10 - 13th March 2012: Raptor Watch, Tanjung Tuan

Compared to last year, this year's pilgrimage was a decidedly low key affair. The weather conditions conspired against getting many good photos, so, for a better idea of the event and its birds, have a browse through 12-13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th March 2011.



On the 10th, the entire day produced only 17 Grey-faced Buzzards, including this juvenile.



We were glad of the opportunity to watch any bird that would show itself, such as this immature Black-naped Oriole...



...and a Blue-throated Bee-eater.



After a while, even these disappeared, so we resorted to looking at pictures of raptors...






















...And people HOPING to get pictures of raptors!

Thankfully, the 11th was a lot better! We counted over 5,300 Oriental Honey-buzzards, though wind and lighting conditions were still not in favour of the photographers!









The best of a bad bunch - a male, two females and a juv. I got much better pics last year!

The star of the day was a dark morph Booted Eagle.





The pictures would have been a lot better if I hadn't had the camera on the wrong settings! Still - it happens, and there will be others...



This Barn Swallow seemed to think it was hilarious!

The 12th was a new low - just one OHB all day, but fortunately, we had made the decision not to sit at the lighthouse. Instead we had a lazy day in the garden and by the beach, when I trained my camera on some of the common birds I usually overlook.









Asian Glossy Starling, Brown Shrike, Spotted Dove and Yellow-vented Bulbul, all taken with coffee in John and Ting Howes' front garden!





A pair of Oriental Magpie-robins coming to take scraps as we lunched at the Yacht Club!



At dusk we went to check out a green-pigeon roost hoping for Orange-breasted. No luck, but we did observe this male Pink-necked apparently eating mud from the foreshore - can anyone explain it? Perhaps taking mineral supplements?





A female Pink-necked Green-pigeon preparing to roost in Rhizophora.

So that was it for Raptor Watch this year. We were fortunate to have one 'big day', and it made us realize what exceptional fortune we'd had last year!

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.

15th March 2011: Tanjung Tuan, Melaka

Today was the day we were hoping for yesterday!





The morning was quiet enough, with just the resident pair of hawk-eagles to watch.

But around midday, someone shouted - "They're coming!"



They were too! Like to guess how many birds there are in this photo? Click on it to get a better view. (Answer at the end!)



It felt like an invasion was underway! (Also well worth viewing the enlarged version!) In case anyone thinks I might have 'embellished' these pics with Photoshop - I haven't!



Some of the birds sought thermals over the sea.






















On reaching land, they were able to regain height in the hot air rising from the land.

Others came in below or at eye level. So those on duty were kept busy clicking the counters, and I was busy clicking the camera!





This female in wing moult had found the crossing hard going.



As soon as she arrived, she pitched down into the hawk-eagle look-out tree and sat there panting for a while, till getting chased away.



Another exhausted female.



A really stunningly-marked female.





Despite the dusky primary tips, this must be at least one year old as it's in secondary moult. So most likely an adult female.







And another.





A couple more females from opposite ends of the shade spectrum.



The two females (right) have very much broader wings than the male on the left. They could be taken for a different species!

Lots more males!

















You could see the closer birds checking us out as they went past!



Some males had lilac mauve underparts - quite an amazing colour!







Most males had a variable number of blue-grey wing covert and flight feathers - all very clearly fresh and contrasting with the browner old feathers.

You might think this is a lot of pics, but I think I was quite restrained considering we had 4,700 birds over today!

Answer: 353!