Brown Shrike in the rain

These two pictures were taken on 12 January 2025 during the northeast monsoon raining season.

Brown Shrike shaking its body to dry

AI Overview

A long-distance migrant passerine, the Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) typically winters in Southeast Asia (Malaysia) and is expected to return to its breeding grounds in northern Asia (like Mongolia and Siberia) as spring approaches.

Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus)

Behavior:

Individuals are sedentary during winter, each occupying a restricted area and exhibiting territorial behaviour. 

Fidelity to Wintering Sites:

Studies have shown that Brown Shrikes often return to the same wintering locations each year, demonstrating high fidelity to these areas. That's why I see this species perch on top of the bamboo every year. in my backyard

Current Date:

As of March 15, 2025, the Brown Shrikes would be expected to be in the process of migrating back north to their breeding grounds.

(info from AI)

How do birds keep their feathers waterproof?

Birds achieve feather waterproofing through a combination of their feather structure and the use of oils from their preen gland, which they apply through a process called preening.

(AI overview)

Red-whiskered Bulbuls in the rain

Daun muda Pokok Beringin (Ficus benyamina) 

This bird  (Red-whiskered bulbul) below is my lifer. 

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The northeast monsoon starts from November to March. The weather forecast stated that this week heavy rain in my area will begin from Monday to Wednesday. This morning (7: 30 AM) the weather outside my house is dark with drizzling rain. But bird photography has to go on, rain or shine. 

I see a wave of bulbuls and starlings in a feeding frenzy catching the termite swarmers (kelkatu).

I have to push up the ISO to 20,000 to achieve a manageable shutter speed of 1/ 200 s . Then I saw an unusual bulbul with a dark/black head ad red patch on the cheeks, fired a couple of shots before it flew away.

Here are a few decent photos for my record.

Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus pattani) - the tall black crest is not priminent here because of rain.

Red-whiskered Bulbul - after denoise

Red-whiskered Bulbul and Yellow-vented Bulbul

This is the list of 17 bulbuls that I have seen:

Stripe-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus finlaysoni) 

Black-headed Bulbul( Microtarsus melanocephalos)

Ochraceous Bulbul (Alophoixus ochraceus sacculatus)

Scaly-breasted Bulbul (Pycnonotus squamatus webberi) .

Black-crested Bulbul (Pycnonotus melanicterus caecilii)

Ashy Bulbul (Hemixos flavala)

Red-eyed Bulbul (Pycnonotus brunneus)

Mountain Bulbul (Hypsipetes mcclellandii)

Cream-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus simplex)

Spectacled Bulbul (Pycnonotus erythrophthalmos)

Olive-winged Bulbul (Pycnonotus plumosus)

Stripe-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus finlaysoni)

Black-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus atriceps)

Buff-vented Bulbul (Iole charlottae)

Streaked Bulbul (Ixox malaccensis)

Hairy-backed Bulbul (Tricholestes criniger)

Yellow-vented Bulbul ((Pycnonotus goiavier analis)

Yellow-vented Bulbul - Drenched in the rain

Lama tak hujan - Birding in the rain

It didn't rain for some time, so when it rained this evening everybody was happy.

 Barn Swallow - juvenile - above and below

Pied Fantail forages on the Belimbing Buluh tree (Averrhoa bilimbi)

Barn Swallow in Bougainvillea tree, IN focus above and OUT of focus below.

Canon 5D Mark IV failed to focus on that small plastic pole, but locked into the background flowers.

I have to do the manual focus and wait for the swallow to land.

A flock of Bee-eater fly pass 

Oleander (Nerium oleander), - pokok beracun - cardiac glycosides, saponins, digitoxigenin, oleandrin.

Daun pokok ini sangat pahit, jadi kemungkinan untuk termakan  adalah kecil

Pacific swallow on the wire at my backyard

Birding in North East Monsoon Rain

November to March is a raining season  in Malaysia,  especially those in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Heavy rain not yet affected here in Raub  (located in the center Malay Peninsular), but light rain in the evening becomes a norm now.
That doesn't prevent me from taking a bird picture.
The picture below shows the characteristic of a tapioca leaves, water repellent in the light  drizzling rain.

 Rain drops shine under a flashlight

 Yellow-vented Bulbul flew away from a durian tree

 A  juvenile Bulbul caught under the rain on my neighbor's Pokok Longan

 Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) search for food in a monsoon drain

 then flew onto a rooftop to dry it self

Barn Swallow still tough it out catching an insect

 Grey overcast sky

 A flock of juvenile Asian Glossy Starling does a fly pass, searching for dry shelter

Zebra Dove on a papaya stalk in the rain

Javan Myna in the rain

Birding in the Rain

You can always photograph something during the rain

Ayam Jantan ran for cover

Yellow-vented Bulbul flew away from a Mangosten tree

Male Magpie Robin stopped briefly at a fence

Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica) bathing at a wire

In and after the rain

This post is dedicated to Common Iora couple that lost their two babies two weeks ago.
I documented here how mother Iora protected her chicks from the rain and bad weather.
See how she spread her feathers fill to the brim of the nest, sealed it and protected her chicks from wet.

ISO 2000

...and dutifully bring the food after the rain.

Paddyfield Pipit in the Rain

Gold-whiskered Barbet Under the Rain

The heavy rain stopped, but light drizzled continue when this bird suddenly perched on a dead banana leaf about 20 feet from me.
I wish for a better smooth background (bokeh) than that green banana leaf. With the rain and overcast sky, what more you can ask for?.
ISO 400, f5.6, shutter 1/25, EV +1.7, No flash

If you look at this picture below, the yellow colour was overexposed - that yellow at the bird's cheek and part of the old banana leaf. The EV + 1 2/3 compensation was too much, but for the bird that perched for a few second, I had no time to view at the camera's histogram to correct the set-up.

Birds in The Rain

I can't go out for birding /photography this weekend because of non stop raining.
The next best thing to do was to wait for bird at my backyard from the window.
This is what I got.

1. Pied Fan-Tail at cloth wire.

Pied Fantail (Rhipidura javanica)

2. Tree Sparrow at my neighbor house roof

Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

3. Javan Myna singing under the rain.

Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus)
.

Water Wednesday - the rain

after the rain

in the rain! ;-)