Bird Site - Bukit Larut Taiping Perak March 2026

 After getting our target bird  in Bukit Mertajam we adjourn to Taiping to  check out the bird life which is famed for the visiting violet cuckoo and emerald cuckoo. The place is now having fruits trees in bloom attracting many species of bulbuls, the Asian Fairy Bluebird Leafbird. The highlight was the Red-throated Barbet in splendor colorful head. It was very responsive to the bird call by Dr C. 

Red-throated Barbet 

 

Below a pair of AF Bluebird were also feeding amongst the Scaly breasted, Black-headed, Buff chested, Greybreasted and Red-eyed Bulbuls 

Asian Fairy Bluebird in close encounter

The low lying Macaranga tree give plenty of opportunities of shooting these birds up close and some more eye level. You guys must not miss the opportunity to get these frugivorous in full frame. 

Meanwhile in another location we chance on the rarity of the Malayan Night Heron Subadult in none breeding plummage. Thank you Dr C for the experience Thought not a lifer it is a good find.

The various bulbuls  that we mange some good photos are as below.

Female Asian Blue

Flycatcher 30/32 - Bluethroat March 2026 ( Mega lifer 588/688 - 2026)

Breeding region in brown and winter migrant in green

News of a rarest of the unseen before bird popped out in Bukit Mertajam Penang; set the mood of an early morning trip to catch the Bluethroat. This bird is not listed for Peninsula in my Bird Bible- Robson. It is only listed as a winter visitor from Artic tundra regions of Europe and Asia to Indochina stopping furthest in  Central Thailand (See Map). Though it a common bird in the Northern Asia region it is not been recorded in peninsula Malaysia as far as I know.

It is described as an old world flycatcher but acts like a robin which it like to cock & spread its dark tipped tail. 

The male Bluethroat is very striking with its blue and rufous throat and its flashing reddish tail. However, it normally is very secretive and hard to see as it skulks through thick vegetation. It is easy to see only while it is singing or performing flight displays. When seen in the open, it often jerks or holds its tail up and quickly fans it open to flash the rufous patches at the base. The female is more subtle plain brown colors with white throat a dark malar and gorget.

Angrybird look

Bluethroat is a bird of open meadown openfield wetlands and raw suburb bushland in the case of our encounter. It normally a secretive bird and hard to see as it skulks through thick vegetation. Only way was to lure it out with feed. It is easy to see only while it is singing or performing flight displays. When seen in the open, it often jerks or holds its tail up and quickly fans it open to flash the rufous patches at the base.

As a record the female was also sighted in the same locale. Later it was also reported a yellow breasted bunting was also seen there.

STORK 4/4 - Storm's Stork (lifer 587/688)

The final Stork species of Malaysia. I  have to travel to Sukau Sg Kinabatangan to see this bird. My family arrange a 3 days 2 night chalet stay package at Sukau Backpackers Bed & Breakfast. They will fetch you from the airport  at a price of RM400 per pax. The package include 4 river cruises; 2 in  morning session 6am-8am and the evening session 4pm-6pm and a night cruise. You may ask for birding  excursion  for you group at extra charge. Our guide Harry is very good in his profession in looking for any living animals in our way at Kinabatangan. 

This medium-sized stork stands at 75–91 cm tall and most of the plumage is black. The undertail coverts and the back of neck are white with a black cap. It has orange facial skin with a yellow ring surrounding the eye, a red iris, and a pinkish-red bill. On some but not all male individuals, the culmen of the bill is slightly concave with a basal knob.

Storm's stork feeds primarily on small fish, frogs, aquatic insect larvae, and sometimes earthworms. These are also the food items brought by both parents back for their young at the nest; with the fish measuring 5–7 cm long and weighing 10-30g, and the worms measuring 10–15 cm long. The parents regurgitate the food into the bottom of the nest, whereupon it is picked up and swallowed by the chicks. During a series of nest observations in southern Sumatra in 1989, adults were found to return to the nest with food for the chicks every 2–4 hours in June; but in July, food was brought to the nest less often and significantly more frequently in the late afternoons. In Sabah, they have also been reported to feed on grasshoppers and possibly crabs. Hence, other food taxa may be similar to those of the woolly-necked stork, but more data are required to fully confirm this,

This stork typically forages stealthily with slow, deliberate movements and a retracted neck  along muddy banks of rivers and creeks within dense primary forest keeping primarily to the shaded areas. Individuals with chicks usually forage 2–3 km from the nest. It will also use other freshwater bodies as foraging localities with high densities of fish and freshwater invertebrates. These include small pools, trackside puddles, swamps and oxbow lakes; and the Storm's stork may be able to use these features optimally where they occur in a patchwork arrangement on riparian floodplains. It can also use boggy clearings created by ungulates such as gaur that trample vegetation to access mineral licks. In contrast, deep, fast-flowing rivers and waterways are avoided by this species due to reduced prey availability and its inability to stand in these waters.

Avian Sighting December 2025 - Pheasant -tailed Jacana

I was at Sg Balang Muar to hunt for the mega passage migrant Collared Pranticole and the White-cheeked Starling. But sad to say they have left the area.  Instead only managed to seen this Jacana in the open about 40 m from the track on a dry patch. You have to shoot from your car as these birds are really skirtish.

 

IBIS - Black -headed Ibis sighting in Malaysia (November 2025)

 This is my first time sighting of a juvenile Black-headed Ibis in peninsula Malaysia. I was lucky to be  guided by TK Ang on the occasion who regularly come to this site often. My target bird was the Long-billed Dowitcher but alas the passage vagrant have left the site  since 2 days late. Sad. Similarly this Ibis may not stay long as it may move on south right up to Singapore. If you want to see this bird up close and personal you better go now. Look out for the bird amongst the egrets colony feeding together at the tall greening padi field.

 

It is vagrant and consider a mega lifer for those who have yet to see it.

Avian Sighting - Hooded Pitta (November 2025)

A beautiful Hooded Pitta has arrived at TBNSA port.  The regular Blue-winged Pitta , Orange-headed thrush and Siberian Blue Robin are the laggards this 2025. These birds appearance are regular here almost every year.   A female Yellow-rumped Fc (winter visitor ) was also  doing scanty feeding at the port flying in and out without perching in the open.

Yellow rumped 

Little Green

Common Flameback 

 

CRAKE/RAIL 5/6 November 2025 - Red-legged Crake (Lifer 586/688)

Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam can be a place for surprises for vagrants and migrant birds. The last time  was a Slaty-legged Crake which stayed for a while. After the last sighting of the Red-legged Crake about 4-5 years back I was really hoping that it will reappear. That time it stayed for just a couple of days. Then this Oct my good friend who regular bird there gave me a head up that a crake has been sighted for the past week there. After confirming that it was my lifer I immediately make arrangement to go the following morning before it leave without notice; as I believe it a passage migrant. Some says it a nomad local bird that moved around  vast territory. For the record It was also sighted in Frasers Hill which I missed it by a day 2 years back. 

The Red-legged Crake (Rallina fasciata) is a striking yet elusive bird of dense wet forests and swampy undergrowth across Southeast Asia and parts of northern Australia. Known for its rich colour plumage and bright crimson legs, this medium-sized crake is more often heard than seen, skulking through thick vegetation in search of invertebrates and seeds. As a member of the rail family (Rallidae), it exhibits many of the typical rail characteristics—secretive habits, strong legs for walking, and short, rounded wings for brief flights. Despite its rarity in sightings, the Red-legged Crake plays a vital role in the health of tropical wetland ecosystems. (extract simplybirding.com)

The Red-legged Crake is a medium-sized bird, measuring around 24–28 cm in length. It has a relatively short tail, rounded wings, and long, strong legs that are distinctly bright red or crimson, giving the species its name. The plumage is chestnut to rich rufous-brown on the head, neck, and upperparts, transitioning to bold black and white barring on the flanks and underparts.

The eyes are bright red, adding to its vivid appearance, and the bill is greenish to grey, often with a darker tip. The bird’s combination of warm chestnut tones and zebra-like flanks makes it unmistakable when seen clearly—though such views are usually fleeting.

Juveniles are duller in colour, with more muted barring and paler legs, gradually acquiring the adult’s vibrant hues as they mature.

Red-legged Crakes are mainly terrestrial, spending most of their time walking quietly through dense ground vegetation in search of food. They are shy and reclusive, making them challenging to observe in the wild. When disturbed, they are more likely to run and disappear into cover than take flight, although they can fly short distances when necessary.

They are usually solitary or seen in pairs and are most active during the early morning and late afternoon. Their diet includes insects, worms, snails, seeds, and other small invertebrates, which they forage for by probing in soft soil or leaf litter.

One of the most common ways birders detect the presence of a Red-legged Crake is by its distinctive vocalisations. Its call is a series of harsh, grating, or clucking notes, often delivered at dusk or during the wet season when breeding activity peaks.

Breeding typically coincides with the monsoon or wet season, when water and food resources are abundant. In Australia, this is usually from December to March, though the timing varies throughout the bird’s broader range. The nest is a loosely constructed platform of leaves and grass, usually hidden in thick vegetation or in low bushes near water. The female lays 3 to 6 buff-coloured eggs with reddish or brown blotches. Both parents share incubation duties, which last for approximately 18–20 days. Chicks are precocial—hatching fully feathered and ready to leave the nest within a day or two to follow the parents and forage.