Unusual Monsoon

Langkawi experienced an unusual weather in September 2025. During this month when the South West Monsoon is peaked and high rainfall is usually expected, it was hot and humid instead. The temperature on some days in September was 35C. I was out at the reeds on the third week of September and a Paddyfield Pipit (Anthus rufulus) here was observed taking a rest in the shade. 

And now came November 2025, when the beginning of the dry season is expected and instead, the island experienced higher rainfall than usual. One of the reasons was due to super typhoons happened in neighbouring countries like Vietnam and Philippines. And recently, from 23rd November the Northern Malaysia and Southern Thailand were hit with mini typhoon. Continuous torrential rainfall and super wind speed resulted in devastating floods and landslides in our Asean region. 

Soon after Cyclone Senyar developed and hit North Sumatera before passing Peninsular Malaysia on 28th November via Straits of Malacca. Senyar has disappeared now and this is the first record in history for Malaysia to experience such tropical storm. 

What will the next raining season be like for Langkawi next year?

As for this bird, Paddyfield Pipit is our resident bird species and commonly found in the open fields, reeds and paddyfields (hence the name). If any of you e-birders out there are guessing if a pipit you see is a Richard's or Bltyh's and you are unsure, it will be Paddyfield by default.

Time to Balik Kampung

Langkawi is a stopover point for some of the migratory birds on East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Though the island does not host huge flocks of waders and waterbirds, we do get a few common wader species in small numbers. Anyone can pretty much guess one of the commonest wader is our Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos which is a small Palearctic wader. Common Sandpipers arrive as early as between second to third week of July and hold the longest staying visa as compared to other migratory birds. They can be spotted in habitats like reed beds, paddy fields, shorelines, mangroves and parks.

Another common wader on East Asian-Australasian Flyway is Whimbrel or Eurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus but they only appear for a short visit to Langkawi and most of them would stayover on the mainland. They even prefer Singapore than Langkawi! Therefore, Whimbrel is considered as uncommon migrant to Langkawi.

To catch a Whimbrel on Langkawi, one has to look out for this species between August to early October, which is the beginning of the birds migration from the North Hemisphere. Unless reported, this species disappears from the birders' radar in Langkawi after October and this pattern happens annually. I personally yet to receive any reports on Whimbrel sightings from January till April until recently where 4 individuals were sighted on the mudflat of Kubang Badak mangroves. 

My birdwatching tour with Paul Hooper on 15th March 2025 has led us to Kubang Badak mangroves in search of our iconic Brown-Winged Kingfisher. While waiting for this stubborn kingfisher to show up, one Whimbrel was spotted at a far distance on the mudflat. The tide was low on that morning exposing the mudflat where the mud critters were easily available to be savored. Within less than five minutes, another individual showed up and eventually it added to four individuals seen. I was thrilled to see one of them caught a crab Metaplax crenulata and these crabs are commonly found on our mangroves mudflats. 

A Whimbrel having a bath

Another individual sighted

Whimbrels from afar searching for food

Whimbrel (left) caught a Metaplax crenulata crab

Caught a crab and ran away with it!

At the time this blog is written, we still have another month to go before the end of our migratory season. When Whimbrels are generally not sighted after October and these four showed up in March, could they be on their way back to their homeland from the mainland and made a pit-stop or a detour from the storm? I would like to conclude that they have made a detour and found our mudflats here to refuel before making their Balik Kampung (Return to their homeland in Malay) journey. 

Wishing all our migratory birds a safe Balik Kampung and see all of them again real soon.

This lone individual was photographed on a separate tour with Diane and Andy Butcher on 21 March 2025 while we were on a boat into the Kubang Badak mangrove