Last weekend we ventured to the Baram delta. For anyone who wants to follow suit a word of advice: do not go at high tide!!! Hardly any exposed beach and we didn't see much… the trip would have been a complete waste of time if it wasn't for some distant greater crested terns (a Bornean lifer for me) and the good tidal lesson. Perhaps I'll have another attempt next week.
Closer to home migration is in full swing and small groups of red-necked stints can be found frequently on the beach.
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| Red-necked stint (Calidris ruficollis) |
This bird was one of a small group foraging in the late afternoon.
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| Red-necked stint (Calidris ruficollis) |
Their close relatives, the long-toed stints, can be found in the small creeks, puddles and pools of the coastal grasslands
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| Long-toed stint (Calidris subminuta) |
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| Long-toed stint (Calidris subminuta) |
While on my way home from lunch this week I noticed a lesser adjutant circling over the grasslands. Luckily I had a camera in the car to record the encounter. I saw it landing behind the trees lining the river edge of the Sungai Seria, but work duties prevented me from seeking out the bird.
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| Lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) |
The last confirmed sighting from Seria dates back to 2009 - so this is quite a good record. The next day I tried to see if the bird was still around. My search along the river edge only turned up this crocodile.
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| Crocodile |
This morning I spend a short hour at Badas. I did see a couple of birds, o.a. grey-chested jungle flycatcher and the customary hook-billed bulbul. From a photographic perspective it wasn't the most productive hour; I failed to get a single bird on camera. The only picture I had when I walked out the forest was of this butterfly...
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| Butterfly |
This woodswallow that had perched just above my car offered some small solace. Often overlooked, like many of the more ordinary birds, they are really quite handsome.
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| White-breasted woodswallow (Artamus leucorhynchus) |
Folkert, 13/09/2014
Hi Folkert,
ReplyDeleteSome great pics here. That second "Long-toed Stint" looks very like a juvenile Red-necked to me.
Thanks Dave. I initially had some doubts too and discussed this individual with some others as well. With your comments doubt is creeping in again. Still, this looks like a long-toed to me, and also from the habitat it makes more sense (never have seen a red-necked that in that grassy ditch before, long-toeds on the other hand are often there).
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