Barbets in foothills of Maxwell Hill

Red-throated Barbet and Sooty (Brown) Barbets were feeding in this fruiting tree together with the flowerpeckers, bulbuls and leafbirds. Was in Taiping, Perak for the inaugural Taiping Bird Week 2017 and the foothills of Maxwell Hill was the final (post-Bird Count) birding stop, for me and Swee Peng. Read on about Barbets and all 11 Species of them in Allen J's article on Field Identification of Barbets in Peninsular Malaysia (Note: Click on title which will take you to the full article that was published in eBird Malaysia portal with many more awesome pictures of Barbets). Taiping certainly lived up to its reputation as the wettest town in Malaysia. Did not realize the Red-throated Barbet has such a bill that is so thick, long and scythe-like in terms of sharpness. Saw this same barbet during a trip to Sarawak's Borneo Highlands Resort which was reported at Into the Heart of Borneo (well, almost) – WBCM trip to Sarawak 2017: Wild Bird Club Malaysia went on an adventure in Sarawak from 15th to 18th September 2017. We arrived in Kuching airport on a sunny Friday m...   

Trio of Bulbuls and more at Maxwell Hill Taiping Perak

Three different bulbul species feeding in the fruiting tree at the foothills of Maxwell Hill, Taiping, Perak - this is definitely a rare sight for me. The Red-eyed, Scaly-breasted and Gray-bellied formed the bulbul trios and together with the Crimson-breasted flowerpecker, Sooty Barbet and Red-throated barbet, they made this tree come alive with their musical notes whilst busily gobbling up the juicy fruits. This was the final location in Taiping that Swee Peng and myself birded at, post Taiping Bird Week 2017 - we had a good time observing these avian beauties that Sunday afternoon. Our birdwatching session at this part of the foothills was interrupted by the big fat drops of rain. We bade farewell to the bulbuls, leafbirds and flowerpeckers, as we headed back to Taiping Lake Gardens for our afternoon hot beverages before departing Taiping for Kuala Lumpur. Birdwatching in the great outdoors of Taiping Lake Gardens, Maxwell Hill and Kuala Sepetang during Taiping Bird Week 2017 was such a welcome break from the fast pace of life in KL. Maxwell Hill foothills birds seen have been recorded in eBird Malaysia and can be viewed at  http://ebird.org/ebird/malaysia/view/checklist/S40388774

I have to accept the fact that not all of my family members and not all of my friends and office colleagues will appreciate birds as much as I do......which is what makes this cartoon strip below on Birdwatching and Tools, Food and What NOT to bring when watching birds so relevant, funny and useful at the same time.