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MikeBirder - Malaysian Birds

Hi

Welcome to my Malaysian Birding Blog. I migrated to blogspot.com as my blog at multiply.com closed shop in 2012. I wish to showcase all Malaysian birds that I have photographed whether here or overseas. My countdown of lifers started in 2005. Coming to Oct 2022 my countdown of lifers photograph has reached
559/688 species of birds of Malaysia in photos.

My shooting gear was a EF400mm f4 DO lens and Canon 7D body which to me is the ideal setup for mobility and bird chasing at that time. Eventhen the weight over my shoulder is more that 5.5 kg. As of June 2016 I have also acquired a Fuji XF 100-400mm OIS lens to complement my travelling cum birding trip overseas. My Fuji X-T2 went kaput recently and I upgraded to the X-T5 in 2023 ; the weight over my shoulder is much lighter now by 30%. In December 2018 I acquired the Nikon Coolpix P1000 as supplementary camera for distance shooting of 3000mm.
Fuji have finally made available their new XF 200-600mm lens which I yet to decide to spend another RM10,000. As for Fuji body I will stop with X-T5 36megapixel ..........

I am a weekend birder. Do feel free to drop me a line at mikebirding@gmail.com and I see whether you can tag along in my outings. My usual day trip is just an hour ride away to Hulu Langat, Lancang, Kemensah, Krau, Awana, Hulu Kali, Gombak Ole Road, Fraser's Hill , Bukit Tinggi and KSNP & Coastal Sg Janggut Jeram side of the coast . Overnite trip to Merapoh & Cameron, Air Hitam and further north to Kuala Sidim is a seldom affair but for lifer we travel. Panti in Johor is another good birding site that I yet to go. Then there are the Borneo birds of Sabah and Sarawak of Malaysia which I seriously much go to chalk up more lifers. This I did in 2018 to Sepilok Sandakan and Kinabalu Park. Next Danum and LahatDatu.......

WARNING Birding is an addiction once you started its hard to stop. The wifey and children are now birding widow and orphan.

ALL PHOTOS IN THIS BLOG ARE COPYRIGHT OF MIKEBIRDER. KINDLY SEEK PERMISSION FROM THE OWNER IF YOU want to use them for commercial purposes.

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Sunday 30 April 2017

Avian Sighting April 2017 - Red-crowned Hanging Parrot


The season of fruiting have started in month of March-April. The Jambu Air tree (guava) had started to fruit. The single red one surprising attracted several species of birds which include the blue-winged leafbird, flowerpeckers and this parrot.

The ficus berries are already depleting fast in April
in the open ground of Merapoh Perhilitan compound. However other different trees are also bearing fruits but still green. So there is still good birding time in Merapoh in May.................

Wednesday 26 April 2017

Avian Sighting April 2017 - Jambu Fruit Dove


 This is in month of April 2017. The venue Taman Botani Shah Alam. Though I only manage to shoot the juvenile male JFD,  I am still happy as this is my first time shooting it in the wild. Many of us missed it when it appeared in Taman TAR about 2 months back. Looks like the parent have left it to fend for itself as it feed on the ripened ficus berries weary of the many bird photogs during that weekend.

Avian Nesting - Pied Triller

 This was in the month  March 2017 that Danny spotted the tiny nest of this Pied Triller in Malim Nawar while hunting for the the Blyth's Pipit.

Posting now after the hoohaa has gone.  Nest building much have started as early as February and hatching of egg in progress now. The nest was about eye level; built on a horizontal forked branch over a water shed.  As you can see the nest is a tiny shallow cup made from fibrous twigs and roots.


Sunday 23 April 2017

Avian Sighting April 2017: Maroon Philentoma


You cannot find the  Maroon other than the Rufous-winged in Bukit Rengit Lancang but it is a fair game in Merapoh Taman Negara. On the other hand I have yet to  encounter the latter  here in Merapoh.  Last year I manage to shoot with my Nikon P900 without my EF400mm DO lens then so not so sharp. But this time I was shooting with my new Fuji set up XT2 with the XF100-400mm lens and I must say the photos are much sharper. Fuji  bring out the colors of the bird without much PS The colors of the Fuji are true to what you see and  what you get.

This bird usually responds to my  intermittent calls  and you got to be patience to see it. The MO to shoot this bird is to stay stationary  at a strategic spot facing some open perch branch 20-30 ft away and call. It can be intimidated and will not come out  if there are too many cameras around or there are movement amongst birders. It will just keep behind dark crevices of the undergrowth looking at you. This was my experience with this bird.


Tuesday 18 April 2017

Avian Sighting March 2017 - Venditer Flycatcher and moulting Yellow-rumped Flycatcher


Just drop by Taman TAR in the late morning just to pass time in the last week of March 2017. Bird activity is somewhat sober. The birds are not active because of the heat.  The two birds here are worth showing besides the lupsup ones.

Again saw a Indonesian couple arriving to snare birds behind  the Syabas Reservoir. I gave them a stare but what can I do more. This is a second occasion I seen these people around the place. Sad to sya these are most probably Indonesian who then sell their catch especially the prized Sharma and Cuckoo dove.





The Yellow-rumped fc is still around and you  can see it is moulting with patches of grey feathers I read other sightings that it is still there in April 2017


Monday 17 April 2017

FLOWERPECKER 8/12 - Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker (Male)


It was a tough bird to see and shoot as it stayed up in the higher canopy of the ficus tree ; I would say about 20ft. I managed to see it once in the morning at about 9.30am  in Merapoh Old Quarters side. Thought the picture was a bit soft because of the foliage in the foreground;  and  I struggled to manual focus but it was too active to catch it momentarily stationary as it scour for a ripe berry.

Like to  thank my fellow birder Azman KualaLipis boy for his tip off  on  this bird. At least you KL guys now know that you need not have to go up north to Kuala Sidim Kedah or Panti to see this gorgeous  bird.

This is my first encounter of this male fp; my third lifer in 2017 bringing my tally to 473. Its features are very distinct and contrasty from its black head and breast with the red patch to its breast like a napkin or "shield of armor". The female is much plainer with a grey head and with whitish throat and a tingy orange- yellow breast.

I would say it is the best looker of the 11 species of flowerpecker that you can see in Peninsula Malaysia. In Sabah you can see another flowerpecker - Yellow-bellied which is largest kind at 13cm compared to common ones at 10cm.














Sunday 16 April 2017

FLOWERPECKER 7/10 - Yellow-vented Flowerpecker


Aiyoh did not post this as lifer so now chalking another  photo lifer no 472 to my collection  in  my blog. Merapoh is the place to be whenever the many ficus trees there are bearing berries. There are several pairs of yellow-vented there  in the month of April 2017. Seen a pair bringing fruits away from the tree to somewhere else so nesting and feeding is in progress. 

April - June  is  the nesting time  here in Merapoh SgRelau like  many other lowland forest.



The Yellow-vented is a common bird to see in lowland forest and even suburb garden and open park land. As you can see it is quite easy to identify by a whitish loral stripe between the red eye and beak; the  blackish soft streaking breast to belly and the distinct yellow bottom aka vent. The back is a uniform yellow olive coat.



Tuesday 4 April 2017

Avian Birding Site - Kuala Gandah April 2017

 The Ashy Bulbul came close to 15 ft

 There was not much activity at Bukit Rengit Deerland other than the usual birds at Post A88. So  I decided to  recce Kuala Gandah the elephant santuary which is another 3 kliks from the T junction to Krau. Across the bridge there is a ficus tree blooming with fruits which have attracted plenty of bulbuls as shown here. Opposite the ficus there is a low shrub tree which fruits are ripening attracted the smaller flowerpeckers

 The uncommon cream -vented bulbul was quite approachable up to 20ft whilst the Grey-bellied was more suspicious of me and stayed at a distance. There were plenty of Red-eyed which dominated the tree.



The spectacled bulbul is the  smallest amongst the bulbuls there. The Buff-vented stayed mostly under the tree in the shaded areas together with  the Striped throated.

The surprise is to see a Siberian thrush feasting on the ficus fruit which I think is enroute home to northern hemisphere


Other than bulbuls I managed to see several species of  flowerpeckers  which I was hoping is to see the Thick-billed or Scarlet -breasted but it was not to be...............Instead  I saw the Orange-bellied and Yellow-vented very shy hiding behind the foliage and under another  fruiting tree.


 The Crimson male wasmore confiding with its partner

 The Yellow breasted  above and the moulting male Crimson below ..maybe a juvenile