Sighting report for June - July 1999
White egrets have been sighted in Seberang Perai during the months of June and
July. Small mixed flocks ranging from10 to15 birds have been sighted in the mornings
over the rice fields. Once there was a flock with more then 50 mixed white egrets.
LITTLE EGRET - Egretta garzetta 10/06/1999 Penaga,
Seberang Perai, 1 bird over the rice fields. 22/06/1999 Pulau Mertajam,
Seberang Perai, 3 birds feeding in the rice fields. 07/07/1999 Pulau Mertajam/Bakau
Tua, Penaga, Seberang Perai, 21 birds feeding in newly ploughed rice fields. One
bird's feet was only yellow at the soles. The water in the rice plot was fairly clear and
the legs were not muddied. All the bird showed traces of breeding plumage but only
one bird had a short crest plums.
GREAT EGRET - Casmerodius albus 06/07/1999
Pulau Mertajam/Bakau Tua, Penaga, Seberang Perai, 2 birds over the rice fields.
INTERMEDIATE EGRET - Mesopoyx intermedia
07/07/1999 Pulau Mertajam/Bakau Tua, Penaga, Seberang Perai, 1 birds feeding with Little
Egrets in the newly ploughed rice fields.
CATTLE EGRET - Bubulcus ibis 10/06/1999 Penaga,
Seberang Perai, c13 bird over the rice fields. 06/07/1999 Pulau Mertajam/Bakau Tua,
Penaga, Seberang Perai, 1 bird over the rice fields. Still in non-breeding plumage
but one of its legs was dangling down. A bird with such injury was observed often in
February and March near the roosting area at Penaga, this could have been the same bird.
WHITE-BELLIED SEA-EAGLE - Haliaeetus leucogaster 20/06/1999
Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve, Penang, common, a total of 6 birds sighted - 2 were at
the Telok Bahang area and the other 4 birds were at Pantai Kerachut.
WATERCOCK - Gallicrex cinerea 02/06/1999 Tok Otek,
Seberang Perai, 2 males in breeding plumage in the rice fields. 22/06/1999 Pulau Mertajam,
Seberang Perai, 1 bird in the rice fields. 06/07/1999 Pulau Mertajam, Penaga, Seberang
Perai, one male in the rice fields.
GREATER PAINTEDSNIPE - Rostratula benghalensis 07/07/1999
Pulau Mertajam/Bakau Tua, Seberang Perai. Male and female feeding in wet rice.
08/07/1999 two females and one male.
BLACK-WINGED STILT - Himantopus himantopus 0745 -
22/06/1999 Pulau Mertajam, Seberang Perai, 2 birds in the rice fields. The birds flew in
from the direction of the Muda River and started preening and feeding. The rice
stalks were reaching up to the birds belly. This is the first sighting report for
Seberang Perai. On 07/07/1999 in the same area 13 adult birds feeding in wet rice
plot. This plot had been newly ploughed and flooded where
else the other plots had half grown rice plants. 08/07/1999 15 birds in the same
plot. On 10/07/1999 there were two young birds among 5 adults. The young were
smaller and more brownish-red legs, moulted brownish upperparts.
COMMON GREENSHANK - Trimga nebularia
07/07/1999 Pulau Maertajam/Bakau Tua, Seberang Perai, 2 birds in summer plumage feeding in
flooded rice plot.. On 06/07/1999 - 5 birds in summer plumage in the same plot .
RUSTY-BREASTED CUCKOO - Cacomantis sepulcralis 11/07/1999 Hye
Keat Estate Trail, Penang, 1 bird calling.
LITTLE BRONZE CUCKOO - Chrysococcyx minutillus 0810
09/07/1999 Air Hitam Dalam, Sungei Dua, Seberang Perai, 2 birds.
LESSER COUCAL - Centropus bengalensis 18/06/1999 Kuala
Muda, Seberang Perai, 1 bird in the scrublands.
BANDED WOODPECKER - Picus miniaceus 0745
06/07/1999 Bakau Tuah/Pulau Mertajam, Penaga, Seberang Perai,1 pair excavating nest in a
dead coconut palm.
RUFOUS WOODPECKER - Celeus brachyurus 20/06/1999 Pantai
Acheh Forest Reserve, Penang, 1 bird along the trail to Telok Kempi. 11/07/1999
Penang Hill-Hye Keat Estate Trail, Penang, 4 birds in the fringe area of a durian orchard
and the secondary forest. This species is not common in the Island.
STREAK-BREASTED WOODPECKER - Picus viridanus 0744 26/06/1999
Air Hitam Dalam, Sungei Dua, Seberang Perai, 2 birds male and female. The throat was
streaked and dark, the upper breast was un streaked, the lower breast and belly was
streaked. The streaks were narrower then the Laced Woodpecker which were also
observed on another tree. A female was again sighted on 09/07/1999.
GREATER GOLDENBACK - Chrysocolaptes lucidus 0750
25/06/1999 Air Hitam Dalam, Sungei Dua, Seberamg Perai, one male. First sighting for this
site.
MANGROVE PITTA - Pitta megarhyncha 0815 26/06/1999 Air
Hitam Dalam, Sungei Dua, Seberang Perai, 1 bird on the ground. The blue of the wing
was only a narrow streak. Another bird was calling nearby.
BARN SWALLOW - Hirundo rustica 1300 08/07/1999
Kuala Muda, Seberang Perai, 15 juveniles perched on feeder cables. No adults
were sighted.
MANGROVE WHISTLER - Pachycephala cinerea 11/07/1999 Hye
Keat Estate, Air Hitam, Penang, 1 bird in secondary growth on hill slope.
TICKELL'S BLUE FLYCATCHER - Cyornis tickelliae 11/07/1999
Penang Hill, and the Hye Keat Estate-Penang Hill Trail, fairly common in the overgrown
rubber plantation and secondary growth especially near Hye Keat Estate.
PLAIN-BACKED SPARROW - Passer flaveolus 0827 15/06/1999
Kuala Muda, Seberang Perai, 1 male and 1 female at the Telekom Radio Station.
BAYA WEAVER - Ploceus philippinus 06/07/1999 Pulau
Mertajam, Seberang Perai, common in the rice fields. A number of birds were
collecting nesting material.
Nest predation by BLACK-NAPED ORIOLE Oriolus chinensis
At 1003 hours on 08/07/1999 in Kuala Muda, Seberang Perai, an adult Black-napped Oriole
was being mobbed by two adult. Yellow-vented Bulbuls which had a nest in a low tree.
The bulbuls were actually fiercely attacking the oriole. The oriole kept
avoiding the bulbuls' attack and kept going as near as possible to the bulbuls nest.
After about a minute or so the oriole managed to get to the nest and took away a
bulbul chick. The bulbuls did not pursue the oriole but kept going to the nest.
The nest was tilted to one side and there no chicks in the nest. The adult bulbuls
kept bringing food to the nest but ate the food after a little while. By 1100 hours
the bulbul had deserted the nest and were not seen even near the nesting tree.
I have heard of orioles raiding sunbird's nest but this is first time I have witnessed
nest predation by orioles.
submitted by Kanda Kumar
see also sighting report for April 1999
