12th August 2010: Think like a wader Part 2!

Today was the second day in a row with a 3m hide tide, so I decided to survey the possible wader roost sites south of the port.

Last month I had found several potential sites which might be suitable as wader roosts, so now it was time to see whether the birds agreed with my assessment!

First stop was the prawn ponds south of Pulau Burung. There are a number of newly created ponds which are still empty, but they were also empty of birds!

Next I checked the landfill at Pulau Burung itself. The top of the disused landfill area is now a plateau covered with red earth and some rainwater pools. It looked perfect as a wader roost...







This place is crowded with roosting Savanna Nightjars, and it's impossible to walk across it without disturbing half a dozen or more.



Somewhere I also crossed an invisible line into a pair of Black-winged Stilts' territory, and was told in no uncertain terms to clear off!

Apart from these and a few Wood Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plovers and resident Red-wattled Lapwings, however, there were no waders.

Next stop, Batu Kawan. There's a canal and an area of cleared back-mangroves which runs for several kilometers along the coast here. The trouble is that it is so extensive that birds are widely scattered over it and so only small numbers are visible in any one scan. Initially I bypassed this area, heading for a large area of recently cleared land which will soon become the approach road for the second Penang Bridge. Again, it looks perfect (to me!) for waders - wide open space and lots of freshwater pools - but no birds except a few Black-winged Stilts.

So back I went to the canal, and, thanks to the exceptional height of the tide, most of the area was underwater, concentrating the waders on a few islands still above the water-line.



Space at a premium!

There weren't that many birds - perhaps 400 or so - which bore out my theory that there aren't many rich feeding areas this side of the port. Still, among the Redshanks and other waders, I did spy a lone adult Asian Dowitcher.







The pics aren't great due to the phenomenal heat haze.

Last stop of the day was the paddyfields at Kampung Permatang Nibong. I was hoping to see the 5 Asian Openbills that have recently returned there, but there was no sign of them.



But what's this flying over at great height? A duck? A goose??



Or just an adventurous Watercock! You don't normally see them flying this high up!



A Cinnamon Bittern against a peachy sunset to end the day.

6th August 2010: Batu Kawan, mainland Penang

Quiz question: How many species are depicted here?

Answer - well just one actually!

Common species can be just as fascinating as rare ones if you get the chance to look at them carefully, as I did today! I went looking for waders at Batu Kawan. I managed to see a few Redshanks, Lesser Sand Plovers, Pacific Golden Plovers and Curlew Sandpipers, but nothing within photographic range. As I was driving along a dirt track I came across a puddle surrounded by Chestnut Munias.



Next to the track and the puddle was a disused guard hut, with a small hole in the side - a ready-made hide! I couldn't resist this opportunity, so settled down in my luxurious hide to await the birds. I was quite amazed by the variation in plumage of the juvenile Chestnut Munias.



I take this(1 in the montage above)to be a very young juvenile, judging by the gape flange, dark colouration of the bill and fresh plumage.



This one (6) also looks very young (dark bill, fresh plumage), but it is already starting to gain a few black adult-type head feathers. It's much less chestnut above and below than (1). It has a noticeable hooded effect (a shadow of the adult black head pattern).



This bird (7) (on the right) has already developed a pale blue adult-type bill colouration. It has black lores and chin, but oddly, seems to have some chestnut feathers on the throat (where the adult is black!).



This one (5) is different again! Very chestnut all over, with dark lores, pale chin and quite a lot of black head feathers coming through, yet without the blue-coloured bill.



This bird (2) has a dark head but no obvious adult head feathers yet. I can't explain its whitish underparts either!



This one (3) is in wing moult - the greater coverts are in pin (still growing out of their feather sheaths), and was rather cold brown.



This bird (4) is more advanced in moult into adult plumage. Perhaps the overall paleness of the old juvenile feathers is due to wear or bleaching, especially the rump and tail?







Birds moulting into adult plumage were no less variable!





A couple of adults to complete the 'set'!



Birds were coming to drink and bathe.









Bathing was more fun!






















Excuse me - we're getting wet here!



























Eventually some Scaly-breasted Munias arrived.



Both adults and juveniles have a bi-coloured bill - dark upper mandible and blue lower.





It's amazing how few images I have of really common species, so it was good to snap some of Spotted (upper) and Zebra Doves.





The eyes have it!

26th January 2010: Kubang Semang, mainland Penang

I don't think I've seen rain this year ... till today! I decided to finish work early and skip across to the mainland for the last few hours of the day. There were some grey clouds around but that's not unusual, and they usually don't produce rain. But today, the moment I arrived at my destination, the heavens opened! I couldn't help smiling at God's sense of humour!

It rained and rained for about 2 hours. What to do in the pouring rain? Well, luckily I found a dried out patch of mud, which rapidly became a puddle, then a pool, with a bunch of snipes feeding, and then bathing in it. Using my car as a hide, I was able to watch and stay reasonably dry.

There were at least two species - Swinhoe's and Common - and by watching them preen, bathe and skirmish with each other and some Wood Sandpipers, I was able to see the tail feathers on three birds.



The light was awful, and this was taken at half a second inside a car being buffeted by the wind and rain. I didn't get too many sharp shots! Instead, I took lots of video, which was useful to check the tail when momentarily fanned. I'll include a few grabs from the videos, since Youtube isn't accepting my uploads at the moment.

So this one is either a Swinhoe's or Pintail. This pair can be differentiated from Common Snipe by:

- the lower row of scapulars having a thin buff fringe on both the outer and inner webs of the feathers

- the background colour of the scapulars being quite brown, rather than blackish

- the wing coverts (especially the medians) being well barred buff and dark before the whitish tip

- the bland face pattern, lacking a strong cheek bar

- the bulging supercilium in front of the eye

Between Pintail and Swinhoe's it's practically impossible to be certain without a good view of the outer tail feathers, but the thick-based, rather long bill, the eye set well back in the head, and the rather thick, yellowish legs are all pro-Swinhoe's characteristics. On the other hand, the very short tail projection beyond the tertials favours Pintail.



Here's a Common Snipe for comparison. Subtle differences from Swinhoe's/Pintail are:

- lower scapulars are broadly fringed buff on the outer webs only

- the background colour of the scapulars, mantle and lateral crown stripes is blacker than Swinhoe's/Pintail, making the bird look more contrasty

- the wing coverts are rather plain and dark, except for the strongly contrasting white tips

- a strong face pattern, with prominent pale and dark cheek bars

- Supercilium doesn't obviously bulge in front of the eye

- Bill is very long and rather slender, not especially thick at base.



If you are lucky to catch them even half-raising their wings, the axillaries are another useful clue. On Swinhoe's/Pintail, the black bars are about the same thickness as the white bars...



Whereas, on Common, the black bars are much narrower.



If they lift their wings even further, identification between Common and Swinhoe's/Pintal is easy - Common has a largely plain underwing, whereas on Swinhoe's/Pintail, it's evenly barred.

Snipes characteristically fan their tails when performing a threat display, and since they're quite aggressive, it's well worth spending some time watching them.



Common Snipe's tail is very obviously orange with a broad white tip. The outer tail feathers are similar in width to the central ones. Here it is exposed but not spread.



And here it is in full threat mode.



Even when completely closed, the white tip of Common's tail can be quite obvious at times.

Getting a decent view of the tail is critical to separating Swinhoe's and Pintail with certainty.



















I got lucky with this one when it gave a threat display to a nearby Wood Sandpiper. It's the shape of the outer pairs of feather that you need to see well. On Swinhoe's each pair of feathers is successively narrower toward the outer edge of the tail, with only the outermost being very narrow. On Pintail, the outer six or so pairs of feathers are pin-like - hence the name. So this is a definite Swinhoe's.



Here's the same bird, unfortunately against what little light there was.



I think this is almost certainly Swinhoe's too, though the videograb doesn't let me see the shape of the outer tail feathers clearly. At least, they don't appear pin-like.



The same bird, typically much more buffy than Common, with well-barred coverts and a bland face pattern.

At last the rain stopped, and although it was too dark for bird photography, I was quite pleased with these scenic views.









Despite the rain I managed to see a number of interesting birds - an Eastern Stonechat, 6 Watercocks, a Greater Spotted Eagle, a pair of Greater Painted-snipes, oh - and this...



If you think you know what it is, let me know (I know what it is!).