My wife and I live in an apartment on Penang island overlooking the Strait of Malacca on one side and  surrounded by forest trees on the other sides.   Drone shot showing the forest surrounding our condominium. The forested slopes of Pearl Hill host a number of species of native animals including  troupes of Dusky Langurs, foraging Long-tailed Macaques, Black Giant Squirrel sand  the much smaller Plantain squirrels. There are a number of troupes of 15-25 individuals on Pearl Hill and they appear to keep to a defined territory. For the last 3 years I have followed th ..read more

Humans have analyzed spider's webs to understand why it is five times stronger than steel while being 1000 times thinner than a human hair. Each strand is made up of thousands of nano strands to attain this remarkable strength. Spider silk has been likened to the man-made Kevlar which is used to make bullet-proof vests. Some bird species are intelligent enough to utilize this strength in nest building. Locally, in Malaysia, with over 20 years in the field I have observed several species of broadbill utilizing web  strands as well as the Common Iora, that has also been documented previo ..read more

On a bushy hillside on Penang island is a large religious complex called Kek Lok Si Buddhist temple. It is a major tourist attraction and a target for worshippers of that faith. During Chinese New Year celebrations a colourful bird species adds to the decorations. Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters have adopted the complex during their breeding season. Early in the breeding season pairs of bee-eaters can be observed catching insects and investigating potential nesting holes.  The Kek Lok Si temple complex A tourist attraction after lights are switched on There are many sil ..read more

The bee-eaters are a group of non-passerine birds in the family Meropidae, containing three genera and twenty-seven species, Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in Southern Europe and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly-coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongate central tail feathers. All have a long down-turned bill and medium to long wings, which may be pointed or round. Male and female plumages are usually similar. Five species are found in Malaysia, with some being migrant breeders. In Penang state the only endemic species, commonly seen, are the Che ..read more

Introduction The White-bellied Sea Eagle is a large diurnal bird of prey that breeds and hunts near water, with fish forming the majority of its diet. The adult bird has a white head, rump and underparts, and dark or slate-grey back and wings. In flight, the black flight feathers on the wings are easily seen when the bird is viewed from below. The large, hooked bill is a leaden blue-grey with a darker tip, and the eyes are dark brown. The legs and feet are yellow or grey, with long black talons. Like many raptors, the female is slightly larger than the male. Immature birds have brown plumage ..read more

 This is intended to be mainly a photographic essay detailing the personality of the Dusky Langur species. I have written previous blogs examining the species and why the babies are orange. This species is almost exclusive to Malaysia with a slight spillover into Thailand and Myanmar. The current National animal is the Malayan Tiger, which is not a particularly  unique species and various Malaysians have done their best to exterminate it from the country. The Dusky Langur is heading in the same direction......all I am saying is embrace this novel species and preserve it for post ..read more

  There are many venues in Malaysia that tout themselves as Eco-retreats and some of these come with a five-star price tag. My wife and I reside in Penang and two years ago we sold our house in a cookie-cutter estate and moved not far away to a rented condominium at Diamond Villa at Tanjung Bungah. This eco-location is worth at least 8 stars. This well-located 26 year old estate was solidly built with kitchens and bedrooms larger than the old-fashioned red phone boxes. We are on the 21st floor that overlooks the Strait of Malacca and backs into the lower slopes of Pearl Hill. Acros ..read more

A Dusky Langur mother with her orange baby The Lutongs (lutungs), langurs or leaf monkeys are a group of Old World monkeys in the genus Trachypithecus. The name 'Lutung' from the Sundanese language means 'blackness'; and is the preferred name for members of this genus. DNA genetic analysis indicates that the ancestors of the modern species of lutung first differentiated from one another a little over 3 million years ago, during the late Pliocene, The various species alive today then diverged during the Pleistocene, presumably driven by habitat changes during ice ages. There are 20 ..read more

                The apparently odd relationship Drongos  Drongos and especially Racket-tailed Drongos have been called, thugs, thieves and tricksters or are they just vocally gifted and very intelligent. Fork-tailed Drongo Greater Racket-tailed Drongo The drongos are a family, Dicruridae, of birds of the Old World tropics. The 29 species in the family are placed in a single  genus Dicrurus.  Drongos are mostly black or dark grey, short-legged birds, with an upright stance when perched. T ..read more

Black Giant Squirrel (Ratufa bicolor) A Google search will show the Black Giant Squirrel is the biggest squirrel species on our planet. It may not be the prettiest as it has to contend with the Indian Giant Squirrel (or Malabar Giant Squirrel)..Ratufa Indica...that comes in multi-colours. Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica)     DISTRIBUTION The Black Giant squirrel or Malayan Giant squirrel (Ratufa bicolor) is a large tree squirrel in the genus Ratufa native to the Indomalayan zootope. It is found in forests from Northern Bangladesh. northeast India, Thailand, M ..read more