Birds in the Paddyfields of Merkang, Pasir Puteh

It's not exactly backyard birdwatching but close enough ... from the family home it's merely 5 minutes by car, or 10 minutes cycling, or 20 minutes walking, or perhaps 30 minutes using a walker (estimated travel time if I needed to use one 15-20 years from now) traversing small kampong houses scattered in the fringes of these paddyfields.

Further on the horizons are forested hills, undoubtedly areas begging to be explored for birdwatching potential. I doubt if anyone has ever ventured into these places for birds.

In the paddyfield itself are egrets, herons, bitterns, raptors, mynas, kingfishers, pipits, shrikes, munias and others. Egrets made up most of the numbers conisting of Cattle Egrets (greatest numbers), Little Egret, and Intermediate Egrets. Chinese Pond Herons and Yellow Bitterns are next.

Black-winged Kites are commonly seen hovering about the fields. Two other raptors were also sighted but not identified ... one seen walking around after a low exploratory flight.

White-throated Kingfisher is a possibility at every dead branch or stump in the area. Two juvenile Oriental Pratincoles were also sighted looking for food among a freshly ploughed patch.

The area looks superb for birdwatching, can't exactly say why I missed it altogether all these years! It definitely gets coverage at least twice a year from now on ... Nov/Dec and Feb/Mar looks best.