Great Slaty Woodpecker in Temengor

Great Slaty Woodpecker in Temengor Forest Reserve, Perak, Malaysia, one of the common woodpeckers in Temengor. Both pictures and call were taken and recorded during the Hornbill Volunteer Program in Temengor, in 2009. 

and its recorded call:

Happy Birding.

Plain-pouched Hornbills in Temengor

Plain-pouched Hornbill is rated as "Vulnerable" species due to the rapidly declining population as a result of hunting and extensive deforestation. This species occurs in south-east Myanmar, west, south-west and extreme southern Thailand, and northern Peninsular Malaysia (BirdLife International 2001). Click HERE to learn more about Plain-pouched Hornbill.

I was in Temengor for the "MNS Hornbill Volunteer Program" in 2008 and 2009 for the Plain-pouched Hornbills (Aceros subbruficolis) survey and count. Since July-September are the time frame for the Hornbill Volunteer Program, I therefore would like to share the picture and the calls of this unique bird which I digiscoped and recorded during my visit to Temengor in 2009. I hope more birders will be encouraged to involve in this meaningful volunteering work.

The recorded call of the Plain-pouched Hornbill :

Click on this LINK to learn more about the Hornbills in Malaysia and the Plain-pouched Hornbill in Temengor:

      

Brown Wood Owl - Fledglings

In my last visit to Fraser's Hill on 17-Aug-2011, I encountered a pair of impressive and adorable fledglings of  the Brown Wood Owl (Strix leptogrammica).

I heard the owls were calling very sharply in the forested area during our owling session at around 9pm, indeed, it was an abnormal and eerie call during the month of the Chinese hungry ghost festival, but I strongly believe the eerie call must be the call of the owls or any nocturnal wildlife. In fact, I saw the hungry owls instead of hungry ghosts.

At the beginning of the search, it's difficult for me to locate them, however, with my passion and patience, I finally found two adorable owls with the white head robe perching on one of the big trees. I was really lucky to locate them, and had a wonderful moment of digiscoping and recording their eerie call.

It's my first picture and call record of  a pair of Brown Wood Owl fledglings, probably the first fledgling call recorded in Malaysia.

Owlsome!

Click on the play button to listen to the recorded call of one of the fledglings :

WARNING: this recorded call is for learning purposes only, do not use this as a bird call playback, you may be seriously attacked by the owl and other predators at night.

Click  HERE  to view the Brown Wood Owl which I digiscoped during the day time about a year ago.

A Gentle Reminder: Owl is currently threatened by illegal poaching for exotic meat market, click HERE to read the recent news report. Please free and save the owls. 

Happy Owling. Keep Watching, Keep Listening and Keep Exploring.
*Special thanks to Peggy and Connie Khoo for their help during the recording.

Red-headed Trogon in Fraser's Hill

(18 August, 2011) - I encountered two impressive species of Trogon during my trip to Fraser's Hill, the Orange-breasted and  Red-headed Trogon in Fraser's Hill. Due to the misty day, I only managed to digiscope the Red-headed Trogon.

Happy Birding.

World's Smallest Raptor in Fraser's Hill

(16 August, 2011) - Black-Thighed Falconet (Microhierax fringillarius) is the smallest raptor in the world, it can only be found in South-east Asia region of Peninsular Malaysia, Peninsular Thailand, Borneo, Sumatra and Java.

Only two raptor species I saw in Fraser's Hill in the month of "hungry ghost festival", the Blyth's Hawk Eagle and Black-Thighed Falconet. The Black-Thighed Falconet was the only raptor that I have a chance to digiscope. (click on the picture for enlarged view):

Black-Thighed Falconet

On my way back from Fraser's Hill, I also encountered two impressive raptor species, the Changeable Hawk Eagle and Crested Serpent Eagle.

Changeable Hawk Eagle

Crested Serpent Eagle

Happy Birding.

Verditer Flycatcher's ...

(17 August, 2011) - Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassina) has a beautiful turquoise-blue plumage, which is easily distinguished from other bluish Niltava and Blue Flycatcher, it is also one of the common flycatchers in Fraser's Hill. Here is my digiscoped picture of Verditer Flycatcher in Fraser's Hill recently:

Verditer Flycatcher 

After digiscoped the flycatcher, I scanned around with my naked eyes for any bird on the tree and the ground, suddenly, something stunning on the grass reflected the sunlight like a gem with stunning colour, I then approached the item and confirmed it was a tiny feather, a beautiful turquoise-blue feather. 

I cannot surely confirmed this tiny turquoise-blue feather is the feather of Verditer Flycatcher, but logically it should be, because I found this turquoise-blue feather at the same spot where I saw the flycatcher.

Photographed on Craig Robson's field guide, plate-92, to show how small the feather.

Thus, birding is not necessary only watching or observing the birds, sometimes you can find something interesting on the ground where the birds have perched or roosted.

Happy Birding!

Blue-eared Kingfisher in Ipoh

I'm currently on vacation back to my hometown in Penang, Malaysia. I spent 6 days (14-19 Aug.) in Fraser's Hill and Ipoh, mainly for birding and food tasting. Bird watching in Fraser's Hill at this time was really quiet, not many active birds can be seen. Although without a lifer during this birding trip to Fraser's Hill, I still had some interesting birding experiences which I will update in my blog later.

In Ipoh, I saw a female Blue-eared Kingfisher (Alcedo meninting) hiding in the shed of a small tree on the bank of the pond at Kek Lok Toong region. The blue colour plumage of the Blue-eared Kingfisher is really attractive and magnificent.

Here is the digiscoped picture of the kingfisher, hope you also like it, especially the beauty of the blue plumage. (click on the picture for enlarged view):

A female Blue-eared Kingfisher 

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is the most common kingfisher in Asia and Europe, in fact, it is an uncommon migratory bird in Malaysia. As compared to the Blue-eared Kingfisher, the Common Kingfisher has darker plumage and light blue on the back, whereas the Blue-eared Kingfisher has brilliant bluish plumage on the crown and the wings, and stunning light blue on the back.

A male Common Kingfisher, which I digiscoped in Singapore Botanic Gardens in 2009.

Question: Do you know how to distinguish the male and female of these Alcedo kingfishers?
Answer:  You can actually find out the answer from these two pictures.

Ulu Guar Birding Day Trip

Back to Penang, and will stay until 18 of Feb, 2011. It has been about 6 months I didn't update my blog, so, here is the bird pictures which I digiscoped during the birding day trip to Ulu Guar on 7 Sept. 2010, it was my last birding trip in Malaysia in 2010, with a lifer Yellow-crowned Barbet.


Here are some of my digiscoped pictures on that day, hope you like it.

Red-throated Barbet

Asian Fairy Bluebird

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher

Black and Yellow Broadbill

Whiskered Treeswift

Crested Serpent Eagle

Happy Lunar New Year, 新年快樂.

Brown Hawk Owl in Penang.

A Brown Hawk Owl that I digiscoped tonight in Penang on 4 Sept. 2010.

Visit The Owl Pages to learn more about owls, or follow the links below to view the owls posted in this blog:

- Owls that I spotted in Penang

- Brown Wood Owls in Fraser's Hill

- Buffy Fish Owl in Sepilok, Sabah.

Many thanks to Terence, Eileen, Bee Cheng and Alan for the wonderful owling. Happy Owling.

Taman Negara, S.R.

I spent 5 days of birding at the national park, Taman Negara Sungai Relau, from 16th to 20th August, and we have more than 100 birds sighted. Click HERE to find out more about Taman Negara, one of the best birding sites in Peninsular Malaysia.

The only lifer I have in this trip was the Buff-rumped Woodpecker. I missed my wanted lifers, Maroon Woodpecker and Banded Pitta, heard the Pitta called, but couldn't see it.

Buff-rumped Woodpecker (female)

The most memorable birds I spotted and digiscoped were the Scarlet-rumped Trogon, Rhinoceros Hornbills and Black Hornbills. Trogon is a crepuscular bird, usually active in the morning at dawn.

Scarlet-rumped Trogon (front view)

Scarlet-rumped Trogon (back view)

Black Hornbill (a family with two juveniles)

Black Hornbill (male adult and juvenile)

Black Hornbill (female)

Rhinoceros Hornbill

Last but not least, I would like to share a digiscoped picture of the peak of Gunung Tahan (Tahan Mountain), the highest mountain in Peninsular Malaysia, which can be easily viewed from the viewing tower of Bukit Seraya.

Gunung Tahan

Happy Birding.

Nature's Gem: The Banded Bay Cuckoo

I'm delighted to see one of my digiscoped Banded Bay Cuckoo pictures is currently published in MNS (Malaysian Nature Society) newsletter, August 2010. You can download a copy of the newsletter from HERE.

Cuckoo is one of the unique birds in Malaysia due to its brood-parasitism. Click HERE if you would like to learn more about Cuckoo, and view my other digiscoped pictures of Banded Bay Cuckoo and Plaintive Cuckoo, or click HERE to view the Little Bronze Cuckoo, one of the world's smallest cuckoo. 

Watch this video to learn more about Cuckoo:

Thanks to Peggy for writing this article, and Connie for the wonderful guided birding trip in Ipoh and the bird identification.

Bee-eaters in Penang

There are four species of Bee-eaters in Malaysia and three are common in Penang, a resident Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti), and two migratory species, namely the Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) and Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis).

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, the icon bird of Penang, is the most common resident species in the state, it can be sighted in Penang Botanic Gardens, Kek Lok Si Temple and many forested areas in Penang island. It has chestnut head, pale yellow throat, and tail without elongated central feathers.

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater in Penang

Blue-tailed Bee-eater is the most common migratory bee-eater in Penang, and usually appear in Penang from  August until March, approximately. The bird can be spotted in the open areas and paddy fields in Seberang Perai and Balik Pulau. It has very distinctive blue on its tail and eye brow, with bronze-green head. This species is also exist in Taiwan and the Philippines.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater in paddy field, Seberang Perai.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater is the only migratory bird which I can see through the windows from my bedroom. Last year, there were six of them visited my neighbourhood. I'm very grateful to have them as my "bio" alarm clock, I'm waiting for them to visit me again in this coming migratory bird season.

One of the Blue-tailed Bee-eaters on the Yagi-Uda Antenna

Blue-throated Bee-eaters usually appear in April until August, the period after the Blue-tailed Bee-eaters have migrated to the north. It has very distinctive blue on its throat and dark chestnut head.

Blue-throated Bee-eater in Bukit Juru

The popular spot for these migratory birds is in Bukit Juru, Juru. I hope that Bukit Juru will be protected and reserved as one of the green lungs in Seberang Perai.

Closer look of the bird and the dragonfly

Bee-eaters are the important indicator to the healthy environment and ecology, their food sources are mainly insects, which include the dragonflies, bees and wasps. In fact, these birds could not be sighted along the one of the filthiest rivers in Malaysia, the Sungai Pinang in Penang, it is because the river is unable to sustain any life form, including the dragonflies and other food sources for the birds. I wish the authority will be able to rehabilitate the river until it could sustain the life form that eventually attract the birds.

However, Penang will enforce a ban on polystyrene starting 1st of Jan 2011, and the usage of plastic bag will eventually be charged in every department store and shopping mall in the state. Click on this LINK to find out more on what can you help to stop or reduce the plastic pollution. No More Plastic Bags Please!

see... we still have turtle crossing our beach in Penang.

Let's help to save the habitats of these colorful birds by stop polluting our rivers and wetlands, and wish they will live and re-visit Penang forever. Click on this LINK if you would like to find out where to watch these birds in Penang. 

Happy birding.

Silvery Birds of Fraser's Hill

Silver has long been valued as a precious metal, which is used to make ornaments, jewelry, currency coin and etc. Will the silvery plumage make the bird more valuable? definitely not, but silvery plumage on the bird can make them the elegant and unique birds. There are two species of birds in Fraser's Hill which have the silvery plumage, namely the Silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris) and Silver-breasted Broadbill (Serilophus lunatus).

Silver-eared Mesia  is one of the common birds and also the icon bird of Fraser's Hill. It has silvery ear-coverts, yellow forehead, throat and breast, black head, greyish wing-coverts and scapulars, reddish wing-patch or tail coverts. They are social song birds that always follow the bird wave.

Front views (click on the picture for enlarged view)

side and top views

back and bottom view

Silver-breasted Broadbill  is one of the rare broadbills in Fraser's Hill, they are usually in pairs. This species of Broadbill has an elegant white necklace and silvery breast, black supercilium, black and blue wings, brownish rump, and black tail.

front view (male)

side views, female has less blue on wings and whitish necklace.

Silver-breasted Broadbill (female) consuming a small tarantula...

Hope you like these silvery birds of Fraser's Hill, do not miss them when you visit Fraser's Hill.

Click HERE to read my other blog postings about birding in Fraser's Hill.

Have a happy birding.

Slaty-backed Forktail in Fraser's Hill

Slaty-backed Forktail (Enicurus schistaceus) is the only montane species of forktail in Peninsular Malaysia. I had been trying to digiscope this forktail since last year in Cameron Highlands, but it's a difficult task, because forktail usually won't stay still in one position, and its white feathers also further increase the difficulty for a camera to capture the image.

Adult Slaty-backed Forktail in Cameron Highlands

I was lucky to spot a Slaty-backed Forktail swallowing a small snake in Fraser's Hill. Due to the weight of the snake, the forktail couldn't move easily, it has to swallow at least three quarter of the snake before take off. Therefore, it's the best moment for me to digiscope the forktail in many views with minimum movement.

Let's take a closer look and have a good study of the bird:

front view

side views, right and left.

top and back view...  unfortunately, no bottom view.

I noticed that it has greyish flecks on the throat and breast, and whitout white on forehead. Whereas, most bird books describe the juvenile as brownish rather than black and grey. So, I believe this forktail could be an immature.

Hope you could gain some knowledge about this elegant bird from this blog posting. Click HERE to read my other postings about birding in Fraser's Hill.

Have a happy birding, digiscoping and digisniping.