The Roosting Tree of our Chestnut-Headed Beeeaters - GONE!

This particular casuarina tree was my favourite tree in Kuah town because it was also the favourite tree for our migrants, the Chestnut-Headed Beeeaters Meriops leschenaulti. During the birds migratory season like now, these Beeeaters will come back to this particular tree every evening at dusk to roost. Not only every day but every year! I have been observing them for the past couple of years. There is another casuarina tree at the opposite side of the road but they were not keen.

This was photographed in October 2015

 If you have read my older post on Langkawi Birdwatching Tour: The Roosting of Chestnut-Headed Beeeaters, you will see how bird lovers will be thrilled to see them in the heart of Kuah town.

This was photographed in October 2015

They were seen roosting on this same tree for this season until recently, towards the end of November the local council decided to play with the mean and evil chainsaws. Of all the trees they must pick, this particular casuarina tree became the victim. I was horrified by the sight of this.

The top section of this poor casuarina tree was gone. Photo taken on 1st December 2016

On this evening when these photos were taken, I observed a flock of these Beeeaters hovered above this tortured tree for a few seconds before flying further away to the hills.

I am not an arborist or a landscape expert but I have read about proper trimming or pruning a tree. At least, the workers have left some foliage on this tree. May it continue to survive.

According to BY Joe Lamp'L who wrote about Tree Topping – What You Don’t Know is Killing Your Trees, topping is considered the most harmful tree pruning practice known. In fact, it’s regarded as such a  serious crime against nature, one organization’s major efforts over the past two decades has been to stop this “torture and mutilation”.

Another article on Tree Pruning and Trimming mistakes, says that topping is usually one of the most obvious and ugly of tree pruning mistakes. Topping involves cutting away a large section of the top of a tree's crown, or all the leafing branches across the top half of the tree. What you're left with is a very ugly deformed specimen with severely weaken branch structure.

Now I have to find their new roosting ground in Kuah.

Chestnut-Headed Beeeater with a butterfly

References:

Joe Lamp'l. "Tree Topping – What You Don't Know Is Killing Your Trees - Growing A Greener World®." Growing A Greener World®. N.p., 03 July 2016. Web. 11 Dec. 2016

http://www.growingagreenerworld.com/tree-topping-what-you-dont-know-is-killing-your-trees/

https://preservationtree.com/blog/top-five-tree-pruning-trimming-mistakes [accessed 11 Dec 2016]

Langkawi Sunset, After The Rainy Week

I so love the rainy week in Langkawi. A rainy week does disrupt most nature and outdoor activities, but hey, Langkawi has more hot and sunny days. I personally do cherish the wet season as it helps to cool down the temperature on the island and it is more pleasant to do stuffs at home. (I ain't got air-condition in the house and so it gets terribly hot during most days.)

 

This post is for those who has loved and cherished the rainy week a few days ago, this is the reward after the rain. Sunny during the day and stunning sunset at Pantai Cenang.

I was at my favourite rice field area yesterday evening to check out the Black-winged Stilts. There were two of them flying back and forth looking for a roosting spot.

A pair of Black-winged Stilt. And as usual, they were far away.

I noticed the sun was going down with the bright colours and I knew I have to capture this moment.

Enjoy the stunning sunset photos at different time and angle.

At 6:57pm. Mat chinchang Hill as the backdrop.

At 6:59pm.

At 7:01pm, the flooded rice field.

At 7:02pm.

Still at 7:02pm, different angle.

At 7:02pm with the coconut trees.

At 7:07pm, looking at the direction of Pantai Cenang.

At 7:08pm with the rice fields.

At 7:10pm.

At 7:12pm.

At 7:14pm.

At 7:16pm, watching a flock of Purple Herons flying towards the horizon to roost.

At 7:19pm.

At 7:20pm.

As I watched flocks and flocks of waders flying over me to the other side for roosting, I felt that they had a productive day yesterday. Hope you like this sunset moment.

Langkawi Bird Watching: Birds With Long Red Skinny Legs and My Lifer

This was about two weeks ago and it was a rainy week like this week. Bek, Rishad and Mark had me for four days to do casual birdwatching and some sight-seeing. Due to the rainy weather, we drove around Langkawi a lot and observed our feathered friends being soaked in the rain while we watched them...sigh...what a life..

The rain is indeed good for the rice paddy fields as the water is much needed in most areas for ploughing and replanting. As well as the wet paddy fields bring in the birds activities. I do think that Mother Nature has her ways in setting the season that favours the waders or water birds as they arrive here during their migration period. As these waders were on their migration route from the Northern hemisphere to the South, they would be able to find abundance of food in the wet fields.

As we were driving on a narrow stretch of road through a patch of rice paddy field, I was telling Mark to keep a lookout for Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus. Black-winged Stilt was spotted in the month of October and November last year. And I missed it! And this year, I was wishing to see a Black-winged Stilt.

My gut feeling somehow told me to make a stop in the middle of the road. The rain has stopped and I told everyone to come down from the car to take some landscape photos. Mark and I were scanning around when he suddenly said calmly, "There is the Black-winged Stilt". That got me really excited. Without even looking at it with my binoculars, I dashed to the car and grabbed my camera...and the excitement got me carried away...my apologies, my bad :P 

Taa..daa...The photos of Black-winged Stilt at a far distance, not only one but two:

One of the Black-winged Stilt feeding. This individual was far away.

The other one was flying back and forth. This one here displaying the pair of black wings.

On flight and with loud "keek" and "kee'it"

I love their long, skinny red legs :)

Another lifer for me in Langkawi before 2016 ends! Thanks, Mark!

Black-winged Stilts breed from Central Asia to South and continental South-East Asia. The northern breeders migrate to South, probably like these two here. They feed in open inland marshes, rice fields, coastal and estuarine mudflats. Their diet mainly consist of aquatic insects but also take on molluscs and crustaceans. Like many shore birds, they don't swim for food. They feed by pecking for food items while wading on shallow water. 

The scientific name Himantopus, from specific name Charadrius himantopus Linnaenus, 1758, Black-winged Stilt. himantopus in Latin refers to wading bird now generally identified with the Black-winged Stilt. 

I am unsure if there is any record of this sighting before year 2015 for Langkawi. Whether there is or not, it is great that they are back for this year. In 2015, that individual which was spotted didn't stay long. It was not seen since mid-November 2015 until now.

Not too far from the Black-winged Stilts, I spotted another migrant wader has returned. The Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus seems to be back here regularly now. There were two together.

Grey-headed Lapwing...Welcome back!

A snipe, another migrant was spotted next to the Grey-headed Lapwing.

And the rest of the photos of birds on the rice paddy field are here: 

Four individuals of Common Redshank Tringa totanus seen feeding together! Another species of wader with skinny red legs but shorter than the Black-winged Stilt.

Record shot of an uncommon migrant raptor, Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus which was far away.  

Our common resident wader, a Red-Wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus

Overall for that day, Awesome!

References:

1. Jobling, J.A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names: From Aalge to Zusli. A & C Black p. 192

2. Bhushan, B., Sonobe, K. and Usui, S. (1993). A Field guide to the waterbirds of Asia. Tokyo: Kodansha International. p. 116, 124, 138

3. http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Himantopus-himantopus, [Accessed 31 October 2016]

Contact Wendy for guiding services on birds of Langkawi.