Retired Teacher

  Oriental Honey-buzzard / Helang Lebah / Pernis ptilorhynchus As both its Malay and English names indicate, this bird has a specialist diet.   When it can, it plunders bee and wasp nests.   Honey buzzards will follow bees (or wasps) back to their nest.   Once a nest is found it is broken open and the larvae are eaten; not the honey.   Accordingly, the Malay name, Helang Lebah (‘bee eagle’) is more accurate.   If bees are unavailable it will also eat small mammals, nestling birds, worms, and- more unusually- fruit and berries. This bird was preening its feathers before looking in my direction. Another inaccuracy of the English name is that the honey-buzzard is not a buzzard .   Buzzards, properly, are broad-winged hawks of the genus Buteo , whereas the Honey-buzzard is in a different genus, Pernis .   The confusion is understandable, however.   Young of the European Honey-buzzard ( Pernis apivorus) look like the Common Buzzard, Buteo but...

  Coppersmith Barbet (in Malay, Takur Akar) Barbets are large-headed, heavy-billed birds with short necks and a pudgy body. The name ‘barbet’ is from the bristles around their bills .   About 15 species of barbet occur in Malaysia, mostly in deep woodland. The coppersmith barbet is an exception, as it is commonly found in gardens and open woodland.   Courtship behaviour: bobbing the head and flicking the tail. The coppersmith barbet has a “tuk… tuk… tuk” call that reminded some listeners of a smith striking copper with a hammer to make pots and pans.  Other people liken these birds to a metronome because the call can continue at a steady beat for as long as two minutes! ( https://www.xeno-canto.org/290585 ) Barbets are in the same family as woodpeckers. However, unlike woodpeckers, barbets mostly eat fruit; they also can catch and eat flying termites.   While figs are preferred, they are known to eat the fruit of more than 60 different trees. The r...

  Asian koel (in Malay, Burung Tuwu) Koels eat fruits and berries and can be found in semi-wooded areas, often in or near cities. Although they are large birds (length about 40 cm and weight 200 grams) they are quite secretive.   The reason for secrecy is that koels are ‘brood parasites.’ The female does not make her own nest. Instead she lays her eggs in the nest of other birds, known as ‘hosts.’ The most common host in Malaysia is the House Crow. The crow parents have to work harder to raise an extra nestling! Male koel - looking at the camera. I walked away and got some squirrel photos.  I returned to get the photo below.  When I left the bird was undisturbed and still singing. Female koel-  different tree, different day. Close-up Since there is no nest, there is no territory that needs to be defended.  Therefore, the females move around looking for i) crow nests and ii) boyfriends.  Since females are on the move, male koels have to advertise them...

Most birds are camera shy.  They dislike the sound of the zoom motor and more so the light reflected from the lens.  Hence, many photos are bits and pieces of birds.  Sometimes there are enough field marks visible to clearly establish an identification. More often, I am left 'in the dark', metaphorically speaking. Can you spot a small yellow bird in this photo? It is upside down. We are looking at its breast / belly. Can you see it now? It has move so that instead of being entirely behind the leaves its head has emerged from the foliage. Its head is iridescent dark green, almost black. Here is the bird using digital zoom.  It is a brown-throated sunbird.  Had it flown deeper into the foliage, instead of coming into plain view, I would have been unable to move this from the  no idea  cases to the solved cases.  This is not a good photo in the artistic sense, but it is good enough for a field checklist. My binoculars are more 20 years old and have ...

About a month ago, I was looking for interesting birds to photograph in Taman Tasik Menjalara.  Here is a somewhat out-of-focus yellow-vented bulbul.  Quite likely, I had set the camera to Scene mode, rather than Bird mode.  The reason for this habit is that I have missed out on a few interesting birds when I walk with the lens zoomed out to the max and the setting on Bird mode.  If instead I put the camera in Scene mode with only moderate zoom I can get one quick photo of the bird and its surroundings without having to refocus or re-aim.  In bird photography I find that every split second counts, especially with small active birds.   If the bird remains in place   I switch modes and zoom in for a better picture.  Were I better at identifying bird song I could keep the camera setting locked to Bird mode. This is how one thing leads to another with hobbies that I take up.    In this instance, however, I noticed a flash of blue o...

 Plantain Squirrel (in Malay, Tupai Pinang) This squirrel is chewing the bark of a fig tree.  The tree had ripe figs, which the squirrel ignored. This squirrel is eating flowers of a Trumpet Tree ( Tabebuia sp.), presumably to get the nectar together with some small insects.  These trees are native to South America and those in Taman Tasik Menjalara  appear (at least to me) somewhat deficient in birds.  However, the squirrels are appreciative. The same park, a different squirrel, a different flower being eaten. These squirrels also eat insects, bird eggs, leaves and fruits- including mango, jackfruit, and coconuts. Hence they are considered a pest by farmers. Black Giant Squirrel (in Malay, Tupai Kerawak Hitam) I saw a pair of these squirrels in a very tall eucalyptus tree in Kepong Metropolitan Park.  This is one moment I regretted not having brought my tripod.    A drey, or nest, was under construction.  

 The Asian Brown Flycatcher (in Malay, Sambar Asia) is a small active bird with few identifying marks.  As the ‘flycatcher’ name implies this is an insectivorous species. It breeds from the Himalayas to Japan. In the winter it migrates south. The wintering range is from Sri Lanka to Indonesia. As with many migratory birds the plumage becomes worn, changing from a fresh brown to a greyer appearance- making identification more difficult for the bird photographer! On the other hand, in its northern breeding grounds it prefers broadleaf forest, whereas when it reaches tropical Malaysia it is often found in more open open habitats such as gardens and parks. It can be readily seen when it sallies from its exposed perch to catch flying insects. As with many other insectivores it cocks its tail and flicks its wings when perched, presumably to startle insects into revealing themselves.

There are about 150 species of bulbuls (also known as greenbuls and brownbuls) in the family Pycnonotidae.    Most have dull coloured plumage and unmelodious songs.  They eat fruit supplemented with some insects.   Olive-winged Bulbul (in Malay, Merbah Belukar) The following two photos are from the Nature Park (Taman Alam) at Kuala Selangor. Although the bulbul is very nearly in the centre of the picture its dull colouration renders it almost invisible.   I  am sure I have walked past many other bulbuls without even noticing. This bulbul was perched on the edge of the walking path for an easy photograph. Yellow-vented Bulbul (in Malay,  Merbah Kapur)  This bulbul, which is nicely perched on an alligator-flag Thalia sp. , is a reminder of how little most birds weigh.  These are common city birds but as they are drab coloured and generally remain in the tree canopy they are not often noticed.  Another yellow-vented bulbul, in its...

Olive-backed Sunbird (in Malay, Kelicap Bukit) This photo of a male olive-backed sunbird at  Taman Rimba Riang owes much to good luck.  Firstly, I was fortunate to find a sunbird unafraid of people.  One piece of very good advice I got when I started to take photos of birds was to initially go to parks rather than forest reserves.  I was told that forest dwelling birds are more wary; in a park we humans are just background noise to be ignored. The second way I was lucky was that I remembered to remove the lens cap and turn the camera on as soon as I got out of the car. This sunbird was just inside the park gate; if I had fumbled with my camera it is likely I would have been like the fisherman who bemoans the one that got away .   A female olive-backed sunbird. This photo was also taken at a park- Taman Tasik Menjalara.    Brown-throated Sunbird (in Malay,  Kelicap Mayang Kelapa) This male brown-throated sunbird is perched on an exotic sh...

Asian Glossy Starling A juvenile perched on a lightning rod. Javan Myna (or Myna Jawa) This myna  is native to Java and Bali, where o n a 7-point scale from  extinct  to  least concern , it  is listed as  vulnerable .    Some authorities consider it simply to be a subspecies of the great myna (Acridotheres grandis) or the jungle myna (A. fuscus), but most consider it to be a full species. This myna has been introduced to  cities and farmland in  Malaysia,  Thailand, Singapore, Sumatra, the Lesser Sundas, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Japan and Nepal. In its new home(s) it often outcompetes the native  Common Mynas. Confusingly, on a worldwide basis, the Common Myna is itself an invasive species- labeled 'a serious pest' in Australia.  Should we cheer on the Javan Myna for successfully spreading beyond its threatened status in its native land? Or should we be angry that it has displaced native birds in these new territories? My own ...

In Malay, this woodpecker is known as Belatuk Merah.   I was walking early in the morning when I heard this bird singing. ( A Singaporean birder has posted a sound file here  https://www.xeno-canto.org/575976  )  My first photo was not very good.  The camera averaged the bright sky and the dark bird and chose an unsuitable exposure value.   I often take a quick photo like that, so that if the bird flies away I do have some record of it. By telling the camera to allow more light in I was able to get the following photos.  The bird is likely a male trying to establish a territory and attract a female.  Sadly, females are unlikely to be impressed with the territory.  Quite rightly, the trees in my neigbourhood are carefully inspected and trimmed so that a jogger or bird photographer is not hit by falling branches.   Nevertheless, a small compromise would help woodpeckers and other cavity nesting birds.  I would be h...

In Malay,  the  Oriental Magpie-Robin is known as  Murai Kampung. The ‘magpie’ part of its name refers to its bold black and white colouration.   The ‘robin’ part comes from the belief that it is related to thrushes (family Turdidae).   Modern DNA analysis has found it to belong to the Flycatcher family (Muscicapidae) but the common name is unlikely to be changed as most links with past records would be lost. Like the Pied Triller, it is the males which are black and white, females are more grey and juveniles are more brown.   In birds the males generally stake out a territory and advertise to the females.   Hence, having bold colouration is an advantage for the males. However it comes at a cost.   They are more likely to be seen and killed by a predator.   Thus the more subdued colouration of the females and juveniles. Unlike pied trillers (which are generally found in the upper third of a tree), magpie-robins are often on or near the ...

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds closely related to owls.   Like owls they have large wings, very soft plumage and hunt at night. Unlike owls they have very small feet. Owls need talons for their prey; nightjars feed on insects. Typical nightjars have very short bills with bristles around the mouth to funnel in the flying insects they catch. Although active at night, they hunt by sight, silhouetting their prey against the night sky. According to Wikipedia, nightjars tend to fly from a perch on moonlit nights, but fly continuously on darker nights when prey is harder to see. You have probably heard its song- a soft repetitive “tok tok tok,” which, according to eBird, somewhat recalls the sound of a car's locking. This is a well camouflaged bird, with not just disruptive coloration, but also countershading and exceptionally good background colour matching.   These nightjars are so confident of their camouflage that I have almost stepped on one before it flew away. ...

 In Malay this bird is known as Rembah Kening Putih. In English, "Pied" has nothing to do with food pies or mathematical symbols. The word has existed since Proto-Indo-European (so 5000 years or more) and means boldly coloured in black and white. (See also magpie, pied kingfisher, pied cuckoo, etc.) As you should expect from their name, male pied trillers are black and white above and white below; females and juveniles are greyish-brown and white.   These colours may appear bold in a photo.   However, in a well-shaded tree, it is my experience that the bird is well camouflaged. Although the patches of colour are themselves conspicuous, the outline is disrupted and does not immediately 'register' in one's mind as a bird.   Pied Trillers are insectivores.   They catch insects on the ground,   on leaves, and- sometimes- in mid-air. The nest is an open cup made from twigs and moss. A clutch consists of just 1 or 2 eggs. A male Pied Triller in a Cannonball...