Asian Openbill
“Asian Openbills (Anastomus oscitans) are common birds in Peninsular Malaysia after their mass movement south some years back. Any visit to the Perak wetland areas will witness 200-400 birds. I had, in the past, erroneously assumed that birds that are … Continued
Laced Woodpecker – Excavation
“While strolling along a secluded mangrove boardwalk, a female suddenly caught my eye (as they sometimes do). “I cautiously zoomed in on her (with my camera) and verified that she was a Laced Woodpecker (Picus vittatus) engaged in excavating a … Continued
Lesser Coucal – adult non-breeding or juvenile
“I saw these two Lesser Coucals (Centropus bengalensis javanensis) together, which is unusual as they are often solitary. I am trying to decide if they are adults in non-breeding plumage or juveniles (or one of each or subadults) as they … Continued
Off-colour Pink-necked Green-pigeons
“As a teenager, I recalled the hordes of butterflies that used to flock to the wild Lantana bushes that overran my uncle’s estate. My cousin and I slashed away with machetes in a losing battle to keep the prickly plants … Continued
White-tailed Sea-eagle – adults
“White-tailed Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) was the commonest raptor we saw while at Hokkaido. “Quite a number by the coast, both adults and younger birds. “These 4 posts are of adults.” Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia 9th June 2019 … Continued
Long-tailed Rosefinch
“I have a number of species left un-posted from the time I was in Japan. “Long-tailed Rosefinchs (Carpodacus sibiricus sanguinolentus) are delightful to watch and love feeding on the seeds of the Dandelion (Taraxacum). “According to Clement (1993) C.s. sanguinolentus … Continued
Malayan Water Monitor scavenging a decomposing macaque
Jkai Chan’s images of a Malayan Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) having a meal of a rotting mammal was documented at Pandan River. His images, posted in Facebook BICA (Bird, Insects n Creatures of Asia), drew much discussion among members. Members … Continued
Stejneger’s Stonechat – breeding males and females
“I have been trying to make sense of the breeding adults we saw while in Hokkaido. Clement (2015) provides extensive descriptions of ‘Common’ Stonechats and the subspecies, including Stejneger’s Stonechat. Opaev & colleagues (2018) say ‘S. stejnegeri is a cryptic … Continued
Stejneger’s Stonechat
“The taxonomy of this species is so varied with some calling it the Eastern Stonechat, Siberian Stonechat and Stejneger’s Stonechat. Scientific names also vary: Saxicola torquatus stejnegeri (HBW, Clement & Rose), Saxicola maurus stejnegeri (OBI) or just Saxicola stejnegeri (Brazil). … Continued
Mud Lobster – Excavation
“Whenever we explore the back mangroves in Singapore or around Southeast Asia, one is almost certain to come across mud lobster mounds of various sizes, at multiple stages of development (above, below). “However, encounters with the actual mud lobster (Thalassina … Continued
