers among themselves then the virtues of an institution of a higher education have actually been compromised.  

The above photo is not like your garden of Eve nor was it like any common anthropogenic landscapes. It is an original and serene jungle pool where you can soothe your angry soul by having a dip inside. Unfortunately there were lots of mozzies on the trails at the moment so the bath will have to wait but i did sweat a bucket from walking around.

Now back to birding. Here are some of the birds seen inside and around Perdik recently (i.e between end of April and early May 2015).

Arctic Warbler

This is certainly an adult bird. The wing bars can be seen here but it is not a distinguishable feature as any experience birders would attest. Aside from the absence of a lateral white line on top of its head and the yellow vent, take note of the little black patch at its lower mandible. This little black patch is more visible with an Arctic as compared to an Eastern-Crowned Warbler (pers obs). Arctic Wabler (Phylloscopus borealis) is a long distance migratory bird and it would be interesting to see whether the bird will returned to this place in its next winter trip.  Rapid forest fragmentation due to cultivation will have a profound impact at this location in the near future. That is for sure!

Ruby-Cheeked Sunbird (male)

You can see the purple streak on the side of his face which separates it from other similar looking sunbird. Some older versions of field guides have somehow failed to describe/highlight this feature. Same goes with the cuckoo bird below:

This cuckoo flew in silently and stop for a few seconds above my head before flying to the opposite side of the road. Can you guess which cuckoo species it belong to?

Little Bronze Cuckoo (Female)

Yup ! its a female Little Bronze Cuckoo. Here you can see a tinge of green hue on her feathers but unfortunately you are not able to see the narrow green orbital eye ring which separates her from the male.

Perhaps you can see a lil of it here.

Some old field guides did not show this feature in their drawings. In addition to the above cuckoo, i have also heard the calls from an Indian Cuckoo and as well as a Plaintive Cuckoo nearby.

Black-Headed Bulbul

The most sighted bulbul species at the moment (i.e April to May 2015)

Nope!  i am not telling you anything.....

Red-Eyed Bulbul

Probably the second most sighted bulbul species after the Black Headed Bulbul at this location and at this point of time. From a distance and in bad lighting, it may resemble a spectacle bulbul.

Spectacle Bulbul

White-Rumped Munia

Seen one of them fetching nesting materials.

This is certainly a swiflet but not sure which subspecies it belongs to. There were not many flying around though.

Not really a decent photo but glad to know that it is still around. The last time i saw this male Black-Naped Monarch at this place was many years back. It was seen incubating at its nest which was quite near to the trail. Hopefully the female is still around too.

Plain Sunbird (female)

She is guarding her precious flowers.

Large Woodshrike or Black-winged Flycatcher Shrike?

It is surely a Large Woodshrike!

The sound of fruits dropping from the trees led me to these pigeons. There were two groups and i think the above green pigeons were Pink-Necked Green Pigeon.

But not this one ! From its maroon colored mantle and under tail i strongly believe that this is a Little Green Pigeon.


Also saw some reptiles:

A common cicak (Draco sumatranus - male) and skink.


Most of the time the highlight of any bird trips were the sighting of a special bird like a raptor. Here is a juvenile Changeable Hawk Eagle.

#like wearing a fluffy legging pants.

Changeable Hawk Eagle (juvenile)

This eagle had initially perched quite low inside some dense foliage. I must have flush it out and it flew up to a higher branch. It was quite alert as it flew off as soon as i tried to inch my way closer. The feathers look grayish under a shade but once in the open and in direct contact of sunlight the feathers look brownish in color. An amazing fact and natural phenomenon!