One of the puzzles we will be trying to solve is whether the two species overlap in terms of elevation (Blue has never conclusively been identified above the Montane Ecotone) and habitat; another is to try to establish reliable field criteria by which the two species may be distinguished, and a third is to get some idea of the status and distribution of each taxon.
A typical view of a whistling-thrush! In montane areas, where both species could occur, and where most views are brief and in the poor light of dawn or dusk, identifying the species involved is a challenge!
We'll be visiting four locations to attempt to trap and colour band whistling thrushes - two lowland (Perlis and Ipoh) and two montane (Cameron Highlands and Fraser's Hill).
We'd really appreciate any reports of whistling thrushes in West Malaysia, especially in montane areas. We'd like information on: location (GPS coordinates and elevation if known); habitat and which species is involved. Look out for colour bands, as we hope to be catching and banding more birds over the coming 8 months. Please note the colour and which leg the bands are on. Please send your information to: digdeep1962ATyahoo.com (substitute '@' for 'AT')
Our first field trip was to Cameron Highlands, home of cream teas and strawberries, and now increasingly polluted by overuse of fertilizers and pesticides. This is a view of the Pallas Boh tea plantation.
Setting up nets over mountain streams that quickly turn to raging torrents after rain is no simple feat, and I was extremely grateful to have the expert assistance of a team from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) - Dr Shahrul, Encik Yusof, Suhaimi and Am.
All birds caught were carefully weighed and measured before being released.
Some of the species we caught were:
A stunningly attractive vireo-like Black-eared Shrike-Babbler (male).
The surprisingly strong-billed Grey-throated Babbler.
A couple of female Large Niltavas.
Quite a few Lesser Shortwings. This is an adult male.
Here's a subadult female.
And a subadult male. These tiny birds have amazingly long legs - I never realized before that Lesser Shortwings have longer legs than Stripe-throated and Mountain Bulbuls (which weigh twice as much!).
White-tailed Robin was our most frequently-trapped species. Interestingly, all but three of the 15 birds caught were adult males like this one. We weren't sure whether this was because females were on nests (unlikely as we saw plenty in the field), or because males possibly engaged in territorial defense were more likely to get caught than more sedentary females.
Sexes are quite distinct even in juveniles - here's a young male.
We caught about four Silver-eared Mesias. This was the only female.
A Malaysian (Chestnut-crowned) Laughingthrush.
A new mammal species for all of us was this Kloss's Mole. Unfortunately this individual was found dead.
We almost saw a live one when we noticed this female White-tailed Robin observing a patch of ground intently. When we did the same, we noticed vigorous earth movement, indicating that a mole was active just below the surface.
This particular female was very curious about us too, and became habituated to us during the course of the day, approaching very closely and reminding me of the behaviour of European Robins.
Malaysian Hill Partridges were very vocal and seemed common. We saw a pair with a very young chick one day and a party of nine birds (including the one above) the following day. They took it in turns to run across the road, giving me plenty of time to aim my camera at the requisite spot!
A female Black-eared Shrike-Babbler - another commonly seen species.
A pair of Little Pied Flycatchers were holding territory around where we set up our banding station.
Mountain Leaf Warblers were common but difficult to catch on camera!
We caught one Snowy-browed Flycatcher, and they really are miniscule - the bird weighed less than 8g!
We were fortunate to spot a juvenile Sunda Cuckoo (the small resident race of what was formerly called Oriental Cuckoo).
It was being fed by its brood-host, a Yellow-breasted Warbler. Wells postulated that this species probably functions as brood-host above the altitudunal limit of Chestnut-crowned Warbler, but this is the first time (in West Malaysia at least) that this speculation has been proven correct.
The identity of this young bird was a mystery till its parent turned up - it's a juvenile Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo.
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