Video 3/100 - Blyth's Hawk Eagle nestling in Awana Genting

The hatchling is about a month plus old and is already the size of the adult BHE.  It is able to fend for itself  and its parent is not so worried. Feeding is done occassionally now until it gets hungry and ready to look for its own food.  It is doing stretching activity and preening its feathers for now. When it start flapping and jumping it will be ready to fledge . Its parents will then stop bringing prey to the nestling thus forcing it to  abandon ship and instinct to hunt will be its next stage of life........................

STARLING 3/5 - Asian Pied

                                  Asian Pied Starling
 

The Asian Pied Starling or Pied Myna. They are usually found mainly on clearings, plains and low foothills. They produce a range of calls made up of fluid like call similar to myna. It can also mimic human voices making them popular as cagebirds. Fortunately it is fairly common in South East Asian and India.

AP Starlings are usual found in small groups, foraging on the ground but perching on trees and buildings. Birds in a group call frequently with a wide repertoire that includes whistles, trills, buzzes, clicks, and warbling calls. Young birds taken into captivity have been trained to imitate tunes of other birds. They forage in fields, lawns and on open ground feeding on grains, fruit, insects, earthworms and molluscs usually taken from the ground. Like many other starlings, they often use a prying or gaping action, piercing soil and then opening apart the bill to dislodge hidden food. The strong protractor muscles allow them to part a mat of grass and their eyes are positioned to obtain a binocular view of the space between the parted beak. AP Starling are considered vagrant or neighbouring visitor to peninsula Malaysia nearer to border of Thailand. I got to see a group of about eight at the soil pond of the Felda Sugar Mill in Chuping (Perlis). Many of them already paired up. I am not sure they will breeding here or should travelling back north before March........

We can see their courtship involves calling, fluffing of the feathers and head bobbing. The nest is a loose mass of straw formed into a dome with an entrance on the side and placed in a large tree (often banyan, mango, jackfruit, rosewood) or sometimes on man-made structures often close to human habitation. Several pairs will breed in the same vicinity. The usual clutch is made up of about four to six glossy blue eggs. Each egg is laid with a day in between and incubation begins only after the third or fourth egg is laid. The eggs hatch after 14 to 15 days. The young are brooded for two weeks, the female staying at the nest during the night. Both parents feed the chicks until they fledge and leave after three weeks.





A new colony of Asian Pied has been sighted at Port Kelang Golf Club in May 2015.
 

STARLING 2/5 - Asian Glossy Starling

 Asian glossy Starling

Passing through Titiwangsa come across a flock of 20-30 of them. They have somewhat become residents in peninsula Malaysia as fruits and grub are aplenty year round. They still migrate though during rainy season? Adapted well to the city scape and nestle on nooks and crevasses of buildings.

They have this eerie red eyes and the silky green-blue coat Nevertheless beautiful bird

STARLING 1/5 - Purple-naped Starling

Purple-naped Starling

This one of few migrant starling that visit the suburban and city scape of Kuala Lumpur.

SIBIA 1/1 - Long-tailed Sibia

Long-tailed Sibia

For a bird with long tailed it hard to believe it can squeeze through undergrowth flying over undulating open valleys. Its a sight to behold when they fly past one by one. They are always in a flock and they communicate with a gentle whistle and chirping call.

Like in Fraser's hill it is a common encounter in Cameron highland.

At one time in Fraser's Hill I climb onto a roller machine to get close to 8 feet. Maybe they have poor eyesight. Feed on berries and grub.

 

WOODPECKER 10/24 - Grey & Buff Woodpecker

 

Grey & Buff Woodpecker

Video 2/100 - Rufous Woodpecker Anting

Rufous Woodpecker anting. Notice the tongue slitting onto ants crawling on the bamboo. Enjoy

TRILLER 1/1 - Pied Triller

 Pied Triller

The Pied Triller (Lalage nigra) is a species of bird in the Campephagidae family. It is found in Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

This one caught in TRK is a resident of sort as my sifu have even recorded it nesting with a brood of chicks there. A showoff and it will fly in front of you at a distance of course...... The female is more prettier with scaly brownish back and breast Size about 18cm.

 

WOODPECKER 18/24- Rufous Woodpecker

 Rufous Woodpecker

This is one of the commonest WP you can see in lowland forest of Malaysia. Here it is anting on a hive at the node of the bamboo outcrop. It will stick out its long tongue to snap on the ants and larvae in the creavices They are quite approachable to as near as 20ft if you react in slow motion whilst it feed.

From afar it may  looks similar to its cousin  Bay Woodpecker of the higher elevation jungle My pictures of the latter are missing so have to shoot them again. The Rufous WP have streaky throat  and breast whilst the Bay WP has stronger broader black patterns on its body and yellow beak.

Size wise it is medium size of 8-9 inches long rufous body with pale black vermiculation ie jagged lines The male has small red patches at the eyes.

April 2013 Macaranga riping at UluLangat attracting bulbuls and sunbirds.

WOODPECKER 17/20- Bamboo Woodpecker

 Bamboo Woodpecker

June-September is a season of post nesting. Got this juvenile following its daddy amongst the vast span of bamboo growth in Kemensah. They were attacking the dead bamboo trunks for grubs Lucky for me they came down quite low and managed some 25 ft shots.

Another lifer. Medium size Woodie of 9-10 inches The male with a red crown and upper covert tail whilst the female a plain dull olive body.

WOOKPECKER 19/20 - Banded Woodpecker

 Banded Woodpecker

WOODPECKER 16/20 - Buff-necked Woodpecker

 Buff-necked Woodpecker

WOODPECKER 15/20 - Buff-rumped Woodpecker

 Buff-rumped Woodpecker

WOODPECKER 14/24 - Checker-throated Woodpecker

Checker-throated Woodpecker

A family of Checker-throated WP was sighted i off the ravine about 80 ft out. Luckily the sun came out for a short while for me and Dr Kok to see clearly the checker marking at the throat with the chestnut reddish neck and upper breast.

Size of this bird is about 28cm or about 11 inches which is an average & common size WP. It is a lowland bird but with the high temperature nowadays it has move up to low montane forest like in Awana. They seems to keep to the higher storey which is why they are seldom sighted.

  
 
 

 

WOODPECKER 13/24 - Common Flameback

 Common Flameback Woodpecker

A very common sighted woodpecker because they venture into suburban areas. The male is very handsome with a red mohigan crested crown whilst the female has a black one . It is always very smart and tidy looking compared with the others forest dwellers.

They have 3 toes claws to grip onto tree trunks.