The Power (Part II)

Well, it looks as if some Kind Soul has certainly taken the Spanner out of our Works with the Stats "rocketing out of all proportions". Friday's figure clocked in at a 'huge' 764, almost doubling the record to date, but followed by a MIGHTY 1100 (my own count) while the official figure from the Blog Provider was a 'massive' 1635!!!! Whoever this may have been we very much welcome the boost and Thank You accordingly and hope today's Post proves enjoyable!!!! 

If all of our Valued Readers would like to follow suit there will be no extra charge!

Harking back to the Post of the 2^nd inst we described how, due to time constraints, we had to by-pass Fraser Hill on our first visit to Malaysia. A world renowned site for Bird Watching, in sumptuous surroundings, it is certainly part of my Top Ten list of such places! However, to add to that magic there was the meeting and immediate bonding with those 3 Dutch Birders

Ben Heerlink, Marc Bulte and Dick Roggeveenth 

Who were now inviting me to join them for a 4 days stay at the 

Tamam Negara Rainforest Reserve 

a four hour drive to the north but the excitement began long before arrival.

Common Fare included dozens upon dozens of

CINNAMON BITTERN
but something potentially far more interesting was perched at the side of the road and while excitement prevailed we all jumped out to find an

injured juvenile

CRESTED SERPENT EAGLE
quite upstaging my Glossy Swiftlet 'in the hand' at Fraser starting this stage of the adventure with an Eagle 'in the hand' comes close to being unbeatable!!!!

While also en-route the continuous calling and occassional glimpses of the huge Pheasant

GREAT ARGOS

Gone was the opulence of the former location but by no means was this a less comfortable or welcoming place as the images surely show.

LARGE-BILLED CROW

COMMON TAILORBIRD

ACCOMMODATION

outside of which each morning we would search for and find some of the most spectacular

Moths in the World

PAINTED STORK

Not that we knew what any of them were. A little caution was also called for as such as wild

ASIAN ELEPHANTs
and other Mammals were on the loose.

TEAK

RED-THROATED BARBET

JAVAN FROGMOUTH

WATER BUFFALO

LITTLE GREEN PIGEON

Rope Bridge Across the Gorge

couldn't get enough of this!

SIBERIAN BLUE ROBIN

GOLD PANNERS

PHEASANT-TAILED JACANA

 MALASIAN TAPIR

these were WILD animals allowed to roam freely around the compound.

BLUE-TAILED BEE-EATER

Riverside, Boathouse and Moorings
One of our mutual desires was to see just one of the small family group of
Broadbills
but with little more than a couple of hours of our 4 days left it was looking less and less likely!
Just along the toe-path from here we encountered not one, not two but three species of these tiny, very mobile and shy Birds. All were seen well but none of us were able to capture a sensible image of any of them, so we had to borrow some!

BLACK and RED BROADBILL

GREEN BROADBILL
and finally

BLACK and YELLOW BROADBILL
before heading off for a final

PINT and PIE

Wherever you may be I wish you adieu and good fortune which is what you brought
My Way!

A Kestrel for a Knave - Barry Hines

 While the temperature had dropped a little further overnight to -2°C, there were still Moths to be had and the day itself turned into something quite Spring-like!

While the Insects only amounted to

BEADED CHESTNUT

RED-LINE QUAKER
and close relative a

YELLOW-LINE QUAKER

but a lesson or reminder to us all, if you don't switch on there will be no catch and who knows if that rareity or even a final First for Year isn't still lurking about out there? Otherwise the bright sunshine had brought the

KESTRELs

with this first one on the Farmhouse roof early doors.

Next, high on the wires above the Main Pond and at first backs towards and head under wing,

a couple that at first took some sorting

until showing their raggy heads and nesh bills as

WOOD PIGEON SQUABS

A gentle stroll back to the Holm Oak tree next to the homestead found one of the adult birds

still sitting

and 'maybe' the other parent bird at its usual perch on the chicken coup gate.

WOOD PIGEON

By no means concrete proof that the progeny are theirs anyway?
Returning to the car, across the paddock sat a second

KESTREL

on one of the ornimental Copper Beeches.
Although common, numerous and seen on a daily basis it is often difficult not to click the odd

HOUSE SPARROW

However next came, if my memory serves me, something not seen before in the shape of a new Aircraft

(the jury is still out as to whether we have seen it/one before or not)
M-STAR BOEING 727 belonging to Starling Aviation
but know someone who will not be shy in telling us if we have or misidentified it?
A slight adjustment to configuration of the tiny group of

TEAL
as another

MALE
has joined yesterdays small group and better not leave the ladies out even though in the mist.

FEMALE

"diving now" - where have we heard that before - having just missed the
Little Grebe.
30 minutes in pursuit of maybe a Black Redtart or Yellow-browed Warbler along the

Sewerage Works Fence / Hedge-line produced no more than a mobile

CHIFFCHAFF

DOGROSE
in both flower and

hip
along with a preening

GOLDFINCH
On the Heath there was nothing more than c5 flighty Meadow Pipits, a full gathering of munching

RARE BREED GOATS
and Yes another

KESTREL

this one with prey,
while at Gibbets Firs (named as the word suggests) we had quite forgotten about the

BAT BOXES
gifted by the Solar Pane people who also sited them, handed them over to a local Bat Group?? who we have not seen hide nor hair of since! Not licenced or qualified myself so left alone.

Just a trio of
BLACK-HEADED GULLS

appeared to be awaiting our return, while there is no doubt a final

KESTREL
perched on the Wood Pile certainly was!

No mate there were definitely more than 2!