MY Garden Birdwatch in the paddyfields in my backyard

A Paddyfield Pipit at Kpg Pengkalan Gelap a few days earlier.


I'm not sure what this guy is ...

I saw my first Plain-backed Sparrow today in my backyard, Kpg Merkang, Pasir Puteh. It's the only other sparrow that's not the one commonly flitting around the house that I now know. Possibly a male and female foraging in the trees fringing the paddyfields.


Male Plain-backed Sparrow


Not sure what this is either ... skittish, flies into the foliage everytimes it sees me.

All these photographs are from the paddyfields in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan. One sighting of a pair by the beach near De Muara II chalets, Tok Bali beach in the casuarinas the day before, relatively loud but skittish.

Other birds photographed, albeit rather poorly:
2) Black-winged Kite, at least 6 individuals every morning in the same paddyfields.
3) largish raptors, in pairs, un-id, initial guess: Black Kite but need to look closely at pictures.
4) Large-billed Crow
5) White-throated Kingfisher
6) Common Myna
7) Malkoha sp.
8) Yellow-bellied Prinia
9) Asian Koel
10) Peaceful Dove
11) Olive-back Sunbird
12) Oriental Magpie Robin
13) Munia sp (couldn't properly tell whether they are Scaly-breasted Munia or White-rumped Munia ... the browns were deeper browns flying about in groups ... I should've paid more attention next time.
14) Cattle Egret in breeding plumage
15) Pied Fantail
16) Yellow-vented Bulbul
17) Spotted Dove
18) Rock Pigeon


Black-winged Kite cruising the paddyfields.


Large-billed Crow, a single individual in the entire patch.

More exciting birds sighted but not photographed (bino was on hand doing the birdwatching, while the camera was sitting 20 metres away!) :-

19) heavy banded rail flitting amongst the grass in the fairly dry paddyfield, dull grey underparts; Slaty-breasted Rail???
20) metallic bluish ground bird (much smaller than Black-backed Swamphen which I initially suspected, and has shorter legs) with yellowish-orangish crest foraging quietly near the fringes in the dry paddyfields. Known locally as "tiongman mas" (pers communication), locally known by locals to be a protected species but heavily sought out for the pot. A Crested Partridge, my first, sadly without photographs.

Something disturbing:

Most of the paddyfield these days are well-connected by fine gravel roads fringing the canals over a very wide network, access made easy even with a saloon car, even easier by motorbike. That in itself is not bad, more disturbing is perhaps the rise of usage of air-guns for hunting small prey ie. such as birds in the paddyfields.

Conversations with locals revealed this new method of hunting in the kampongs, hunters would cruise around with a long-thin-barrelled home made air-guns looking for prey. Ball-bearings are used as projectiles, force provided by hi-pressure air. Most often, hunter need not even get out of the vehicle to exact damage.

"The kill is almost silent and extremely accurate. Birds feeding on fruits in one tree can be picked off one by one without the rest being spooked away. One guy shoots the bird, another guy picks up the birds from under the tree!", quipped a local. Cost of the made to order air-guns is approximately $200-300, even less amongst close-knit network of friends.


The higher tech version more commonly sold outside of Malaysia. Our own local "talents" can mold something similar and as deadly. An air rifle is classified as firearms in Malaysia, offenders can be charged under section 12 and section 33 of the Firearms Act 1960 for manufacturing and possessing firearms without a license. If found guilty, the accused can face up to 7 years jail or death.