I have not seen this Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) at my back yard this week. They probably went back to their breeding ground up north. Goodbye and have a lot of chicks ;)
It's a school holiday in Malaysia now. So, I will bring my children for a short break to a neighboring country. I just do an advanced/scheduled posting for the next four days.
Don't delete that blur picture, because sometime it will be very valuable as in this case. I shot only this two frames, one blurry and another with half of the bird's body hidden by tree trunk. This pic shows the characteristic ID - pale yellow/buff at the neck and red sub-moustachial for male species.
Click the above LOGO for more participation from all over the world.
After seeing Yen posting his beautiful Great Argus pictures photographed at National park at Kuala Tahan Pahang @ 17/5. I am tempted to find that bird too. I'm from Pahang, and that Taman Negara (National Park) situated in my home state, and I have never been there.
So, on Sunday morning 24/5 I made an early start to that place. I reached there at 6.30am, nobody at Kuala Tahan wakeup except for a few boatman!.
Very eager to start birding, I immediately tracked the Lubuk Simpon trail at 7.30am. By 7.40 I encounter my first lifer - The Crested Fireback. Three male bird foraged in the dark trail, so with limited lighting focusing was very challenging.
This are the blurry record shots.
Crested Fireback (Lophura ignita rufa) - adult male
Local name: Ayam Pegar
This Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea), nesting very near the wooden platform at Lubuk Simpon trail. When Yen saw it on 17/5, the birds were busy making the nest. Now the nest has been completed, and the male start incubating.
Picture by Yen - nest building 17/5/2009 and feeding the chicks 15/6/2009
The bird just sit quietly in the nest, did not afraid of me. For this full-framed pic, I have to back track to position my camera for 400mm minimum focusing distance of 3.5m.
Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea)
Motorized sampan transporting tourists to Taman Negara, Pahang.
Did I get the Great Argus?
No luck, trekking at that Jenut Muda trail was very challenging (for old man like me) with so many up&down hill. Heard loud call of this big bird everywhere, but none appear on the trail/open area. I give-up after waiting for 45 minutes (some more, I'm afraid of sitting alone at 3.5km inside the dark forest!). Next time maybe...
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonostigma) - male
I found this beautiful tiny bird feeding on cherry fruits at a car park near the Raub Session Court. I male bird is beautiful compare to female (grey and just a little yellow at the underpart).