Pond-Heron (2/3) in March 2021 - Javan Pond-heron (Lifer 543)

Javan Pond-heron is a medium size water bird which can be found in coastal wetland and padi/rice fields in Malaysia. In breeding plummage  it has a lighter golden head and neck shoulder   as compared to the Chinese 's Dark brown color. It is migrant waterbird found in Indochina region and Indonesia.....Java side?

The Indian will be my last Pond-heron to see.  It has similar  coat but different color ie paler breast coat but its back is brownish to the former 2 birds which have black body mantle/top. 

As for ID description : Adult in breeding plumage has distinctive pale brownish-buff to creamy-whitish head and neck with white head-plumes, deep cinnamon-rufous breast, white belly and blacklish-slate mantle and scapulars.

Below is a shedding Pond-heron which looks likely a Chinese maturing to its breeding plummage

  with its reddish head-neck area.

WADER 26/60 - Grey Heron

 Grey Heron

WADER 17/60 - Little Heron

Little Heron

Very difficult to get close to this buggers unless u set up a hide or camouflage yourself. Digiscoping from 100 ft is the best . Little Herons are very adaptive. They have  invaded OD ponds all over the urbanscapes whilst their natural habitats are destroyed by man.

Its also called the Striated Heron. Below new photo of an immature bird.

WATERBIRD 53/60 - Malayan Night Heron

I have  been looking for this lifer in Sg Perdik since 2 years back when it was sighted  there. The  bird has been a frequent  visitor to Penang Botanical Garden. I did not manage to get some free time to fly out there then.  Once I heard of the news of the latest sighting in November 2016 at my doorstep of Hulu Langat  a 40 minutes ride from KL I did not hesitate to try my luck to see this rarity. This one I saw is a Juvenile. The immature is greyish-brown above with black and white spots; underparts are buff with brown spots and bars. An Adult mature Malayan Night-Heron is  about 47 cm in length.  The crown is black, with black crest extending to the nape.  The upperparts are dark reddish-brown with fine streaks.  The eye ring is light blue.  Wings are black, fading outward to reddish-brown.  Primary feather tips are white.  The face is reddish-brown; the chin and upper breast are paler.  The yellowish-brown breast has a central row of black streaks.   During migration you seldom hear their usual call which sound like  "oo  oo" ?

The Malayan Night Heron is a  species inhabit wooded streams, marshes, swamps, ponds and lakes in subtropical and tropical jungle forest. They are partially migrant from India or North-east Asian countries. In Peninsula Malaysia it can be sighted in jungle fringes over shaded grassland near shaded marshes, streams. They are nocturnal bird. It is solitary forager that feeds by walking slowly at the edges of water, fields and other feeding areas. Most observations are of its feeding in the open, but it is likely it feeds primarily unobserved under cover. In feeding on earthworms, it probes them from the soil.   

Malayan Night-Heron is a shy, rare bird.   If in alarm state i t defends itself with raised crest, open wings, and stabbing at the opponent. During the day, it roosts well hidden in reed, bamboo, and other dense vegetation. The diet is little studied. It eats terrestrial food, particularly earthworms and beetles but also mollusks, lizards, frogs, rarely small fish. 

The winter visitor tends to stays awhile at a place if food is abundance. With the rainy season here in Selangor I am sure there are plenty of grub of frogs crickets and grasshopper and earthwork here so I believe it will stay put for some time unless it is too disturbed. 

In some places Malayan Night-Heron is also known as Tiger Bittern. I really wonder why they are called Malayan Night Heron whilst they are not resident here. pondering...........

WADER 20/60 - Night Crown Heron

 Night Crown Heron

This bird used to be elusive but in recent time it can be sighted breeding and brooding all along the west coast of Peninsula. How to get a better picture when my Kowa scope is in hand ........still contemplating....how arh?