Birding at Genting Highlands Part 1

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.