Aug 5, 2010

Interlude @ Kemensah, Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

The trip to Kemensah in early  April was my second. The first was in January this year with ardent birders from the Malaysian Nature Society, Selangor Branch fraternity. Birders’ blogs and birding friends have paraded the diverse birds which could  be found in Kemensah and expounded on the abundance of birdlife here.
On this trip I had Riz and Emran, both of whom are as equally excited about birds as I do. The maxim is proven right – birds of a feather flock together! LOL. First stop Taman Melawati for the Blue-eared Kingfisher. Emran led us to the spot and it was our lucky day. They were there to greet us. See pics below. Aren’t they cute?


Blue-eared Kingfisher @ Tmn Melawati
Birds @ Kemensah, Ampang
We proceeded to Kemensah. Our luck spilled-over here.  As we took our first few steps we passed a nest hanging from a tall tree. A ‘reddish’ bird flew swiftly from the nest into the undergrowth nearby. We decided to do a stake-out. Our patience was rewarded when a sole Red & Black Broadbill returned with a piece of dried leaf in tow. It was making some minor ‘renovations’ to it’s nest! Below are the pictures.



Blue-eared Kingfisher

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Black & Red Broadbill


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Broadbill’s nest, with an adult clearly visible.
As we took our leisurely stroll up the trail, other birds came into view.


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Black-headed Bul Bul



Orange-breasted Flycatcher (Male)

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Orange-breasted Flycatcher (Female)
 

Olive-winged Bul Bul

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Stripe-throated Bul Bul

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Grey & Buff Woodpecker. (Record Shot)


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Grey & Buff  Kingfishers (Male at right and Female at Left) very high up in the tall bamboo canopy. ID shot. Hope to get better picture next time. Both birds are Lifers for all three of us.


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Large Wood Shrike


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Green-backed Flycatcher


Thanks for dropping by. Cheers!

Aug 4, 2010

It’s the nesting time for our feathered friends……..

Segment 2 of 3 in the series
I had wanted to post the nesting photos of the Braminy Kites much earlier but did not get round to doing it. The chicks have grown over the last couple of weeks and are much bigger now. Will update this post with the latest photos in due course. 
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Braminy Kite (Male)
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Braminy Kite ( Female)
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Female Braminy seen here in the nest with the eggs.
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Early days of the young chicks with eyes still half opened.. There are two of them in there. The one at left is partly hidden by the twigs used to build the nest.
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Mama Braminy feeding chick at left whilst chick at right patiently await it’s turn. Quite an unusual feeding behavior. One would expect both chicks scrambling and fighting for the meal.

The Braminy chicks are now two handsome fledglings.

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The two siblings perched just below the nest.

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Close-up shot. The photos were greatly affected by the intense back lighting. 

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Another close-up of the other young kite.

Cheers!

Escapade @ Awana, Genting Highlands, Pahang

5th April 2010
To attend to other more pressing ‘distractions’ I had put away this blog and have forgotten to post it! So here goes the forgotten one!
This visit to Awana, Genting Highlands, Malaysia saw some of the warmest weather ever experienced in a this hill resort nestled at approximately 4000ft above sea level! The heat was so bad that by mid-day one would not want to be out in the open. The sun was as intense as one experience in the lowlands during this time of day. The heat quite naturally took it’s toll on a rather poor selection of birds in this favorite ‘hunting ground’ amongst avid birders.
Below are some photos of the birds captured on camera during this visit.
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A Paddy Field Pipit
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An Orange-bellied Leaf bird (Male)
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Scaly-breasted Munias (Juveniles)
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The Yellow-vented Bul Bul
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A pair of Stripe-throated Bul Buls
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A Large Wood Shrike
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Oriental Magpie Robin with caterpillar.
Thanks for dropping by. Cheers!

Aug 1, 2010

A return to Fraser’s Hill

It has been a while since I last visited Fraser’s Hill. So I told myself it’s time to make a return visit to this world famous hill station. The weather this time around is dryer and warmer than expected. Less than ideal for birding in this sub-montane environment. The negative result is a much reduced variety of bird species sighted.

Below are photos of some of those which are still around.

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A Fire-tufted Barbet

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A pair of Blue-winged Minlas

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A Malaysian Laughing Thrush

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A Grey-chinned Minivet (Male)

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A Grey-chinned Minivet (Female)

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A Mountain Fulvetta

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A Black-browed Barbet

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A Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo (minus the racquets which had dropped off)

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A Malaysian Cuckoo Shrike

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An Orange-bellied Leaf Bird

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A Spectacled Laughing Thrush

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The Orange-breasted Trogon

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A Silver-eared Mesia.

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A Long-tailed Sibia.

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An Ochraceous Bul Bul

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A White-throated Fantail

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A Streaked Spider Hunter

Thank you for visiting and you have a good day! 

Cheers!