26 - 30 March 2012: Sungai Johor

This was a working visit to the southernmost state of Peninsular Malaysia, but I was very much hoping to be able to pick up a couple of Pen Mal ticks along the way - Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeon and Great-billed Heron.

My work required a couple of days doing boat surveys of the Sungai Johor and its tributaries - still in the main remarkably intact and good quality mangrove forest.
















Plenty of Mangrove Pittas here!










































We disturbed two Ospreys as they rested on kelong poles. This one shows not much of a necklace so is likely a male.



















The dark neck markings on this bird suggest a female.




















White-bellied Sea-eagles were numerous, and moderately approachable by boat.












We came across a small group of roosting Great Crested Terns, with a single Lesser (left) among them.
































Apart from the obvious size difference and in the proportions and colour of the bill, it was interesting to notice that the Lesser appeared to have longer legs. However, at least in this light, the supposed difference in tone of grey of the upperparts was difficult to discern.

















A first-year Greater.
















The same Lesser, showing a marked difference in leg length and thickness.






























 





There was no shortage of Grey Herons!







































And finally, we found the big one - a juvenile Great-billed Heron - a Peninsular Malaysia lifer!

No green pigeons except the familiar Pink-necked this trip, but I was happy to have got this rather restricted-range heron (in West Malaysia) in the bag; the pigeons can wait!

























Surprise of the trip was this Calotes versicolor - Garden Fence Lizard. Usually a rather drab and unassuming brown colour, this guy was definitely pumped up about something - probably another male which I couldn't see. Very impressive!

16th March 2011: Tanjung Tuan, Melaka

After yesterday's bonanza, another relatively quiet day today.



A few more of the locals. This is the scruffier of a pair of Brahminy Kites. It seems to have only two tail feathers left!



An always regal-looking White-bellied Sea-eagle. This male regularly hunted in the sea below us, catching fish and a sea-snake.



He was kept busy by two growing youngsters in this nest, viewable from behind the lighthouse. This pic was digiscoped; the nest was a good kilometer distant.





I had been hoping to see and photograph a few other diurnal migrants during our time here, but was surprised at how scarce these appeared to be. Barn Swallows came across in one and twos, and very occasionally, we would get small numbers of Fork-tailed Swifts coming 'in off'. I spotted this one while it was well out to sea, ran to get my camera, ran back, and managed to find it again just as it whizzed overhead, so was quite pleased to get 2 out of 4 shots reasonably sharp! In fact, this last pic was probably my 'Pic of the Trip'!



This female Osprey was the second in our few days (I missed the first one!). This one thermalled up to join a flock of Black Bazas flying high overhead.

Not so many OHBs today. Here are three which passed close.





A female, I think.



In this view, you can see how dense and small the feathers are on the face - to protect the bird from bee stings when it goes after honey. You can also see a strand of saliva in its open bill! The scale-like feathering gives them a reptilian appearance!



Another female, with a finely streaked breast.





A juvenile to finish off with, with dusky secondaries, and very clearcut black outer primary tips.

5-6th February: north-west Kelantan

A group of us from Penang set off on an exploratory trip to some rarely-visited Kelantan wetlands - To' Uban and Empangan Bukit Kwong (see map), in the wild hope of finding some long-lost rarity! Our imaginations had been fired up by Tony Sebastian's reports of vultures, dabbling ducks and pelicans in the early 90s.



It took us a couple of hours of driving till we finally located this beautiful lake, set deep in rural Kelantan.



There is a stunning white mosque known as Masjid Brunei on the shore.



We eventually found our way to it. It was just as impressive close-up as it had been from a distance!



We were unable to find a boatman so were reduced to scanning the many good-looking areas for waterbirds from the shore. A male Pheasant-tailed Jacana flew into the vegetation opposite and was lost to view, leaving us wondering what else might be in there. Definitely a place worth revisiting next winter.



A roadside pair of Indian Rollers caused an unscheduled pit-stop at Tok Bali.



A Black-naped Oriole shared the same tree. Judging from the width of the yellow at the tip of the tail, I think this is a male, and the restricted yellow on the tertials and secondaries reveal that it is a one of the resident 'maculatus' race.



A Grey-faced Buzzard flew by. I hope to get better shots of this species next week at Raptor Watch, Port Dickson!



Empangan Bukit Kwong is a man-made reservoir right on the Thai border.



We were surprised to see Javan Mynas were common in the area.





As were White-vented or Great Mynas. The origins of these birds are debatable, but they have certainly established a viable presence there.



A mixed flock of Jungle, White-vented and Javan Mynas!



A number of Pintail/Swinhoe's Snipes were feeding in the same area.



Master of disguise! Spot the snipe.



Easier now?

Our plans were hastily rescheduled when we met a boatman who gave us a description of 7-8 birds he sees on the lake daily which closely matched Oriental Darter! Unfortunately he wasn't free to take us out, but we found another boatman who was willing, though he himself had not seen the birds.



Scanning hard!



A wary Common Kingfisher watched us pass.



As did this Chinese Pond-heron.



New life!







This Osprey allowed us to approach fairly closely.





Before deciding to move elsewhere. No darters this time, but again, another place certainly worth revisiting.







A late afternoon visit to Pergau Dam on our way back home yielded a few good birds - Long-tailed and Dusky Broadbills, White-crowned Hornbills and Himalayan Swiftlet, but it was this impressive Rhinoceros Beetle which attracted the cameras!