Category: Malaysia

Festive season birding.

I was back in Malaysia for the Chinese New Year holidays and had time to squeeze in one birding session at the Kledang Saiong Forest Eco Park. This was another productive visit with 3 new additions to my life list (White-bellied Erponis, Large Woodshrike, and Whiskered Treeswift).

It was a bright sunny day (after days of heavy rain) and the lighting was beautiful. I could not resist photographing some of the resident birds bathed in the morning sunlight.

Upon entering the park, I immediately spotted a Gray Wagtail foraging on the forest floor. This was a skittish bird who kept it’s distance from me at all times before flying off to forage near the water stream.

Along the water stream, a Chestnut-naped Forktail was darting in and out of the vegetation along the riverbank. I waited for awhile hoping that it would come out for a better photo but it retreated deeper into the forest instead.

It was also my first time observing an Asian Red-eyed Bulbul foraging on the ground. But it did not stay long before flying back up the tree again.

Another bird that was busy foraging on the ground was a lone Common Emerald Dove.

Lastly, an Asian Brown Flycatcher was on a lookout for it’s next prey. I suspect this may be the same bird I’ve seen in January at the same location near the watchtower.

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S302337452

New year, new blog, new birds.

For two consecutive mornings, I visited the Kledang Saiong Forest Eco Park (Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia) to kickstart my birding journey for 2026. Both sessions proved to be productive adding a respectable 11 new species to my life list.

Entering the park at 8AM sharp, I went straight to walk the river before the crowds of swimmers and picnickers came in. I was hoping to spot some kingfishers alas no luck. What I did spot though was a Chestnut-naped Forktail. The bird came to the river’s edge for a short while before it disappeared into the forest again.

I spent most of the morning around the birdwatching tower (incredibly frustrating that the facility is not opened to the public). A fruiting tree attracted plenty of birds (various Bulbuls, Barbets and Flowerpeckers) to feast on the ripened fruits.

I called it a day by late morning on both visits. As I was making my way out, I continued to scan the trees along the service road to the park entrance. I was pleasantly surprised to spot the Black-and-yellow Broadbill and Velvet-fronted Nuthatch.

e-Bird checklists:
1. https://ebird.org/checklist/S291511294
2. https://ebird.org/checklist/S291796455