Plaintive Cuckoo & Tiger Shrike

25th February 2012, Kemensah, Selangor

Common Name: Plaintive Cuckoo Local Name: Sewah Mati Anak Scientific Name: Cocamantis merulinus Plaintive Cuckoo has two different calls, one of them is so similar to the call of the Rusty-breasted Cuckoos that sometimes you do  get surprised when a different bird flies into view while you’re expecting it to to be the other. Common Name: Tiger Shrike Local Name: Tirjup Rimau Scientific Name: Lanius tigrinus   Almost time for her to fly north.

Blue-Eared Kingfisher

25th February 2012, Kemensah, Selangor

Local Name: Pekaka Bintik-bintik Scientific Name: Alcedo meninting To me one of the most beautiful Kingfishers in this region, the intense blue and orange look so surreal.

Grey Wagtail

19th February 2012, Taman Rimba Ampang, Selangor

Local Name: Pipit Batu Scientific Name: Motacilla cinerea My first sighting of the male Grey Wagtail in breeding plumage..

Greater Racquet-Tailed Drongo

19th February 2012, Taman Rimba Ampang, Selangor

Local Name: Cecawi Hamba Kera Scientific Name: Dicrurus paradiseus       Video from Kemensah

Two Birds & An Egg: Whiskered Treeswifts

19th February 2012, Taman Rimba Ampang, Selangor

Local Name: Layang-layang jambul kecil Scientific Name: Hemiprocne comata A pair of Whiskered Treeswifts brooding an egg. They take turns to sit on the egg, changing shift very half an hour (approx) The male   The female A single egg glued to the tiniest of nests using their saliva!

Great Angle Head Lizards & White Bellied Rat Snake

6th February 2012,Taman Rimba Ampang, Selangor

Spent some time shooting reptiles that inhabit the park. The Great Angle head Lizard and the White bellied Rat Snake in particular caught my attention. The male Lizard  has longer tail and are much larger than the female. They just love the cool  clear water   Feeding on some kind of insect larva The female I was lucky to see this Rat Snake jumped from a steep slope onto  a sandy river bank to pounce on  an unfortunate little frog. This snake was about 2 metres in length. They are often mistaken for the venomous cobras because of their ability to rear their head up a few feet above the ground.

Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrikes

6th February  2012,Taman Rimba Ampang, Selangor

Local Name: Rembah Bukit Scientific Name: Hemipus picatus A pair of Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes were building their nest on a branch right above the main road inside Taman Rimba Ampang. This one is the female with white underparts, the male has a  light brown tinge to the breast and belly. It is interesting to see how both birds work together in the nest building process.

Asian Brown Flycatcher

21 January 2012, Kemensah, Selangor

Local Name: Sambar Asia Scientific Name: Muscicapa dauurica

Black Headed Bulbuls

21 January 2012, Kemensah, Selangor

Local Name: Merbah Siam Scientific Name: Pycnonotus atriceps An adult and a juvenile Black Headed Bulbul  were resting in the shade. Notice the difference in the colours, the adult bird has more vibrant yellow  and blacker head compared to the young bird.