Avian Sighting November 2019 - Thick-billed Green Pigeon

A fig tree was bearing fruits at Sg Congkak in late October. A couple of Thick-billed were visiting regularly to feast on the fruits in the early session before 9.30am. They came around to the tree only a few times and after Golden whiskered Barbet arrives on the scene they left for good.

Avian Sighting November 2019 - Jambu Fruit Dove

Jambu Fruit-dove makes regular appearance here in Bukit Tinggi Pahang whenever the Sunda fig trees are fruiting.

However  to see it you must be vigilant with a bit of bird luck as they come out irregularly or maybe its there but very discreet. One day its there and the next  day it may not come out. Nowadays the bird have appeared in many places whenever there is fruiting trees whether in Sg Congkak, Shah Alam, TRA and the list goes on. Somehow they know the season to visit by instinct.

This is the male speciment with its pink red head and orange beak. It is one shy bird and it is always weary of humankind.


HAPPY BIRDING!!!

Avian video November 2019 - Rhinocerous Hornbill feeding

For two weekends I was there in BT the pair of majestic Rhinocerous Hornbill were there to feed on the tiniest of ficus. It uncanny nimble on the fruits with its tip of the large beak and then turn upwards to swallow them. I cannot imagine how much they will eat just to fill their gizzard. They were spotted in 2 sessions in the morning. I left the place after 12 noon.

Even the Siamang was there to feast on the fruits oblivious of the people below.  It was  good for tourism ; if not the place has nothing much to experience other than the Garden and cool weather.

Flowerpecker 10/11 - Thick-billed Flowerpecker (Lifer 527)

Its been a while that I get a new lifer. When news came out I worried that it will not stay long and I was busy with work and cannot take leave during the week. When things were done I was away to the hill resort. I was lucky on my second-day visit during that weekend that it show up after it was missing for a few days earlier. The other place that I read that you can  see this bird in peninsula are  Siong Kledang Ipoh, Panti forest Johor and Seremban forest if I am correct. 

This will be my last flowerpecker lifer for Peninsula Malaysia. Though the adult have left the scene I am still happy to get this juvenile in Bukit Tinggi.  It was really surprising that it appeared here at submontane forest. Usually it is in the lowland forest.

I notice that the eyes are  a bit palish orange and as yet turn red. We were lucky that it opt to turn up at the low fruiting ficus and not the other ficus at the Japanese Garden. It was difficult to spot as the chance of an open perch is  by luck. Some more the window to shoot this tiny bird of 10 cm from 30ft  and dense foliage  really test your patience. Den was grumbling that it only got half body shot. As for me I was lucky to get these pictures.

There were other flowerpeckers that came by the tree so it was frustrating and anti-climate as you scan for other movement hoping for the star fc to drop by.


 The Orange-bellied or should it be also called an Orange-backed was the common fc frequenting the Sunda fig tree together with its mate.

 The Yellow-vented above was the most difficult fc to show on that day with its fast and furious antics. It would pick a fruit and then feed hidden from sight. So I only got the"bontot" shot only. The yellow vent is nice right lol.

The molting Crimson-breasted fp was rather friendly feeding at the low fruiting shrubs nearby. I was with Tee then as we shoot this bird in close range at almost full frame.

Avian Site Report in September 2019 - Bukit Tinggi (Yellow morph Pin-tailed)

With the promising find at Awana I was enthusiastic to go to Lancang on Sunday but because of a car issue I decided to go to the  nearer destination in Bukit Tinggi instead. On the way up the winding road I heard  the barking call of a pair Great hornbill which were roosting on a tree  near the roadside. Dare not move out from the car  so as not to spook them As it was still dark before 7.00am;  I have to boost up ISO of my Fuji to 3200 and shooting at 1/8s I can only manage a few shots before they flew away.

The security is now even more stringent to pass  the boomgate after paying up the entry fees of RM16.00 at Colmar. By time the guard confirm my car no and open up it was already passed 7.35am. On the way up  to the Japanese Garden  I saw some tiny birds  in the distance. It was a beautiful encounter with a colony of parrotfinch (of about a dozen or so)!!!! they were feasting on the many bamboo outcrops  below the ravine. Alas I did not bring my P1000 as the birds is about 150-200 ft away I cannot get any good resolution photos as the tiniest subject are just too out.

This is my first for me seeing a parrotfinch with a yellow tail and yellow bellied but with a blue face. It supposedly a yellow morph male specimen. It is a rarity 5-8 % of its population.

 The above bird look unfamiliar; perch on a dead tree for quite sometime............. cropped  far out in the ravine.

At the chicken port, I met Bubu and his gang of three who are there for the third time to catch the Ferruginous Partridge for the past two months. He is Burmese working in Subang. They failed again today. The resident Mountain Peacock Pheasant were in attendance though. Both were male with 3 spiked legs and turquoise spotted tail. Wish to report there are no migrant birds so far. Hope you guys have better luck..........

The famous ficus tree is again fruiting so its is a good time to plan a trip  in middle October to BT again. BTW I manage to sight a Chestnut-winged Scimitarbabbler there. No good photo but a blur one.

Avian Field Report - Bukit Tinggi May 2019

In the second week of May, the ficus tree is again fruiting and starting to ripen. Maybe 10-20 %. Already the frugivorous are gathering here. There were 6-7 species of Barbets to shoot at the venue in the same day. In the coming weekends in May do expect birders to congregate to get a piece of the action.

The common ones are the Sooty and Blue-eared Barbets. The juvenile Sooty has pinkish  beak compared to the adult one. The adult Blue-eared Barbets was collecting 2-3 fruits to feed its brood There were at least 3-5 birds. Occasionally the fledgling in pale uniform coat some times dropped by to ka-poh and look see.

The juvenile Blue-eared.

The third Barbet is the largest of its species Golden-whiskered Barbet (or rather yellow) is dominating. There was a pair of them.  As it is the start of the fruiting period; every barbet comes in to feed at one go. So the shooting can be frantic and any bird is seen in open we just shoot first. The pair were feeding more in the foliages and the only open perched shoot was this one at the canopy.

Next the less common one is the Yellow-crowned Barbet. There was a family of 2-3 with their brood which swoops in to feed in quick moments.

 I think the picture below is a juvenile  Blue-throated Barbet as the throat is still green.

Blue-throated has pale legs 

Barbet no 6 is the Red-throated. It has no brood. I think I only saw one bird but I cannot be sure as the birds come in and out in succession. No clear shot this time.........

Besides Barbets, the bulbuls which are  also frugivorous and you can see several species including my favorite Scaly-breasted and Black-crested were around. The common ones here are the Red-eyed, Striped-throated, Ashy and the Ochraceous.

 

There were at least half a dozen of Ashy

The Ochraceous was plucking to feed its mate or fledgling in the opposite tall trees.

The feeding action shooting of the birds required a shooting speed of 1/125 to 200 is  and ISO must be kept low at 800 to avoid soft images. For my, Fuji set up I was shooting at 1/60s. The lighting was quite good ie overcast except in the later part of the morning the dark rain clouds arrived.

Green Broadbill

 This is first time Joe and I sighted this female or a juvenile Green Broadbill joining the fruit-fest congregation. As you notice the broadbill also feed on the fruits. It came out only twice in the morning It stayed discreetly in the dark area away from the other birds. A Silver-breasted Broadbill did appear but no clear view.



The other first for me is this juvenile Thick-billed Green Pigeon. It did not approach the ficus tree but stayed across it. It was about 60-70 feet away from our port.

 The regular Yellow-vented Green Pigeon only visited a few times during the morning. There is at least a pair but they were a bit skittish. Joe got some open shots compared with mine. Well, that's bird life......

The other cameo  are as below...........

Fire-breasted Fp (female)

Gey-breasted Spiderhunter

White-rumped Munia

Male & Female Greater Leafbird

AF bluebird female. Male missed the opportunity.

The Fuji focussed on the foreground leaves thus the warbler image is blurred out.  Really cannot id it Could be the Dusky ? ....sign