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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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Wednesday 19 February 2020

BUSHCHAT 1/2 - Pied Bushchat (Lifer 539)


Though I have seen any report of sighting recently of this bird in Malaysia ; it is recorded in Birdlist of Malaysia as a vagrant bird. There is some read by Morten Strange that it was sighted in Borneo side and Brunei long time ago.

It is an open country bird and will perched on shrubs sallying for insect and grub like Stonechat. The Male bird is in dark coat is very easy to identify while the Female is in brown coat almost look like Stonechat without a darker head.
It is open country bird visiting 







Monday 17 February 2020

DUCK 11/15 January 2020 - Spot-billed Duck (lifer 538)


I am never good in BIF shooting. Maybe its my Fuji XT-2; which is never meant to be for shooting birds in flight. In Ang Trapeang Thom most of the time you be shooting from the hip and from the sampan. Richard's OMD 1-X should do better on that day but I cannot say about Den's   EF500mm heavy bazooka. I guess he can only watch. Sad. We agreed that bird watching or digiscoping is more suited in Siem Reap as the birds are way too far from us.

Well a lifer is a lifer no matter how blur it is for me. My camera I think have some metering issue Even when I was shooting at 1/2000-4000. the pictures are not good in exposure and blur. Damn I really need to save up to convert to OLYMPUS........... 

Thursday 13 February 2020

WARBLER 11/15 January 2020 - Lanceolated Warbler (lifer 537)

The Lanceolated Warbler is a rare migrant to Malaysia. Its a matter of you going out to grasslands and open fields with thorny shrub and bushy undergrowth. Warblers are usually skittish and sulking. You may have to call it out as they usually curiously expose themselves if you are lucky............


The latest record sighting of this bird was by my fellow perak birder Zhong in Langkap padi fields  in Dec 2019




Sunday 9 February 2020

FLYCATCHER 29/30 Jan2020 - Taiga Flycatcher (Lifer 536)

The last time it visited us in Peninsula was in Air Hitam Dalam Seberang Perai. It stayed for a good period of 8 weeks or so. I missed the chance to shoot it then as it is a bit way off and far from KL. By the time I was back in Alor Setar for a family occasion the bird was already missing.




Later back in SiemReap I manage to be acquianted with another  pair at close distance of 20 ft. It appears to be quite common here.

Wednesday 5 February 2020

THRUSH 11/13 Jan 2020 - Japanese Thrush (Lifer 535)




I got my lifer in SiemReap in January 2020 while on a birding excursion with Den & Richard. I was vigilant at the hide  as I spotted movement on the ground at the watershed while waiting for the rarest of bird -Giant Ibis. Nevertheless it was a better find as its a recorded Malaysian Vagrant.

Now is  to wait  for the Scaly another Vagrant bird to Malaysia and to look out for Chestnut-capped  a Malaysian resident...................


Tuesday 4 February 2020

WARBLER 10/15 Jan 2020 - Two-barred Warbler (Lifer 534)


Possible sighting of this bird in Peninsula during winter migration period from Nov-Jan; are at submontane hills of Awana Genting, Fraser Hill and Cameron Highland. Usually they would be tagging  along with a birdwave of the local birds.


Sunday 2 February 2020

WARBLER 9/15 Jan 2020 - Dusky Warbler (lifer 533)


Another Malaysian lifer from SiemReap. It is considered rare sighting in Malaysia. Unlike Cambodia which have plenty of grassland and open fields Malaysia have ex-tin mining areas and  pockets of scrub land near wet areas like  padi fields, mangrove  or jungle fringe.  Conducive  habitat for warblers can be found  in Langkap Perak, Kuala Gula Perak, Matang side Malim Nawar, KSNP Jeram side and Seberang Perai.


Dusky Warbler is a bit drabby and plain.  Adults resembles Artic Warbler but has greying -brown upperpart but has dark to greyish-brown uppperparts and its wings have no barring unlike the latter. Its underpart is dirty-whitish  and buffish on its breast side and flanks and undertail coverts.

Avian Sighting January 2020 - I am back


This is a consecutive "year" the bird had come to the same port. In fact, it was only reported in early February in the year 2019 and now another Rufous-headed Robin had again appeared here to our surprise! In fact, the bird was sighted in late December 2019 but was not published for its safety and privacy. I was not allowed to post earlier nor divulge its present by my sifus and thus my apologies. The bird by now is long gone  to somewhere else I think.

The bird is a rarity even in its original habitat in China.

It was another immature Male so thus it cannot be the same bird from last year. So the question is how and why it came to the same port instinctively or did it follow the same route as other migrants like the Siberian Blue  Robin below. Every year the latter stay in this port and I hope the RHR may follow suit. I did not manage any better shots this time, unlike last year.