Malaysian Plovers of Mersing

Malaysian Plover, one pair of male (left of picture above) and female (right of picture) was finally sighted and an inexplicable wave of joy washed all over me. Whether it was pure joy or just the heat of the Saturday afternoon sun bearing down on me, it didn't matter. All that mattered was finally being able to see what was most probably the cutest pair of plovers on the shores of Mersing beach in Johor, Malaysia! Lesser Sand Plovers, Common Sandpiper and Little Egrets were the most visible out in the beach and sandy shores when we first arrived in Mersing Jetty from Panti Forest. The Malaysian Plover was slightly smaller than the Lesser Sand Plover and seeing this pair scurry around the sandier shores of the beach was pure delight. It has such pale pinkish white legs and creamy white throat and chest.

  Malaysian Plover (male) on the lookout for tasty morsels such as crabs!

The Male Malaysian Plover (pictured above and below) with its distinctive black dot on its head. Proud mascot and official bird of the Wild Bird Club of Malaysia:)

The Terek Sandpiper was quite far out hunting for food in the muddier parts of beach (pic below). Orangy legs and long bill were the features which stood out for me.

The Malaysian Plover stoops its head to almost same level as its body when it hunts for food (pic below).

The female Malaysian Plover (pictured below) had browner scalloped feathers compared to the Male.

There were Whimbrels and other waders feeding on the beach of Mersing but they were really far out since the tides were low. The Sanderling, Grey-tailed Tattler and Ruddy Turnstone were sighted earlier on the beach by Wader Sifu Ang, Mr and Mrs Liew and Raj. But these wader species were missing in action that Saturday afternoon. The identification features of the Malaysian Plover, its range map, photos and videos (including two videos shot in Jason Bay, Johor by Del Hoyo) are available HERE.
     It was blazing hot when we reached Mersing beach that Saturday afternoon.

Low tide and no signs of Malaysian Plovers when we first arrived. Learning the preferred habitat was a pre-requisite in order to successfully spot these small-sized waders!

Checklist submitted to eBird Malaysia for Mersing, Johor is available HERE. Ontario's Piping Plovers Conservation Program is quite interesting and can be read HERE. 

Panti which I read and heard about so much in the past as as being THE place to see the Malaysian Rail-Babbler and other forest birds, did not live up to its reputation. The number of lorries and trucks passing through the inner road, leading to the trails inside the forest could be one of the major factors leading to its declining status as a hotspot for birdwatching.  

Panti Bird Sanctuary - Less Birds More Leeches and the Dettol Solution

Blue-winged Leafbird, male was busily feeding in this tree. Three leafbirds were part of the morning birdwave that Saturday in Panti Bird Sanctuary, Johor. I was waiting for Wader Sifu Ang, Mr and Mrs Liew and Raj who were exiting from Kulai. I had stayed a night earlier in Kluang, Johor, with this long-distance birdwatching trip being the first that I took after State borders opened during Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) that was announced in early June 2020.

To see the glorious colours of this Blue-winged Leafbird in full view, and to hear its melodious songs again after abstaining from crossing State Borders since February 2020, it felt therapeutic for me.  Never noticed the bluish underside of Leafbird's tails before. This bird just burst alive in colours of blues, green and yellow surrounding the black front-patch of its face.

It was raining when I arrived in Kluang, Johor on a late Friday afternoon. It was still raining when I checked out of boutique hotel and started my drive to Panti Bird Sanctuary at 6.30am. It was only when I reached Kota Tinggi, that the first rays of the sun and bright blue skies appeared. It would have been quite miserable to birdwatch in raincoat. God was kind to us that Saturday morning AND afternoon.

This White-Faced Gibbon nestled high up in a tree, was one of the pleasant encounters in Panti Forest. We heard its whooping songs earlier in the morning whilst walking in one of the trails, on the lookout for the Grey-breasted Babbler and Malaysian Rail-Babbler (both no-shows, unfortunately). The seriously-menacing look of the Pig-tailed Macaque (pictured below) meant business as we drove pass it.  Macaques are a notorious bunch, which are known to be carnivorous in nature. 

The buildings in Panti Bird Sanctuary were in disrepair and none of the toilets were functioning. Very sad to see one of the most popular birdwatching spots in Peninsular Malaysia in such a state of neglect.

Red-beared Bee-eater (Female) with its lilac pink head was vocal that afternoon. The Grey-headed Babbler (as pictured below) was very active in one of the trails and provided us with very good views of it for the longest time. Barbets were heard calling just as we were exiting the earth road in Panti. However the lorries driving in and out of this earth road, had drowned out those calls.

The Grey-headed Babbler with silver streaks on its throat. Blythe's Paradise-Flycatcher was still at same spot later in the afternoon. It was in a mixed flock earlier in the morning.

This trail was filled with leeches. I had dropped my camera accidentally, picked it up in less than 5 seconds, and one leech was already clinging on to it. Dettol solution sprayed liberally all over my shoes, leech socks and long-sleeved blouse, was very effective that day! Ang leading the way for us into the trail. Crested Jay, Black Magpie and Greater Racket-tailed Drongo were seen inside this trail.  

 

The road into Panti Bird Sanctuary was quiet that Saturday morning. Some fruiting trees further down this road were frequented by leafbirds, bulbuls, flowerpeckers and the Paradise-flycatcher that bright sunny Saturday morning. A cool breeze was blowing as I walked further in. Checklist from eBird Malaysia for Panti, Johor is available HERE. Dettol solution to prevent the leeches from sucking my blood veins really helped overcome an otherwise quiet day of birds in the Panti trails. Hand Sanitizers are a must-have when heading outdoors in the current Covid-19 pandemic we are facing. Dettol is a MUST-HAVE when visiting a place like Panti. So we just have to KEEP CALM AND SANITIZE against both covid-19 and leeches!