Day of the Hornbills

6th December 2009, Awana trail, Pahang

It was  my first trip to this location ( thanks to Yen for directions). Arrived there at 7.15 am.  The objectives were the Hill Blue and Mugimaki flycatchers. This was how the day began, dark and misty. It was cold (yes, not cool) and it felt even colder in the  slight breeze. The hills were shrouded in  low  clouds  cutting off most of the much needed light.   It wasn’t  ideal condition for birding but it was interesting to see how the landscape changes with the light .     The mist started to clear  about an hour later. That was when a Racket –Tailed Drongo ( with only one trailing tail feather) alighted onto a dead tree, probably to signal  the start of that day’s birding. Then the jungle started to come alive. From far I could see a group of Siamang  howling away. Then the valley  resounded  with the calls of the Hornbills, I knew they were quite close. Probably harassed by the Siamang a pair of Great Hornbills appeared from the thick jungle and flew up the valley. What a sight that was!

The first  Great hornbill  flying gracefully up the valley The second hornbill  following her mate. On the way back to the car I met a group of 3 birders (from Shah Alam) with cameras and scopes trained on a nearby tree. This is what they were shooting, a female Rhinocerous Hornbill  (Buceros rhinoceros). My Lifer of the day.    She hops on the branches       Up up and away………………………………then she was gone. Not bad for a first trip, not bad at all.

‘Little’ Bronze-Cuckoo

29th  November 2009, Kemensah, Selangor

Yes, she is little. No bigger than  Sparrow one could easily  miss this Little Bronze-Cuckoo  (Chrysococcyx minutillus) as she blends in very well with the tree branches.

Scaly-Breasted Bulbul

29th  November 2009, Kemensah, Selangor

Went looking for Red-Whiskered Bulbuls  after receiving information that they had been seen in Kemensah. Unfortunately they were not there but we saw plenty of Scaly-Breasted Bulbuls (Pycnonotus squamatus) on a fruiting tree.

Blue-Eared Kingfisher: 1 of 3 Kings

29th November 2009, Kemensah, Selangor

For record purposes, this adult Blue-Eared Kingfisher was at the same pond as the Black-capped and the Common Kingfishers ( on the same perch used by the Common Kingfisher)

Black-Capped Kingfisher

28th November 2009, Kemensah, Selangor

I saw this bird last week but  had limited time to sit and wait for her. This week  Mission Blackcap is on .  We knew that she’s very wary of  people and will fly off  at the slightest movement or noise. We waited for her  near a dead tree where we last saw her  . She didn’t come to that tree, instead she landed on a rock in the middle of a pond, quite some distance away from our position. Afraid that we might lose her if we moved in closer ,  we  took the shots . True enough , she disappeared after I momentarily popped my head up from behind the bushes. A Lifer: Black-Capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) local name: Pekaka Kopiah Hitam. She’s a migratory species  to Malaysia.       Mission Blackcap II will be underway soon to improve on these photos.

Common Kingfisher of Kemensah

28th November 2009, Kemensah, Selangor

This is the first time that I see this bird in Kemensah. We were on  ‘Mission BlackCap’ this morning when we stumbled upon this Common Kingfisher hunting beside our primary target. She was later chased away by the other bird.

Black-Thighed Falconet: going solo

21st  November 2009, Kemensah, Selangor

I was surprised to see this lone Black-Thighed Falconet (Microhierax fringillarius) local name: Helang Belalang . Usually they go in pairs. Probably a youngster looking for a mate.