Slithering Skills

"Gosh, it's hot!"

Crested Serpent Eagle / Lang Ular Berjambul getting excited in the morning - over thermals; Forest reserve, TTAC Bidor 15/11/10, 10am.

Taking a break from snakes, KSNP 25/03/10, 11:30am.

An afternoon roll in the clouds. Hulu Langat 08/07/10, 11am.

Hidden Haven

"Get lost!"

Flying from perch to perch, the Black Baza /Lang Baza Hitam tries to keep a safe distance and avoid me. A migrant who travels through forested areas, he frequently stops to hunt in the later part of the day.

Forest station, Bidor 15/11/10, 12pm.

Bold Black

"God is black."

Metallic and silky feathered, the Black Drongo / Cecawi Hitam also has a distinctly forked tail and a versatile call that mimic many birds. This one was pretending to be a Blue-winged Leafbird and an Asian Paradise Flycatcher.

Agricultural park, Shah Alam 31/10/10, 12:00pm.

Splashy Sizzle

"My pool is so cool."


Those feathers need tending to. A Yellow Vented Bulbul / Merbah Kapur Berjambul takes a brief dip in a water bowl I put out in the garden.

Residence, Kinrara 05/11/10, 1:00pm.

Wild Weaponry

"My cutting edge."


Preys stand little chance against a raptor's impressive arsenal. Large wings, sharp talons, hooked beak, keen sight, speed and precision overwhelm preys in seconds.





Changeable Hawk Eagle / Lang Rajawali Hindik, Agricultural park, Shah Alam 31/10/10, 6:00pm.

Wild Wings II

"Well equipped."


The king of the skies has an edge over all below. A killer concentrated combining sleek moves with full armament to take on preys bigger than its own size.

The Black Shouldered Kite / Lang Tikus, a beautifully matured brute seen early in the morning perched and flying near the fringe of an oil palm estate, looking for rats and the like returning to their lair.



Agricultural estates, Sg. Buloh 28/03/10 7:00am.

Wary Ways

"Grey head yes, but not going grey, yet."


Posing like an old and wise owl, the Grey Headed Fish Eagle / Lang Ikan does fish no favours. But wary of his hunting being temporarily interrupted, he looks on from a low perch before flying off to hide between the leaves of a palm tree.

He was found at the far edge of the park, 4km deep, where the grass seemed to be greener with lots of fruiting trees and quiet peace. The only rare item was people, who were mostly fortunately enough, concentrated elsewhere at a popular area within the park nearer to the entrance.

Agricultural park, Bukit Cahaya, Shah Alam 31/10/10, 4:00pm.

Crafty Crooner

"Few strikes the right chord."




The Hill Myna / Tiong Bukit is a crafty crooner with a repertoire of tunes learned from the sounds of the forest. He could be be heard loudly through the surrounding forest. It flew from tree to tree and out of sight, but I was left with its sound jangling in my ears.

Agricultural park, Bukit Cahaya, Shah Alam 31/10/10, 5:30pm.

Big Boost

"Have bill will boost."



With a bill built for big bullies, the Stork Billed Kingfisher / Pekaka Belukar enjoys successful fishing and the simple luxury afforded by a protruding tree branch over a stream. It hardly moves for more than half an hour, except to turn on its perch and shut its eyes.

Mangrove system, Kuala Selangor 23/10/10, 3:00pm.