It has been a long day. We started off at 8am this morning from Cameron Highlands and drove towards Kuala Lipis and the river that leads to the Taman Negara at the jetty at Kuala Temberling.

dragonfly

While I was waiting for the boat to the jungle, I took a few photos.

Pacific Swallow

These pair of Pacific Swallow were hanging on to a rope that was mooring the boat.

Yellow-vented Flowerpecker (Dicaeum chrysorrheum)

There were a few birds in a tree where we were waiting. This Yellow-vented Flowerpecker was flittering around in the tree above me.

Sunbird

I am not sure what sunbird this is. I am torn between three of them – Brown-throated Sunbird, Red-throated Sunbird or Olive-backed Sunbird. To compound my confusion it could be a male in eclipse.

Water Buffalo

We finally got going in the boat which took about three hours to get there. We saw a few Water Buffalo along the way and managed to ground the boat on a sand-bank. We all had to get out and push it off again.

Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)

While I was looking for a hostel at Kuala Tahan, I came across two Greater Coucal along a track to a Guest House.

I was going to go to Robinson Waterfall this morning but I just decided to go back to the Parit Falls track. I started off at the garden opposite the bus station again. There were no sunbirds flitting around the flowers, which I was hoping for.

Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)

But there was a Yellow-vented Bulbul flying around with sticks in his beak. He would land on this branch and then dart into a clump of palms when he thought I was not looking.

Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)

Later on in the afternoon, I caught this one having a feed on these berries in the garden.

Tailed Judy (Abisara neophron)

I took a photo of this Tailed Judy again today. This time I used the in-built flash and it turned out all right, I reckon. I used the flash a fair bit today. Mainly because it was so dark in the rain-forest under-storey.

Pygmy Blue Flycatcher ??

Is this a Pygmy Blue Flycatcher or Hill Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis banyumas) ? Or even a rufous-vented niltava? I think it was too small to be a Hill Blue Flycatcher but it is claimed that the Pygmy Blue Flycatcher have not been seen for a while. But they have been seen in the Genting Highlands. And the Hill Blue Flycatcher is seen at Bukit Fraser and Cameron Highlands.

Silver-eared Mesia (Mesia argentauris)

There was a flock of Silver-eared Mesia near the waterfall.

Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo

At first I thought it was a black drongo, but it did not have the forked tail. Then I thought it might be a Blue Whistling-Thrush, but it had a black beak. Then I saw a photo of a lesser racket-tailed drongo without the racket and it looked pretty similar, so I am going with that.. Update: it was a Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, thanks mr tou.

Mystery Black-throated Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata).

I have got no idea what this is. I am pretty sure it is some kind of sunbird or similar but I could not find it in Robson or on the internet. At first I thought it might be a Dark-backed Sibia (Malacias melanoleucus) but no.

Mystery bird front on Black-throated Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata).

Here is a really bad front on shot that shows 2 blue spots on the neck of this bird. That may help identify it. I think I shall have to ask the local experts.

Blue Whistling-Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus)

I saw this Blue Whistling-Thrush on the beach below the Parit Falls.

Long-tailed Sibia (Heterophasia picaoides)

I had been trying to get a photo of these birds all morning. They had been flying over me and hiding in the trees, so I was getting really frustrated with them. Finally on the way home, I got some decent shots of them on the track just before where it ended. doh!

Oriental Magpie-Robin

This one is a juvenile with the light grey speckled chest.

Birding Malay Resources

Birding Malay
Birding the Cameron Highlands
Blue Flycatchers

Birds that can be seen in Cameron Highlands

Rufous-vented Niltava
Chestnut-tailed Minla
Fire-tufted Barbet
Golden-throated Barbet
Mountain Bulbul
Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo
Golden Babbler
Chestnut-capped Laughing-thrush
Long-tailed Sibia
Silver-eared Mesia
Blue-winged Minla
Mountain Fulvetta
Mountain Leaf Warbler
Yellow-breasted Warbler
Snowy-browed Flycatcher
Little Pied Flycatcher
Large Niltava
Hill Blue Flycatcher
White-throated Fantail
Black-throated Sunbird

I tried the same route as yesterday afternoon this morning. First the garden, then up along the track to Parit Falls. There was not much in the garden but there were a few birds in the forest near the Parit Falls.

Chestnut Crowned Laughingthrush (Garrulax erythrocephalus)

This one took a bit of working out but I googled birds and Cameron Highlands and found the answer.

Silver-eared Mesia (Mesia argentauris)

There were a flock of about a dozen of these, flitting from bush to bush.

Little Brown Job Streaked Wren-babbler (Napothera brevicaudata)

I am not even going to attempt to ID this one. I will leave it till tomorrow. Update: It is a Streaked Wren-babbler (Napothera brevicaudata), thanks to Mr Tou for the identification.

Tailed Judy (Abisara neophron)

This butterfly looks back to front because he has what looks like an eye at his rear end. Update: Tailed Judy (Abisara neophron) butterfly, ID by Ma’ruf – thank you. They are found through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, S.China and Malay Peninsula.

Blue Whistling-Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus)

I thought this was a Chinese Blackbird at first glance but the slight hook in the beak had me suspicious. Once again Google came to the rescue and I found some people who had done banding on these birds.

Cameron Highland Birding Resources:

Whistling Thrush Project

The bus ride from Kuala Lumpur to Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands took about four hours and was pretty eventless. The bus was air-conditioned a little bit too well and everybody was freezing. I was going out in the afternoon to photograph some birds but it started pouring rain. Later on about five o’clock it stopped so I headed out. It was overcast and dark still, so the light was pretty rotten.

female Black-throated Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata)

I photographed a sunbird and I am trying to identify it. I might go through the process to show how I work out what is what. From Robson’s book I made a first stab at it being either a female Crimson or Temminck’s Sunbird. Then I did a search on google for “sunbird cameron highlands” and found a similar bird that need identifying as well. Someone suggested a young/female Black-throated Sunbird. So I added that to the list. And the Black-throated has been seen in this area so it is a strong contender. And I will go with female Black-throated Sunbird.

Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)

There were quite a few little birds feeding on the flowers in a park just before the start of the Parit Falls walk.

Earlier on I saw a Purple Sunbird by the side of the road, not more than 3 or 4 meters from me. But of course I had no camera with me. A lesson to be learnt there, perhaps? The track to the waterfall was not much. There was a few Oriental Magpie-Robin of course and some birds late in the afternoon when the light was so bad that my photos were all dark. I just bumped these photos up a couple of stops and the results are unusable.

Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve is in the center of Kuala Lumpur with KL Tower stuck right on top of it. I got to it via Jalan Gereja, which is the street with the churches on it, doh! When I got there, some dude was using a leaf blower. I could not believe it. They are obsessed with getting leaves off paths in Malaysia. It is weird. Anyway, that was a great way to start a morning walk through the forest.

Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis)

This is a Black-naped Oriole. I thought maybe I had a Slender-billed Oriole. But the Slender-billed Oriole (Oriolus tenuirostris) is found in Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. I think it must be a female Black-naped Oriole.

Black-thighed Falconet.

This one is confusing me because the Pied Falconet is found mainly in India and China. The Black-thighed Falconet is found in Malaysia but this one has not got any russet on his belly. ( Khaleb says its a Black-thighed. Problem solved. )

Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis)

I am not sure if this is the local sub-species abundus. He seems to have a bit too much colour. I also saw a few Asian Glossy Starling, the usual Oriental Magpie-Robin and Javan Myna. Not a great lot of birds but at least I got out on a Sunday morning for a stroll through the bush. Even if I was in the middle of a big city.

The Kuala Lumpur Botanic Gardens are now called the Perdana Lake Gardens or Taman Tasik Perdana in Malay. They are quite large and contain a number of lakes with islands in the center. One lake had some ducks and geese swimming around and a Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) on the shore waiting to pounce on any fish that swam by.

Ibis, ID uncertain, Hadeda Ibis, (Bostrychia hagedash)

I cannot work out what this ibis is. It could be a Glossy Ibis or a White-shouldered Ibis but it is all wrong. I think it may have escaped from the nearby bird park and is a weird vagrant from some other continent. Thanks to Robert, it could be a Hadeda Ibis, (Bostrychia hagedash), but they come from Africa. Must have escaped from the bird park.

White-throated Kingfisher (Halycon smyrnensis)

This White-throated Kingfisher was high up on a tree above the lake. This is the second time I have seen one of these. The other time was at Batu 4.

Crested Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis cheela)

I could not believe my eyes when I spotted this Crested Serpent-eagle on the ground. I thought it was a pigeon with a wounded wing at first. Then I zoomed in and saw that it was a Crested Serpent-Eagle with prey that it was tearing into. I could not see what he had caught. Check out the crest at the back of his head. It is standing out quite well.

Crested Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis cheela)

He flew off after a while and perched in a tree. Note the white band on the tail.

I still have not got to Tanjung Tuan. Maybe this afternoon. But I am not holding my breath. I just headed down to the beach for the third time and walked to Pulau Burung and back.

Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis abundus)

I thought I had a new Barbet when I photographed this. But it turned out to be a Dollarbird. We have them in Australia and I already have heaps of photos of them. This one seems to be really dark. I am not sure if it is a late juvenile because he has the reddish bill already. He has very little colour. Maybe it is just the light. It says in Robson that they go to Australia to breed. This may be sub-species Eurystomus orientalis abundus.

squirrel

This squirrel ran down the branch of this tree and jumped down to the ground after that. I saw three of them together a little bit earlier.

Pink-necked Green-Pigeon

I have not seen a great deal of these around here.

Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica)

These ones were on the ground gathering nest material.

Brahminy Kite (Haliastur Indus)

There have been a few Brahminy Kite along the coast here. They are resident in a lot of areas of Asia, as well as the North-east of Australia. This bird is an adult with its white chest feathers and head. One of them came to roost in a big tree right next to my hostel as I returned from this expedition.

Paddyfield Pipit (Anthus rufulus)

Paddyfield Pipits are so hard to get a photo of that is in focus because they blend in so well with their background. They have very little contrast with their surroundings that it is difficult for the camera to focus. They are common throughout South-east Asia and prefer a habitat of open areas, drier cultivation up to 1500 meters.

Bird list Batu 4 – 10th May 2012

Dollarbird
Common Iora
Pacific Swallow
Black-naped Oriole
House Crow
Blue-throated Bee-eater
Yellow-vented Bulbul
Asian Glossy Starling
Common Myna
Javan Myna
Oriental Magpie-Robin
Asian Koel
Brahminy Kite
Pink-necked Green-Pigeon
Collared Kingfisher
Little Heron
Grey Heron
Zebra Dove
Paddyfield Pipit

Well I got up early this morning before 7am but it was still dark so I went back to sleep for a while and let the sun come up. I did the same route as yesterday afternoon. This area is called Batu 4. Tanjung Tuan or Cape Rachado is about five kilometers down the road. Hopefully tomorrow I might get there.

Common Flameback (Dinopium javanense)

This guy stuck his head around a tree towards Pulau Burung. It could also be a Greater Flameback. The local sub-species is smaller. At the island, I also saw Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris), the usual Asian Glossy Starling and Yellow-vented Bulbul.

Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)

On the way back, I stopped in at the headland and spotted a pair of Common Iora, some more Oriental Magpie-robins and some Black-naped Oriole.

Blue-throated Bee-eater (Mereps viridis)

There were Blue-throated Bee-eaters everywhere. The morning light shows off their colours very well.

Blue-throated Bee-eater (Mereps viridis)

They were going down to the ground, then sit around for a while, looking around all the time, then jump up and flutter around.

Blue-throated Bee-eater (Mereps viridis)

And then just fly away.

Batu 4 Bird List 8th May 2012

Common Flameback
Collared Kingfisher
Asian Glossy Starling
Yellow-vented Bulbul
Common Iora
Oriental Magpie-robin
Black-naped Oriole
Blue-throated Bee-eater
Asian Koel
Pacific Swallow
House Crow
Rock Dove
Eurasian Tree Sparrow `
Javan Myna
Common Myna

I got the 8am bus from Melaka to Seremban and then jumped on the city bus to Port Dickson. At Port Dickson I had to wait ages for the bus that goes to Tanjung Tuan or Cape Rachado. I jumped off at the Rotary Holiday Hostel, which is at the five kilometer mark. I think the place is called Batu something.

White-throated Kingfisher (Halycon smyrnensis)

First thing I saw going out the gate was this White-throated Kingfisher sitting on the power line. This is a good start I says to myself. The photo itself is not very good, but at least it is a record. An Asian Koel (Eudynamus scolopaceus) was screeching all afternoon. They really do get on your goat after a few hours of Ko-el Ko-el.

Javan Myna (Acidotheres javanicus)

I know I should stop taking photos of Mynas, but I keep hoping for a new model. And they look so good.

No Immoral Activities

There were lots of signs on the beach. I think mostly people ignore them.

Paddyfield Pippit (Anthus rufulus)

These Paddyfield Pippits look so much like the other pippits that it is difficult to tell which is which. I am going on range and not much else.

Little Heron (Butorides striata)

This mature Little Heron was up in a tree. It must have been because it was high tide. Note the white edging around the wing feathers.

Asian Glossy Starling

I also cannot stop taking photos of these beauties. There was a juvenile with this adult. Also on this bit of a headland was a White-breasted Waterhen, a Pacific Swallow taking a drink out of a puddle, an unidentified Barbet and a pair of Pied Triller (Lalage nigra).

Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata)

I have just worked out why Zebra Doves look so much like Peaceful Doves. They are one and the same. doh!

Blue-throated Bee-eater (Mereps viridis)

There were quite a few pairs of Blue-throated Bee-eaters wheeling around near the beach. They are such beautiful subjects to photograph.

Blue-throated Bee-eater

I could not pick between these two photos so I included both of them.

Blue-throated Bee-eater

This photo shows the rich green belly better than the other two. I kept going along the beach and came to what was called Pulau Burung – Pantai Cahaya Negeri, Port Dickson. It had a walkway to it and a man-made break-water at one side. One thing that has haunted me for ages in South-east Asia is – Where are all the seagulls ???? I do not think I have seen one yet. It is weird.

Port Dickson Bird List 7th May 2012

White-throated Kingfisher
Collared Kingfisher
Asian Koel
Javan Myna
Asian Glossy Starling
Paddyfield Pipit
Zebra Dove
Blue-throated Bee-eater
White-breasted Waterhen
Little Heron
Pacific Swallow
Barbet ??
Pied Triller
Brahminy Kite
House Crow
Eurasian Tree Sparrow

I got up early this morning. The alarm went off at 6am, so I turned it off and rolled over for another fifteen minutes then grumpily got up and started walking towards the center of town where I might catch a bus to the terminal. I was on my way to Ayer Keroh, where there is a Botanic Gardens.

Yellow-vented Bulbul avoiding the rain drops

The clouds started rolling in, thunder was rumbling, and a few lightning flashes went off out to sea. It was not looking good. I was hoping it might pass us by or just pour down for an hour and then stop. I got to the bus stop in town and ended up waiting more than half an hour for a bus.

Squirrel

When I got to the terminal I had some breakfast. It was the only place that was open. The usual rice, vegetables, tofu and sambal. Then I went over to the terminal to catch the bus to Ayer Keroh. Luckily it was there and ready to go.

Oriental Magpie-Robin

When I got to the Botanic Gardens it was still raining, so I had to wait under a shelter for a while. So I took some photos of a Yellow-vented Bulbul, Oriental Magpie-Robin and a squirrel.

Real water in a fake waterfall

When the rain let off a little I went for a walk around the gardens. I spotted this fake waterfall, so I went behind it and you could see the water coming down. So I took some photos. I was stoked with the results. I really like these photos.

Falling Water

Anyway, after a walk around the garden, which resulted in no birds, I caught the bus back to Melaka and went back to the hotel to veg out for a bit.