RAPTOR & ACCIPITER 26/35 - Lesser Fish Eagle

This Lesser Fish-eagle is smaller raptor by a good 20cm or
8 inches as compared to the Grey-headed Fish-eagle. I believe this
resident of Kemensah is a companion to another  - a Grey-headed Fish-eagle there. Is it a possibility................... I think it is possible like the pied hornbill and black hornbill in Bukit Kiara.

The Lesser Fish Eagle call is very much different from the the Grey -headed. Besides that the the latter 's tail do not have an obvious  black tip band Instead it has a brownish to grey tail.

Supplementary birds & macaque seen nearby  its vicinity.

FERAL 4/10 - Asian Golden Weaver

Asian Golden Weaver

This is a cousin of our local Baya Weaver. YIf you see it in Peninsula it is most probably an escapee or feral from Thailand.

This one was shot in Penang Bird Park Seberang Prai.

RAPTOR 12/36 - Grey-headed Fish Eagle

 

 

The Grey-headed Fish Eagle

It is a bird of prey and specialist fish eater which hunts over lakes, lagoons and large rivers. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae. Grey-headed Fish Eagle breeds in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south east Asia and the Philippines. It is a forest bird which builds a stick nest in a tree near water and lays two to four eggs.

Grey-headed Fish Eagle is a largish stocky raptor at about 70–75 cm in length. Adults have dark brown wings and back, a grey head and reddish brown breast. The lower belly, thighs and tail are white with a black terminal band. Sexes are similar, but young birds have a pale buff head, underparts and underwing, all with darker streaking.

Sad to say in Peninsular Malaysia (previously common, now uncommon and sparse, perhaps 40 pairs remaining), east Malaysia, Singapore (scarce), Brunei (scarce), and the Greater Sundas and Sulawesi, Indonesia (widely distributed but uncommon in Sumatra and Borneo, and now very rare in Java). Although widely distributed, the species is local and declining in most parts of its range through loss of forested wetlands. However, historical and even recent records are difficult to interpret, in South-East Asia at least, due to identification difficulties between this species and Lesser Fish Eagle.

AVIAN VIDEO 8/100 - Dark-throated Oriole

This resident bird feeding on a caterpillar. Like cuckoos it will bludgeon its prey onto a branch to remove the irritating and stinging hairs. I mimicked its call and got it worried that  I want its food. So  it flew across the stream in Kemensah to enjoy its catch peacefully.........enjoy.

FLYCATCHER 23/25 - Chinese Blue Flycatcher

Chinese Blue Flycatcher aka Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher

The Chinese Blue is an uncommon migrant visitor to South East Asian countries during the winter period in the Himalayas India and W China. It has distinct blue throat and smaller rufous "v" if any. The one I saw has shining azure shoulder patch and blue breast flank as compared to the Tickell's absence. It flanks or side belly has a yellowish wash color which you will also not see in our resident Tickell's.

It kept to the undergrowth and sat quietly and did not response to my Tickell's call. The thickness of the undergrowth prevented me from getting a closer shot.

Adolph Khor also shot a same bird in Sg Sidim up north of the Peninsula recently. Pls see his posting early of  Feb14  -  http://worldwilddream.blogspot.com/2014/02/2014-sedim.html . Now you will be wondering whether it may be the same bird moving south until Singapore which will be most likely its last stop.

RAPTOR & ACCIPITER 25/35 - Short-toed Snake Eagle

Short-toed Snake-Eagle

During the Chinese New Year holidays I was back to Alor Setar. My target bird then were the many rare raptors sighting in Chuping and Sg Dua. Not to mention the Great -eared Nightjar in Air Hitam Seberang Prai.
Alas saw the latter but no photos . The only lifer for the CNY was this uncommon visiting raptor from Central Asia-China and Russia. The Short-toed Snake Eagle is found in open cultivated plains, arid stony deciduous scrub areas and foothills and semi-desert areas. It requires trees for nesting.

The short-toed snake-eagle is a large, long-winged eagle with a broad head, a relatively small beak, and long, bare legs. The plumage is quite variable, but is usually brown above, with a brown head, throat and chest, and a white lower breast and belly, marked with dark bars or blotches. The flight feathers of the wing are usually dark, and the tail bears three to four dark bands. The eye is bright yellow. The male and female short-toed snake-eagle are similar in appearance, although the female is heavier and has a slightly longer tail.

The Short-toed Snake Eagle is an accomplished flyer and spends more time on the wing than do most members of its genus. It favours soaring over hill slopes and hilltops on up draughts, and it does much of its hunting from this position at heights of up to 500 meters (550 yards). When quartering open country it frequently hovers like a Kestrel. When it soars it does so on flattish wings.

Its prey is mostly reptiles, mainly snakes, but also some lizards. Sometimes they become entangled with larger snakes and battle on the ground. Occasionally, they prey on small mammals up to the size of a rabbit, and rarely birds and large insects. This eagle is generally very silent. On occasions, it emits a variety of musical whistling notes. When breeding, it lays only one egg; it can live up to 17 years.The Short-toed Snake Eagle has suffered a steep decline in numbers and range in Europe and is now rare and still decreasing in several countries due to changes in agriculture and land use. It needs protection.