Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Zappey Zaps at Fraser Hill and then there's the Monkey

Fraser Hill never fails to spring surprises including a flycatcher species which turned up that Saturday morning at Kuantan (renamed Cicely) Bungalow. Ang Teck Hin and myself were birding along Jalan Lady Maxwell. Ang was (again) on the lookout for the Rusty-Naped Pitta whereas I was still fearful of following him into Bishop's trails, after having encountered an unpleasant leech bite sometime back that caused me to have a swollen foot that had to be attended to, at a private hospital in KL. The Zappey's Flycatcher, a species with new name was a lifer for me. Although the old name remains in my 2000 edition of Craig Robson's Field Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia, the new name is already reflected in eBird Malaysia portal. The Black-crested Bulbuls joined in the same tree after the Zappey's disappeared momentarily. Ang was lucky since this migrant flycatcher stayed on long enough for him to see it! A troupe of white-thighed surili (Presbytis siamensis) were busy crossing over the roofs of several buildings before they disappeared into the trees behind Puncak Inn. It is listed as Near Threatened in IUCN's Red List.
 
Black-crested Bulbuls on higher elevation in Fraser Hill - climate change is upon us!

White-thighed Surili (Leaf Monkey) in the middle of town - how unusual
 
It sits on electrical pole, looking to its right and..... 
.........looking to its left, before it jumps (I think)
Looking for this Grey's Nightjar, that Saturday night, post-AGM 2020 of Wild Bird Club Malaysia in Fraser Hill was quite tiring. Ang, Mr Liew and myself had to walk across a football field several times to chase three (3) Nightjars that were out hunting for insects. The cool montane air helped to soothe my tired feet. At least one of the Nightjar obligingly perched on top of this dead tree trunk for all three of us to marvel at it, post-trip in pictures:) The eBird Checklists can be viewed below:-

Tropicbird versus Frigatebirds