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Painted Stork: Records from the Past for Putrajaya Wetland

Posted by wengchun Sunday, May 8, 2016
Recently I paid a visit to one of my old "backyard" - Putrajaya Heronry. As I was walking to the garden next to the heronry, I saw someone with few gadgets aiming at the heronry. At first I thought he could be employed by the authority to monitor the bird population here. After a short chat with the gentleman, I got to know that he is actually doing his PhD (UKM) studying the Painted Stork and he also told me he lost most of his equipment a week before. .

Since he is so interested to know more about Painted Stork in Putrajaya, I would like to shared with him my personal record which include the amateurish photographs I took with a Nikon D70 and Sigma APO 170-500mm lens and my digiscoping gears. (Now I am using a Nikon D7000 and a Sigma 500mm f4.5 - view my photo gallery at http://sigma500mmf45.blogspot.com).

1st July 2004 - 4 birds wading in the wetland with Purple (Black-backed) Swamphen 



1st July 2004 - observe how the stork wading in the wetland cell while hunting for food


They might have successfully trapped the prey at the base of the Lepironia


And after a long observation of the Painted Stork in Putrajaya, eventually, I managed to record them nesting at the heronry. The following photos seems to show that the nesting started in 2009 but if I can remember well, it should be earlier than this. But let us assume it started in 2009 until I can find any other photos showing earlier nesting.

11.07.2009 - So far, this is my earliest record of hatchings in Putrajaya Heronry


11.07.2009 - Parents guarding the nest and tending to the hatchlings

11.07.2009 - Purple Heron and Grey Heron nests are also recorded nearby

11.07.2009 - Strange plumage

25.07.2009 - Comparison between Painted Stork and Purple Heron

Both Grey Heron and Purple Heron are nesting on the same island at the same time with Painted Stork



25.07.2009 - a closeup view of the nestling



23.08.2009 - Incubation period

23.08.2009 - there is a young bird nearby

23.08.2009 - under the nests, there are numerous birds on the island ground


09.09.2009 - Size comparison between parent and their young ones


09.09.2009 - a bit of stretching before learning to fly


09.09.2009 - 2 young birds from a different nest seen next to another nest with adult bird

Maybe some would think that bird breeding season is for a short period in a year. But here in Putrajaya Heronry, the breeding is almost throughout the year.

26.04.2010 - not entirely sure if they are showing affection to each other. 

26.04.2010 - the above photos show a pair of Grey Heron in action while Purple Heron is busy gathering nesting materials






 * This heronry was started with a dozen of Black-crowned Night Heron, thanks to a tip-off from a good friend working for the same authority of the federal administrative center. 

Painted Stork: Records from the Past for Putrajaya Wetland

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Licensed Tourist Guide specialized in birdwatching and photography tour in Peninsular Malaysia. BSc Forestry (Parks & Recreation Management).

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Hi! I love watching birds, taking photographs (and video), and guiding people through nature. Welcome to my blog, A Malaysian Birder. I'll be sharing all the great birds I see and the photos I take right here on this blog. I got into bird watching when I was in university studying parks and recreation management. I used to work in parks and gardens, teaching people about the environment and organizing birding walks. Whenever I go out to look for birds, I always bring my binoculars and spotting scope to help me see them up close. Sometimes, I even bring a microphone to record their calls. It's always an adventure out in the field!

In the past, I will have my Kowa BDXD 8x32 binocular, Zoom H2N recorder, Kowa TSN-501 and my favorite Nikon1 V1 with a 70-300mm lens. This is the lightest setup I have tried and owned. From then onwards, I have used Omicron 8x26 binocular (and i bought 4 units), Leica Ultravid 8x32 binocular, Kowa Spotting Scope TSN773 with 20-60x eyepiece, Panasonic Lumix G7, Panasonic Lumix G9 with a 100-300mm lens and currently experimenting with Sony ILCE-A6700 and Sony SEL 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS lens.

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There are quite a number of birding groups from Australia, United States and United Kingdom that come over to Malaysia annually visiting the traditional key sites that include Kuala Selangor, Fraser's Hill and Taman Negara. There is not doubt that the 3 sites are the preferred birding sites in Peninsular Malaysia. So if you are coming over for birding and intend to hire a guide, you can send me an email at nature2pixel@gmail.com and go over to posting section to view photos and summary of trip reports with testimonials from past clients.

Besides following the traditional route, I also customized trip according to clients needs, preference and interests. So there are some local patches that I can introduce to all bird watchers, digiscopers and photographers.

Here are a few of my favorite birding spots around Kuala Lumpur.

• Kuala Selangor - the habitats include mangrove forest. Good for woodpecker and kingfisher. Some amount of walking is required on flat terrain.

• Fraser's Hill - one of the traditional key sites for birding in Peninsular Malaysia and still the best place to visit. Elevation between 900 - 1200m above sea level. The species found here are different from the city of Kuala Lumpur. Targets may include Trogon, Woodpecker, Partridge, Laughingthrush, Leafbird, Spiderhunter and Sunbird.

• Hulu Langat - one of the most visited birding spot due to its proximity from the city centre. Walking is required but on easy terrain in this lowland forest. Sometimes need to wait at fruiting trees. Generally a good spot for Broadbill, Kingfisher, and Babbler.

• Bukit Tinggi - An alternative spot if you do not want to spend too long hours travelling to Fraser's Hill. It's about 900m to 1,000m above sea level and you get a combination of lowland and highland species at this elevation. Walking is required but just a short distance. Traditional known for Broadbill, Hornbill, Partridge and Pheasant.

• Gombak-Ampang - Generally recommended for photographers targeting Blue-eared Kingfisher and at times during fruiting season, it attracts many species of Bulbul and Barbet. Located in urban area.

• Putrajaya - If you are staying in any hotel in Putrajaya, it's a good place to look for herons, egrets, bittern and storks.

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I am also interested to take video of birds. Here are some of my favorite videos for your viewing. Video taken with Nikon1 V1 attached to a Sigma 500mm f4.5 and most of the time iPhone SE through the spotting scope. Editing is done on smartphone Power Director for Android device and I also like the iMovie on iPhone. Enjoy.

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If you are interested to get a copy of field guides to assist you to learn and identify birds in Malaysia. Click the followings to find out more.

March 2024. Fortunate enough to meet 1 of the authors before it was launched in Kuala Lumpur. Another great field guide for all birders who want to get the most updated information about birds of Malaysia.