Lesson I learned today - What to do when met up with an injured bird.

25/5/2008 - Outing with the Selangor MNS bird group - Bkt Rengit

With only about 3 hrs sleep waking up early for a birding trip is not really a task compare it mean for a day I need to go to the office. I only reached home about 12 midnight after attended an eye-opening event organised by "NASAM". Thank goodness for this National Stroke Association of Malaysia existence that allow a numbers of peoples struck with stroke to have their life back again. http://www.nasam.org/

The dinner performers was power pack by the the stroke survival who was once bed-ridden, half body paralyse, lost their speech. You would not believe it if you did not see it yourself that as of today they can walk, talks and even sing and dance.

Thank goodness for this birding event today I got a hitch ride from Bing (the assistant bird group coordinator) as today the birding site is at Bukit Rengit, Lanchang. It is about 2hrs journey from KL. In order to reached there at 7am, we need to start the journey the latest by 5:30am. It also mean in short that I have to get out from my house at 4:45am in order for me to arrived at Bing's hse at 5:30am.

The instruction to reached this birding site read my early posting http://wcm-birding.blogspot.com/2008/06/bukit-rengit-on-552008.html

It has been a period of time since I turned up for the day trip organised by the MNS bird group. This morning as we reached our meeting points Lanchang Toll. I noticed alot of new unfamiliar faces. As it is much more appropriate to limit the amount of cars to this birding sites, car-pooling arrangements are being made. Some of the participants cars are parked here to be picked back after the day trip.

I took the opportunities to talked to some of new unfamiliar ones to find out is it their 1st time., Do they enjoyed birding, what is birding? Is birding meant for old people ?... and 101 questions and doubts that I can for see clog up in their mind. I told them that my first outing years back for low-land forest birding is indeed quite frustrating to me. Birds in the low-land forest one need patience to spot them. Most of the them they only allow just a very small glimpse of them. To find the birds thru the pair of binoculars is quite a chores to master. I carried on to encouraged by bring out the points that good Low-Land Forest is indeed quite a treasure only found in Asia. Many foreigners takes their trouble to fly in to have a feel to step into our Low-Land forest that is full of flora and fauna and not to mentioned of what living beings that it supported. I also brought out the points that our Low-Land forest birds and montane birds are very colourful. Birding requires one to load with tons of patience. Birding has enable me to learned to slow down a little of my hectic working life. Observing birds behaviour also have unlocked many life questions of mankind.

As some of us are busy trying to spot for any birds. I spotted this gorgeous butterfly resting. I took a few shots of it before it flew off. Joe Pan from Sabah help me to ID this as Parthenos sylvia, common name The Clipper. Family: Nymphalidae.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenos_sylvia

Patrolling up and down with the the normal crowd of at least 30 peoples who turns up for a birding day trip of course would makes birds sighting a little bit challenging. I could have spotted a bird before I could have describe a good directions to my others friends. The bird most likely have left that perched. Nevertheless I always says a birding field trips would not enable you to have all the lifers, some you see and some you have to leave it for your future trips.

A Yellow-Bellied Bulbul that turn up for while for us to admire for a while

OOh this Blue-Eared Barbet is busy making it's cavity holes. Barbet have a strong and powerful beak can keep knocking on. Maybe it's brain is also well cushion like Woodpecker.

A few of the participants as they head out from their allocated spots, they saw a motionless bluish bird lie on the road. They need to makes the decision to leave it there or not. This crucial decision could have cost this beauty being crushed and be a "bluish pancake" when some vehicles run over it. This birder pick this bird up. Unknown what is the next steps she scoops this bird up and ferry it to where the spots where we need to met before we end this day trip. I think she did a good job.

There is one of my field trips, my heart still ache as I replay back from the back of my memories this incidence. In this field trips I went with a few bird photographers. I was wondering why this few friends are crowding around at a spot not too far away from where I stood. I was wandering what is their model. I walked to that spots.. to my alarmed they were taking photographs of a juvenile bird that is quite motionless with both of it's leg on the air, beak open wide as though is kicking for it's last breath. I have no heart to have such a condition of creatures as my model. I quickly rushed to the park staff to ask for help. The park staffs quickly scoops up this bird.. I remind them to check it's legs, neck, wings and notice any born damages. They instruct me to pour a bit of my drinking water to let the bird drink.. The park staffs are being given the instruction to scoops up a bird in such conditions and put into a small cage/enclosure to allow the birds for self-recovery or to asked for further assistance if needed. I month later I went back again for my field trips to this place the park staff told me that this juvenile starling did it's self recovery and it was then being release. Many of us are not aware what to to in such a situations.

What to do when met up with a sick/injured/look like an injured bird.

1. Are there signs of physical injury or illness?

Check and look out for inability to flutter wings, bleeding, broken bones, wings

drooping unevenly, weakness, or shivering.

2. Any minor bleeding

3. Do not force water into the bird’s beak, thinking that it will revive or strengthen a bird.

You may cause more harm and possibly drown the bird. Leave the water outside it's enclosure.

4. Always practice safe handling of injured birds. For big birds - wear hard leather gloves

cause it beak and talon can injured your hands.

5. Understand it's stress/shock it has gone thru. Gently scoop it up.

6. In the events this injured bird need to be transported to the vet. Place it in a well-ventilated

enclosure away from pets and extreme noise.

For this incidence we discovered that no injuries and most probably it is going thru a stress/shocked being knocked down from something. We think that just allowing a few hours rest and recuperation is all that is all being required. A bird group Commitee member makes a small pouch to place this bird in. This bird is then put on a branch. This Black-Naped Monarch is just resting, notice it close it's eyes.. Well it's eyes is not injured.

After a while it open up it's eyes..
As I stood there to observed it, suddenly I realised that this bird is a little bit more active, turn its head to look at it's surrounding. Deep in my heart... Ok at least you seems to bit fine..

OOOpps... AARRh.. guys and gays look. He flew out and perched on this branch... yeah he recovered. He perched here for a little while. I keeps step backward.. bird too big for my 400mm lens.
This is the lady who scoops and rescue that blue beauty.. Well you did a good jobs dear.

With the above happy chapter we head out for lunch as some of us wish to linger a little bit longer after finish to bid goodbye to the day trippers.

After lunch we spotted a few more birds and I managed to capture some of them..
A few Banded Broadbill and Black and Red Broadbill hang out together.
Arrh a Raffle's Malkoha also turn up.

Someone spotted this red small bird.
Black-Backed ? Rufous Backed ? that was our conversations after we spotted this red bird. With a few of us carefully observed it, we nailed down all the distinctive ID field marks points..

A juvenile Rufous-Backed Kingfisher ...

We also sighted a flying lemur - colugu. It is indeed another lifer. Due to it is beyond the reach of of setup I could not take it's picture. I indeed have a good look at it. http://www.wildsingapore.per.sg/discovery/factsheet/colugo.htm