8th August 2010: Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP), Selangor

I am involved in a couple of interesting projects with the MNS-BCC Waterbirds Group. The first is titled "Bringing the Birds Back to KSNP", and, more specifically, is an attempt to recreate conditions suitable for roosting waders/shorebirds. More of the second later.























Today we had our second meeting at KSNP. The pilot site for the wader roost is taking shape. Raj, Pratheip and the team at KSNP have done the hard work of clearing the grasses and Acrostichum ferns. Now the plan is to rotivate and flood it to get rid of the regrowing grasses.



The first wader! Somewhere in the centre on the mound of dead vegetation is a lone Common Sandpiper. It's the first wader we've recorded on the new pilot site. It doesn't really count though, as Common Sandpipers aren't particularly choosy about where they hang out!



The active heronry at the Park is quite a spectacle, and can be easily viewed from the main Viewing Tower. It has Grey and Purple Herons and Little Egrets.



A Grey Heron doing some house repairs.



Breeding Purple Herons are spectacular birds!





Heron squabbles! The Park gives lots of interesting opportunities for bird photography. These two young Purple Herons had quite an argument.



Later on, I watched these two adult Grey Herons having an even bigger set-to!













This is the victor.











Having won the fight for this particular patch of pond, the bird soon decided it wasn't much good anyway and flew off!







Pacific Swallow.



A young Pink-necked Pigeon.



A male Common Flameback.



This Abbott's Babbler was quite unconcerned by my presence. Unfortunately I didn't have the flash with me so this was taken, hand-held at 1/13th of a second.





A couple taken with the camera's inbuilt flash.





One of the resident Barred Eagle-owls put in an appearance late afternoon.They're more of a cartoon than a bird!



A dead Acrostichum fern frond.

13th Jan 2010: Malim Nawar and Kinta Nature Park, Perak

On my way back from a few days' work in KL I called in at Malim Nawar to check out the 'Temminck's Stint pond', but found that it was full of water. It had breeding Little Grebes, a few Lesser Tree-Ducks, and an overflying Osprey, but no waders!



In a dry field nearby there were quite a few 'Swintail' Snipe (Pintail or Swinhoe's), including this close bird busily digging for prey.







































The eyes are located so centrally on the head that they allow the bird to see well both in front and behind! I got a good view of the tail as the bird walked away, but not of the diagnostic outer tail feathers.



I paid a first visit to Kinta Nature Park, which has been in the news lately, as efforts are being made to rescue the park from the illegal sand-mining and duck-farming activities that are rampant. Sadly, these were still much in evidence during my visit. Still, the heronry, shown here, was an impressive sight, with large numbers of Grey and Purple Herons, Little Egrets and Black-crowned Night Herons in evidence.



Even though many nests had young, nest-building seemed to be an ongoing activity. This Grey Heron obviously had ambitious plans for an extension!



The heronry provided a good opportunity to photograph herons in flight.



Greys





'Purps'



and Little Egrets.



Here's a composite image of Grey and Purple Herons in flight. Purple has much shallower wingbeats, which gives the impression that it is a smaller bird. The neck is more angular, the wings narrower, the bill finer and the feet larger than Grey, which all adds up to a distinctive silhouette that can be picked out a great range.



Both Grey and Purple occasionally fly with necks outstretched, which creates a very odd impression! This Purple is in full breeding condition, with legs and bill base flushed violent red.






















A loafer 'hangin out'!