Not so ordinary garden birds...

 

My birding endeavours take me to all kinds of locations ranging from spectacular mountain tops and lush tropical rainforests to bleak coastal mudflats. However, there is one type of habitat that I will try to avoid and that is habitats with humans. Wherever there are humans, there will usually be situations. Situations that I can do without when I am enjoying my birding. I guess there is some truth when some consider me to be somewhat anti-social but I will not be losing any sleep over that. Before I carried away with this, I better get back to the birds. That is what this blog is all about after all. A quiet neighbourhood in the outskirts of Taiping became the centre of attention when the presence of Common Hoopoes was discovered. This enigmatic species is still considered rare here in Peninsular Malaysia with irregular records throughout the years. I have personally recorded this species as far back as 2003 and it is not new to me. But at this particular location, it appears to be thriving and that is good enough a reason for a visit.

With my companions Hor Kee and Rodney, we arrived at our destination just after dawn. The first bird that caught my attention was a Crested Goshawk surveying its domain from a lofty perch. This stunning raptor was a great way to start off the day and I began to develop a good feeling about this modest location.

A pair of Oriental Pied Hornbills compounded the feeling as they wandered about the housing area. No matter how many times I have recorded this species living alongside humans, it still evokes the same amount of excitement.

I guess the same can be said about Lineated Barbets but on a lesser scale. Well, very few things in life can rival the awe of hornbills and that is the brutal truth. From the look of things, the barbets have also found sanctuary here and the population is set to increase.

A lone Asian Openbill casually foraging within a house compound certainly took me by surprise. There is no doubt this species has come a long way since when they first started to colonize Peninsular Malaysia back in 2010. But this cool fellow is taking it to a whole new level.

Pink-necked Pigeons occur even in my own home compound and I would find it odd if I do not come across them here. Here is a male feeling a little dismay that the lighting condition and my photographic effort did not do much justice to his true appeal.

Another common species of built-up areas is the Asian Glossy Starlings. Electrical cables are predominant in any housing area and birds have a tendency to use them as perches. For birders, this behaviour eases our main mission in life which is to find and observe.

For a bird photographer, these man-made perches hold little value for their photographic effort. This applies to even a striking species like the Blue-throated Bee-eater. In my eyes (and the bird’s), the cable is a strategic point for it to launch aerial assaults on flying insects. If it good enough for the bird, it is good enough for my camera.

The Red-whiskered Bulbul is a species you do not get to see in a lot of neighbourhoods. So, it was heartening to see one here. There is a possibility of escapees for the beautiful bird as it is a popular cage bird. Either way it will not cause any major scientific impact if I get the status wrong for this individual.

I stated earlier birds on cables are more conspicuous and to proof my point, that is how we got our first Common Hoopoe of the day. This may be normal sight in neighbouring countries like Thailand but in my own, it will take some getting used to.

Eventually, we managed to locate a flock of at least five birds consisting of adults and sub-adults as feeding still took place within the flock. During my documentation of the birds, I could not really tell any differences between the birds. All of them were striking and charismatic.

When I scrutinized my photographs back home, I noticed that all the birds I shot had slightly shorter bills. Only then did I realize that maybe both the adult birds managed to evade my photographic efforts.  

The discomfort of a “human-habitat” started to take its toll and we shifted to the second destination of the trip which is the foothills of Bukit Larut. Soon after our arrival, we were greeted by the diagnostic territorial call of the Banded Broadbill. It took a little effort but the result was rewarding. Often hidden by the cover of the forest canopy, a good view like this is a real godsend to me.

I could not believe it when another broadbill species decided to show well after the first encounter. The Black-and-yellow Broadbill can be confiding at times but the individual today has surpassed that point.

The full black collar indicated that it was a male bird and that feature is only the difference between the sexes. He is a truly exquisite creature of the forest.

A few fruiting trees in the vicinity were in season and they attracted the usual groups of bulbuls. Among them was a female Blue-winged Leafbird and she was the only that managed to find her way into my memory card.

The Verditer Flycatcher is a species that I have not seen for a long while now. When one decided to hawk for insects nearby, I was elated. It may be the duller female but the prolonged encounter was fair compensation.

I know I always lament how frustrating forest birding can be but apparently, not today. Another female bird provided a memorable encounter and she was a Raffles’s Malkoha. Initially she played hard to get, typical of most desirable ladies. On a more serious note, malkohas are usually difficult subject for photography and the Raffles’s Malkoha is no different. But the good girl performed unexpectedly well in the end and made every birder present fell head over heels for her.

Here is one final image of the alluring Raffles’s Malkoha to wrap things up this time. The foothills of a colonial hill station and a surprisingly birdy neighbourhood certainly rose up to the occasion and provided ample material for another entry to my birding blog.

This is what I call forest birding.

Early morning is the best time for any forest birding excursion. As we made our way at first light into Kaeng Krachan National Park (KKCNP) for the first time, we were greeted by an array of calls and that is always a good sign.

When we approached the mid-way point, heavy wing beats echoed along the forest canopy followed by persistent yelping. It could only mean one species – hornbills. Since the vocalization was foreign to me, another lifer was making its way into my global life list and it turned out to be a flock of Rusty-cheeked Hornbills. I had to crank my neck to admire the unusual colouration of this species and the photographs obtained were good enough to me given the shooting conditions of the encounter.

One has to rely heavily on calls when it comes to birding in the forest and I tried to my best not to let familiar call distract me from building up my checklist for the day. Unless the call belonged to a pair of Banded Kingfishers. This is one species I will stop for no matter how far I am away from home. It appeared that Lady Luck has not abandoned us yet and the handsome male revealed his vivid plumage along the middle storey of the forest.

His mate took a longer time before we could lay eyes on her sultry beauty. The Banded Kingfisher is one of the few birds that despite of sexual dimorphism, the sexes are equally attractive. And she even outperformed her mate on this sunny morning.

The rather distinct territorial call of the Asian Barred Owlet was heard in the vicinity for a prolonged period of time. Eventually, it was spotted by our guide vocalizing for the topmost part of the forest and the outcome of the encounter left much to be yearned for.

Arjin has been exceptional throughout the trip. Not only for providing the targets and lifers but for all the other arrangements that made our birding adventure in central Thailand so enjoyable.

If you come across a congregation of birders anywhere in the park, you should join them because there must be something noteworthy present. Our guide practices this strategy and we were rewarded with a pair of Blue-bearded Bee-eaters.

The pair was perched quite high up with the sun behind them as they hunted and courted oblivious to the crowd below. I am grateful for the good and prolonged views. I just wish I could say the same about the photographic opportunities.

While observing the Blue-bearded Bee-eater, a silhouette of what appeared to a Myna alighted on branch below the lovebirds. Earlier on, I casually asked our guide what are my chances of a Golden-crested Myna in KKCNP. It all depends on luck was all he had to say. Then this must be my lucky day. It was a brief encounter – much to my dismay. Because it is one of the birds I really hoped to see during this trip.

I am not sure if anyone else managed to see the Myna. I did shout out the identification when I was certain I was not hallucinating. It was another hot day after all. Anyway, shortly after my lifer flew away, someone spotted a male Orange-breasted Trogon and to my surprise he was resting quite confidingly just above eye level.

When the words Barred Asian Owlet echoed across the vicinity, it caused those present to rush over to the direction of the latest attraction. Normally, you do not get second chances in forest birding. But then again, there is hardly anything normal about this incredible birding location so far.

When the dust settled, we broke off from the congregation and continued to explore the park on our own. Our second Orange-breasted Trogon of the day was a female and she outperformed the earlier male significantly.

I cannot recall any of the Orange-breasted Trogons back home ever being so obliging and we showered her with the love and affection she deserves. That’s a good girl...

Females led the way from then and next in line was a Silver-breasted Broadbill but she was just a little too far to evoke the same level of emotions.

The same goes to this female Asian Emerald Cuckoo foraging along the canopy level.

I have always been a birder who photographs rather than vice versa. And when Arjin found a pair of White-fronted Scops-Owls roosting partially hidden among the thickets, I was still overwhelmed. It did not matter that the photo was awful. What did matter was it was not overlooked and this species is finally a full tick in my life list. The closest I have ever been to this beautiful and scarce night bird were the trees they were vocalizing in during night excursions. And a daytime sighting like this, almost had me in tears.

We explored the upper reaches of the park on our second visit. The dawn chorus was amazing as excepted. In terms of birding, I was not disappointed as I managed to obtain additional lifers like the Black-throated Laughingthrush, Coral-billed Scimitar-Babbler and Blue-throated Barbet. However, good photographic opportunities were sorely absent. Long-tailed Broadbills appear to be thriving in this location and I managed to obtain some record shots of this stunning bird.

Flowering bamboo can sometimes attract the nomadic Pin-tailed Parrotfinches as these striking birds have a taste for the flowers. On this occasion, it was difficult just to observe the birds through my bins, let alone photograph. And with no possibilities of improvement shots, we carried on our exploration of this birding haven.

We came across an exceptionally tame Black Giant Squirrel by Malaysian standards during our time here and it also appeared to be feeding in a clump of bamboo. This might explain its bold behaviour but unfortunately, the dense vegetation prevented any better shots to be obtained.

I could not help but to notice signboards erected on certain stretches of the access road cautioning driving visitors to be mindful of butterflies. And based on the big number of butterflies along the sides of the road, it is a just action taken by the park authorities. Non-birding visitors are certainly drawn to these congregations of colours and grace. I guess the butterflies are very much one of the main attractions of KKCNP.

A flock of Scarlet Minivets flitting about the forest canopy is a sight to behold especially the striking males. I briefly followed the movements of one such flock and was rewarded when one of males wandered lower down allowing me to obtain some decent shots of his vibrant plumage.

Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoos often show confiding behaviour and this individual was no exception. Perched on an open branch along the forest edge, it helped contributed to the overall success of our excursions here.

Ashy Woodswallows are usually present near the entrance of the park perched on the overhead electric cables. The lighting at the time of this encounter was quite favourable and the images of these graceful aerial hunters turned out better than I expected.

Behavioural shots are often what bird photographers aim for. However, I am usually happy if I happened to get a sharp shot of a bird doing nothing. When the opportunity does present itself, the sense of achievement can be ecstatic like this food-in-mouth shot.

Below the hunting Woodswallows, another species was also busy foraging. Unlike the former, the Grey-breasted Prinias rarely stay put and the strains of grass of their undergrowth home further hindered my photographic efforts. But they showed enough character to win me over in the end and wrap things up for this post.

Checklist of birds recorded at Kaeng Krachan National Park:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S307861287

https://ebird.org/checklist/S307862775

https://ebird.org/checklist/S307867792

https://ebird.org/checklist/S307868679 

https://ebird.org/checklist/S307869350