Articles from March 2009



Blue and White Flycatcher

Blue & White Flycatcher by Ck Leong

The days in northern Asia are getting longer and it is time for this beautiful Blue and White Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana wintering in Mt Kinabalu to start thinking about the forthcoming long and arduous flight back to its breeding ground. It had been a good stay here. We saw pairs of this flycatcher as well as first winter males. Some of them chose the cooler climes of mountain ranges while others basked in the sun of offshore islands. Be safe! See you in September.

Blue-throated Bee-eater

Blue-throated Bee-eater by Ck Leong

This very striking bee-eater Merops viridis is common to the rivers and open lowland country of Borneo. It performs aerobatic flights at insects from its perch, each flight ever more graceful. On the Kinabatangan River, this year’s breeding must have been particularly difficult. Lots of later than usual rainfall have damaged many of the sandy banks where the bird favours for its breeding ground. It is still a common bird, favouring the birdwatcher in many locations.

Whiskered Treeswift

Whiskered Treeswift by Ck Leong

I took time off from my schedule to photograph this treeswift Hemiprocne comata because a friend had a picture of it and I thought it was a really handsome bird. Its beautiful white facial whiskers stood out conspicuously from its dark blue head plumage. Usually in pairs, they behave more like flycatchers than true swifts. They make short flights at nearby insects before returning to their perch. Look out for them when you are birding in lowland forest in the Sunda region.