Nov 2001 Newsletter
Raptor Watch Taiping
11 members turned up for the event held at the old Taiping airport in Kamunting. This trip was arranged to celebrate World Bird Festival, an event organised by BirdLife International, of which MNS is a Partner. A guest, Mr Yasunori Nitani of the ARRCN (Asian Raptor Research & Conservation Network), was also present to monitor the raptor migration in Taiping.

A drizzle threatened to spoil the day but by the time we gathered at the airfield, the morning had cleared. The first migratory raptor, an unidentified accipiter, was sighted passing over the airfield at 9.15am. This was followed at varying intervals later by single raptors gliding by, including a low-flying Japanese Sparrow hawk and 3 Chinese Goshawks. We were thrilled when a rare raptor, a male Pied Harrier, circled overhead and afforded good views for all of us. This species was a lifer for several of the members present.

Towards late morning, with the formation of thermals, raptor numbers began to pick up and soon small flocks, numbering about 30 birds each, were sighted. These were all very high and could not be identified as to the species. As most of the birds were far away, over Taman Lake View, the area where Kim Chye and Swee Yian resided, it was decided that we move our watch site over there. This brought good results and we were able to count many flocks and had clear views of Oriental Honey Buzzards. At the end of the event at 1.30pm, we had a total of 761 raptors counted.

Lim Kim Chye

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Created on 26 Nov 2001