Pipit Pinang

Kenapa orang melayu kata Pipit PINANG?.
Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)

eating the Brachiaria grass seeds (Urochloa subquadripara)

UPDATE: (29/6/10)
Kenapa orang Melayu kata Pipit PINANG?. (Why the Malay called this bird 'Pipit Pinang'?)
Look at the picture of 'Buah Pinang' below. If you cut the nut in half, it will show the marbled interior (ruminate endosperm), and dark brown lines alternating with opal-white portions.
Almost the same colours /pattern with brown-white scaly at the breast of this Munia.
Buah Pinang - Areca Nuts (Areca catechu)
Location: My backyard, Raub, Pahang.

Red versus Yellow

No new bird pictures to post, so I rerun the pictures of old Black-nape Oriole and Scarlet-rumped Trogon after watching Brazil VS Portugal goalless draw last night.

Gilberto Silva VS Cristiano Ronaldo - Getty Images By: Steve Haag.

Location: South Africa, My backyard and Bukit Renggit Lancang

Au revoir Les Bleus - Ciao Azzurri

The Blue Birds here are infected with the virus of FIFA World Cup 2010 from South Africa. ;) ;)
Both France and Italy were eliminated from the tournament.

Fraser's Hill birds - Large Niltava (leaping from a branch above) and Verditer Flycatcher (sad looking below).

Lesser Racquet-tailed Drongo at Bamboo tree.
Location: Jelai Resort and Hermant Trail, Fraser's Hill, Pahang.

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I and the Bird #128

Click the above Logo for the latest edition of I and the Bird hosted by Bird Ecology Study Group.
(My posting about the recent Fraser's Hill International Bird Race was featured there).

Atuk, Gagak dan Perkahwinan - Crow, Grandpa and Wedding

I went to my brother-in-law's wedding at Kg. Sawah Sempadan last Saturday.

While waiting for this event, I had a few minutes to explore the area and got this Crow.

Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) - Location: Kampung Sawah Sempadan, Kuala Selangor.

Atuk (Homo sapiens sapiens) ;) - waiting for Asar prayer outside the mosque.

I'm not good in an event or portrait
Photography.
Wan Nursuhada was willing to pose while I tested my flash setting at the Sawah Sempadan Mosque.

The girl on the right was photographed at the bride's house.

Burung Layang-layang - Glossy Swiftlet at my porch

This Glossy Swiftlet has been roosting on my front porch for the past week. If not for the stains of drooping on my shoes, sure I didn't notice it up there. They start to cling their small short legs onto the vertical wall at 7.15pm and out and about by 6.30am.
I notice they are in the process of building a nest. I'm in a dilemma now, whether to let the Swiftlet continue their activity (and have a photography session) or destroy the early nest because of waste /pollution.
My wife grumbled about having to wash the garage every day. She told me to get that shit away!.
I have to find the solution fast.



Shiny blue-black -Glossy Swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta cyanoptila) -
There are 32 subspecies and cyanoptila Oberholser, 1906 - distributed in Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and lowland Borneo.

Race Day at Fraser's Hill

Today is day one of Fraser's Hill International Bird Race 2010. Race starts at 12.30pm and end 12.30pm tomorrow.
HAPPY BIRDING!!
Here are some of the remaining pictures that I photographed during King's birthday holiday.
To know the bird's name - right click > Properties. ;)










Location: Jelai Resort, Fraser's Hill, Pahang.

Fraser's Hill International Bird Race 2010

Pertandingan Mengenal Burung Antarabangsa 2010

Date: 19 to 20 June 2010
For more info -->here

The poster features two birds here, Silver-breasted Broadbill and Silver-eared Mesia.
Both are highland birds.
Mesia is more common at Fraser's Hill compared to the broadbill.

For the past two years, I have been there as an observer (not participating in the race).
This year I may not be able to attend because of other commitments.





This Silver-breasted Broadbill is more common at Bukit Tinggi. Photographed two years ago .

Fraser's Hill Emblem - Silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris tahanensis) .

Abandoned Bee nest

I don't know why this nest was suddenly abandoned.

Two workers bee still attending to the nest. Where has the rest of the gang gone?

Apis andreniformis

Location: My backyard, Raub, Pahang.

Danau Toba

These two pictures were captured by my wife and son (Firdaus) during their travel to North Sumatra, Indonesia recently.

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Unknown ID Lifer at Fraser's Hill

Very fast email reply from Ronald Orenstein a wandering Naturalist from Canada who identified this as White-browed Shrike-Babbler - Female (Pteruthius flaviscapis). Thank you!.
"Which is incidentally, neither a shrike nor a babbler but, probably, a member of the New World vireo family (Vireonidae)".

This unidentified bird perched very high at Telecom Loop @ Fraser's Hill.
Still clueless after four days searching for ID. The above picture was edited with Photoshop - the branches clone out and slightly increased in green saturation.
Anyone can help me?

Pteruthius flaviscapis cameranoi - subspecies in Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.

The picture below has been cropped and resized. Click for bigger pics.
Location: Telekom Loop, Fraser's Hill, Pahang.

Agong's Birthday Holiday - birding at Fraser's Hill

Went up to Fraser's Hill during Agong's (King's) Birthday Holiday yesterday.
Here are a few common birds. No lifer - spotted one lifer, but didn't know the ID.

Mountain Fulvetta (Alcippe peracensis)

Mountain Fantail - White-throated Fantail (Rhipidura albicollis)

Mountain Bulbul (Hypsipetes mcclellandii)

Location: Jelai Resort and Hermant Trail, Fraser's Hill, Pahang.

Birding at Kolej Matrikulasi Pahang

I brought along my camera and telephoto lens when I visited my daughter at Pahang Matriculation College recently.

While waiting in the back lane of the Seri Pekan Hostel, I got the opportunity to photograph this common bird.

Common Myna perched comfortably at the lamp post

This Juvenile Asian Glossy Starling perched very high on top of the hostel's roof.
My son warned me not to aim my long telephoto at the hostel. "You look like a paparazzi trying to sneak on girls!"

Adult Starling watching far down below.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow basks in the evening sun.

and finally, one paparazzi shot!