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 

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...................

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.

WADER 58/60 / Stork Jan 2020 - Woolly-necked Stork (Lifer 531)

Woolly-necked or White-necked are widespread tropical species which breeds in Africa, and also in Asia from India to Indonesia. It is a resident breeder in wetlands with trees. The large stick nest is built in a forest tree, and 2-5 eggs form the typical clutch. This stork is usually silent, but indulges in mutual bill-clattering when adults meet at the nest.

The Woolly-necked Stork is a broad winged soaring bird, which relies on moving between thermals of hot air for sustained long distance flight. Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched.

The Woolly-necked Stork is a large bird, typically 85cm tall. It is all black except for the woolly white neck and white lower belly. The upperparts are glossed dark green, and the breast and belly have a purple hue. Juvenile birds are duller versions of the adult.

This is another first I think for Peninsula Malaysia which recorded a lone vagrant landed and sighted together with a bunch of Openbills at Sg Balang side. It was a Mega lifer for a few birders who chance on the bird then. It did not stay long and had gone astray with the Openbills. I did make several journeys down but it did not return. 

Usually, it will roost on treetop or high building. It most probably feeds on riverbanks for now  until the padi fields are planted and wet  and there are more preys of fish, frogs and large insects. It would be natural to chance of it again in March-April on its return leg....maybe in Malim Nawar and Seberang Prai.

As for my catch it was in Cambodia when our Guide saw it while driving along the track to T . With our camera ready

I was already shooting from the car before we alighted from our 4x4 to shoot handheld. The Olympus with 1200mm reach  and IS 7.5 times would fair better than my Fuji limited 600mm reach. Den as usual with his EF 500mm  needs to set up his tripod before really get to shoot it. 

For the find   I really had to tip  Rana as to me its a mega Malaysian lifer. It was a 200ft distance shooting from our road track in the late afternoon. We cannot go nearer thru the thick ground

THRUSH 10/13 January 2020 - Grey-sided Thrush ( lifer 530)

This is another unexpected bird to see a Grey-sided Thrush here. In fact it is a first record sighting for Malaysia. The nearest it came down from China North-East Hebei Shanxi side is Thailand's Kaeng Krachan National Park.

So this season we have bear much excitement amongst local birders and Singapore. The Grey-sided thrush is rather aggressive and dominant when feeding at the port. It will chase away all the other birds like the laughing thrushes, Niltavas and the bunch of 5 Siberian thrushes on the day of my visit.

Frankly I like the tidy look of this  plain bird compared to the other thrushes you can see here.

Apparently, there is a pair sighted  recently and that is another record.

Many fellow bird photogs have posted the bird already but I lagged behind for the sake of the bird. Thrushes are common to the submontane jungle of Ulu Kali. Usually they are on passage to the lowland and further south of Peninsula.

Avian Sighting January 2020 - Oriental Darter / Indian Darter

It is a wow factor  to see this vagrant "snake head "so far down to Central Peninsula. There are one or two that have stayed for good in Malim Nawar side Perak. Though not a lifer I have yet to shoot it in Malaysia. The opportunity came last week  guided by my buddy Den. Many have shot it at close distance. In the late afternoon we reached the venue there were a few regular birders Penang Ooi PS who were still waiting patiently  for a closer and perfect pose capture especially when they span out their wings to dry.

That my friend needs a whole day outing .............. and a lot of patience.

As for me- We Came We Saw We Shoot and Chao as the saying goes.   Bitty Chong was there to show us where it was roosting at a distance of 200-250 ft away. Later Victor L was also recce-ing the place and told us there is a Great Myna aka White-vented sighted nearby too.

Anhinga are underwater feeders like commorant which they dive into freshwater pond and marsh water estuary to spear fish and water creatures, They apparently can stay underwater for a minute plus.

Due to their wettable wings Oriental Darter cannot fly up again after their swimming escapade and instead they have to climb out onto floating logs or platform using their beak and web feets and dry out before taking to flight. Fascinating fact. 

Now is to  wait for news of the Mask Finfoot showing itself as there were so many rarity for the past months. 

Avian Migrant December 2019 - Striated Swallow and Sand Martin

Both birds are winter visitor to Peninsula Malaysia. In the month of December they have reached Muar side at Sg Balang. We saw only a pair of Sand Martins at the open padi field amongst the Pacific. They are usually active in the wee morning or dusk ; sallying for insects. 

Avian Sighting December 2019 - Eyebrowed Thrush in close quarters

 When news came around about migrant thrushes were actively sighted in   Genting Highland; I was up late and reluctantly took the one hour journey  to try my luck to catch any new lifer. I did not expect any birds so late in the morning at 8.30am. It was a surprise that an Eyebrowed Thrush was foraging on the ground. It was sharing the port with the Niltavas and another migrant pair of Siberian Thrush.

I think Thrushes prefer the misty and cool montane forest when they visit us. They do stay in lowland forests depending on whether there is ample grub around. Thrushes also take fruits where ever the find on their passage. Then you can expect that they will stay longer at the locale to fatten up/




The EBT is the aggressor bird here; whenever the other birds come out it will harass and chase them away. This was not I expected as usually winter visitors are the timid kind. Even the resident Niltavas was not spared except the larger Laughingthrush.


I was glad to get some better close up shots though hampered by the low light & misty condition. So you can see them  at Bukit Tinggi and now here. Hope it will stay long for you guys to tick this lifer.


Next I would really like to catch the Scaly or Dusky Thrush (which I have shot in Busan ) one of these days........

The Scaly can be overlooked as a female Siberian so shoot first and check later.

The guy has a rather rounded body as the Siberian below. I guess  the foraging of grubs is aplenty here during the month of December.

Later I heard news there are a family EBT of 3 sighted at Pak Long port feeding on moths and insect on the ground. So this year its a record of  sightings  in Ulu Kali now.

Avian Migrant Sighting October 2019 - Lanchang

After a few weeks of  no serious birding, I guess its time to go birding actively as the migration period is starting.  I was stood up by Den who woke up late on a Sunday. He supposed to join me  in Lanchang. Leaving him behind I reaching Deerland at about 7.30am. Then Norazmi and son in tow arrived on the dot as I was preparing to gear up. Today it was to recce the site on any early migratory bird arrival.

Wallah ! It was nice to see the Siberian Blue is already back. It may the same one from the previous year but now in full mature colors. It uncanny that this place has always been a last stop destination for this bird. I was also wishing that the Hooded Pitta will return soon so that Azmi can get his lifer.

Meanwhile the resident birds are also  coming out in full force as shown below. A immature Black Hornbill (female) also turn up above us. I only managed a record shot.

Lighting was very good without any harsh sunlight until about past 11.30 am as the clouds cleared and the sun rays hit the port site.

 

Avian Migrant Sighting October 2019 - Banded Bay Cuckoo

For the period starting October it is a good time to go out birding  to catch the early migrants from the northern hemisphere. Today I got  to see a Banded Bay Cuckoo in Awana Genting. I do not think it will stay long but maybe in passage to lowland forest of peninsula Malaysia.

This is my second time seeing it here in the submontane locale. My usual sighting is in lowland forests like Lanchang Merapoh and Sg Congkak. It did vocalise a bit when I was playing a babbler call. But when I play its call it was not too fond and flew down the ravine and not to be seen. They are solitary birds and do not mix with others but they are quite curious and wary of other birds and humankind. Many birds actually do not like cuckoos especially during nesting time.................

Avian Sighting in September 2019 - Zappey's Flycatcher

After 6 weeks of non-birding,  I was up late at 7.00am on last Saturday; and then reluctantly I decided to drop by Genting Highland which is just 30 minutes from Gombak toll. I was hoping to catch any early arrival of migratory passerine birds. Met En Ashraf a young birder from PJ there. He already saw an Artic Warbler at the end of the trail.  Bird activity was as expected ...quiet except for the usual resident birds. My happy catch of the day in the late morning was this visiting flycatcher. Wish it was the White-tailed fc but it has no white gorget ie necklaced band.

The female bird cannot be really differentiated much between the Zappey's Flycatcher and its other subspecies Blue & White Flycatcher.

It was making a distress call - "kluk-kluk-kluk". unfortunately it was not singing. The bird would usually cock its tail in alertness. The throat right down to its belly has a uniform brownish coat which do not match my bible of the Blue and White Fc female.  I will tentatively consider it a Zappey's. The bird is large at about 18-19cm in length.

The bird is most probably in passage down south maybe ending up in Singapore.

December 2020, I was in Taman TAR Ampang to capture this male Zappey's Flycatcher. The place is happening with many of the ficus tree fruiting attracting a myriad of fruitivorous birds. The bird is staying for good I hope until it return home to China in March.