Some waders at Tinagat, Tawau end November 2011

It is the migrating season again, visits to Tinagat beach were rewarded with these waders.

I managed to record a new lifer, Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelis brevipes.

 A section of the hundreds of Great Knot, which is the commonest waders here.

 Grey-tailed Tattler, my lifer.

 Two Great Egrets, showing the range in size.

 Lesser Frigatebird, L to R, adult ♀, adult ♂ and immature.

 Eurasian Curlew

 Eurasian Curlew, showing its diagnostic white rump.

 Broad-billed Sandpiper

 Terek Sandpiper

 Bar-tailed Godwit with a Great Knot

 Pond Heron, suspected to be Chinese instead of Javan as they are only around during the northern winter, however, it is not possible to positively confirm in this eclipse plumage.

 Common Redshank

 A composite of diving Little Tern

 A Mangrove Skink Emoia atrocostata

 Common Greenshank

Far-eastern Curlew.

Happy birding.

Photodocument of Wild Birds of Borneo.

Standard References for my blog.

Javan Pond Heron

Pond Herons, which Borneo has two, Javan, Ardeola speciosa, and Chinese, Ardeola bacchus, are as good as impossible to positively identify during the northern winter months when they are in eclipse plumage. However, as Chinese Pond Heron is a winter migrant, as opposed to the resident Javan Pond Heron, any bird seen from late April to September (before the migratory season) can reliably be identified as Javan Pond Heron.

This bird was photographed in Penampang padi field in December 2009, however as Chinese Pond Heron is reported to be scarce in contrast to the abundant residential Javan Pond Heron, I choose to identify this bird as Javan Pond Heron, my lifer and my number 299th photographed bird of Borneo..

I have not seen a single Pond Heron in Tawau, their absent could be due to the lack of padi fields and most accessible coastal swamps have been taken by private owners for aquaculture.  Nevertheless, population of migratory egrets are plenty in Tawau and seems not to be affected by these habitat deficiencies.

Happy birding.

 

Photodocument of Wild Birds of Borneo #299