The Lake & Ruddy Kingfisher

The lake..

The Ruddy Kingfisher..

The Ruddy Kingfisher & me..

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Wordless Tuesday,

Rose Ragai

The Megapodes of Sabah (Revisited)

It was exciting to be able to publish an article in the local or international journal. I was encourage by my ex-superior to write an article about the interesting bird which i first encounter in Bengkoka Peninsular, the Tabon Megapode (Scrubfowl), Megapodius cumingii.

Worldwide c. 22 species, 1 in Borneo. Robust, chicken-like terrestrial birds with strong legs and very large feet. Most incubate eggs using an extraneous source of heat such as thermal energy or rotting vegetation; many species build mound of vegetation. Males construct the mound in which the females lay large batches of eggs. The chicks receive no parental care and are totally independent upon hatching. - excerpt from A Field Guide to The Birds of Borneo by Susan Myers.

This bird is amazingly have a very strong feet that can built a very huge mounds. I myself surprised to see it with my own eyes. As far i work with birds i never seen a nest like this before. It was amazing!

I was a co-author for this journal together with my ex-superior, Mr. Rob Stuebing and ex-CEO of my present employer, Mr. Johari Ho. Our article was published in Sabah Society Journal, Vol. 30 (2013).

The article is about our encounter on the distribution of its nesting sites within the Bengkoka Peninsular, Pitas, Sabah. When i recall back our field trip searching for the nest is quite fun and what an adventure! We drove on a muddy road to get to the nesting sites and even ride on a boat on coastal lines because no road access to the sites. The most extreme is when the rain is heavy and we are on the boat in the sea. Shivering cold because of the wind in the boat. But, it is worth to do so when we found the super huge mound.

So, if you interested to read our article, please don't hesistate to contact me via my email add: rose.ragai@gmail.com.

Cheers!
Rose Ragai

The Juvenile White-Crowned Hornbill Again!

Did i promise in my previous post that i will share my findings about this juv hornbill when i get back from my trip? Yep, i did promise but my apology for not update as soon as i get back. Okay, here is the video i compile based on my last visit on 13th April 2012. The hornbill still depend on people to give food. Hmmm... anyway, we still need to teach it to find its own food. To let it survive in the wild.

But, i am sorry for the very blurry video because i only have digital Sony camera. Uhuks... Anyway, i still get the best of this lil' hornbill. The flight feather is changing into the new feather but the tail is still no new feathers.

 

Till Then!

With the Juvenile White-crowned Hornbill

So long after my last update on our trip to the forest last month. Here is some story to share. This is an amazing bird. I never had a chance to be so close with hornbill (except in the cage of zoo) before. So, this experienced is kinda amazing and precious one for me.

This young hornbilll was found by one of our staff in the rocky stream not far from our field station (camp). It failed on (not sure how many tries) it's trial to fly. Fall into the stream and our boys caught it. While the mother up on the tree making sounds alarming the young one. But they get it and brought it back to our camp.

Referring to our staff, it was really scared and tried to flew away at the beginning but after they feed it with some bananas, it start to calm down and stay quietly at our canteen.

At the same day we have visitors (researchers) from Smithsonian Institution, and we refer to the Birds of Borneo Field Guide Book, trying to id it and get more info about its distribution, behaviour etc, we find out it eat fruits and some insects as well as frogs.

So, on the 2nd day, it start to feed on some beetle that we get from the mist nest (which we carried out some birds and bats mist netting as well). It start to do some stretch and cleaning the young furs. The little one seems to comfortable and at the same time prepare itself to flew away.

On the 3rd day, when i already left the camp, i get information from our staff it flew away. But only for a while. it came back a day later and asking for food! It perch on the high tree near the camp making sounds and our staff call it and it replies them. However, only one of our staff can get it on her arm and feed it. It will ignores others. So, they feed it frogs as well as insects and banana. Up till today, it keep coming over to the camp area asking for food. I am not feeling good about this because i really wanted it to be get back to the wild and survive there. Looking for its own food. The mother seems to be around but not close to the camp area.

Tomorrow, i will go to the camp and check on this lil fella. I already gave some advice to our staff to trained the bird to get it's own food. Here is my photo with this little fella which they name it ROMEO. (^__^)

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Till then!

Rose Ragai

Amazing Findings

Black and Crimson Pitta
Pitta ussheri

White - Crowned Hornbill
Aceros comatus

White - Necked Babbler
Stachyris leucotis

Nature Activity - Observation

From 28th Feb until 1st March, i was away to our camp @ conservation area. I was so excited bringing along all my field guide books and binocular with high expectation on a lot of findings. It is not bad to put high hope but when things ended not the way i hope, i am a bit disappointed with myself.

I only observed and identified these five species of birds and squirrels. A lot of bird species was unidentified. Two years is a big gap and i really need to get back my memories and practice more of my observation skills. Here is my observation during this visit:
a)      Exilisciurus exilis (Plain Pygmy Squirrel)
b)      Glyphotes simus (Red-bellied Sculptor Squirrel)
c)      Hemiprocne comata (Whiskered Tree-swift)
d)     Orthotomus ruficeps (Ashy Tailorbird)
e)      Stachyris erythroptera (Chestnut-winged Babbler) 


I cant get any good photos of them so here is some of the photos i get from Google search. By the way, i was enjoy observing the squirrels because they are so cute and yet very aggressive on marking their territory. 

Whiskered Treeswift
Photo Credit to Birdwatch.ph

Ashy Tailorbird
Photo credit to Google Image

Chestnut-winged Babbler
Photo Credit to Google Image

Quite an interesting one and still i am not really satisfied with this. hmmmph.... 


Till then!

Mapping A Bornean Soundscape Project

Where to start? I am trying my BEST to use any of my social networking to promote this research project and hope to get some feedback from my fellow friends and also my Blogger Buddies here. Okay, how to start this post? Let's start with who is Dr. Alison Styring?

Alison Styring is a field biologist with a focus in conservation and ecology. Her area of expertise is Southeast Asian birds. She has studied birds in rainforests and human-modified habitats in West Malaysia and Borneo (East Malaysia and Brunei) since 1998. She has published numerous papers on the ecology and conservation of Southeast Asian birds. Alison works with an incredible team of birders, biologists, tree climbers, and conservationists from the US and Malaysia. -- I quote this info from Kickstarter site and you can click on her name above where i have linked it to the Evergreen State College. 

How i get to know her? It was back in 2006, when i was working with Grand Perfect S/B. It was a very great opportunities to experienced bird's study with her and Dr. Fred Sheldon. I love birds but not as much as after i involved in her research. The first study was on the diversity of birds in tree plantation and habitat surveys. It was really interesting because we went to a different sites in the Planted Forest Zone, Bintulu. That is the first time i learn how to use Binocular correctly (don't laugh at me, coz its true..he he he). I don't know any scientific names for birds and i don't know how to identify birds (so la teruk). She is very generous in knowledge and her expertise, along the trip i learn so much from her. I get excited and excited everyday.

In 2007, i was ask to choose between bird's study and small mammal's study. I am in a big dilemma coz i really want to join bird's field work but it was because i am doing my small mammals project so i've decided to let go the birds study. Sad.

In 2008, i was lucky coz another field trip was organized and this time we will doing dawn chorus, bird's banding and observing bird's behavior. I am back on track with the birds study and this was my last trip because i was decided to left the company end of that year.

So, that is how i get to know Dr. Alison. Here is our random photos that i have from these two trips.

So, now let's talk about the Mapping A Bornean Soundscape Project. This is her latest project and she need fund to make it happen. What is this project about?

Bornean rainforests: an incredibly diverse and poorly understood treasure.  The rainforests of Borneo are among the most species-rich habitats in the world.  Listening to the sounds of these forests is an incredible and overwhelming experience as gibbons, hornbills, tree frogs, cicadas, and hundreds of other species advertise their presence. Our mission is to record and map these sounds while we still can.

The forests of Borneo are under incredible human pressure.  The giant dipterocarp trees that form much of the canopy are extremely valuable timber for furniture and other uses worldwide, and logged-over native forests are increasingly being converted to tree plantation and oil palm as the world demand for pulp wood and palm oil increases. -- Read more at Kickstarter. 

If you are interested to DONATE and SUPPORT this project and you are BIRD'S LOVERS, What you can DO is visit KICKSTARTER website (just click at the link) and read through the site. You will get more information there. There is only 19 DAYS to go and the project only get $1, 235.00 back up, up to today. There were another $18, 765.00 more to go. 

Do Support this Project! Thank you for your generosity. Till then!

Cheers!
Rose Ragai

Another Birding Activity

On 20th and 21st July 2011, i went for a site visit at our conservation area, Muaya Waterfall. I did some observation of the animals at the field centre. On the morning of 21st July i went for a bird watch. This is my observtaion lists:

1. Tailor bird
2. Little Spiderhunter
3. Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
4. Black and Yellow Broadbill
5. Lesser Green Leafbird
6. Black Hornbill
7. Chestnut-rumped Barbler

I still have a few problems on spotting the bird. Maybe i did lost some of my skills so i have to polish it back. I really hope to practice it and spend some time doing more birding.

Till then!

Birding With My Friend

It was quite a while (almost three years actually), i did not really went for birding. Last weekend my friend asks me to join her doing some field work at Lawas, Sarawak. I was so excited but i am already feel exhausted because that Saturday i was working half day too. However, she success in convincing me to join her for that field work.

We stayed at Murut village, Kg. Munchu, Ulu Merapok. On Sunday, we walk through the village road until we reach the last village named Kg. Jelatung, Ulu Merapok. This village is located only five minutes walk to reach Sipitang - Tenom main road. We have a short conversation with three villagers (one man, two women) in the village. We ask them where we can find Magpie Robin and White-Rumped Shama. These two birds is the bird species that we hunt for. My friend is doing her PhD on this two birds species. So, we need to find information from the villagers (hey! they are more expert than us in term of cathing this birds you know!)...

Along the walk, we did some observation but not so many species. Maybe because most of the area is rubber and palm oil plantation own by the people of these two villages.

Here is my observation list (birds, small mammal and frog):

1. Merops viridis (Blue Throated Bee Eater)
2. Arachnothere longirostra (Little Sipder Hunter)
3. Pycnonotus goiavier (Yellow Vented Bulbul)
4. Copsychus saularis (Marpie Robin)
5. Callosciurus notatus (Plantain Squirrel)
6. Kalophrynus pleurostigma (Rufous-sided Sticky Frog)

That is all i can lists here. Till then!

#5 - Walking Through Nature/ Villages

My walk continues to another village called Meligan. This village is about two hours drive from Sipitang. It is almost in the middle of Sipitang and Long Pasia. These village populated by about 1000 people. Quite a big numbers but yes it is. This village have their own primary school, health clinic, pre-school, public hall and also SIB church. The main ethnic in this village is Murut Tagal. I impress with this village because it is very clean. As we walk through the village, there were no rubbish along the road. It was totally clean. Thumbs up to the leader of the community in this village. That is why we plan to have this village as a host for the up coming ****, okay i almost reveal it here but i need to keep it secret though. I will share after the event happen.

My friend and i continues with our interviews from door to door. As long as there is people and the house is open, we tried to have conversation with them. It is really not an easy task to be done because both of us were new to the people in this village. We just approach them and if we have luck then maybe they will agree to be interviewed. We did not get many people but enough with the data. But then, we were attracted by the movements of the blue bird flying in the air and then perch on the fruit tree nearby one of the house. The bird keep on doing it for at least twice. As we get closer to it, it was a flycatcher but not sure what is the species. As we get closer, i can get about five shots and this is two of it. 

Just stand still for about a minute while my friend and i captured his/her
photos. I am not sure if this is male or female. I don't have my birds field
guide book. Yai! I wish i have one. I only have the pocket guide book. 

When he/she notice of our movements, the he/she flew away but still
i can capture him/her. After this he/she flew away till we can not him/her
anymore. Anyway, it was great to captured his/her photos that day. 

Here is an info about this species that i get from Global Species website:

The Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassina) is an Old World flycatcher found in the Indian subcontinent, especially in the Lower Himalaya. It is named after its distinctive shade of copper-sulphate blue and has a dark patch between the eyes and above the bill base. The adult males are intense blue on all areas of the body, except for the black eye-patch and grey vent. Adult females and sub-adults are lighter blue. In Sundaland, it can be found in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. 

So, that is about our little friend that we discover that day. Quite an interesting discoveries even though that is not the main purpose of our visit. But still, the love of the NATURE will always keep us alert and aware of anything related to our MOTHER NATURE. So, before i end this post, let's share two of my favorite view in this village. Of course the hanging bridge and the peaceful river. Till then!

Every time i visit this village, i will always wanted to let
my feet step on this hanging bridge.  

The river is so nice to see. The view is outstanding. It was so clean okay.
I hope the villagers will keep it clean since they will launch a Tagal System
for this river somewhere in June. 

Great Egret

My mum and i was on our way back home (sorry mum, i made you popular again to appear in my blog). We are heading back home using boats. The water level is very low so i can see the river banks clearly at the both sides of the river.

Actually i am the one that drive our boat but since my camera is always in my hand so i tried to captured photo while i was driving (don't imitate this action if you are driving cars, for boats maybe it is okay). There was an egret on the river banks. But she was too far. Even i used my camera zoom also can't get a clear picture of her. She was busy stalking for her food. With her long leg and sharp beak she moves slowly. But after a while, i think she notice i ma taking her photos and she began to move faster.

This is all i can took for that day. Not a great photos and not a good catch. Actually this is a migrant birds that a lots in my village. At dawn, you will see they flew in a group and land on the 'nipah' trees at the river banks. So cool if i can took the photos when they rest on the trees.

Can read more info about this bird at : Great Egret.

Rufous-collared Kingfisher (Actenoides concretus)

Actenoides concretus is confined to the Sundaic lowlands, from south Tenasserim, Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore (formerly), Kalimantan, Sumatra (including offshore islands) and Java, Indonesia and Brunei.

This species occurs in the middle stratum and understorey of lowland and hill forest up to 1,500 m (1,700 m on Borneo). It inhabits only closed-canopy forest, but can occur in regenerating logged forest.

Threats Rates of forest loss in the Sundaic lowlands have been extremely rapid, owing partly to the escalation of illegal logging and land conversion, with deliberate targeting of all remaining stands of valuable timber including those inside protected areas. Forest fires have also had a damaging effect (particularly in 1997-1998). The magnitude of these threats may be allayed by this species's tolerance of hill forest, which is under less pressure from logging and agricultural conversion.

Repeated surveys across the range is essential to estimate population trends and rates of range contraction. Ensure the protection of remaining tracts of primary lowland rainforest throughout the range.

2009 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN): Near Threatened

*References BirdLife International (2001).

Black-and white Bulbul (Pycnonotus melanoleucos)

Pycnonotus melanoleucos is confined to the Sundaic lowlands, where is it known from peninsular Thailand, Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore (formerly), Kalimantan and Sumatra (including Mentawai Island), Indonesia and Brunei. In is generally scarce, although it is sporadically fairly common in parts of Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. It may undertake nomadic movements.

This species occurs in broadleaved evergreen forest (including selectively logged forest), mixed-dipterocarp forest, secondary growth and forest edge, from lowlands up to at least 1,830 m. It is also recorded from luxuriant gardens and cultivation, peatswamp forest and overgrown plantations. Its nomadic tendencies suggest a degree of specialisation in foraging niche, although further research is needed to determine its habitat requirements.

Threats Rates of forest loss in the Sundaic lowlands have been extremely rapid, owing partly to the escalation of illegal logging and land conversion, with deliberate targeting of all remaining stands of valuable timber including those inside protected areas. Forest fires have also had a damaging effect (particularly in 1997-1998). The magnitude of these threats may be allayed by this species's tolerance of hill forest, which is under less pressure from logging and agricultural conversion. However, as a nomadic species, it may be more susceptible to the effects of habitat fragmentation.

Conservation measures proposed Conduct ecological studies to improve understanding of its precise habitat requirements, particularly the causes of nomadic movements, as well as levels of persistence in secondary and fragmented habitats. Conduct repeated surveys within the range to determine current distribution and abundance, as well as assess population trends and rates of habitat loss. Effectively protect significant areas of suitable forest at key sites, in both strictly protected areas and community led multiple use areas.

This scarce and pooprly known species is currently considered Near Threatened, as it is suspected to be declining moderately rapidly throughout its range as a result of continuing habitat loss.

2009 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN): Near Threatened

BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Pycnonotus melanoleucos. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org/ on 13/10/2009

**As i read through the information that i found, this bird is quite interesting. There are still a lot more to learn and understand about it (before it is too late). Actually this was my first experienced seeing this bird this close. It is always an exciting and amazing experience.

Orange-breasted Trogon (Harpactes oreskios)

The Orange-breasted Trogon (Harpactes oreskios) is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family. It is found in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes, humid, lower-to-middle elevation evergreen forests, swampy forests, open dry forests, bamboo forests, thin tree jungles, and sometimes among clumps of trees near forests. (Wikipidea)

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000>10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern. (BirdLife International, 2009)