A Malaysian Birder

Content

Old Photos (Year 2005)

Barn Owl

Nikon D70 + Sigma APO 170-500mm

Crimson-breasted Flowerpecker

Nikon D70 + Sigma APO 170-500mm

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker

Nikon D70 + Sigma APO 170-500mm

Blue-banded Kingfisher

Nikon D80 + Sigma APO 170-500mm

Great Egret

Sooty Barbet (formerly known as Brown Barbet)

Nikon D70 + Sigma APO 170-500mm

Phonescoping June - July 2014

As an alternative to a lighter setup, I purchased a set of phonescoping adapter. Here are some of the shots I managed from last year trip to Fraser's Hill, Bukit Tinggi and Penang.

Blue-winged Pitta (Penang)

Malayan Whistling Thrush (Fraser's Hill)

Mountain Bulbul (Fraser's Hill)

Rufous-browed Flycatcher (Fraser's Hill)

Brown Wood Owl (Fraser's Hill)

Rhinoceros Hornbill (Bukit Tinggi)

Birds of Fraser's Hill (July 2015)

A recent trip to Fraser's Hill has been rewarding for me and my guests. Although throughout the period of our stay was hot (and humid) and dry, the hill station never fail to impress us at all. Just take a look at some of the shots I posted here which include Long-tailed Broadbill (above) and Red-headed Trogon (below). Both species is regarded as top of the list for visiting birders and photographers. It was a Speckled Piculet that attracted my attention, however I didn't get a single photo of the piculet. Then, I spotted 3 Long-tailed Broadbill nearby and these 3 birds led me to a "hidden" Red-headed Trogon in the tree canopy.

Nearby the spot, fruits were plenty and that attracted several species but the most we saw were Black-browed Barbet and Fire-tufted Barbet. No sign of Golden-throated Barbet that we saw previously. Other species that we encountered during this short trip include (but not limited to):

Black-thighed Falconet

Fire-breasted (Buff-bellied) Flowerpecker

Large Niltava

Click HERE for more videos

Little Cuckoo Dove

Magpie Robin - getting more common these days compared to the time when I first started bird watching.

Orange-bellied Leafbird

This is the initial view of the "hidden" Red-headed Trogon before I managed to get a better view of it.

Streaked Spiderhunter

Western Striped Squirrel - ok. this is not a bird but never leave Fraser's Hill without seeing this little squirrel.

White-tailed Robin

Click HERE for more videos

Greater Yellownape - saw this species several times from morning till late afternoon.

Another Blue-eared Kingfisher Shot

Finally, managed to get a decent shot of the Blue-eared Kingfisher. Within this morning birding, there list of birds is not long since I spent most of the time observing this kingfisher. Several species spotted include Yellow-bellied Prinia, Common Myna, Javan Myna, Peaceful (Zebra) Dove, Spotted Dove, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Black-naped Oriole, and House Crow.

Silver-eared Mesia

Lovely and colorful. This is the unofficial mascot for Little England (Fraser's Hill, Malaysia).

Silver-eared Mesia

Nikon D7000 + Sigma 500mm f4.5

Silver-eared Mesia

Nikon D7000 + Sigma 500mm f4.5

Shrike-babbler from Fraser's Hill

At my favorite spot, I waited for the White-browed Shrike-babbler. A pair came after a short wait but they were rather shy and moving about up in the canopy. No choice, had to wait longer and for a short moment, they came lower just for some record shots.

White-browed Shrike-babbler (Male)

Nikon D7000 + Sigma 500mm f4.5

White-browed Shrike-babbler (female)

Nikon D7000 + Sigma 500mm f4.5

Ashy Tailorbird

Unexpectedly, the Ashy Tailorbird appeared infront of me. Although it was some distance away from where I was sitting, I could not resist shooting this lovely and cooperative bird.

Ashy Tailorbird

Nikon D7000 + Sigma 500mm f4.5

Ashy Tailorbird

Nikon D7000 + Sigma 500mm f4.5

Greater Yellownape

One of the woodpeckers from Fraser's Hill - Greater Yellownape. The other woodpeckers in this hill station (above upper gate) include Lesser Yellownape, Bay Woodpecker, and Speckled Piculet.

Nikon V1 + Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 (June 2014)

Nokia Lumia 920 phonescoping (June 2014)

Blue Jewel by the Drain

It was a typical morning, as I waited by the drain. Yes, a drain. Anyway, 2 Blue-eared Kingfisher were spotted from afar! Parental feeding just above the water. However, it was just too far away from where I was standing. I repositioned myself towards the other end and waited for the birds to perch on somewhere more open. After 30 minutes or so, the juvenile appeared a little far away from where it was spotted. Adult came for a while and fed it, then flew away. Oh well, a good sighting.

I will post more photos on this individual at http://sigma500mmf45.blogspot.com

Click here for more videos in my youtube video channel

Laughingthrushes and co.

Up in Fraser's Hill, you can surely expect the 2 of the 3 laughingthrushes - Chestnut-capped (Spectacled) and Chestnut-crowned (Malayan) Laughingthrush.

Chesnut-crowned (Malayan) Laughingthrush

Chestnut-capped (Spectacled) Laughingthrush

The other birds that comes along in a regular birding trip include the Lesser Shortwing, Silver-eared Mesia, Fire-tufted Barbet, Mountain Fulvetta, Long-tailed Sibia and the list goes on and on.....

Long-tailed Sibia

Lesser Shortwing

Silver-eared Mesia

Another Day Spent with Rufous-collared Kingfisher

So today was another typical day just like yesterday. Of course, the Rufous-collared Kingfisher has been a regular to the site, there were several other birds spotted in the vicinity. Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, White-rumped Shama, Buff-vented Bulbul, Black-headed Bulbul, Pin-tailed Parrotfinch (what a surprise!), Horsfield's Babbler, Little Spiderhunter and many more.

Another shot of the Rufous-collared Kingfisher < --- click here

Rufous-collared Kingfisher and Trogons

I was planning to go up to Cameron Highlands today. But unfortunately, I woke up late and when I drove out from the house, the traffic was already bad so I decided to cancel the plan and head towards the nearby forest. When I reached the site, there were 2 photographers standing there. I supposed they also looking for the same target.

So we waited for a while and as soon as I heard the kingfisher called, one of the photographers already spotted the bird.

Nikon V1, Sigma 500mm f/4.5

Another view on this link

Darn it. the Nikon D7000 does not provide enough reach. Even after adding the 1.4x TC, I was not able to get a decent AF. So I switched to the V1.

When I managed to get closer, I switched back to D7000.

Holy!!! There is a Rufous-backed in front of us, too close for any of us to get a shot. Then there was also a pair of Scarlet-rumped Trogon. But I only managed to shoot the female.

Nikon V1, Sigma 500mm f/4.5, ISO3200, 1/200sec,

The hunt is not over yet. We were later rewarded with a pair of Diard's Trogon. Initially we had it very high up the canopy, no clear view with many leaves blocking the birds. In the end, a decent view.

Nikon V1, Sigma 500mm f/4.5

Welcome to "A Malaysian Birder"

Hi, I’m a licensed guide in Peninsular Malaysia with over 15 years of professional guiding experience and a lifelong passion for birds. My journey began during my university studies in Parks & Recreation Management, leading to a career in environmental education, park management, and guiding. Whether you're targeting Peninsular Malaysia’s deep-forest endemics, seeking elusive species like the Rail-babbler and Malaysian Banded Pitta, or exploring top birding hubs like Fraser's Hill, Taman Negara, and Bukit Tinggi, I design tailored itineraries to match your life-list targets. Explore my trip reports, species galleries, and travel advice below. Planning your next photography or birding expedition? Get in touch to book a custom guided tour.

Equipment Evolution

Bird Watching Tours

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.