Crested Serpent Eagle & Black Hornbill

Black-and-Red Broadbill 

 Crimson-winged Woodpecker

Drongo Cuckoo

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For the past 3 days, I was travelling with Noel covering Fraser's Hill and Melaka. From the airport, we drove up to the hill station with a short birding stop between KLIA and Fraser's Hill. As soon as we arrived at the hill station, we went around the birding spots to see as much as we can. Back in the hotel lobby after dinner, we met Derrick Wilby, a serious twitcher from South Africa. We chatted for a while before getting our rest and prepare for tomorrow. The next day, at the hotel lobby we saw Derrick still awake and busy uploading his photos onto facebook (this guy is serious). Anyway, we started with a pre-dawn birding to get specific targets and continue until check out from the hotel in the afternoon. We drove south to Melaka. It was indeed a very long journey. We stopped at a small heronry and (what used to be a) small mangrove patch before the end of the day. On our final day of the trip, we checked the paddy field and saw Lesser Adjutant Stork, Lesser Whistling Duck, Purple Swamphen Eurasian Moorhen,  Cinnamon Bittern, Yellow Bittern, Baya Weaver, Stork-billed Kingfisher, etc. After completing our round in the paddy field, Noel went around the town's touristic spots and soon after that, we were on our way back to KL.


Noel checking out the Bottlebrush tree in Fraser's Hill.


Morning birding in Fraser's Hill


Coming down via New Road


A small heronry in Melaka


What used to be a small area filled with mangrove trees is now flat and barren land, perhaps ready for development.


Melaka paddy field in a rainy morning


On the way back to KL, stopped by a small patch of forest in Melaka. I used to come here for Pitta and Broadbill.

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I want to express my sincere thanks and admiration for your devotion, energy, time and expertise over the past three days. It has been a wonderful time for me. I am sorry if at times I may have seemed less that appreciative, thanks to my mobility issues. But you compensated for that very well. Your thoughtfulness is appreciated. You have helped me fulfill some of my most long-held wishes with the Broadbill, Woodpecker, Hornbill and Cupwing sightings. Without you, I would have seen very few of them. Thank-you again. I would love to see you in Australia some day! If that is possible, you will be most welcome. - Colin, Australia

Day 1: Bukit Rengit & Kuala Lumpur 
We started the day with a early morning drive to Bukit Rengit and spent some time (roughly 1.5 hours) observing the birds in open areas. Then we moved into the stakeout for other species and the prime target is a Rail Babbler but it never appear and did not even make a single call. Fortunately, we did not stay long. It rained in the late afternoon so we drove back to KL where I showed Colin a small local birding patch. The highlight for today is Red-bearded Bee-eater (which we saw in both sites), a family of Oriental Pied Hornbill, Black Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Banded Woodpecker, Rufous Woodpecker, Orange-backed Woodpecker, Common Flameback, Black-capped Babbler, Ferruginous Babbler, Short-tailed Babbler, Yellow-bellied Bulbul, Grey-cheeked Bulbul, Hairy-backed Bulbul, Black-and-Red Broadbill, Black-and-Yellow Broadbill (feeding a young Indian Cuckoo), Painted Stork, and many more.


At the stakeout with bird photographers (all eyeing the Rail-babbler that did not even show up. sigh...well, that's birding. you can't never expect everything to appear. there is no 100% or guarantee birds. Not even the most common birds.

Coming back to KL, we tried to look for more target species.



Day 2: Fraser's Hill
An early morning drive up to the highland, Fraser's Hill with a brief stop at the Gap. We continued birding at the hill station before coming back to KL in the late afternoon. Well, we also made a brief stop at another site between Fraser's Hill and KL. Let's see what we have... Rufous-browed Flycatcher, Pygmy Cupwing (Pygmy Wren-babbler), Lesser Shortwing, Large Niltava, Silver-eared Mesia, Fire-tufted Barbet, Black-browed Barbet, Long-tailed Sibia, Collared Owlet, Buff-breasted Babbler, Little Cuckoo-dove, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Greater Yellownape, Bamboo Woodpecker, Little Bronze Cuckoo, Red-wattled Lapwing, Blue-throated Bee-eater, and others.


We spent some time at the Gap before coming to this spot. I realized there was (or were) bird photographer(s) earlier in the morning. The evidence is obvious. :D We still get the enjoy the birds with great views!

Rufous-browed Flycatcher never fail to impress bird watchers and photographers.

Day 3: Hulu Langat
Our last day trip, we went to the nearby forest in the morning and in the afternoon to an open wetland. Although we did not get as many birds as we had for the past 2 days yet we managed to get to see some of the better species in Colin's target list. I would say our highlights for the day are Banded Broadbill, Green Broadbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Rufous-backed Kingfisher, Rufous-chested Flycatcher, and White-chested Babbler.


Ok. great! Colin got his target bird....

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