Birding @ Genting Highlands 28 September 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006

Today is a challenging day for birding for me. It's been over a year since I go for montane birds. Nevertheless, I have a fast improving birding buddy with me today - Lee Kok Chung @ Ahli Chung. As we make our way up to the highland resort, we saw 3 birds in the sky. 2 Wreath Hornbills and 1 Black Eagle. We went to several spots for birding and managed to see a group of Chestnut-tailed Minla with a Black-throated Sunbird at close range. Really close at approximately 5 feet away from the vehicle. Near the Skyway station we stumbled upon a dead king cobra, about 7-8 feet long.

The list for the day (No.1-34 spotted in Genting Highlands while No.35-40 spotted while travelling along the old road to Gombak).
  1. Wreath Hornbill
  2. Black Eagle
  3. Golden Babbler
  4. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo
  5. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
  6. Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker
  7. Buff-necked Woodpecker
  8. Striped-throated Bulbul
  9. Buff-rumped Woodpecker
  10. Tiger Shrike
  11. Brown Shrike
  12. Blyth Hawk Eagle
  13. Great Hornbill
  14. Grey-headed Flycatcher
  15. Barn Swallow
  16. Pacific Swallow
  17. Common Myna
  18. White-bellied Yuhina
  19. Chestnut-capped Laughing Thrush
  20. Scarlet Minivet
  21. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike
  22. Large Woodshrike
  23. Orange-bellied Leafbird
  24. Asian Paradise-flycatcher
  25. Everett's White-eye
  26. Mountain Tailorbird
  27. Mountain Leaf Warbler
  28. Long-tailed Sibia
  29. Crested Serpent Eagle
  30. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
  31. Chestnut-tailed Minla
  32. Black-throated Sunbird
  33. Oriental Magpie Robin
  34. Grey Wagtail
  35. Gold-whiskered Barbet
  36. White-breasted Babbler
  37. Emerald Dove
  38. Striped-throated Babbler
  39. Whiskered Treeswift
  40. Asian Glossy Starling
I was really upset when i spotted the first bird in the list because when i forgot to bring along the CF card for my D70!!! I left it empty the day before. However, Ahli was kind enough to let me use his card taken from his canon compact camera.




posted by wengchun @ 4:28 AM, ,


A New Addition to My Personal Checklist of Birds of Putrajaya Wetland
Monday, September 25, 2006

21 September 2006, I was taking my routine walk in the park. it was 4pm (which was quite unusual as i usually walk in the morning or 12pm). i know it's already the start of migration season, so i thought i should checkout for flycatchers (yes, i went to the same area where a flycatcher was spotted last year). no sign of that flycatcher from last year. suddenly i saw an active bird under a tree nearby. it look so much of a pied fantail. a common local species but i decided to check it out anyway. GOODNESS!!! couldn't believe my eyes. a new species for my personal checklist in the park.

This is a comment by a local birder "i found out that the Asian Paradise-Flycatcher shown in the photo having a orangey bill with a blackish tip, but the description in most guide books is a blue bill and blue eye ring too, but these photos does not show that blue at the eye ring or the bill, but yet they are not in juvenile plumage. I'm wondering if they are immatured birds almost moulted as adults or they are the migratory race "saturatior", however, i cant find guides that describe the saturatior race is lack of blue bill and eye ring."

While someone suggest a philentoma, he replied "first, we see that the mantle and scapulars are brown, which should be bluish in male philentomas, females doesn't look much like wat is shown in the picture as it will be more plain in colors for the head part. Furthermore, the jizz of the bird still tells us that they should be paradise-flycatchers, the small crown seen in Cheong's photo is rather obvious, and try to have a look on the bill eye and the bill, a special "jizz" tell u its a paradise-flycatcher. I have also checked OBI, and saw a female AP Flycatcher shot at Tai Po Kau, HK, is having pale bill too, and a Japanese Paradise-flycatcher with pale bill is labeled as Immature, so its either the pale bills are immatures for both species, or they indicate diffrent subspecies??? I saw pictures of male AP Flycatchers in India having blackish bills."

posted by wengchun @ 6:28 PM, ,


It passed away half an hour ago...
Sunday, September 03, 2006

It was 11am when I entered my cabin office. One of my staff contacted me through the walkie talkie. "Mr.Cheong, the baby bird just passed away half and hour ago....." A sad news indeed. He told me that it was still active earlier. Cause of death is unknown.


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posted by wengchun @ 6:35 AM, ,


To rescue a young heron
Friday, September 01, 2006

When I picked up the bird from Jing Yi this afternoon, I managed to get a few shots of the young heron with his help. Then, I quickly rushed to Uncle Tony's house for his advice and most important to feed the bird with some food before I continue my journey back to Putrajaya. Initially, we use chopstick to feed the bird but then decided to use hand instead. In the end, eventually the bird snapped the food away from my hand. WOW! It was hungry indeed. Back in the office, I put some newspaper in a small aquarium and use it as a temporary enclosure for the young bird. I covered the top with a plastic aquarium cover. I also went to look for the caretaker of the captive birds in the park to get some food that they feed the captive birds. Again, I had to force feed the bird. My night shift staff will take turn to look after this bird, hope that everything is well tomorrow.








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posted by wengchun @ 8:13 AM, ,