I want to see that cuckoo....

19/8/2007 - Hutan Lipur Sg Perdik, Ulu Langat

The night before received an SMS from Banard (we fondly refer as Uncle B). "Susan I'll be at Perdik 2morrow with XXXXX, would you be there?" I replied I be there on my own no matter what cause I want to see that Cuckoo...

Uncle Banard... reply ''' Huh... for once I thought Cuckoo is a person you refer to..."

As I looked back, It must be one of my lucky day cause I seems to able to photographs alot of birds pix in one field trips and have lifer as well. Just a little while I arrived, station myself near the bamboo clumps, a male Pin-tailed Parrotfinch Erythrura prasina prasina came to the same spots where I first spotted it on 9/8/2007. Wooh.. Wah. me and my usual few birding friends was having busy times to focus it and keeps trigger our camera shutter to our hearts contents as long this individual bird pose for us.

I keeps analyse the picture below, I yet to comprehend why it's pin-tailed was so short. It is only one male bird that appear for us today.

While waiting for the Pin-Tailed Parrotfinch, I suddenly notice a big bird fly in and perched inside the forest. I used my binoculars to scan it.. OOOH my!..... the Banded Kingfished.. !! the Banded Kingfisher the female.. There.. there Banard.. there... there !.

After admiring quite alot of pictures taken by some friends finaly I managed to clock my lifer the Banded Kingfisher WAh... As usual I was jumping with excitement even I just got a glimpse of a lifer. This individual female Banded Kingfisher only enable us to scan through with our binoculars only..

On 23/8/2007 I received the male and female Banded Kingfisher that was photograph by Kam Su at one patch of forest in malaysia. I now wish to archive the female bird in my blog here to commemorate that indeed on this very day I clock this lifer.

Cuckoo... Cukooo... Ah Cuckooo... there... There .. There !!! I want to go there to takes it's photos...

The male lesser cuckooshrike Coracina fimbriata neglecta

He caught a stick insect.

How he process his food ? Well I notice it just about the same with the others birds, they would hit it left, right, center on a hard surface.


The female lesser cuckooshrike Coracina fimbriata neglecta

Later we notice two Lesser Cuckooshrike perched at this fruiting trees. Notice that it was a feeding scene.. It happen too quick therefore we just observed them only. Friends debate Cuckooshrike do not do courtship feeding.. It must be the feeding of the juvenile bird. I looks through my picture again and again, seems to notice that this individual have no field marking that it is a juvenile.

Besides stick insect, it also feeds on this fruits.

For this sub-adult blue flycatcher, I opt it for sub-adult pale blue.

Another view of the flycatcher. This is one of the moments it cleans it's bill. It wipe it against that branches.

AAAh another cuckoo.. Violet Cuckoo... Violet Cuckoo.. there .. there.. There!!!
Violet Cuckoo Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus


Hei another Cuckoo... Well I opt this for the Sub-Adult of the Violet Cuckoo. This individual fly in at first perched at the same fruiting tree with the Lesser Cuckoo Shrike..
One of our birding mates commented ... "oooi a new one came in... why so silly concentrate on the Lesser Cuckooshrike..!!!

This individual then fly further in , I try to capture it.. AAh.. boleh lah...



Black-and-Yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus ochromalus

Black and Yellow Broadbill female and Juvenile perched side by side. This was pointed out by Kam Su. He as usual have to wait for clean perched, bird must be near to fills the frame of his 500mm + tele lens. I started to appreciate birds with bino, therefore I just aim and trigger my shutter and hopes that my canon 400mm + 400D would captures some memorable pictures for me.

The female mother bird flew off, left with juvy...

AAAAh juvy stay there please for a little while... Pose for me please just a few more second please.. Thank you... Bye .. Bye juvy... Be strong and grow fast...

Nesting Behaviour of Common Flameback - Part 2

Common Flameback Dinopium javanense javanense - Nesting

In the event of observations of active nests do it in great care always have to put the birds first. Do not in anyway obstruct the feedings. Another important notes to consider is to be careful to whom you disclose. This is to avoid unnecessary attentions to the nest. It is advisable not to disclose rare birds spp active nesting. If the birds chase you away do back off, even you are doing birds behaviour data collections.

Woodpeckers or we fondly recognise them as WOODY the woodpecker are unmistakable by all.
Their existence play an important roles in the forest eco-system. They in directly contributing control the health of tree trunk by pecking them to source out ants, termites for it's food. Woodpeckers also helps in the cycle of decay and regenerations by pecking at dead wood/tree trunk. This would make it possible for other decomposing organism.

Woodpeckers foraging methods.
It gleans – pick ups with it's beak. It also extends it's thin fine tongue to extract insects from deep wood cracks. I do manage to observe that they have fine thin long line tongue but those actions are too quick for me to document them.

Climbing methods.
It used toes backward and forward, use it's wedge shape tail to support it's body.

Does woodpecker have headache after hard pecking.
Woodpecker brain is being cushioned from all the impact of hitting hard on tree trunk

Woodpecker practice recycle
Woodpecker has been observe by others that nest-hole is not excavated in every nesting sesson. Old holes would be use/recyle.

How does woodpecker feeds their chicks.
Through out my observations with some friends we notice that the adult birds would do regurgitations. The adult birds would not carry any fresh food to comes back to the nest but after it's own feedings. I do noticed that it would peched at certain spots quietly. This actions of perched quietly may give me a conclusion that it allow times for foods to be process ready for it's chicks. Just before some minutes before it about to feeds, the parent birds would gives call to alert their chicks. Through this observation we notice that the caring of the young chicks done by the participations of both male and female birds.

This is a moments that it about to feeds it's chick, some foods from its beak but not fresh foods. Regurgitations is when a bird throws up small amounts of food with the intention of feeding it to a loved one.



Do notice the white layer at it's eyes, it is called nictating membrane

Notice it has it's nictating membrane down to protect it's eyes from being damage during feedings

This is feedings done one day before the male chick fledge. The chicks has grown and occupied alot of space in their nest. There are no space for the parents to enter to the nest. In the earlier stage during feedings the parent bird may enter entirely inside the nesting hole.

When leave the nest, their youngs even it's calls have not yet developed would be capable to climb and to fly..this facts amaze me.

In this nestling of two chicks male and female. The male bird is stronger therefore on 13th of Aug around 8:20am the male chick fledge , it just flew to the tallest stem of a neigbouring tree. Witness by Uncle Kong and Kam Su

This is the male chick one day before it comes out from the comfort of this nest. Both he and his sister are very anxious of the outside world. They would very early pooked out their head in this manner.

On 14th of Aug about 9:15am as I sat on my working desk... peeep...peep I receive and SMS that reads “the second and last chick just fledged witness by Makus and myself”.
Woooh more woody for us to see and enjoyed..my heart leaps for joy

This is what Uncle Kong detailed out
On tuesday morning 14th of Aug 2007
First, the parents both would come. Perched on neighbouring trees urging the Daughter to fly. The baby also replied but took no action.
The mother flew down to the nest, gave her one feeding. Next she just stood there. The baby made an unpredecented appearance while the mother stood at the entrance. I suppose was unnatural for the mother there and not feeding.
The baby pecked the mother
The mother flew off.
Short while later at 8.28 am. The baby darted out from the nest, moderately fast. Avoiding the floliages just 3 feet away, sort of dipped a couple of feet. Up again into the tree opposite near the shed.
It slided down another 5 feet from the first perched. Spent about 10 minutes learning its grip. That was when Makus & I shot.

She finaly get out from the comfort of this excavating hole. How long they stays in this hole ? This question I could not answer cause all this observations was done in their later stage of nesting.

Nesting behaviour of Common Flameback - Part 1

Common Flameback Dinopium javanense javanense - Nesting

In the event of observations of active nests do it in great care always have to put the birds first. Do not in anyway obstruct the feedings. Another important notes to consider is to be careful to whom you disclose. This is to avoid uncessary attentions to the nest. It is advisable not to disclose rare birds spp active nesting. If the birds chase you away do back off, even you are doing birds behaviour data collections.

This pair of birds use the urban recreation park as their nesting grounds, their predators is only human and chances of having snakes to ransacked/destroy their nest would be very much less chances. Urban folks no doubt are very curious but most don't have the heart to harm any wildlife. This pair of woodpecker does caught some kids attentions ...OOOH Woody Woodpecker looks and they point it out to their parents or siblings.

This is towards the late stage of the nesting behaviour of a Common Flameback. It's nest is a cavities hole in a tree bark, this nest is situated at one of the urban recreation park. According to the local there this is the 3rd year this same spp use back the same tree and same hole. Through most nesting observations, if the previous nest prove to a 100% succesfuly fledge, the chances for them to comes back/recyle the nest is very much possible.

Nesting behaviour
I very much think that once the chicks has grown to certain sizes the parent bird would comes out of the hole. They would still source out food for their chicks. At this growing stage of their chicks foods sourcing are more frequent, chicks need to grown fast and they ensure their babies grow healthly to have a 100% successfuly fledge soon.

Feeding visit are much done by the female adult birds, she would not be so cautions of the surrounding. The male bird would be more cautions would prefer to perched at some branches nearby the nest for long time before enter to the nest to feeds his chicks. The aftenoon session I notice that feedings would be 45 mins to 1 hrs once. Foods for their chicks is not fresh foods but reguginating. Notice that the adult birds would perched at one spots for quite sometimes, normaly makes no calls, only a few mins before they are ready to feeds the chicks, they would makes “kak..kak..kah...” loud calls.. Their chicks would excitely makes a small chiit...chit... chicks sounds.

Common Flameback - Male
This is the proud father of a pair of male and female small chicks. He is now anouncing it's arrival soon to the cavity nest to feeds them. He has been at this perched for quite a while already, maybe to process it's food to regurgitating feedings.

Common Flameback - Female
This is the proud mother of the two chicks. She is a doting mother. She did the hatching most of the time. At this stage of my discoveries her chicks has grown a little and they does not need her to sit on them all the times. At this state she is now busy with her husband to source out foods for their chicks..

Common Flameback - Male

This is another looks of the proud father of two chicks

This is the moments just before he enter to the nest to looks into the needs of his chicks. Looks at how he use his tail to support himself. All woodpecker behave this way.

Common Flameback - Female
she looks curiously poke out her head but actually nesting adult birds would be very cautions and wish not to attract any predators. I do notice that just before they dash out they would poke out their head to looks around. If they ever notice any commotions or feel unsafe they would quickly poke back their head inside the nest-hole.

Common Flameback - Male

He is not born with eyes defact but they have eyelids too. It is called nicticating membrane, it is to protect their eyes from dust , keeps the moisture balance as well.


Common Flameback -Male

This is how the male adult bird, he would poke out his head after attending the needs of the chicks to observed for sometimes the surrounding before he dash off from the nest-hole.


My camera setup is canon 400D + 400mm prime lens (the most budget canon lens). I'm at least 7 meter away from the birds. 10megapixels jpegs files can allow me to crop and stretch my photos.. I only use natural lighting for all of my pictures

Kuala Selangor Nature Park

Kuala Selangor Nature Park – 10/8/2007

KSNP is in the state of Selangor, Malaysia, situated at the mouth of Selangor River. It was established in 1987 and since then it is being managed by MNS. Since then this park serves as a center for education on nature awareness and research. Kuala Selangor Nature Park, also know as Taman Alam, is haven for a wide variety of flora and various wildlife such as mudskippers, crabs besides birds. To find out more about Taman Alam click

http://www.mns.org.my/artabout.php?aid=50

Today Aun Tiah, Oon Teik and me, we show Mam KSNP. Mam one week birding holiday would covers low land forest (Merapoh, Perdik), secondary/parks (Hutan Lipur Ampang) , montane forest (fraser's hill) and mangrove (KSNP). It was hard for me to wake up this morning at 5am. We have a 8 course dinner with Mam the night before. At 10pm we are still feasting, have so much laughter at the dinner table with Mr & Mrs Foo, Oon Teik and wifey as well as Aun Tiah, Siew Ping , Mam and me. I only managed to crawl on my sweet bed past mid-nite. Even though this morning my body craves to catch up some sleeps but my brain is excited about birds. Secretly habours in my heart to met up a crakes.... maybe a ruddy breasted....

Just pass Leisure Mall my hand-phone rang.. Oon Teik ask where we are.. At 6:05am we manage to reached to Aun Tiah's hse , me, mam and Aun Tiah jumped into Oon teik marron Mercedes and off we head to Taman Alam. There are so much to catch up with each other along the journey. We stopped for breakfast at Ijok a small town.

A smooth journey we reached the Park at about 7:15am. Four of us habour with hopes that maybe can met up with the Barred-Eagle Owl. We walk slowly browsing through the trees at the small fragments of low-land forest nearby the chalets. The buzzing sound of the fierce mosquitoes is very iritating at this small stretch.

Aiyah that Barred Eagle Owl roost somewhere today, this is the statement we told mam...

As we are at the bird hide, suddenly I got an incoming SMS from uncle banard told me that he just saw a pin-tailed parrotfinch. Not long after that another incoming SMS from Jason.. his message "weee ...wow... we saw the pin-tailed parrontfinch female and somemore phtographs it". I return a call to them OOOH what a joy...and happiness there.. and so much laughter echo from ulu langat. Three of them manage to takes some "award winning shots" of the female bird. We (me, mam, Aun Tiah and Oon Teik) could feel the happiness and joy being echo to us .. Aun tiah and Oon Teik even set next tues to catch up with the happening at the patch of forest there.

Even we sighted no Barred Eagle Owl neverthless we still have
Yellow vented bulbul (abundance), Ashy tailorbird, Oriental White Eye, Alot of Bhraminy Kites,
Grey Herons, Little Heron, Javan Myna, Golden Bellied Geygone, Peaceful Dove, Pink Necked Green Pigeon, Orange Breasted Green Pigeon, White Collared Kingfisher, Pacific swallow, Yellow Bellied Prinia

Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica javanica size 14cm



Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala indica Size 15cm
We notice two of this bird was feeding at the fruits of this mangrove trees.



Scarlet Backed Flowerpecker (Male) Dicaeum cruentatum cruentatum Size 9cm


He is not having unmaned feathers but it was being blown by the breeze.

This is the star bird that decided to roost on a different tree during Mam visited the park this time. Well this would gives you all the reasons to comes back to Malaysia to look out for what others birds that you have not see before.

Perdik and Taman Rimba Ampang

Perdik and Taman Rimba Ampang 9/8/2007

On the 9th of Aug, it is only me and mam birding together. Jason, Kam Su needs to work, Safee, Richard has been backed to their respective homes. Uncle Banard would be busy at his home and need to be a good man to Aunty May.

Today after we tooks out our laundry to hang aroud my fence of my hse, we head to Perdik Forest Reserve, Ulu Langat about 35 mins drive from my hse. I never been to this patch of my birding playground during weekdays, I was shocked to see cars in the beelines at the Ulu Langat Batu 10 onwards till Batu 14. We drop at batu 14 for our breakfast, after that we continue our journey to Perdik.

Due to we are the only two females in this patch of forest, we dares not ventures too far.. We have Gold Whiskered Barbet, Dark Throated Oriole, Orange Bellied Flowerpecker, Black Headed Bulbul, Blue Crowned Hangging Parrot, Red Eye Bulbul, Buff Vented Bulbul, White-Rumped Munia, Blue Winged Leafbird. Mam saw a Cuckoo spp and opt it for the Moustached Hawk Cuckoo.. I miss this by mins by the time I run to her side I only can ID it as Cuckoo spp... Never mind one day I surely met up with it face to face. At 10am suddenly I saw two colourful birds that looks like the Blue Crowned Hangging parrot fly and perched at those clump of bamboo. I put up my bino and scan... OOOH MY these are the spp that I risk my safety to stand at one secluded patch of forest all alone once... MAM... MAM looks the Pin-tailed Parrotfinch. She keeps repeat... GO... susan go and takes it's photos... OOOH I try... I try... I was stunned once keeps admire it with my pair of bino still. I keeps press on the shutter as long as the bird permit me.. Review back the pix... OOOH I GOT IT..What a joy... I never expect to see pin-tailed parrotfinch. I keeps echo joy into this patch of forest...

We left Perdik having in mind to try to show my playmates the Blue Banded Kingfisher. We notice a Banded Broadbill instead..

Pin-Tailed Parrotfinch (Male) Erythrura prasina prasina 15cm
Family/Sub-family Estrildidae
Species name author (Sparrman, 1788)
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

This spp is every birdwatcher wish to have a glimpse on the real bird due to it's movement is very much depending on the bamboo seedlings availability. It is also recorded as normadic according to bamboo seedlings

Buff-Vented Bulbul Iole olivacea Size 20cm
Family/Sub-family Pycnonotidae
Species name author Blyth, 1844
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Black-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus atriceps 18cm

Family/Sub-family Pycnonotidae
Species name author (Temminck, 1822)
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Banded Broadbill (Male) Eurylaimus javanicus Size 23cm
Family/Sub-family Eurylaimidae
Species name author Horsfield, 1821
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Great Anglehead Lizard Gonocephalus grandis

http://www.jphpk.gov.my/English/Nov03%2011B.htm

http://naturemalaysia.com/malayanlizard.htm

Fraser's Hill

Fraser's Hill 6/8/2007 - 8/6/2007

After we departed from Merapoh, some of us head to fraser's hill. Fraser's hill that is in between of Merapoh and Kuala Lumpur. We departed from Merapoh around 3.45pm from the durian stalls after bidding good journey to 3 of our friends.

We touch fraser's hill at 7:40pm. I did a slow drive cause I'm not familar in negotiating all the bends and curves. I also have been fore-warned by a petrol station attendant at Bentong "Please do not stop for anyone near the roadsides.. dangerous might got robbed... OOH be careful cause normally alot of trucks would use this trunck road.... would reach there about 2 hrs from now."..

What a double triple stress with all this reminders and the sky is getting dark in just about 30mins from now... and we notice the mile stone is about 40++km to fraser's hill. Well not as bad as the petrol station attendant mentioned only a few on comming pick -up and no logging truck...definately we never noticed any miserable soul stand at the roadside. What a relieve when I saw the millestone to fraser's hill denotes a lesser and lesser figures. Wedivert to fraser's town to picked up our dinner, having in mind to have something nice from the hill view restaurant but it was closed for that day. Well anyhow a nice plate of rice would indeed please our tummies. I walked into the informations center discovered that Durai was there, as usual when birders met up with each others we exchange birding news.


Safee and Richard Tay catched up with us as we are having our dinner, tonite these two more friends are accompany us. The next day we have Jason and his families members.

To unload our baggages to my company pent house apartment is another challege.. 4th floor without lift.


Well due to it is a weekdays Fraser's Hill is indeed a dead town only with the locals and would bump into a few foreigners birders only..but still this visit I still not sighted yet
Hill Partridge even I can have Bishop trails for only 4 of us..:-(

During our recent visit, It has not been rained for weeks, the ground is very dry, bird lifes also
very dry. I keep lamentating where are the Black Throated Sunbird and Streaked spiderhunter. As we sat down for our lunch and mid-morning breakfast, we seems to feels something is missing, the long tailed sibia, the streaked spiderhunter and the black throated sunbirds... There are none sighted there.


Neverthless we still have
Chestnut Capped Laughingthrush, Chestnut Crowned Laughingthrush, Long Tailed Sibia, Little Cuckoo Dove, Silver Eared Mesia, Blue Winged Minla, Striped Tit-Babbler,
White Browed Shrike Babbler, Artic Warbler, Black Eared Shrike Babbler, Minivet Spp.. Mountain Fulveta, Slaty Backed Forktail, Mountain Leaf Warbler, Canary Flycatcher,
Black Browed Barbet, White Throated Fantail, Javan Cuckoo Shrike, one Streaked Spiderhunter, Red Headed Trogon, Rufous Browed Flycatcher, Golden Babbler, Blue Nuthatch,
Velvet fronted nuthatch, Ochraceous Bulbul, Mountain Bulbul, Stripe-throated Bulbul, Black Crested Bulbul, Yellow Vented Bulbul, Orange Bellied Leafbird, Pacific Swallow, Dusky Broadbill, Lesser Yellownape, Greater Yellownape, Grey and Buff Woodpecker, Fire-tuffed Barbet. Bronze Drongo I could not believe my eyes that Oriental Magpie Robin is not restricted to certain part of fraser's and I also got a shocked that Rufous Tailed Tailorbird has creeped up to the new road (near pine hills resort)... According to our friend Mr Durai they existence start to be noticeable ever since from this April '07.


Our the Best Bird show was the show up of BROWN-WOOD Owl in front of my company's apartment at pine hill resort.


Mountain Bulbul Hypsipetes mcclellandii size 24cm
Family/Sub-family Pycnonotidae
Species name author Horsfield, 1840
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)




Black and Crimson Oriole Oriolus cruentus Size 23cm




Streaked Spiderhuter Arachnothera magna Size 19cm
Family/Sub-family Nectariniidae
Species name author (Hodgson, 1837)
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Black-Browed Barbet Megalaima oorti Size 20cm

Family/Sub-family Ramphastidae
Species name author (Müller, 1835)
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Red-Headed Trogon (Male) Harpactes erythrocephalus Size 34cm

Monkey

Small crab up on a montane forest, look and compare the size of a 20 sen malaysian coin with it

A black fungi that caught our attention when there is no birds.

Merapoh

Taman Negara Merapoh 4/8/2007 - 6/8/2007

on 4/8/2007 morning about 6:30am started to load our food stuf, baggage into my small kenari car. I still could not imagine how we could manage to stuffed in so many things into my car. My thai friend brought enough things for her two weeks holiday away from works. After that we continue the journey to pick up Uncle Banard, his hse is about 30mins drive. Once more times we stuffed in more things into the cars.. OOOh he packed along 30 eggs as well.. It was so nicely packed by him that we even can topped it up with some others stuff as well.. Now my car is fully loaded from all the food stuff that would last us at least 4 days, tripods, our birding materials, pot, pans, utensils, plates, portable cooking stove and as well as the rest of the baggages.

From there we head to Gombak Toll.. on the journey discovered that my friends who agree to wait for us at 7:30am decided to change another place to wait for us.. Well this is my first time drive such a long journey but I packed along good navigators.. Phew...

After a good breakfast at the Bukit Tinggi New Village we head to bentong, Kuala Lipis and then follow the milestone to Gua Musang and Merapoh is about 30KM from Gua Musang. We have a good nice ride thanks God that my friend suggest that I send my car for service before this trips cause I did complained to him that somehow I have difficulties to engage gears.

We reached Kg Merapoh about 12:30pm. We check into Merapoh guest hse due to information gives to us that the accomodations are unavailable dues to a govertment course that held through out the month of Aug. The next convenience place to stay is the Merapoh Guest hse taken care by the care-taker Encik Uda-012-6632955. This guest hse is quite clean selling at the room rate of Rm45. We booked all the 4 rooms occupied by 9 of us. We then head for our lunch at those food stalls at Kg merapoh.. Once glance of those available foods.. OOOh how I treasured those varieties of instant mees, breads and other food stuff that we pack along from KL.. There are two small kedai runcit there but the only things that I found is similar in town is the Gardenia Bread.

After lunch we head into the National Park. It would be a courtesy to seek permission from the forest ranger, since this is a sat their office is not open, I walk into their quarters to look out for Encik Azmi. We then realised that the govertment course venue shifted to Bkt Rengit, but a promise is a promise to Merapoh Guest Hse. We shifted out from Merapoh Guest Hse the next morning to the park accomodations. We also occuppied 4 chalets (non-aircon) with the room rate of RM40 that can occupied 3 persons. We now have the taste of two places but I still prefer the ambience at the national park.

This time of visit I managed to clock only two lifers , Blue Rumped Parrot and the Ferruginous Babbler. This is not of the reasons of Merapoh has no birds life but due to I done alot of birds-watching at low land forest.. The calls of the Banded Pitta, Great Argus, Some Pheasant spp, Gurney Pitta, Sooty Capped Babbler is really fasinating to me in this patch of forest. In additional to that once a while we noticed a few Horbills fly above us.

The simple meals that me and my friends cooks without meats, just taste so yummy after a tired day out in the fields.. The crazy jokes that we have, the birding companions that I have during this weekend indeed bring back alot of memories to me.. and not to forget the amount of eggs meals that we have as well..

This is the place we took the truck ride right into Kuala Juram. We pay RM20 per pax for a through and for the ride. This place is where the Kelah Fish sanctuary is. The fish here is protected. During this time of visit I sighted no Lesser Fish Eagle here but I sighted a Ferruginous Babbler.


These are the groups of birding friends that accompany me to Merapoh. We marched into the forest with scopes, DSLR gears, Binoculars, field guides, water, snacks (kanom from Thailand). Each one of us harbour with great hopes of able to takes a very good sharp birds pictures , as well as able to see good rare birds and to clock lifers each time we marched in during this few days. Taking things out from this national park is of course is prohibited, therefore we only takes photos and leaves nothing behind except footprints

Three Striped Ground Squirrel

Blue- Crowned Hanging Parrot Loriculus galgulus (Juvenile), Size 12-14.5cm

Long-Billed Spiderhunter Arachnothera robusta , Size 22cm

Family/Sub-family Nectariniidae
Species name author Müller & Schlegel, 1845
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

I got an information much earlier of a long-billed spiderhunter nesting here but I have in mind that it has fledge before our visit then. When we walk into the forest on the 4th of Aug in the late afternoon, I notice there is no sights of this species then.

On 5th of Aug we sighted two of this birds with food in their beaks, my first thought is they are about to feeds a young birds that has been fledge maybe just a few days ago. We notice that this two birds keeps perched and it's movement is restricted just around a few trees nearby.. They keeps circling around and keeps fly down to a patch of a low bushes... We thought that it's nest could be just somewhere in that patch of bushes which we could not see from our sides.. This two birds it's movements is very fast it really test our skills to photograph them.. One after another after we had get a decent photo of them we moves from here.. Saffee and Richard stays behind and after sometimes of observations actually it's nest is just beside where we stand, near the road. OOOH no... how could we so naive, no wonder they keeps circling around dare not fly into the nest directly... Sorry Mr and Mrs Long Billed Spiderhunter...I be more courteous next time. Through my observations it's feeding time is only active during the morning till noon only.

This is the Long-Billed Spiderhunter nest, they build it besides the road just about 4 feet from the ground.

Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea (female), size 17cm
Family/Sub-family Monarchidae
Species name author (Boddaert, 1783)
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Checker-Throated Woodpecker Picus mentalis (Male) , Size 28cm

Family/Sub-family Picidae
Species name author Temminck, 1825
Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)