Chestnut-Breasted Malkoha

Kemensah, Selangor

A female Chestnut-Breasted Malkoha   (Zanclostomos curvirostris) local name: Cenok Kecil . As with all Malkohas, they tend to stay between the leaves. I  startled this bird as she was feeding  and grabbed the chance to shoot when she jumped onto a higher branch before disappearing.

Black Magpies : @ Kambing ( The Goat)

Kemensah, Selangor

Surprisingly Black Magpies (Platysmurus leucopterus) local name: Gagak Kambing are thriving in Kemensah. Their calls ( which I refer to as the ‘ringtone’) are very distintive. Although they often go in a group of 3-4, I’ve never had the opportunity to capture a shot with more than one bird.

White –Throated Kingfishers

18 July  2009, Kemensah, Selangor

White–Throated Kingfishers (Halcyon smyrnensis) are a common sight in Kemensah.  This is partly due the presence of quite a  large number  of fish ponds ( fish farm or commercial angling ponds) in the area. Although they are used to being around humans, getting close for a  good  ‘snap’  is still difficult.

Hairy-Backed Bulbul of Kemensah

2 August  2009, Kemensah, Selangor

Lifer: Hairy-Backed Bulbul  (Tricholestes criniger).

Grey-and-Buff Woodpecker- 80’s Punk hairstyle is Back

2 August  2009, Kemensah, Selangor

Grey-and-Buff Woodpecker (Hemicircus concretus sordidus). You can tell by the red  crown that it’s a male. He’s been putting on  extra styling gel , a very trendy bird!   This photo of the female was taken  in January 09. Notice  the difference in the colour of the crown. Strange that both male and female lack   the black stripe  at the eye ( as per Robson’s Field Guide). Is this a new sub-species?

Pink-Necked Green-Pigeons at SMK Tmn. Melawati

26 July 2009, Taman Melawati, Selangor

Went the the School after receiving information that a flock of 5-8 Little Pigeons have been coming regularly to a nearby fruiting tree . When the birds came I could see that they were actually Pink-Necked Green-Pigeons (Treron vernans). Never mind, appreciate the info. At least it was an opportunity to improve on the existing photos. The female is greener than the male and lacks the orange patch on the breast.

Banded Woody- Not the Banded We’re after.

26 July 2009, Kemensah, Selangor

We were taking a 5 minute breather after the climb to the top of Kemensah  when this pair of Banded Woodpeckers (Chrysophlegma mineaceus) landed on a nearby tree.  Tabib came searching for  a different ‘Banded’- the  Banded Kingfisher but no luck.

The female on the left and male , right.