this time , we visit both favorite birding spots Danum Valley and Sukau .. even didn’t get any lifer but got few improve picture capture .. one of them
as usual , this Monotypic species endemic to Borneo move fast .. this time more challenge due to the ground full with mud and leeches so make movement to chase more difficult .. I always enjoy to see and photograph Babblers and Wren-babblers here is some of my favorite Wren-babbler collection
with Australia guests , this report only cover up to Kinabatangan river .
for day 1 arrive Danum Valley , arrived Borneo Rainforest Lodge late evening. so we do not have much activity for today .
we join the night drive, managed to see Colugo , flying squirrel and Sambar deer .
Sambar Deer
Day 2 , we start our morning walk nearby lodge area .. Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker is the first endemic tick … very soon with Dusky Munia follow by both White-crowned Forktail & Chestnut-naped Forktail. Very soon , 4 Bornean Bristlehead spotted far but good and long view with scope so a big relief after got this special endemic
Bornean Bristlehead
than nearby a Black-headed Pitta calling and very soon everyone got good view of the pitta too .. first Pitta of the tour 😀
Black-Headed Pitta
a tough walk in the trail with leeches keep track us non stop .. we do heard Blue Banded Pitta, Rail-Babbler etc but too bad bird is slow compare to the leeches. Very soon, we decided to move out from the trail without got any view of those birds . 2 Trogons show us good view : Diard’s Trogon & Scarlet-rumped Trogon
Scarlet-rumped Trogon
with the afternoon visit fruiting tree, we had fruitful bulbuls … which include black and white bulbul .
while walking for other birds without going into the trail (scare of leeches) , but lucky we managed got another rare endemic .. Bornean Chestnut-necklaced Partridge
Bornean Chestnut-necklaced Partridge
at night when we plan for night activity, too bad it start rain ~6pm until 11pm …
1 Chestnut-necklaced Partridge
3 Green Imperial-Pigeon
2 Raffles’s Malkoha
1 Whiskered Treeswift
1 Diard’s Trogon
3 Scarlet-rumped Trogon
1 Helmeted Hornbill — Heard from far
2 Rhinoceros Hornbill
5 Bushy-crested Hornbill
1 Blue-throated Bee-eater
1 Rufous Piculet
1 Gray-capped Woodpecker
1 Green Broadbill — Heard only
2 Banded Broadbill
2 Black-and-yellow Broadbill
2 Black-crowned Pitta
1 Blue-banded Pitta — Heard from far and not come close
2 Giant Pitta — Heard 2 birds loud at 2 location
3 Bornean Bristlehead
2 Spotted Fantail
1 Slender-billed Crow
1 Malaysian Rail-babbler — Heard only but not come close
1 Puff-backed Bulbul
2 Black-and-white Bulbul
2 Gray-bellied Bulbul
1 Cream-vented Bulbul
2 Red-eyed Bulbul
1 Spectacled Bulbul
4 Hairy-backed Bulbul
2 Gray-cheeked Bulbul
3 Yellow-bellied Bulbul
1 Buff-vented Bulbul
1 Streaked Bulbul
1 Chestnut-rumped Babbler
1 Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler
1 Chestnut-backed Scimitar-Babbler
1 Sooty-capped Babbler
2 Bornean Blue-Flycatcher
2 Verditer Flycatcher
1 White-crowned Forktail
2 Chestnut-naped Forktail
1 Rufous-chested Flycatcher
2 Greater Green Leafbird
2 Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker
1 Yellow-rumped Flowerpecker
1 Yellow-vented Flowerpecker
1 Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
1 Bornean Spiderhunter
2 Dusky Munia
Day 2
We start our early birding just before light come in , we were lucky to saw 4 Orang Utan and a Straw-Headed Bulbul .. than our Targets look for more Pitta, wren-babblers etc ..
Again, soon we got Blue-Headed Pitta with clear view and picture ~10-20m
Blue-Headed Pitta
very soon , we also spotted Bornean Wren-Babbler and Black-throat Wren Babbler not far from the pitta
before rain hit, we were lucky to had Bornean Banded Kingfisher . too bad the male is way too high to get reasonable good picture ..
…. after dinner, rain stop and we decided to look for minimum one frogmouth or owl for the tour .. within 1km walk and less than 10 seconds wait, the Large Frogmouth stand at the usual perch again for long for us to good view and pictures
We had 4 Beijing, China guests for this customize bird photography tour. On the arrival pick up, seem like each of everyone has different target … but all have common interest on raptor and owl … than immediate fine tune the location again to try to cover most the possible owls
We are lucky enough to have most the plan targets picture except a missed on Silver Breasted Broadbill .. missed the good chance while looking for another target 🙁
almost can conclude this is a owl tour where we search for owls almost every night and day time 😀 , guests really enjoy to see and photograph the owls ..
This trip, we follow KL-Kuala Selangor-Fraser Hill-Bukit Tinggi
DAY1
for start , we tried to search for Buffy-Fish Owl… we got 2 in the day time but too bad they are bit shy and playing hide and seek with us
very soon , we also found another Owl day roosting . where we got 2 in same tree .. a Brown-Hawk Owl
with extra effort at night , we were lucky to have another 2 owls ; Barn Owl and Spotted Wood-Owl…
in same day make it 4
When we almost end our day, Large-tailed Nightjar stand still for us for a good view
DAY 2
we spend morning inside a mangrove . lucky to have Crested Goshawk, little late for Crested Serpent-Eagle feeding when we stop our car. We actually saw the male bring the snake to the female .
we also got various woodpeckers nearby mangrove e.g. Rufous Woodpecker ,Common Flameback+Greater Flameback fighting for same stand
after morning walk, we heading Fraser Hill… on the way we got various bird like Whiskered Treeswift, Red-bearded Bee-eater stand close and long for us
immediate arrive Fraser Hill, we actually got Malaysian Hill Partridge family
as usual , we tried quick night walk for owl again.. very lucky we got our 5th owl : Brown Wood-Owl in less than 30minutes
we end our day with laugh and smile 😀
DAY3
in the Morning, we had our Red-headed Trogon displaying for us ~1 hour make guests fill up almost card for single beauty
we also had our Fire-tufted Barbet fill up guests another card again
beside the 2 star birds, we also have pygmy Wren-Babbler, lesser short wing, long-tailed sibia , SIlver ear mesia etc .. but we still missing our SIlver Breasted Broadbill.
at Night , we managed to see another Brown-Wood Owl and also a gray nightjar
DAY 4
we rushing from Fraser Hill to Bukit Tinggi. we able to had Mountain Peacock-Pheasant displaying and Ferruginous Partridge in pair …
Banded Kingfishers (both male and female), Rufous-Collard Kingfisher,Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle etc seem show customer good view
most the pictures captured using handhled .. and am too busy sharing all .. and birding season here seem getting active .. let’s birding
We start 2017 with previous 2 short bird watching tours which with very limited target . follow by this 14 days tour from Kuala Lumpur-Kuala Selangor-Fraser Hill-Bukit Tinggi-KRAU forest-Taman Negara. Quite a lot of miss due to raining almost every evening especially Bukit Tinggi-KRAU-Taman Negara (think mostly we lost 3-5 days due to rain L)
with 2 Switzerland guests , we have very good start from Kuala Lumpur, got few very special target hit and we got first pitta (hooded pitta) and Frogmouth for guests. A lucky day where rain stop ~830pm and we reach there 845pm and got the buffy fish owl, Blyth’s frogmouth and another very special target (guests just saw it flying hmmmm and they mark it count as this is so special owl) .. 54 species for day 1
Next morning, we heading to Pulau Indah for another target, struggle a bit but we still finally got the Mangrove Pitta after 3-4 hours tried for few locations.
Following to Kuala Selangor, spend evening walking nearby mangrove … got most the targets hit again and customer favor is Common Flameback woodpecker … how I wish everyday got such easy target 😀 . it was heavy rain after dinner, but we still try our luck and YES. Got the Spotted wood owl just before another heavy rain hit …
Day 2 : 46 species
Morning, we heading to Natural Park. A long walk , got most the target again but missed out Copper-Throat Sunbird L … after lunch slowly travel to Fraser Hill, on the way… what a lucky under a fruiting tree easily hit few target : Yellow-Crowned Barbet, Gold Whiskered Barbet … follow Chestnut-naped Forktail , Dark-Sided Flycatcher , Temminck’s Sunbird, Scaly-Breasted Bulbul etc …. Ohh forgot Rufous-Bellied Swallow and family of Silver-Breasted Broadbill make our day .
Day 3 : 50 species
For Day 4, very good weather at Fraser Hill … but we missed the Malayan Whistling-Thrush Hill Partridge in the morning !!! But with the half day, we got back some star Birds : Collared Owlet, Malaysian Nightjar, Fire-tufted Barbet, Rufescent Prinia, and very good view of Marbled Wren-Babbler … at night we also got Sunda Slow-Loris .
Day 5, misty+raining ohhhhh … and we got brief view of Malayan Whistling-Thrush in the morning. Than follow by very good view of Large Scimitar Babbler, Bay Woodpecker, Black-Browed Barbet, Black-and-Crimson Oriole, Black Laughingthrush, Malayan Laughingthrush, Brown Wood-Owl and what surprise Barred Eagle-Owl show off here too …
Day 6, again !!! MISTY+RAINING … but luck is on our site, with limited hours … We managed to got some main target like Yellow-vented Pigeon, Silver-rumped Needletail, Bamboo Woodpecker, Long-Tailed Broadbill + Blue Nuthatch (under the heavy rain !) … and very lucky to have pair of Collard Babbler stay long for us for very good view and photo …
Day 7, we had almost everything we need … but we missing those common bird like mountain Bulbul, little cuckoo dove (joke from customer… it is a must and how can we missed it , lets stay few more days for Mountain Bulbul ) .. no joke we really missed this bulbul for 4 days @Fraser Hill .
Before we heading to Bukit Tinggi, we record Scarlet-Rumped Trogon @890m (think may be little too high but it show up there) and a pair of Banded Kingfisher …
Day 8, from Genting Highland to Krau forest. We didn’t get much target meet but Cinamon-rumped Trogon is our favor of the day .
with 2 fruting trees , we managed to see some barbets, bulbuls, etc but to our surprise. We saw local climb up to a tree may be 30-40m height to hunt for birds !!!!!! L
Day 9 : full day raining at Bukit Tinggi, guests enjoy red wine 80% of the day
Day 9 : 7 species
Day 10 : we have beautiful Moutain Peacock Pheasant displaying 2 hours for us , before we leave. Got a very good view of Rhinoceros and Helmeted Hornbill follow by heading to Taman Negara with raining full 2nd half day.
Arrived Taman Negara Dusk, both Great Hornbill and Great Argus welcome us at lobby area
Day 10 : 21 species
Day 11-16 : we spend few days at Taman Negara but 40% of the time raining or cloudy make the whole birding slowing. But within few days of tracking in the mud, pond etc . We cover a lot of Bulbuls, barbet, parrot, hornbill but the 10 star birds over days
– another shy and beautiful partridge found from 600-1000m sub-montane
Update 202504
No matter how rare or beautiful a bird is, once a photographer captures it too easily, it somehow loses its charm after being “ticked.”
Me and my best buddy first heard the call here, and we later saw it dashing across the area. Since then, this pair has been showing up quite frequently at a particular spot. Strangely, not many people come to see them, even though they’re such a photogenic pair in a perfect setting.
– after long missing this bird at Bukit Tinggi, finally it is back to the common spot. Luckily to have it calling in front of us
– 这鸟几乎不见了，可是最近又出现了。这次很幸运，在我们面前叫不停。
#####
update 202407
– from last first back, it become more brave willing to come open and slow walk. even with the bigger Pheasant arrive it still feed together. Sad it still looking for his mate, making his call bit weird and tired.
– one of the most beautiful partridge for Malaysia.
– another bird that everyone still hope to see while looking for while visiting one of the feeding spot. But it is never easy to meet this bird … finally it is active last few weeks and I managed to see it for 3/4 trips there.
update 2017 Nov 11
just another bird … same behavior as the previous one .. too tame 🙁
update 2017 Jan 28
– very good sighting of this rare bird and able to shoot with my SONY RX10 m3
4. Sabah Partridge, 沙巴山鹧鸪, 沙巴山鷓鴣, Tropicoperdix graydoni, クリチャミヤマテッケイ, SERUK-BUKIT SABAH
– also call Sabah Partridge, the look slightly different on the chest & head.
– behavior, environment very similar
– comparative common or more sighting compare to the Arborophila Charlton
update 202408
– this bird seem not really easy to have picture in Danum, but it is a lucky day.. the bird just stand there for so long .. but it is under the dark area .. ISO16000 used 🙁
– after got the Bornean Bristlehead, this bird soon come and make loud call for us .. really beautiful and loud call
– 看到棘头鵙后，这鸟就来很近+叫的很大声。这鸟也很漂亮虽然叫的大声恐怖。
update 202310
– as usual, one of the very tame bird to be seen and photograph, never missed over the years .. sometime I am just worry of the bird behavior
– 这鸟有时间，到对的地方。几乎没错过。可是就太乖了，我真的有点担心这鸟的安全。
202208, Sukau, Malaysia
#####
update 202305
– a noisy and lovely Partridge, with the name of Sabah Partridge ** . We got it at Sabah and as usual this bird come to say “hi” to me again over the years same location.
– found and seen 2 birds at 2 locations. lucky group
– a very similar to Pen Malaysia, same call, same behavior and it is a good bird that never miss so far for 2022
– 正式被名为沙巴鹧鸪。
– 与西马的非常像，叫，”脾气“都一样。2022美好的一年，没错过这鸟。
202209, Sabah, Malaysia
update 202208
– shooting this from boat, the R7 just auto lock focus on the bird eye even this was at quite dark environment and shaky boat (7 people moving for better view). But almost all picture focus lock on
– last bird for previous Sabah trip, we can’t wait for better view as we are rushing back to airport. But this bird never failed as I told my guests, it is always here since years back.
5. Crimson-Headed partridge, 红头林鹧鸪, 紅頭林鷓鴣, Haematortyx sanguiniceps, アカガシラシャコ, SERUK KEPALA MERAH
– Montane Borneo Endemic
– it is pretty common to be seen but not too easy to be photographed
update 202512
I still remember the early days when we worked hard to photograph this beautiful Bornean endemic. Back then, it felt special to get a clean shot. At Kinabalu National Park, the bird is quite used to people, giving great photo opportunities. Nowadays, though, there are many reliable spots where you can get good views and photos of this stunning bird.
– Sabah and Sarawak (Center of Borneo) race seems a bit different
update 202311
– it is off season for here now, after all Malaysia tours… time for some rest and process some 2023 pictures for sharing.
– this is one of the best encounter at Bakelalan, which look different from the Sabah race.
– 进入“雨季“+鸟安静的季节。我们马来西亚的鸟团都停了。是时候休息或看看2023的照片。
– 这是沙捞越的亚种，与沙巴的不一样。有机会看看吧。
202307, Bakelalan, Sarawak, Malaysia
update 202307
– just another not good weather day, we stucked and cannot proceed to ours destination so we birding where the car can reach. This bird is the only bird calling and very soon we have very good view and some picture of this Borneo endemic
Red-breasted Partridge, Arborophila hyperythra (Sarawak , center of Borneo)
At the center of Borneo (Sarawak) all the birds seen with white or light grey supercilium, brighter throat, chin …. which never seen at Kinabalu National Park, Crocker Range.
– a colorful, shy, noisy, moving in group partridge.
– 非常漂亮，害羞，吵的鹧鸪。通常群体行动。
update 202503
It’s a rainy day, and a few birds are perched on a tree. I quickly enable “pre-continuous shooting” and adjust the settings to the maximum speed possible at ISO 25600 and F7.1—1/1600s. Hoping for the best, I got lucky, and the shot of the bird flying down turned out well.
这是一个下雨天，几只鸟停留在树上。我迅速开启“预连续拍摄”模式，并将设置调整到 ISO 25600、F7.1 下的最高速度——1/1600 秒。抱着一丝希望，幸运的是，拍到了一张鸟儿俯冲的精彩瞬间。
202503, Trusmadi, Sabah, Malaysia
#####
update 202310
– 2022-2023 so much rain across Borneo – Pen Malaysia … I forgot how many times I got all wet when in the forest .. how many times we cancel our drive due to heavy rain .. but bird still coming for food while heavy rain
– when I am at the feeding station (without feeding, how we can see it so well), it is boring so I am trying to have some “small like mosquitoes” series support one of my friend always like to shoot environment shots
– love to have slow motion 4k recording. R3 still good option overall for me . compare to R7, R6II for the moment. Fast AF, Accurate AF, button orientation, battery, speed, video format etc
– a lovely and shy bird captured in control environment(feeding station in wild jungle). It is real tough to have it in wild environment.
– sometime really need to give some respect to Bird photographers that really have patient. I don’t have any good photo for this bird before this group of birds that never stop come even heavy rain.
– Smaller than Himalayan snowcock, this species has a grey head and neck with a white patch behind the eye and above the dark cheek. Chin, throat and breast are white, with two grey bands on the breast. Grey wing coverts and tertials have a white trim. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_snowcock
A beautiful little gamebird of foothill and highland forests with extensive ground-level cover, where it moves about in medium-sized convoys through the dense undergrowth. Usually quiet, though sings melodically and loudly at dusk and dawn. Brightly-colored, even for a partridge; both sexes have a bright orange throat, a bluish-gray chest, and orange-and-white spotting on the sides [Ebird]
At almost every hide we visited, the owners assured us that this bird is always around. However, we didn’t spot it at any of those hides, except on day one when it briefly walked past. Hopefully, everyone on our team managed to capture a photo of this beautiful partridge.
101. Indian Peafowl, 蓝孔雀, 藍孔雀, Pavo cristatus, インドクジャク
An unmistakable, large ground bird. The unmistakable iridescent blue male spreads out its ornamental upper tail feathers when courting females. Females have a shorter tail, an iridescent green neck, and browner plumage. Found in forest, forest edge, and agricultural land. Often seen on paths or alertly feeding in the undergrowth. Can be fairly confiding especially when found close to human habitation. Its loud screaming “may-yow” calls are heard incessantly during the rainy season. [eBird]
– in Sri Lanka, the most common bird to be seen is not sparrow, crow .. but one of them is this beautiful and big bird which can found almost any where, urban, forest edge, forest etc.
– 在斯里兰卡岛上，这鸟几乎哪都看到。大+漂亮
202312, Yala NP, Sri Lanka
151. Red-billed Partridge, 红嘴山鹧鸪, 紅嘴山鷓鴣, Arborophila rubrirostris, アカハシミヤマテッケイ, Puyuh-gonggong sumatera
a very beautiful dark, highland partridge, saw it move it pair
update 202401
– another bird suppose to hope come to feeding station but not, but we managed to heard and found the bird. Again this is another reason setup customize button for my R3 which can shoot in complex environment (just like this) point the focus points (I using 5 point) on to any part of the bird and eye will be lock focus ..very useful and suitable for people like shooting wildbird in move
A large brown francolin with a red face and streaked chest, commonly found in the lowlands of South Africa, particularly in Kruger National Park. It is abundant, tame, and often seen walking around or heard calling.
A very common francolin in Kruger National Park, we encountered it daily inside the park. It was generally very tame. Once, we saw one trying to display to impress a female, but the female seemed uninterested and ran away. After taking countless photos, we decided to capture it flying across the road — with the CANON R1, it was an effortless shot.
A large, mostly dark brown francolin with pale feather-edging that forms a fine scaly pattern on the body. It also has dull red legs and a mostly reddish bill with a dark top and yellow base. The pale eyebrow and throat are emphasized on a dark face. The juvenile is duller. The loud, territorial crowing call (“kak-kaak, kak-keek, kak-keek”) is given from a low perch; it increases in pitch but decreases in volume. Bold and confiding, it is widespread and common in its range; found in fynbos, semi-arid zones, and coastal scrub. Gray-winged Francolin differs by having yellow legs, a rufous-streaked chest, and a gray-and-brown necklacing pattern. [Ebird]
This species is very common around Cape Town—we easily spotted it along the roadside on our way to the hills and inside the Botanical Garden. It’s incredibly tame, showing no concern for humans. Its feather pattern is simply stunning, making it look truly beautiful.
This was our very first partridge of the trip — it crossed the road right in front of us, and I was quick enough to get a few shots before it vanished.
Partridges in Africa seem much easier to spot than those in Asia — they’re generally not shy at all, unlike the ones we usually struggle to see back home.
– while I am spending time to look for the Pheasant, this bird keep entertain me.. even at ours’ accommodation area, 1 pair seem very tame and flying around
This babbler isn’t particularly common, whether in Peninsular Malaysia or Borneo. It’s easily recognizable by its grey head, distinctive white eye-ring, and a noticeable “mustache” marking.
The Accipitridae, one of the three families within the order Accipitriformes (the others being Pandionidae and Sagittariidae), are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet
*** http://en.wikipedia.org
1. Brahminy Kite, 栗鸢, 栗鳶, Haliastur indus, シロガシラトビ, HELANG-TEMBIKAR MERAH
2. Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle, 马来鹰雕, 馬來鷹雕, Nisaetus alboniger, カオグロクマタカ, HELANG-HINDIK MELAYU
3. Black Baza, 黑冠鹃隼, 黑冠鵑隼, Aviceda leuphotes, クロカッコウハヤブサ, HELANG-GERIGI HITAM
4. Bat Hawk, 食蝠鸢, 食蝠鳶, Macheiramphus alcinus, コウモリダカ, Helang Malam
5. Lesser Fish-Eagle, 鱼雕, Haliaeetus leucogaster, シロハラウミワシ, HELANG-KANGUK KECIL
1. Brahminy Kite, 栗鸢, 栗鳶, Haliastur indus, シロガシラトビ, HELANG-TEMBIKAR MERAH
– very common raptor, from urban, mangrove
update 202011
– adult
– immature bird
#
2. Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle, 马来鹰雕, 馬來鷹雕, Nisaetus alboniger, カオグロクマタカ, HELANG-HINDIK MELAYU
– medium size, very beautiful raptor
– heavily black-streaked white underpart
– normally found near the hill
update 202105
– another lovely bird to be seen, never get bore to see this beautiful raptor.
– one of the most beautiful raptor of Malaysia
– 封城前一天的最後其中一隻鳥。
– 這麼美的猛禽，見多少會都會再看幾眼。
202105, Fraser Hill, Selangor, Malaysia
#
Blyth’s hawk-eagle,马来鹰雕
3. Black Baza, 黑冠鹃隼, 黑冠鵑隼, Aviceda leuphotes, クロカッコウハヤブサ, HELANG-GERIGI HITAM
– a small bird of prey that migrate from north south , normally in big group
– beautiful bird with crest
update 2020 Aug
update 2014 Dec 5
black baza, 黑冠鹃隼
4. Bat Hawk, 食蝠鸢, 食蝠鳶,Macheiramphus alcinus, コウモリダカ, Helang Malam
– small raptor which normally catches pray at dusk
– It is named for its diet, which consists mainly of bats.
swift-like raptor with angular wings and a massive gape; capable of snatching prey from the air and devouring it in a flash while still on the wing. Dark with varying amounts of white on the underside; African birds have patchy white throughout the underparts, while white is restricted to the throat and lower belly on New Guinean birds and solely to the throat in Southeast Asian birds. Inactive during the day; hunts at dawn and dusk, and occasionally into the night if light is sufficient. Generally uncommon and localized, most reliably encountered near large bat roosts in forested areas, but can also be seen over open forest, fields, and fringes of habitation. (ebird)
– it is always good to see this weird and beautiful raptor with special flying shape
– 非常喜欢见到这鸟，站，飞都非常好看。也特别，一天就活动几个小时捉蝙蝠。
202208, Sukau, Malaysia
####
update 202106
– My friend recently share a great picture of this remind me the good moments every time I am there to witness this amazing moment
– if you come to Malaysia-Borneo, for me this is a must-seen “beauty of Nature” how the Bat Hawk starts hunting at dusk when millions of Bats come out from the cave ..
– 最近我的朋友分享一张很棒的照片。在沙巴这个地方，几乎每天都会上演食蝠鸢出来捉蝙蝠精彩的画面。
update 202105
201706, Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Malaysia
update
5. Lesser Fish-Eagle, 鱼雕,Haliaeetus leucogaster, シロハラウミワシ, HELANG-KANGUK KECIL
– sometime it is confuse with grey Fish-Eagle
– Belum-Temenggor , Malim-Nawar, Kinabatangan river, Taman Negara Kuala Tahan
update 202308
– a last day on the boat after have all target ticked. But happy to see new bird of the trip. This smaller overall and see the tail banded after you flying off.
– medium size raptor, male very beautiful as name Pied .. black and white
– normally fly low near the ground for prey
update 20250101
My year-end birding tradition often takes me to the paddy fields in search of winter visitors. If I recall correctly, my buddy and I were waiting for some warblers when, out of nowhere, this raptor flew in, staring right at us! But no—it wasn’t us it was focused on. The Purple Heron caught its attention, flying between us and the harrier. I couldn’t help but wonder what the harrier was thinking as it kept its eyes on the heron for quite a distance.
– large raptor, mostly brown and white upper and bottow
update 202101
- another day testing with X-T4 and 200mmF2
- mainly trying on AF lock speed and tracking for raptors
flying
- and this is an example using AF Zone in Video record 4k,
60p
update 202012
202011, Selangor, Malaysia
11. Black-winged Kite, 黑翅鸢, 黑翅鳶, Elanus caeruleus, カタグロトビ, HELANG-TIKUS BIASA
– very common widespread small raptor
– white mostly with some black on the wing
update 202405
– another good start of the tour, not only hit most of the main targets but included some good view of common birds .. this small raptor got it’s prey and stand infront of us eating the rat …
– 2 birds playing in the sky for a while. rush down handheld with this setup is a nightmare (heavy, weigh not balance etc) but the AF lock-on and tracking work perfect for this not that fast small raptor
14. Changeable Hawk-Eagle, 凤头鹰雕, 鳳頭鷹鵰, Nisaetus cirrhatus, カワリクマタカ, HELANG-HINDIK BIASA
Medium-sized eagle with massive rounded wings. Appears very small-headed in flight. The name is slightly misleading, as there are only really two color morphs, pale and black
– quite a distinct feature, black hood, mask (when flying) and rufous-chestnut underparts and wing coverts contrast with the white on the throat and breast
– exclusive Borneo montane endemic, KNP, and sometimes see it calling and flying around
update 202506
Another elusive Bornean endemic that really depends on luck to encounter. We were fortunate this time—with our guests from Taiwan—as this raptor flew straight toward us. A truly lucky moment!
– last day, we almost plan to go back and just stay up Gunung Alab to trying ours luck on this raptor. And not so long waiting, this bird calling from far and it coming toward us !!! BINGO …
– misty day after rain whole night. reach to next destination, saw this raptor sit on fence and allow us take some pictures before flew away.
– definite my best 5 of 202305
– 很大雾的一天。在到达下个鸟点前，尽然见到这么稀有的鹰。还让我们下车看够够才飞走。
– 这一定是我2023 5月最喜欢照片之一。
202305, KNP, Sabah, Malaysia
update 202304
– it is not that often to see this beautiful raptor close, this bird flying low and close after ours guests insist to wait for this amazing raptor after heard its’ call
– 很少机会见到这漂亮的猛禽飞的这么近与地。感谢客人的执着，等了蛮久的。
202208, KNP, SABAH, Malaysia
update 202211
– for year 2022, think this is my bird of the year. Over the years, this bird just high up for reasonable picture. But this year few times, managed to see it really low and close.
– 2022 年度只鸟。在这之前每次都飞的高高的，今年好几次都很低。
202210, KNP, SABAH, MALAYSIA
update 202209
– always love to see this special montane endemic low
– 这么难的机会，这么低的看这特别的婆罗洲特有种。
202208, KNP, Sabah, Malaysia
update 202208
– one of our long wait target while we heard it calling and we keep waiting in the open area for ~2hours for a best view of this montane endemic
– common small raptors, can found urban, forest edge, sub-montane, montane etc
– Adult has a gray head, brown wings, whitish underparts with thick orange-brown stripes in belly and streaks in breast, and white throat with black borders. Juvenile similar but with brown head, sparingly marked underparts, and very short crest. Appears stockier and relatively shorter-tailed in flight than other accipiters. Flying adults may also show a fluffy white clump of feathers on both sides of the tail. (Ebird)
update 202208
– a very boring morning, where a pair of Rhinoceros Hornbill standing/sleeping on same tree for whole morning. After we lost our patient we come here and lucky to see this bird having it’s breakfast
– many raptors endemic of Sulawesi, this is a small raptor
– overall rufous-light brown with a black-white tail (whit spot)
– 蘇拉威西很多猛禽特有種。小猛禽，棕色與黑白尾。
update 202309
– ours’ boring morning which cannot find the thrush and heard this bird and slowly we trying to locate this lovely bird .. small and beautiful
– 很闷的一个早上。没什么鸟，可是当我们走远时听到这鸟叫。没很久，就找到这么美丽的猛禽
202304, Tangkoko, Sulawesi, Indonesia
53. Sulawesi Goshawk, 苏拉凤头鹰, 灰頭鳳頭鷹, Lophospiza griseiceps, セレベスオオタカ, Elang-alap kepala-kelabu
update 202511
This is a species that’s not always easy to see at Tangkoko, but on this trip, we were lucky to encounter it twice — including an eye-level view and even a flight shot as it came toward us!
54. Sulawesi Serpent-Eagle, 苏拉蛇雕, 蘇拉威西蛇鵰, Spilornis rufipectus, スラウェシチュウヒワシ, Elang-ular sulawesi
update 202512
This is one of those birds that always seems to ignore me—despite being a common Sulawesi endemic, I’ve only seen it 2–3 times over the years. This time, it finally showed up, though only briefly above our heads. Still, a lovely species to enjoy!
– medium size of raptor, and it look very similar to Malaysia one except have “high crest”
– 体型中。与马来西亚凤头鹰雕很像除了冠很高。
update 202402
update 202402
– before I forgot, another best moment when we at Sri Lanka.. this good looking raptor give us very good looking it is close and not happy
– 我去忙前，这是2023我最特别的其中一刻。这猛禽，真的很漂亮。站很近，看我们。有点不高兴。
202312， Yala NP
####
– our 2nd try for the Leopard at another entrance of Yala National Park, not very productive afternoon but we saw this raptor standing on ground and walk across the trail and looking at us !
Every birder has their own focus—you can always tell what a birder is watching, even if something else exciting is happening nearby! 😄
In this moment, both the bird and the lions were locked onto what interested them—a group of lions feeding, which is why the vulture flew in and waited nearby.
We were lucky to see it land and stay on the ground right in front of us.
We waited quite a while hoping the Silver Cat would come out from its “nest,” but eventually gave up and only got a few head shots. Just as the car started moving, I spotted a large raptor flying nearby and asked the driver to reverse. At first, we took some record shots through the window glass. Then, due to a small miscommunication with the driver, we ended up stopping just about 5 meters from the bird—resulting in this amazing close-up!
I really enjoy seeing vultures up close.
