Day trip to KL Bird Park with my family. Friendly pelican greeting us.
Crested Victorian Pigeons roamed freely in the Park. Owls were also on display. Recognized the Buffy Fish Owl, Oriental Bay Owl and Brown Wood Owl. The wood owl was particularly vocal that day, screeching away. Have seen this owl before in Fraser Hill. Spotted a Wreathed Hornbill which looked like the female hornbill perched on wooden bench with a menagerie of macaws, cockatoos in one of the display areas set up by the KL Bird Park. Remembered the wild Wreathed Hornbill that flew across the Straits of Malacca towards Tanjung Tuan from Pulau Rupat during Raptor Watch 2015.
The lone Pelican did not get a warm welcome from the flamingoes though...
Straw-headed Bulbul flew and perched on a tree near the river where the Scarlet Ibis was. Birdlife International listed this species of bulbul as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List category. BirdLife's website information on Straw-headed Bulbul states the bird's ecology ie habitat as bordering rivers, streams, marshes & other wet areas, including secondary & disturbed primary evergreen forest, plantations, gardens & cultivation fringe, scrub, and locally, reedbeds and mangroves. The population trend for this bulbul though is sadly decreasing and one of the threats according to the website is extensive trapping for both domestic and international trade since it is a very popular cage-bird. Red-Whiskered bulbuls are popular cage-birds in Thailand and there have been awareness campaigns Thailand's conservation societies including BCST to highlight the plight of the Red-Whiskered bulbuls including creative ways during Asian Bird Fair in 2012 to encourage locals to protect this species and not keep them as caged pets. Taking the lead from Thailand's initiatives, there is still a silver lining in the cloud yet for the future of the Straw-headed bulbul. Here's hoping I (and many more Malaysians) get to see it in the wild in the future, and not just in Bird Park.
My favourite are the owls! I didn't like the emu that snapped the lettuce from my fingers, unexpectedly.
ReplyDeleteFun time at the bird park with the twins & abby. So many birds perched on chairs outside the hornbill restaurant where we had lunch.
ReplyDeleteBirds should not be kept in cages like animals. Like all wildlife such as the lions, they are born free and should be protected in the wild.
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