Shorebirds survey (Malaysia) - August 2020

In June 2020 I have surveyed the intertidal flats at Kuala Muda, Peninsular Malaysia and I have another opportunity to conduct a survey again in August 2020. Unfortunately the timing of the tides are not so ideal - the receding tides happened in the early hours of the morning. Hence the waders were at the edge of the shoreline when i reached the place.

Here's an overview of the survey landscape. The furthest I have venture out was the little bush in front.

In watching waders, you will need to be as close as possible in order to get a decent shot of them. Otherwise they will appear like some small specks in your pixel.

Here is a group of waders (mainly Common Redshanks) waiting for the tide to recede.

More joined them as the tide recedes further.

Then the smaller Charadrius flew in.

It was certainly difficult to find a spot in such a crowded field but landed they did.

Then came the bigger waders - here is a flock of Black-tailed Godwits with some Asian Dowitchers on the bottom right of the photo.

Followed by a flock of Asian Dowitcher. I have counted about 50 of them. This number is certainly a far cry from the numbers recorded in Qingkouhe mudflat in China. There the researchers have recorded close to 22K in a day which is equivalent to about 73% of the global population (BirdingAsia # 32). But chances of seeing them are higher in the Northern Peninsular Malaysia as compared to other areas such as the North-Central of Selangor coastline.

It was the same situation on my second visit i.e two days after the earlier one. The waders stayed quite a distance away.

They were mainly scattered everywhere on the mudflat and I have only surveyed about 200 - 300 meters of the total area.

Some did came close like these ones.

Lesser Sand Plovers

This one is almost to its winter plumage. I believe its a juvenile Lesser Sand Plover - highlighted by its peachy wash color on breast and face.

Red-necked Stint
 

This time there were lots of terns

They would prefer the less muddier part of the flats.

When the Brown-headed Gulls arrive in October, they will usually replace them (the terns) at this location.

This Eurasian Curlew is actually handicapped as it lost one of its foot but it was doing just fine.

A pair of Little Egrets 

A Grey Heron casually strolling along the flats. 

A wide angle view of the terns and waders.

They were mainly Common Terns with a few Little Terns (at the bottom) accompanying them.

More terns taking flight.

Once awhile some of them will fly close by.

This is a Common Tern (S.h longipennis)

Here is a small group of Asian Dowitchers together with other waders.

You will never get bored of watching waders/shore birds !

Shorebirds Survey at Kota Kuala Muda, Peninsular Malaysia - June 2020

I have always wanted to see for myself those waders which stayed behind through out their summer season here. The month of June would be the perfect time and I have a rare opportunity to do so due to the partial lifting of cross-borders restrictions. This time my birding adventures took me deeper into the mudflats of Kota Kuala Muda. The timing wasn't perfect as it was at 15.00hrs (3.00pm) but that was the only time I have. Here are some of the waders' photos taken under the scorching sun.

The entire synopsis of this trip and post can be described from the above photo. There were lots of Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis), several Common Redshank (Tringa totanus) and a few Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea). Also seen but not shown here were several Lesser Sand Plovers (Charadrius atrifons).

Lets start with the Red-necked Stint (RNS)

A typical profile of a RNS  

Most of them are still in their first or perhaps second winter plumage

This one shows a bit of its first summer plumage (30% perhaps?)

RNS taking off

RNS in flight

(note: its white tail-sides demarcated by a dark median stripe are similar to those of a Temminck's Stint but the latter are more commonly found inland than on a mudflat)

Next are the Common Redshank 

Most of them stayed near the shoreline or where there are small pools of water. So at times I have to wade into the soft mud to get closer to them. 

Some of them did approached quite close like this one.

Dave Bakewell, our endowed resident birding advisor reckoned that the above wader is an European subspecies ! Currently there are probably five (5) subspecies which have been positively identified by researchers.

It is already showing its stunning breeding plumage

The questions is "will it depart to its breeding grounds like its earlier relatives"? or "will it stay behind to breed here"?

Some are partially into their first summer plumage like this one.

oops ! I have finally been spotted.

This one looks a bit different

A pair of twins perhaps?

Wading under the blistering heat

To take their photos, you will need to remain motionless - like a dead tree trunk ! For the above photo, I have used the cover of a small bush but they were still wary of my presence. A sudden twitch of the body or arm, its bye bye !

Curlew Sandpipers

This is an interesting wader which is now considered as 'Near-threatened'. They usually breed in the tundra in Russia. Again, will it be too late for them to fly back ?

Like the earlier Common Redshank, this Curlew Sandpiper is also into its first summer plumage.

Only 5 of them were sighted this time.

Two of them were in their 1st/2nd winter plumage like the above wader. Maybe this one will remain here during summer.

A Common Redshank and a Curlew Sandpiper side-by-side for comparison

Lesser Sandplover

Its upper-wing plumage will certainly blend well with the colors of the mudflats.

Most of the Lesser Sandplovers sighted were in their semi-winter plumage.

Compared with the RNS on the right, this Lesser Sandplover is still a long way to breeding plumage.

This one is slightly at a more advance summer stage

Look how deep their feet sinks into the mud.

Once they are in their full summer plumage, their colors are more vivid.

Only a few of them are in their almost complete summer plumage, like these ones.

Could one of them be a Mongolus subspecies?

Here is a series of photos depicting how a Charadrius (in this case a Lesser Sandplover) extract a marine worm from the mud.

According to Dr Nur Munira, the lead researcher and recipient of an internationally funded shorebirds survey project here, "Charadrius use stop and hunt technique while Calidris search the mudflats with rapid pecking at the surface".

Note: the marine worm is most likely belongs to a species called polychaetes (also known as bristle worms)

I huff and I puff !

One mighty bird versus one die-hard worm. 

(At the end the wader manages to get only half of its meal)

There are plenty of food in the mudflats for these waders.

Lastly, here is a wader which you would least expect on a mudflat

Most of the time you would find it on dry grasslands or open countries (inlands). Over here it is leading a flock of Little Terns (Sterna albifrons) after they were flushed out by a Little Egret (not in the photo).

Now it is ahead of the flock.

Yup ! its an Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum)

It flew just right above before moving further away.

"Humans have been explorers forever"

(Ed Stone, NASA Voyager Project Scientist)

..... and i am just one of them.