Katala Festival 2017 Mascots with Some Serious Dance Moves

Upbeat performance by this group of animal mascots, particularly the tortoise mascot who can really KICK IT. The Philippine Cockatoo mascot was the star of the Narra town parade but when on stage, it was the tortoise mascot that gave everyone the dance vibes! Sure brings back some good memories from the Katala Festival that was organized by the Philippine Cockatoo Foundation and supported by the Wild Bird Club of Philippines. Was very glad to be a part of this Katala Festival 2017, under the Wild Bird Club Malaysia.   

Sunday outing at Botanical Gardens of Shah Alam

Long-tailed Parakeet......was glad to see this parakeet species even though it was just 1 individual in Botanical Gardens of Shah Alam that Sunday morning. Entrance fee remains at RM3 per person (RM1 for senior citizen and children). Tried to persuade my sister who had just returned to Malaysia from Australia to allow her eldest daughter Lya to join me in this Sunday morning birdwatching session but she was plain paranoid over my Aussie niece being at risk of mosquito bites and getting sun-burnt etc. I guess I will have to wait for Lya to be older and to tell her mummy when she is ready to follow me birdwatching. She can definitely pick up birdwatching Down Under in Melbourne, Australia since Australians cannot decide what is their best or worst Aussie bird species. Read all about it here.    

Black-thighed Falconet. 1 Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker (male species) was perched just below this small-sized raptor but it flew off very quickly when this formidable raptor appeared!

Crested Serpent Eagle soared above us just as we were making our way out of the botanical gardens. A Changeable Hawk-Eagle was seen soaring across the skies, a few minutes earlier. It was a fruitful outing organized by Wild Bird Club Malaysia, led by our birding guru Tang Tuck Hong. This was literally his backyard birding ground:) I was in a hurry that morning, since I had a service appointment at Nissan Centre in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur at 11.15am. Shah Alam Botanical Gardens has a four-season climate house which would be interesting enough to convince my non-birding family to visit Shah Alam whilst I birdwatch - Jambu Fruit Dove has been seen here before and I have yet to have a successful meeting with this shy dove.

Mammals of Kubah National Park Sarawak

Flying Fox perhaps?

Family of Fruit Bats (all five of them) cuddled up and perched upside-down on top corner of wooden beam in the hut next to the world-renown frog pond of Kubah National Park, Sarawak.

Guessing that this is a Giant Squirrel based on quick reading of the Guide to Mammals of Borneo as illustrated by Karen Philips. Couldn't snap a picture of its head in time as this squirrel was bounding actively along the top branch of this forest tree in Kubah National Park, Sarawak.