Monday, August 10, 2009

10th August 2009: Where are the waders?

I did a wader count today. Or, to put it another way, I counted a wader today!

By 5th August last year there were seven species of wader at Tanjung Tokong; the previous year there were five species by 11th August; today there was just one - a lone Whimbrel.

Moving across to the mainland, I visited Bagan Belat as the tide was rising and did another count: Gull and terns 0; herons and egrets 0; waders 0; other birds 0!

Same story at the rice fields at Penaga, except for a couple of resident Cinnamon Bitterns and three Purple Herons flying over.

On to Kubang Semang, where, despite a fair bit of promising habitat there were only the resident Black-winged Stilt flock, a few Little Egrets and a solitary Little Ringed Plover.



Oh look - a bird!

In the last week or so we've been having frequent torrential rain - the outer margins of Typhoon Morakot, which has been battering the Philippines, Taiwan and the East China coastline. My guess is that that's why there are no birds yet - they're hunkered down somewhere waiting for the storm to blow over before flying south.

2 comments:

  1. Hi David!

    So the waders are supposed to be back soon?? I always thought they would arrive somewhere in november.

    Not a big count.. 1 bird!

    Maybe we happen to see you again soon! I will be back in Malaysia from september until december (together with Minke again), this time in Gerik.. to do a study on possibilities for an ecological corridor between Belum and Temengor. Is there a chance we see you over there as well? The area seems to be invested with hornbills, are you planning to join the MNS hornbill countings in Belum?

    Regards

    Erwin

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  2. Hi Erwin

    It would be good to meet up with you guys when you are in Gerik. Give me a call when you arrive!

    Dave

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