The Jungle Walk Video

A video on part of Langkawi's rainforest neatly done by Kamila Delart. I am in there for the bird watching section with our two birding guests Louise and Chris Saxton.

Have a good watch :p   psst... I am in clip at 1:35 and 1:57 :D

MY LANGKAWI TODAY: Exotic Feathered Creatures

LANGKAWI YESTERDAY: On a Langkawi bird watching tour with Mrs Pirjo Laakso from Norway. Her quest was to see a Mangrove Pitta and the Brown-Winged Kingfisher.

In the quest for that elusive pitta, it is so nice to see a Stripe-Throated Bulbul Pycnonotus finlaysoni free in the wild than seeing them in those pathetic cages. Mrs Laakso is a good spotter with very keen eyes, saw a pair of this bulbul while I was getting my car to pick her up. These bulbuls were observed to be feeding on a fruiting strangling fig tree growing next to a mangroves habitat. Thank you, Mrs Laakso!

Striped-Throated Bulbuls are one of the favourite caged birds which often poached as song birds. They are now considered as rare in Langkawi.

Next... record shots of a Mangrove Pitta Pitta megarhyncha

A Mangrove Pitta perched high up on a tree in a scrub habitat next to the mangroves and calling for a long time. We were swarmed by mosquitoes and bitten through our pants while in the humid forest trail.

Langkawi Birdwatching: Red-Throated Pipit on 10 April 2016

In search of the Grey-Headed Lapwing to photograph, I headed off to Cenang River, Langkawi with another birder, Tom Reynolds. Tom has been there a couple of times and saw this lapwing in that area. 

Grey-Headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus is a migratory lapwing  while our local lapwing is the noisy and shrieky Red-Wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus. 

Despite the extreme dry season this year, this small river is not completely dried up yet even though its surrounding is almost barren. 

We arrived at 8am and were delighted to see about three Slaty-Breasted Rails Gallirallus striatus running and dashing into the dried reed. The usual migrants are around like the Chinese Pond Herons Ardeola bacchus, Little Egrets Egretta garzetta, Wood Sandpipers Tringa glareloa, Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum and Pacific Golden Plovers Pluvialis fulva. Some of these migrants have turned to breeding plumage and is about time to head home.

Like those Slaty-Breasted Rails, we walk through the small patches of dried reed to get a bit closer to the waterbirds. 

MY LANGKAWI TODAY: My Job

LANGKAWI TODAY: This is one of the reasons why my job as a nature guide can be interesting and fun. Whether it is rain or shine, one has to get down and get dirty when caught in a tricky situation!

MY LANGKAWI TODAY: Jerdon's Baza

LANGKAWI TODAY: Jerdon's Baza Aviceda jerdoni revisitation and I was so lucky to encounter this spectacular migrant raptor. Jerdon's Baza is not commonly seen. This individual here was spotted soaring above the rainforest of Gunung Raya, Langkawi. It descended quickly and disappeared when two Crested Serpent Eagles Spilornis cheela were presence. Crested Serpent Eagles are resident to Langkawi.

I have recorded sightings of Jerdon's Baza in 2014 and early 2015. It is also nice to see it again. However, I am not sure if it is the same individual.

This is my opportunity to give a big shout out to our raptor sifus, Lim Aun Tiah and Lim Kim Chye for their help in confirming raptors identification. There are still a lot to learn from these two sifus.