Trip Report Malaysia & Singapore April 2015 Jean Hugé [email protected] I visited Malaysia for professional reasons in April 2015. This report details the wildlife observations made during the trip, which was not a focused birding trip. Day 1: April 2nd, 2015: Kuala Lumpur (Bangsar & Bukit Nanas) In Kuala Lumpur, I stayed in the residential Bangsar Area, in the beautiful shady Sekeping Tenggiri guesthouse (https://www.sekeping.com/tenggiri/). The guesthouse garden, and the surrounding low-rise garden-fringed neighbourhoud with many street trees gave the area a nice, somewhat relaxed atmosphere, which is not always easy to find in busy KL. Plantain Squirrels were common, as were Common Sun Skinks. In the neighbourhood, Oriental Magpie Robins, Zebra Dove, Common Myna, Asian Palm Swift, Olive-backed Sunbird and Yellow-vented Bulbul were the most common birds. I spotted a single Black-naped Oriole, a single Spotted Dove, and Asian Koel. At night, Black-spined Toads were present in the guesthouse garden. I visited Bukit Nanas, a small patch of ‘rainforest’ (actually an urban park with tall trees) in central KL. Next to Asian Glossy Starlings, a troop of Silvery Lutungs (Silver Leaf Monkeys) was present there. An early-morning visit would probably have yielded more birds. Day 2: April 3rd, 2015: Batu Caves, Selangor I took the train from KL Sentral to Batu Caves, 13 km north of KL. The impressive caves are visited by loads of pilgrims and tourists, but despite the busy surroundings, the sights are impressive and the caves and cliffs are huge. The site is certainly worth a visit. From a wildlife point of view, mid-morning and noon were not the ideal timing, but still I could spot two species of swifts (the common House Swift and Edible-nest Swiftlets), and Dusky Crag Martins. Common Mynas and Zebra Doves were everywhere, and tens of Long-tailed Macaques were present. I took a short guided tour to the Dark Cave (the only cave that is protected for conservation purposes) and the knowledgeable guide (Afigah, tel. 019 448 5134) pointed out hundreds of Diadem Leaf-nosed Bats and an Eastern Cave Bat. Day 3: April 4th, 2015: Kuala Terengganu Just before the end of a long bus drive to Kuala Terengganu (KT), the capital of Terengganu state on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, I spotted three White-Bellied Sea Eagles in a coastal lagoon close to Marang, south of the KT. On the clean, sea-facing campus of UMT (Universiti Malaysia Terengganu), I spotted Common Ioras, Brahminy Kites, Crested Serpent Eagle, Asian House Martin and Black-necked Swiftlets. Day 4: April 5th, 2015: Kuala Terengganu & hills west of town Two Pink-necked Green Pigeons were foraging at UMT campus in the morning. Other species observed on campus that morning included Oriental Dollarbird, Paddyfield Pipit and the cosmopolitan Common Sandpiper. I also discovered a nest of White-Rumped Munia, and –at least- two Water Monitors were roaming the area. In late afternoon, I went birding with a very knowledgeable local birder, whom I contacted through birdingpals.org. We birded in forested hills and orchards west of the T149 road, south of Kampung Bukit Wan, a 20’ drive west of KT (an approximate GPS position for one of the ‘birdiest’ spots is: GPS 5.3821, 103.0250). Birding proved very productive, and I ticked a lot of lifers. Highlights included Greater Green Leafbird, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Crimson- breasted Flowerpecker, no less than four Arctic Leaf Warblers (great to ‘tick’ a Phylloscopus species in the tropics!), three Black-bellied Malkohas and one Raffles’ Malkoha, Van Hasselt’s Sunbird, Little Spiderhunder, Grey-rumped Treeswift, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Jungle Myna. Two magnificently calling Common Hill Mynas gave great views. We’ve seen four Blue-throated Bee-eaters and five Stripe-throated Bulbuls. Other species observed include: Common Myna, Oriental Magpie Robin, Pacific Swift, Greater Coucal, Rufescent Prinia, Common Iora, Asian Glossy Starling, Black-naped Oriole, Pacific Swallow and about 50 Edible-nest Swiftlets. On the mammal front, we spotted Slender Squirrel and Plantain Squirrel. On the way back to town, we spotted Cattle Egrets and House Crows. Day 5: April 6th, 2015; UMT university campus (Kuala Terengganu) & Pulau Kapas (Kapas Island), South China Sea Two Black-thighed Falconets were flying around the tall ‘Hotel Grand Continental’ building in KT in the morning, a lifer for me. Birding at UMT campus yielded many interesting sightings: Golden-Bellied Gerygone, Ashy Tailorbird & Common Tailorbird, Abbott’s Babbler, Common Iora, Black-naped Oriole, Oriental Magpie Robin. Mangrove patches close to the sea, just north of the INOS Oceanography research centre of UMT, yielded Collared Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Chinese Pond Heron, Pied Triller, Ashy Minivet, Black-capped Kingfisher, Great Egret and Striated Heron. In the afternoon, I headed to Marang by bus, where I took a small boat to Pulau Kapas (Kapas Island), the quintessential tropical beach paradise. Warm, sea cucumber and fish-filled, reef- fringed waters surround a small forested island with a few non-invasive, rather low-key resorts. A very nice place to spend a day or two. Pied Imperial Pigeon was an unexpected lifer for me there. I also spotted Collared Kingfisher, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Zebra Dove, Pacific Swift, Pacific Swallow, a magnificent White-bellied Sea Eagle, Common Water Monitor and Common Sun Skinks. White-bellied Sea Eagle, Pulau Kapas Day 6: April 7th, 2015: Matang Mangroves, Kuala Sepetang, Perak State I headed east with a few colleagues in a private car, and we reached Kuala Sepetang (near Taiping, in Perak State) in late afternoon. We stayed in a wooden bungalow on stilts, on the grounds of the Perak Forestry Department, right along the Matang mangrove boardwalk (these bungalows can also be rented by private travelers). Matang mangrove forest covers over 40,000 hectares and is managed as a production forest for charcoal and timber production. Some patches are set aside for conservation, large creeks run through the area and there is quite some wildlife around. Upon arrival, a nice walk on the small mangrove boardwalk yielded Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Large-billed Crow, Malaysian Pied Fantail, Asian Koel, Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Little Egret, Collared Kingfisher (common and noisy!), Green-billed Malkoha. In the mangroves, from that day onward, I would encounter two species of monkeys every day: the discrete Silvery Lutungs and the inquisitive and more numerous Long-tailed Macaques. On the grounds of the Forestry Department, just before the start of the boardwalk, I spotted a Brown Shrike, Oriental Magpie Robin, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Edible-nest Swiftlets, Pacific Swallow and Indochinese Roller. Brahminy Kites were flying over regularly. Brown Shrike, Matang mangroves, Kuala Sepetang Day 7: April 8th, 2015: Matang Mangroves In the mangroves, I had the chance to spot some Malaysian mangrove specialists: Cinereous Tits (formerly lumped in the Great Tit complex), two magnificent Mangrove Blue Flycatchers and Mangrove Whistlers. Furthermore I spotted Greater Flameback, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Little Bronze Cuckoo, Olive-winged Bulbul, Black-naped Oriole, four Arctic Warblers, and an unexpected Taiga Flycatcher. Ashy Tailorbird was common. Little Egret, Cattle Egret and Grey Heron were regular, while a group of four circling Lesser Adjudants was a great sighting, and a lifer for me! Taking a boat from the colorful harbor of Kuala Sepetang to one of our study sites in the mangroves, I spotted over 15 Whiskered Terns, Great Egret, Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, White-Bellied Sea Eagle and tens of Brahminy Kites. Day 8: April 9th, 2015: Matang Mangroves We headed to Kuala Gula, at the northern end of Matang Mangrove Forest, by car, which took quite some time as there are no roads (luckily!) through the forest itself, so we had to go east, north and then back west. At Kuala Gula harbor, we had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Strait of Malacca, a place which provided a great vantage point to watch birds. A Milky Stork of uncertain origin (there is a local re-introduction program) gave great views, while Pacific Reef Herons, Little Egrets, White-winged and Whiskered Terns were present, as well as lots of Brahminy Kites. Day 9: April 10th, 2015: Matang Mangroves Moving through the mangrove by boat, I spotted a group of five Indo-Chinese Humpback Dolphins in the main Sungai Sangga Besar river channel, west of the village of Kuala Sepetang. I had only spotted this species once before, in Hong Kong in 2010. From the boat, I also spotted a great group of foraging Common Redshanks, joined on the mudflats at the junction of Sungai Sangga Besar and Selat Sangga Kechil channels by Chinese Pond Herons and a troop of Long- tailed Macaques. Back at and around the Matang mangrove boardwalk, I had great views of an Oriental Pied Hornbill and a Laced Woodpecker. Other observations included Greater Coucal, Ashy and Rufous-tailed Tailorbird, Copper-throated Sunbird, Scaly-breasted Munia, and a group of 8 Indian White-Eyes. Stork-billed Kingfisher was a nice extra next to the common and ubiquitous Collared Kingfishers. I had good views of a Crab-eating Watersnake and of a gliding Indochinese Flying Lizard from the boardwalk. Day 10: April 11th, 2015: Matang mangroves In the village of Kuala Sepetang, I spotted a Brown Rat and Cricket Frogs. In the mangrove area, I saw a Brown-throated Sunbird and a Golden-bellied Gerygone, next to the daily seen Greater Flameback, White-bellied Munia, Collared Kingfisher, Asian Glossy Starling, Collared Kingfisher, Common Iora and Indian White-Eyes. Green-Backed Heron was also spotted, and two Oriental Pied Hornbills flew over the main Taiping-Kuala Sepetang road close to the boardwalk.