Friday, February 10, 2017

Springtime bird in Segamat Johor

The Pacific Swallow returned to my home in Segamat, Johor pre-Chinese New Year 2017. However, this time it was just one individual who roosted at a corner of the wall just outside our main door. This tough swallow made it back in spite of the incessant rain and floods that had affected my hometown. A pair of Barn Swallows had roosted in this same spot back in 2016. Guessing this juvenile Pacific Swallow is one of their off-springs. 

Common Myna and Glossy Starlings were seen that Thursday afternoon near my housing estate. Last remaining patch of greenery nearby my housing estate in Segamat Baru.
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo with Oriental Magpie Robin appeared at the end of a drizzly Thursday afternoon.
Pink-Necked Green Pigeon, female and male were out and about that 26th January, Thursday evening. This is near the Segamat Baru football stadium which is undergoing an extensive renovation.
Segamat district was affected by the floods caused by a 24-hour downpour on 23rd January 2017. River burst its bank and several major bridges in town were closed to traffic by 24th January, Tuesday. I heard from family friends that people had to walk across railway tracks to get home. KTMB Southbound train services (from Segamat to Singapore) were disrupted for a few days - this was a blow for Malaysians working in Singapore who had booked train tickets for the coming Chinese New Year 2017. Buses and taxis were the alternative modes of transport available, and my sister was lucky enough to purchase a last-minute bus ticket home. One the temples along Jalan Muar, Segamat was flooded in ankle-deep water. This was the temple we'd visit on Chinese New Year day. An interesting YouTube video on why Jalan Genuang floods happened despite flood mitigation project for Kenawar River raises many questions to be answered by the Segamat District Office and KTMB. Heartening to see many local residents sharing updates through Social Media and Whatsapp especially since Chinese New Year was just a few days away and many were preparing to travel home for family reunion dinners.       

4 comments:

  1. Chinese New Year days spent in Segamat flew past too quickly.

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  2. Swifts and Swallows difference explained in Audubon article at http://www.audubon.org/news/is-swallow-or-swift

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  3. Floods are frequent in Johor and other States in Malaysia. This is not always Natural disaster. Man-made where there is no proper construction to control flows of swollen rivers during monsoon rains

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