24th April 2021
April is the last month for the Northern migrants birds heading back up north for breeding, but some of the 1st year such as Common Sandpiper do extend their stays in Sabah and could be seen during the Southern migration season from May until September.
With the current Covid-19 cases rising up again in my place, I took the opportunity to visit my favourite birding spot at Tempasuk and surrounding areas of Kota Belud before the next MCO. Not much was seen because of the current dry spell with a few migrants left such as Grey Heron, Long-toed Stint and a lone Gull-billed Tern.
Bird list:
- Oriental Darter
- Grey Heron
- Purple Heron
- Great Egret
- Intermediate Egret
- Little Egret
- Cattle Egret
- Pond Heron sp.
- Wandering Whistling Duck
- Brahminy Kite
- Peregrine Falcon
- Changeable Hawk-Eagle
- White-breasted Waterhen
- Watercock
- Black-backed Swamphen
- Common Moorhen
- Common Sandpiper
- Long-toed Stint
- Whiskered Tern
- Gull-billed Tern
- Spotted Dove
- Red-collared Dove
- Zebra Dove
- Greater Coucal
- Edible-Nest Swfitlet
- Red-throated Bee-Eater
- Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker (heard)
- Long-tailed Shrike
- White-breasted Woodswallow
- Yellow-vented Bulbul
- Striated Grassbird
- Yellow-bellied Prinia
- Asian Glossy Starling
- Olive-backed Sunbird
- Black-headed Munia
- Yellow-wagtail
- Paddyfield Pipit
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Images taken with Swarovski Optik STX95 spotting scope via Variable Photo Adapter (VPA) on the Oppo Reno 4 smartphone. Due to the shimmering heat and distance, some of the images were not in good quality. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Part of the dry plot with Mt. Kinabalu on the background
Some of the plots just started to get irrigated
Small patch of pond with ducks and rails
I like green paddyfields!
Red-collared Dove taken at 6.5x digital zoom. The quality still acceptable with good carbon fibre tripod.
Spotted Dove perched below the Red-collared Dove
Peregrine Falcon with lighter plumage (migrant)
Whiskered Tern
Lovely Yellow-bellied Prinia
Asian Glossy Starling
Bua Beach, Pintasan where I saw the Long-tailed Shrike, Blue-throated Bee-Eater and Gull-billed Tern
Yours truly hahaha
Happy birding and stay safe everyone!
