About birds, birdwatching and my Johor roots. Including the natural heritage, food, culture and wildlife of Malaysia, particularly Fraser Hill, Southeast Asia, China, Japan and beyond. Everything and anything bird, food, animals, travel-related and my family.
I started birding earlier by 7.45am after driving up from Swiss-Garden Genting Highlands to the mushroom farm restaurant which took around 20 minutes to reach. I could hear the calls of the woodpecker as I rounded one of the bends as I neared the summit of Genting Resorts. Mr Damian Gan Bo Hui's checklist for 14th June 2026 which can be viewed HERE contain avian species, some of which matched the species I saw on 13th June 2026 afternoon including the Himalayan Cutia, which he had managed to capture beautiful pictures of through his camera. He definitely saw more species than me in his party of 3. The Himalayan cutia was THE bird of the year for me which renewed and reignited my interest in birdwatching. Although the cutia did not show up again, the minivets did that morning, together with the Golden-throated Barbet which was feeding on a fruiting fig tree before it flew upwards above and beyond my sight. The mountain leaf warbler, chestnut-crowned warbler, white-browed shrike-babbler, were up and about the forest including the golden babbler, which for the first time, I spotted three of their chicks which were hiding under a thick foliage of leaves. Carefully concealed from predators, these chicks stand a very good chance to fully fledge and carry on bringing joy to birdwatchers like me. My checklist at eBird Malaysia can be viewed HERE. A quick stop at the Chin Swee temple to give thanks to Buddha was a must before I had my late breakfast of Roti Canai and Teh Tarik at Raub Curry Fish Head Restaurant, Goh Tong Jaya. There is a now a charge of RM5 for every vehicle that heads up to Genting Highlands either through the KL-Karak highway or via the Batang Kali, Selangor trunk road. This would apply for those who plan to go shopping at Genting Premium Outlets. A pair of Grey-chinned Minivets appeared next to Buddha, the male and female species, a perfect symbol of YIN and YANG just like how the Dragon and the Phoenix represent the YIN and YANG equilibrium, symbolizing balance, harmony and matrimonial bliss with the Dragon embodying masculine vigor and power, the Phoenix, feminine grace and beauty. The dragon and phoenix symbols remind me of my nieces and nephews, the youngest of which are twins. The new galleria at Chin Swee temple, contained displays of porcelain and ceramic tiles which were carefully dismantled from the temple when it underwent renovations, and included a replica wood carvings of the temple. More about this new galleria can be read HERE. I am also reminded of Ajahn Chan's quote below and may I always remember this, whenever I face any challenges in life:-
Anything which is troubling you.
Anything which is irritating you.
THAT is your teacher.
The original picture of the Golden-Throated Barbet which I managed to snap that morning. A heavily cropped picture of it is provided below.
The Golden-throated Barbet flew further higher up from the fruiting tree in which it was feeding on earlier. Such a shy montane barbet species.
The Streaked Spiderhunter - one would always hear its high-pitched calls before seeing it!
Golden Babbler - one of two seen at eye-level. No time to adjust the settings on my camera when it perched and called so close in front of me.
One of the Golden Babblers' chicks cleverly hidden in thick foliage and only visible from a certain angle.
Grey-chinned Minivet, a pair of male and female perched that morning at the Mushroom Farm.
Birds carved in ceramic & porcelain, tiles of which were carefully removed from the temple during renovations. These were on display at the Chin Swee temple Galleria.
Porcelain & ceramics tile representing the Phoenix, a mystical creature which together with the dragon are always featured on the card invitations from Chinese wedding ceremonies.
Colourful lion statues which had silently guarded the entrance to the temple.
Porcelain ceramics tile representing what looks like a Blue Magpie perched on a twig of two fully-bloomed flowers.
A beautiful sunny morning at Chin Swee temple as I completed my birdwatching at Genting Highlands.
Buddha from a distance whom I thanked for allowing me to birdwatch safely.
Grey-Chinned Minivet (female) - one from a flock of 15 at Genting Highlands.
When a Malaysian public holiday fell on a weekday, off I went to Genting Highlands, with my mum and helper. We stayed for 1 night stay at the Swiss-Garden hotel & residence which is located at the foothills, with Goh Tong Jaya being nearest driving distance away. We stopped there earlier at Raub Curry Fish restaurant for afternoon tea since we could only check in by 7pm. After dropping my mum and helper at Chin Swee temple for them to explore the temple grounds, I birdwatch at the road alongside the Mushroom Farm, Genting Highlands. At an elevation of 1,800 m (5,905 feet) above sea-level, if I were to take the Petron gas station location as a comparison, the montane forest here is home to avian species such as the Golden-throated Barbet, Mountain Leaf Warbler, Blue-winged Minla, Silver-eared Mesia, Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush, Long-tailed Sibia, Grey-Chinned Minivet, Streaked Spiderhunter, Streaked Wren-Babbler etc. the species that I would encounter in my trips to Fraser Hill, years ago. A trip down memory lane at Fraser's Hill can be read HERE. Some of the birds which I managed to snap pictures of, are shared in this blog. A checklist of the birds entered through eBird Malaysia can be viewed HERE. For me, the flock of Grey-Chinned Minivets and their whistle-like soft calls brought comfort to my soul, as spots of yellow and red intermingle with the greenery when they are perched on the fern trees. The bird waves made it challenging for me to spot as many species as possible within that short frame of time, with my bins so my camera remain untouched in my tote bag. The Mountain Slender Squirrel also turned up that afternoon. More about this endemic mammal of Peninsular Malaysia can be read HERE. Also seen were beautiful bamboo orchids growing wild and some pitcher plants, most of which looked all shrunken up and shriveled, due to lack of nutrients, I suppose. The Bamboo Orchid is also known as the Bird orchid, Kinta weed, the flowers of which apparently can be fried and when eaten, taste like bitter gourd, according to this article from a Singapore Government agency website HERE. I realized how much I was in need of a proper rest and how much more to work life balance I needed to maintain, when my blood pressure shot up the previous Monday. I had to monitor my blood pressure for that entire week, as advised by my clinic doctor, and I had to take my blood test the following day for further reading by the doctor. Somehow, birdwatching amidst the greenery of montane forest and the cool mountain air helped to calm me.
A Grey-chinned Minivet (male) with an insect which became its afternoon meal.
A Grey-chinned Minivet (female) perched on a branch.
The tarred road with montane forest flanking it on the left and right, leading to a scrap metal yard at the end of the road.
Bamboo orchid flower - beauty in the eye of this beholder.
Mountain Slender Squirrel - endemic to Peninsular Malaysia.
Chestnut-capped laughingthrush - as garrulous as ever that afternoon!
Sea of clouds across this mountain range as viewed from a distance alongside this tarred road.
My mum choosing the fruits and jelly. We could also pick and choose which vegetables we'd like for our dinner - farm-to-table concept:)
The incoming mists shrouding the highlands as we had our dinner at this open-air restaurant.
RM65 for a kilo of this fish - we had 1.3kg fried with their signature butter sauce. All 3 of us (plus the restaurant's cat) finished every bit of the fish, bones and all!
The view of Genting Resort World, Chin Swee temple and Awana resort from the swimming pool deck (Level 40+) of the Swiss-Garden Hotel Genting Highlands.
Ho Ho Farm in Ulu Yam, Selangor was a pleasant discovery. I bought Brazilian spinach and Japan Kailan at RM5 each and the farm helper threw in a gourd (good for soups) for free. I discovered that the farm is listed in the STARFRUIT online farmer's market which can be viewed HERE. I have yet to place an order online for the vegetables, although the 2kg vege box looks good in the website. Some of the pictures taken from the afternoon visit to this farm can be viewed further down this blog post. Unfortunately, Kebun Cafe was closed on the day of my visit. I've read somewhere online that the Cafe only opens on weekends and public holidays. Never got to try their Mango Passion Cake and coffee. Oh well, such is life. There is a cafe inside the World of Phalaenopsis under Walter Biotec. A video of a visit to the Orchid Farm cafe can also be viewed further down this blog post. I've had a cup of Americano coffee at their cafe before and it tasted like a mix a Arabica & Liberica beans. Liberica beans can be readily sourced from within ASEAN region (including Malaysia) compared to the Arabica variety, which comes from Brazil (biggest Arabica beans producer in the world for 150 years & counting). The Arabica beans have recently gone up in price since 2025, and this translates to higher prices for that cup of Joe (if the beans are sourced exclusively from Brazil) for coffee consumers like me. I didn't try the cakes at the orchid farm cafe yet. I might try a slice to share with friends in the near future. I bought pots of orchids before at the World of Phalaenopsis. One was given as a gift to a family friend and the other is still soaking up the sun on my balcony. The final leg of my day trip ended at the Millenium Park at Ampang Pecah, Kuala Kubu Bahru, Selangor. The large football field faced the man-made lake as I stood in front of the lake to soak in the views of the distant hills and the sounds of the red-wattled lapwing. There is a clothing brand from London, UK which features the Tyrwhitt lapwing in their shirts and polos, which can be viewed HERE. A lone red-wattled lapwing was just standing on a patch of grass a few feet away from the waters of the lake at Millenium Park. I have had the privilege of accompanying Peter & Indira Widmann from the Katala Foundation, and being a part of the team that participated in the bird race during the Selangor Bird Fair back in 2018, which can be read HERE. Though I have not birded regularly since then, the sweet memories from 2018 Selangor Bird Fair flooded over me, when I reached Millenium Park. The Katala Foundation is the NGO guardian of the Philippine Cockatoo, which is categorized as Critically Endangered according to eBird HERE.
Distant mountain range of Titiwangsa can be viewed from Ho Ho Farm, Ulu Yam.
I parked my car nearby this durian tree and spotted these two thorny fruits right above me at Ho Ho Farm.
The paved road leading to Kebun cafe and a single-storey shopfront with vegetables for sale to the public at Ho Ho Farm.
This Snakehead species of fish looked like the Striped Snakehead (Haruan) which was lurking in the edges of this pond at World of Phalaenopsis orchid farm at Ulu Yam/Batang Kali when I spotted it that May 2025. More about this snakehead fish species can be read HERE.
Millenium Park, Ampang Pecah - home of the red-wattled lapwings:)
Sweet potato leaves covered this patch of the farm with a small field of corn, at Ho Ho Farm.
