The reeds are growing quite well, so well that the open space previously are all overgrown with them making viewing not as easy because all the are making use of the great cover.
Wandering whistling duck doing a fly-by, the only site we know where the species is breeding in northern Sarawak.
The ducks flies in groups from the south west lake, settles in the Curtin Lake and later seen heading towards the Curtin Lakeside with the Curtin University gates, there's still hope yet for these ducks albeit not within the confines of their original habitat.
A duck spooked out of it's cover. Other birds commonly sighted in this area : White-browed Crake, Cinnamon Bittern, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Intermediate Egret, Common Moorhen. Only time and full time monitoring will tell whether this habitat also harbours Common Coot (high on the wishlist) and jacanas (long shot). Raptors such as Osprey, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle have all been sighted here before, similarly for Grey Heron and Purple Heron.
A large footprint of a waterbird in comparison with a 10 cent coins, within the same habitat we have previously sited a female watercock. This same day a Black-backed Swamphen sigthing was made as it flew over the tall reeds after being spooked by a motorcylist. One other sighting of the same bird was madeback in 1996 near Beluru. With large segments of peatswamp forest and wetlands habitat converted to agriculture (main oil palm in the northern region), sightings of this beautiful bird has been most infrequent.
A beautiful healthy looking cat-tails, a type of reeds common at the edges of the lake.
One lone Oriental Darter seen drying itself on top of a dead tree trunk in the Southwest Lake nearby.
Apparently there were others nearby, the highest number we've seen so far in the same area was 11 darters back in April 2010.
1 comment:
Nice sightings. It worries me to see how most peatlands here are going to be converted into palm oil plantations and agricultural farms. What sadden me most is the fact that nobody really cares about what they are about to loose in few years time.
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