Kit's Fledgling BY

[Dave Williams]

2 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

Thanks for sharing. Very interesting, although the snake part will make me think twice about that place! what a pity that the locals have abandoned the place, but i guess for them, the island contained a lot of bad memories from the tsunami and for them, not worth taking the risks again. 

https://davewilliamsnaturephotography.blogspot.com/2015/03/our-first-overnight-stop-was-at-very.html

 

Check out this place on the mainland! A Burmese python crossed over the road in front of me( see the picture half way down the blog!)...it was huge. Snakes everywhere in this part of the world!

Also Giant Hornbills.

[xelas]

3 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

oh for sure @xelas. roads have vastly improved in Malaysia, especially in the western side of peninsular Malaysia. just chatting with a birdie guy who's heading to Pahang tomorrow. but it may be a tad (much much more than a tad) rainy in August...

 

 

My geography knowledge failed me ... again. East coast it should be on our peninsula itinerary (Perhentian Besar specifically). 

 

Thailand looks invitingly beautiful through the eye of @Dave Williams camera, yet it is positioned on the wrong side (Indian monsoon side) for August.

Edited June 21, 2018 by xelas

[Kitsafari]

@xelas roads should also be improved on the eastern coast of peninsular malaysia, but connections and quality of roads will not be as good as the more developed western side. there is now an expressway that links KL to the coast of Kuantan that makes travel faster but other than that you will have to rely on smaller roads. just drive carefully along settlements or little towns. the villagers are rather sensitive about roadkills involving their animals (chickens, goats, etc).

 

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

@Dave Williams Greenview resort sounds like a super place. it is very inexpensive in southern thailand. we were staying at hotels at B500-600 a person - about US$18 - the rooms were small  but clean and showers were functional but good for a night's stay. 

[Kitsafari]

154: Copper-throated sunbird, Kisap, Langkawi, May 26

 

 

A female copper-throated sunbird, so missing the luminous copper throat that a male has. It was such a fast bird disappearing into the bushes as soon as OH took a couple of shots. we tried to chase it down but it gave us the slip. 

 

[Kitsafari]

155: Ashy Drongo, Kubang Badak jetty, Langkawi, May 25

 

 

A widely distributed species in  South and Southeast Asia, they wear different shades of grey. the one we saw was dark grey but apparently in Taiwan,the ashy drongos have a paler coat. According to a Langkawi post, the ashy drongo has worked out a symbiotic relationship with the macaques, in that by moving around, the monkeys flush out insects for the drongos, and in return, the drongos are on the lookout for predators. 

[Kitsafari]

156: Asian Red-eyed Bulbul, Andaman resort grounds, May 24

 

 

Found mainly in Thailand/peninsular Malaysia down to Borneo and Sumatra, this red-eyed bulbul is very common in Langkawi and mainly in forested or secondary forested areas. it's from the bulbul family and its name is clearly seen in the colour of its eyes. 

[Kitsafari]

157: Ruddy kingfisher, Kubang Badak, May 25

 

 

It was dark and the birds refused to emerge from the mangroves. We were in search of the mangrove pitta but suddenly the sounds of a kingfisher emerged. Only OH managed to get a shot of the bird. The name belies its appearance - all rust red-reddish with a splashy bright orange bill. it's widespread in south and Southeast Asia and east Asia. It is usually hiding in thick forests but preferably near streams of wetlands where it can fish. 

 

[Kitsafari]

158: Black-crowned Night Heron, Kuala Melaka, May 25

 

 

we arrived late at the bridge so we were too late to see the black-crowned night herons in the open. The birds were already roosting in the bushes. instead we could only see an adult just peeking out of the bushes, and you can just about make out the dark cap on its head. But the juvenile was happily perching in the open and provided us a clear view of it, albeit quite a distance away and in the shade. This is a widely distributed species, although they too face habitat loss. it is suggested that they hunt at night as they lose out to more aggressive herons and egrest in the day. 

 

[Kitsafari]

Onto EBCs, which I have yet to perfect. 

 

159: Asian Fairy Bluebird, Datai Road, Langkawi May 25

 

 

I have to admit the name of the bird attracted me. why was it called a fairy? was it enchanting and magical at the same time? it had to be a stunning bird to be even termed a fairy. we only had a fleeting glimpse but the iridescent blue of the male fairy bluebird came out a little harsh and fake when I lightened the photo. Despite its name bluebird, a description says it is black with shiny deep bright blue on its upper parts and vent. it's when the sun hits its top parts that the blue becomes luminous,which is not an easy task as the bird is usually in forest, is arboreal and likes being in the thick parts of trees. This species is found in sub-continent India and Southeast Asia. 

 

[Kitsafari]

160: Black-headed Bulbul, Datai Road, Langkawi, May 25

 

 

Another EBC. Not in the best light and I was already lucked out with this picture. we were chasing this bird from tree to tree, and we finally gave up as its quick flights taunt and frustrate us. This is a rare resident in Singapore, and not seen except for dedicated birders who seek it out. So we were lucky to just glimpse it. this species is found in Indian sub-continent, China and Southeast Asia. 

[Kitsafari]

161: Little Grebe, Tasik Telawak, Langkawi, May 26

 

 

an EBC from OH! It was just such a challenge photographing it - it was raining, the grebe was very far away and on the move and the light was just bad. so a record shot for the count. There were two of them but were not together on the pond. a very common species in Africa and Asia, so common that strangely, I've never ever seen them previously. 

[Kitsafari]

162: White-bellied sea eagle, Andaman resort, Langkawi, May 25

 

 

Still an EBC. The bird was circling above our heads very high up in the sky, and against the light, we had thought it was a brahminy kite(which is very common in Langkawi as well). lightening it up on the pc revealed its true colours - a distinctive white head, breast and culvert with black under wing and white strips that form a V shape as their wings stretch out. It's found in Southeast Asia and Australia but its numbers are falling as habitat and human interference are disturbing their population. This bird is revered by the indigenous residents in Australia. 

[Kitsafari]

163: Mangrove pitta, Kubang Gadak jetty, Langkawi, May 25

 

 

Pittas are such beautiful birds and I've always wanted to see one after I saw photos of the colourful birds. we went in search of the pitta sub-species in the mangrove and the only way you can see one (other than pure 100% luck) is with callback. This is a near threatened species, and no surprise given the rate that mangroves have been cleared in my part of the world. It can be found in West Bengal, Bangladesh and SOutheast Asia, except for Singapore where it is very rarely seen (not much mangroves left due to land reclamation at sea). 

[Kitsafari]

164: Blue-winged Pitta, Andaman resort grounds, May 26

 

 

The blue-winged pitta looks almost like the mangrove pitta except for a black stripe on its crown and a smaller bill. But it is just as colourful with the blue flash on its wings and the splash of bright red on its breast down to the underbelly. We also needed to use the callback as it is a shy bird hiding in the thick forests. although pittas are typically ground-feeding birds ,this pitta didn't want to come down from the high perches of the tall ancient trees in the park. 

 

and i think this wraps up the Langkawi section. we saw 35 species in all, including those without photos. 

[TonyQ]

A good productive trip with lovely photos. Your total is coming along well.

[Galana]

Great Pitta captures. Loved teh EBCs too.

[Kitsafari]

2 hours ago, TonyQ said:

A good productive trip with lovely photos. Your total is coming along well.

 

@TonyQ thank you. I was surprised  the numbers are slowly growing - it's not too bad for my first attempt at BY.  

 

Thank you too @Galana.  

Edited June 24, 2018 by Kitsafari

[PeterHG]

I love those Pittas, so beautiful!

[michael-ibk]

Agree, stunning birds!

[elefromoz]

@Kitsafari, Id always considered Langkawi to be just another beach resort kinda place, wrong again. Fancy, home to Great Hornbills and those beautiful Pittas. BY certainly opens your eyes to the wider, wilder world out there.

[Kitsafari]

On 7/2/2018 at 2:33 PM, elefromoz said:

@Kitsafari, Id always considered Langkawi to be just another beach resort kinda place, wrong again. Fancy, home to Great Hornbills and those beautiful Pittas. BY certainly opens your eyes to the wider, wilder world out there.

 

 @elefromoz  Yes it does. just going through others' BY threads and the places they go to (which I'm unlikely to go to) definitely makes me so aware that there are so many, many species of birds out there. 

Edited July 6, 2018 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

Just a few repeats in slightly better photos of species that have been already counted.

 

120: Malaysian/Sunda fantail: it was busily hunting along the walkway just outside my house. it got a dragonfly. 

 

 

100: Oriental pied hornbill. just caught a delightful scene yesterday where the parent was feeding a fruit to a juvenile.

 

 

162: White-bellied sea eagle. this time, Herman managed to get great photos of the parent and its juveniles which had nested in Fort Canning in Singapore. the parents had done brilliantly well to bring up not one but two juveniles. hope they flourish and prosper. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

Another duplicate that I just have to share! This baby has caused quite a sensation in SIngapore, including a news story in the local newspapers. It is a rare albino-leucistic White-Collared Kingfisher chick (#143) - the jury is still out on whether it is an albino or a leucistic chick. It was first discovered not by a birder but an otter-watcher which was keeping an eye over wild otters in SIngapore. The kingfisher chick is probably the most photographed bird to date this year in my country. let me know if you have thoughts on whether it is albinism or leucistism. the general thought is that it will have a tough time to survive to adulthood. Herman's photos were way better than mine. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

Back to some Singapore birds before I put up the Southern Thailand species.....

 

165: Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo: June 16, Punggol Promenade

 

 

 

 

A winter migrant from Australia and a very rarely seen species. So when it appeared in SIngapore, hordes of SIngaporeans, me and Herman included, trudged through a thin swathe of thick forests and braved mosquitoes and risks of wild boars to search for it. Herman's efforts paid off. after a few weeks transiting through here, the little cuckoo has flown off for better pastures.