Missed the Little Curlew by a few Days

Oriental Honey Buzzards are on the move as they migrate southwards towards the Indonesia from Northern Asia ("Autumn migration"). Pleasant surprise to see this individual OHB (picture above) plonked into a tree beside the Taiping Municipal Council on a Sunday mid-morning post Taiping Bird Count 2017. I was in Muar end-October 2017 weekend for a personal matter and decided to do some birdwatching at Sungai Balang, Muar, Johor after hearing so much news about the Little Curlew's rare appearance there.

Alas, the Little Curlew would wait for no man, woman or child and was already on its way to the Indonesian archipelago as well. Little Curlew is listed as Least Concern in an informative pictorial by Graham Catley which I posted earlier in http://fraserhill.blogspot.my/2017/04/last-of-eskimo-curlew-from-canada.html. Also saw Eurasian Curlew in an earlier trip to Malacca - more on that trip organized by Wild Bird Club Malaysia at Birdwatching & Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan in Malacca: Website about birdwatching and birdwatchers in Malaysia.

Did see some wader species notably the Pacific Golden Plover, Terek, Marsh and Wood sandpipers as well as the odd-looking Lesser Adjutants. It was already hot by 10am (felt like noontime heat) by the time I left Sungai Balang for my lunch appointment with my friend in Muar. The highlight of that morning was the 68 migrating OHBs flying southwards toward Indonesian archipelago. Circling above the ricefields of Sungai Balang. Only one batch soared close by in front of me in order to take photographic proof. Lone Sparrowhawk species was circling at the top of this first batch of OHBs, from 9.15am to 10am, Saturday morning. Listing of birds which were seen that morning have been entered into eBird at http://ebird.org/ebird/malaysia/view/checklist/S40042742