Eurasian Wigeon

Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope, rare winter visitor to north-eastern Borneo. Recorded ten times from Borneo, only once in Bintulu, Sarawak in 1875. More recent records up to late Ninties are from Brunei and Sabah. No record yet from Kalimantan.

We were lucky to see one male and one female in Tinagat, Tawau on 22nd February 2014 (my lifer for 2014), they were in the same pond with the male Northern Pintail Anas acuta.

The female bird was closer with the male Northen Pintail, they always stayed close to each other. The male bird on the other hand was seen singly all the time when we were there. The male bird stayed on for at least another week while Northern Pintail and female Eurasin Wigeon left the next day as we were unable to locate them at the pond.

 Eurasian Wigeon - male

 Northern Pintail is seen staying close to the female Eurasian Wigeon.

Eurasian Wigeon - female

Happy birding.

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Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail Anas acuta, rare winter visitor to Borneo.

All precious records except two were from the north west coast of Borneo; they were from west coast of Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak, no record yet from Kalimantan. The only two records so far from the east coast of Sabah were six birds from Mumiang, near Kinabatangan in 1985 and one female from Tinagat, Tawau in November 2012.

On 22nd February 2014 my birding buddy, Mr. Kong Ket Leong and myself went to our usual places in Tinagat, Tawau to try our luck and spotted this male in a pond with a group of local resident Wandering Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica, we spotted it immediately when we drove near the pond,  we quickly reversed our car to a spot further away so as not to spook it. We than scampered  to get our photographic equipment to take photos of this beauty.

It was quite content with our presence as the pond was large enough for it to stay on the far end with the group of Wandering Whistling Duck without feeling threatened.

The different in size is apparent here.

The Duck Pond.

Happy birding.

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Sydney December 2012

Was in Sydney and Tasmania for a few days in mid December 2012.

While in Sydney took time to visit the Sydney Harbour, Opera House and the adjoining Royal Botanic Garden, as well as Darling Harbour.

Here are some of the tame birds which were tolerent enough for me to take their pictures, and some travel pictures of beautiful Sydney. Tasmania will come in later posts.

For this particular trip, I only have a camera phone and a M 4/3 camera with me. Images are taken by Panasonic GF 1 unless otherwise stated. Birds are all wild unless otherwise stated.

Two dogs sit motionless in front of a shop along George Street. The White one has sunglasses on.

A street artist performing at Sydney Central one early morning.

Pictures of Alumni of Sydney Opera House on display.

Male Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata. (Pic by IPhone.)

Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles, a very common bird, can be seen everywhere. Seen some at Jurung Bird Park years ago, and read somewhere that they were breeding there.(Pic by IPhone.)

Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa, a common water bird in Australia. Last recorded in 1885 in Kalimantan Tengah, listed as a scarce vagrant of Borneo, but there was no modern record despite intensive searches in Kalimantan in 1997 and 2000. It may not be valid to still keep this in the Borneo List. (Pic by IPhone.)

 Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa. (Pic by IPhone.)

 

Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa. The red legs and the lack of white on flanks distinguish this from Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus in Borneo. However, I suspect there are some birds in Australia exhibiting white on flanks, as stated in Pizzey's fieldguide.(Pic by IPhone. )

Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus moluccanus, an abundant bird.This is also recorded in Borneo as escapee. (Pic by IPhone.)

Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa, can be very tame in public gardens due to feeding by visitors. Recorded one time in Borneo at Mahakam Delta in late Nov. 1987(Pic by IPhone.)

Sharing Common habitat.

Sydney Harbour Bridge, with the climbers visible as small dots on top.

The landmark Sydney Opera House under overcast sky.

 The distinct un-Chinese looking stone lion at Sydney China Town.

Prints on display outside Sydney Opera House.

 Darling Harbour at noon.

A giant cruise ship berth at Sydney Cove.

Monorail at Darling Harnour

Clock tower showing 5.30 pm with high afternoon summer sun, it would be dusk in Tawau at that hour.

Darling Harbour with a Santa on top of the floating restaurant.

Juv. Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae.

Adult Silver Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae.



Silver Gull is a very common gull, it is increasingly inhabiting settlements and places with availability of food scraps and garbage. They came to pick up french fries thrown to them while I was having some McDonald at Sorell.

Aboriginal artists at Circular Quay.

Little Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucos, smallest of the Austalian Cormorant. This one flew in to perch behind the Aboriginal artists for a little while.

Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca, photogrpahed here in public garden and is very approachable. 

Silver Gulls are seen here congregating near someone who sits down with food package, apparently they know about it.

 Little Penguin Eudyptula monir (Captive)

 Laughing Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae (Captive)

 Plumed Whistling-duck Dendrocygna eytoni. (Captive) Much prettier looking than our Wandering Whistling-duck Dendrocygna arcuata.

 Reef in Sydney Sealife Aquarium (GF 1 with Voigtlander f0.95 lens)

 Reef in Sydney Sealife Aquarium (GF 1 with Voigtlander f0.95 lens)

Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala. A common roadside and garden bird.

 

That is all for the Sydney episode, Tasmania will come next.

 

Happy birding.

Photodocument of Wild Birds of Borneo.

Standard References for my blog.

Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail Anas acuta, a rare winter visitor to Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak side of Borneo. Quentin Phillipps lists this as the second commonest migrant duck after Garganey Anas querquedula (11 of which was sighted in Tawau last year, see link here).

One female was photographed on 13th November in Tawau, foraging with a group of resident Wandering Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica, however, it was not to be found the next day, it might have moved on further south.

It is my lifer bird; it is getting harder and harder to score a lifer now a days.

 Northern Pintail among the Wandering Whistling Ducks.

The brownish speculum indicates that this is a female instead of an eclipse male. Male in eclipse plumage resembles female but retain it distinctive metalic green speculum.

Happy birding.

Photodocument of Wild Birds of Borneo.

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Migrant ducks

Borneo has 2 positively confirmed resident ducks, they are Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica and Wandering Whistling Duck Dendrocygna arcuata, and 10 migrant ducks.

The only resident duck easily observed in Sabah is Wandering Whistling Duck, which is until quite recently a rare bird. It has established very well in suitable habitats in Sabah. 

All the migrant ducks are rare birds, some species come regularly every year in small number.

The best places in Sabah to observe these northern visitors are in the west coast of Sabah, among the many paddy fields and fresh water lakes which are characteristic of the rural lowland landscape there. Promising places are in Tempasuk plain and Tuaran area.

Southern visitors only reach Kalimantan and have not been observed in Sabah.

Garganey Anas querquedula is the only migrant duck that has been widely recorded all over Borneo, and we managed to locate eleven of them in Tawau in early December 2011, (Historically, Tawau is not a good place to see migrant ducks as no previous observation was made there). 

Some of the pictures below review the wing pattern which is the only reliable clue to sex them in this eclipse plumage.

Garganey 

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula is a rare visitor, a small number is regularly seen in Tuaran, Tempasuk and Penampang areas in Sabah.They are usually recorded in west coast of Borneo as far south as Kuching. We were lucky to chance upon these two males in Tawau, Sabah, in early December 2011.

Tufted Duck

Happy birding.

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September water birds in Tawau.

These are some of the migratory and resident water birds photographed  in Tawau in the third week of September 2010.

A juvenile Little Tern Sterna albifrons

Non-breeding Little Tern

Breeding Little Tern

Little Tern is the smallest tern in Borneo and is the only tern that breeds here, comprising of both wintering and resident breeding populations. Recorded to breed in Sarawak and Kalimantan.

A lone Asian Dowitcher Limnnodromus semipalmatus (my new bird) among a group of Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa.

 A Little Egret Egretta garzetta which resembles a Chinese Egret Egretta eulophotes.

 Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis

 A group Red-necked Stints Calidris ruficollis

 The middle bird looks a bit bigger than the others but it is still a Red-necked Stint.

 Another odd-looking Red-necked Stint

 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea

A mud-crap trying to chase away a  Common Redshank Tringa totanus.

 Little-ringed Plover Charadrius dubius

 Wandering Whistling Ducks Dendrocygna arcuata

  Crab in 'HULK' stance.

 Mud- crab

 You know where the inspiration for Transformer comes from.

Many thanks to Sifu Dave Bakewell for confirmation on IDs of the Stints and Egret.

Happy birding.

Photodocument of Wild Birds of Borneo

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