Mangrove Pittas

10th March 2012, Ayer Itam Dalam, Pulau Pinang

Local Name: Burung Pacat Bakau Scientific Name: Pitta megarhynch Mention the word ’Pitta’ and your mind will  be flooded with images  of  strong colours   coming together  on a sleek beautiful body. The Mangrove Pitta is one of a few species of Pittas which can be found in the Peninsular and  as the name suggests they are most at home in the swampy mangrove  habitat , mainly along the west coast of the Malaysian peninsular. I don’t usually travel far for my birding but the lure  of the Pittas were simply irresistable since the oportunity to shoot a rare species  as the Mangrove Pitta is,  doesn’t come everyday. The first day was a big let down when the birds failed to show up. On the second day things began to hot up very early when we heard their repeated calls at about 9.00am. Finally there they were, a pair of Pittas right in front of our eyes in their full glory.

Great Angle Head Lizards & White Bellied Rat Snake

6th February 2012,Taman Rimba Ampang, Selangor

Spent some time shooting reptiles that inhabit the park. The Great Angle head Lizard and the White bellied Rat Snake in particular caught my attention. The male Lizard  has longer tail and are much larger than the female. They just love the cool  clear water   Feeding on some kind of insect larva The female I was lucky to see this Rat Snake jumped from a steep slope onto  a sandy river bank to pounce on  an unfortunate little frog. This snake was about 2 metres in length. They are often mistaken for the venomous cobras because of their ability to rear their head up a few feet above the ground.

Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrikes

6th February  2012,Taman Rimba Ampang, Selangor

Local Name: Rembah Bukit Scientific Name: Hemipus picatus A pair of Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes were building their nest on a branch right above the main road inside Taman Rimba Ampang. This one is the female with white underparts, the male has a  light brown tinge to the breast and belly. It is interesting to see how both birds work together in the nest building process.

Black Headed Bulbuls

21 January 2012, Kemensah, Selangor

Local Name: Merbah Siam Scientific Name: Pycnonotus atriceps An adult and a juvenile Black Headed Bulbul  were resting in the shade. Notice the difference in the colours, the adult bird has more vibrant yellow  and blacker head compared to the young bird.