There is nothing quite like the annual "birds and bros" trip to kick the adrenaline into high gear! This year, the gang was back together: Ding Li, Tun Pin and Audrey. We set off from KL with a mission that was part nostalgia and part "lifer" hunting.
Our first mission took us to the sweeping paddy fields to reconnect with a local celebrity—the Dusky Eagle-Owl. For some of us, this was a reunion with a bird we last saw together 6 or 7 years ago. But for Audrey, this is a lifer!
The scene was classic birding chaos:
• Audrey & Tun Pin: Shutters clicking frantically to capture that perfect morning light on the owl’s fierce silhouette.
• Ding Li: Completely engrossed in the "soundscape," capturing high-quality recordings of the owl’s deep, haunting call.
Once the owl retreated to its roost, we knew our time there was up. We scouted the rest of the paddy fields, but the owl had clearly stolen the show!
After a quick, essential breakfast at a local kopitiam, we aimed for the coast. In Kuala Selangor, we played a game of hide-and-seek with the Mangrove Blue Flycatcher. While the flycatcher decided to be uncooperative, a friendly Cinereous Tit popped by to keep our spirits high!
We saved the "heavy hitter" for Klang: the Mangrove Pitta. This was the main event for Tun Pin, and the mangroves didn’t disappoint. Watching the Mangrove Pitta show up was the perfect "welcome home" gift for my pals from Singapore and Australia. To top it off, we added a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and a few other species to the day list.
We wrapped up the marathon with a late lunch in Klang, tired but happy. Whether we were chasing a bird from seven years ago or ticking a lifer for a friend, it’s the laughs in between the sightings that make this trip the highlight of my year.
Until the next one guys!
Some of the species seen today: Red Junglefowl, Spotted Dove, Pink-necked Green-Pigeon, Greater Coucal, Malaysian Eared-Nightjar, Large-tailed Nightjar, House Swift, White-breasted Waterhen, Little Egret, Medium Egret, Purple Heron (Purple), Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Booted Eagle, Dusky Eagle-Owl, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Blue-eared Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Red-throated Barbet, Gold-whiskered Barbet, Black-thighed Falconet, Long-tailed Parakeet, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Brown Shrike, Rufous-tailed Tailorbird, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Pacific Swallow, Barn Swallow, Olive-winged Bulbul, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Swinhoe’s White-eye, Pin-striped Tit-babbler, Asian Glossy Starling, Common Hill Myna, Javan Myna, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, Zebra Dove, Asian Koel, Great Egret, Brahminy Kite, Collared Kingfisher, Mangrove Pitta, Black-naped Oriole (Sunda), Malaysian Pied Fantail, House Crow, Ashy Tailorbird, Brown-throated Sunbird
