The draw of the fruiting trees was simply too strong to resist and I found myself back at the same locality exactly one week later. However, I was disappointed to find relatively few birds patronizing the trees despite of the fact that ample fruits were still available. I guess that is birding. One can never truly know what to expect. The arrival of a couple of Cream-vented Bulbul helped to lift my spirit. With wholly white irises, there was nothing suspicious of their identification. I do not come across the Streaked Bulbul all that often but my joy was short lived as this pair wa ..read more

  When in season, the fruiting trees of the interiors of Kedah state can be phenomenal. More than a dozen of birds can and will congregate to feast. These natural bird magnets do not only attract the birds but birders and photographers as well. For the past two years, the coronavirus kept me from my yearly pilgrimage here to pay homage to this revered occurrence. With the worst of the pandemic finally over (hopefully), I visited the trees with my Singaporean guests and we were not disappointed. Yes, it is trees. Two of them are in season to be exact and located almost next to each other ..read more

  Birders share a common passion which is of course the birds. However, everyone has their own preferences and tastes. For me, it has always been water birds. I find it difficult to explain how a dull water bird is able to complete with a dazzling forest bird but that is how I am built. Anyway, not all water birds are boring. Some are unique and striking like the Pied Avocet. Even before the first Malaysian record was discovered a few years back in Borneo, it has been one of my dream birds. When Peninsular Malaysia’s first Pied Avocet popped up in Batu Kawan, my home state was back in the ..read more

  The Important Bird Area of the Teluk Air Tawar – Bagan Belat coastline injected a dose of exhilaration into the local Penang birding community by playing host to a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull. It is undoubtedly a rare migrant to our shores and four enthusiastic birders including yours truly decided to try their luck for this would-be lifer. Birding at this locality is now mostly a maritime affair due to current landscape and restricted accessibility to roosting spots. And the local fishermen now have an additional source of income by ferrying birders around. A beautiful sunrise ..read more

  It has been more than two years since we last set foot on foreign soil and apart from donning face masks, boarding an plane out of Malaysia is pretty much the same as it used to be. A few hours later, we found ourselves in The Land of Smiles and our vacation in northern Thailand began. This was not a birding trip as I was with my better half and birds that I may encounter during our stay here in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai would be a bonus. This part of the country is quite appealing and some of the views, spectacular. Needless to say, after what everyone has gone through, this little get ..read more

  Today was the slated October Big Day but weather of late here in my home state of Penang has not been favourable for this global birding event. As I made my way across the narrow Straits of Malacca, I could see alarming thunder clouds starting to form in the horizon. I have not participated full-heartedly for past few Big Days due to time constraints and this time, it looked like Mother Nature will be the one determining the duration of my endeavour. The swamp forest of Air Hitam Dalam was the selected location. Being a major birding site closest to home was the main reason for this sel ..read more

  The general plan was to check out whatever remains of the peat swamp forest at Pondok Tanjung in northern Perak state. This locality used to be one my favourite forest sites but that was a long time ago before all the deforestation and road works crept in. I often tell myself there is no point holding on to the past because most of the time, what has been done towards Mother Nature cannot be undone in this lifetime nor the next. So instead of exploring this wilderness through a network of idyllic forest trails, it is now reduced to walking along the busy access road next to the forest ..read more

  EarthLodge is one of the most remote birding spots in Peninsular Malaysia. It is located along the Muda River deep in the wild interiors of Kedah state and certainly a haven for both wildlife and wildlife enthusiasts. It was a “working” holiday for me because I have been commissioned by the founder of the establishment, Hymeir, to guide a French couple. Although being a bird guide never feels like work to me. The only access is by boat; electricity is by a generator that runs for the first half of the night and there is not much use of your smart phones here except for capturing memorie ..read more

  There was a time when Cameron Highlands was a haven for both birds and birders. Fast forward to the present day and you will usually have traffic congestion greeting you upon your arrival, development everywhere and an unbelievable number of people present. In short, they brought city living up to this hill station. This trip was a family vacation more than anything else. For my better half, it was her first outstation trip since the lockdowns. The colours and fragrances of the floral gardens and the rolling hillslopes of the tea estates certainly had her attention. I naturally agreed t ..read more

  Crakes, as we all are well aware, can be darn elusive if they choose to be. Naturally, the birding community in Penang (and beyond) got all worked up with the discovery of a family of Red-legged Crakes that habitually bathe in a forest stream at a locality where this species is known to reside. When I finally managed a few hours of birding time into my schedule, Mother Nature had other plans soon after my arrival at the site. Not only did she conjure up rain clouds and strong winds on initially a beautiful Saturday morning but I also found out that the crake family recently changed thei ..read more