The next morning dawned bright and cheery as we drove from Taiping at 6.30 am. Meeting up with the rest of the group from Ipoh, we headed for Malim Nawar, got on to the dirt road and rumbled our way towards our destination. Along the way we passed duck and fish ponds which have been converted from disused mining pools. This huge expanse of undulating sand, gleaming lakes, tussocky grass interspersed sparsely with waving trees presents an idyllic playground and nesting haven for the hundreds of species of birds which flock there. It is no wonder that MNS Perak Branch is lobbying to have this area declared a bird sanctuary.
We stopped at a few spots and obediently focussed our binoculars at birds pointed out to us by the experts. We listened respectfully as they discussed the finer points of colour, size, rumps, vent, wing, sex, etc. in their attempts to identify the birds. I was happy and contented with jotting down all these sightings and gleefully saw my personal bird list lengthening! The various bird-viewing positions and sites made for some interesting observations. But the most unique spot must surely be when one of the experts decided to set up his spotting scope on top of three sacks of animal dung left at the side of the road! He beckoned to us to take a look because he said that that was the best angle to watch a particular group of waders in the adjacent pond. We had four options to view the birds - through the high-powered scope set up on the dung heap and forget about the aroma; hold our breath while doing so and turn progressively purple in the face; view the birds through our less powerful binoculars from a less satisfactory angle; or retreat to the cool shade of the car and eat a sandwich. I opted for the last one!
That morning I added about twenty lifers to my list, having taken up bird watching only about four months ago. Among the species we spotted were: sandpipers, egrets, swamp hens, bitterns, swallows, terns, wagtails, pipits, plovers, stints, stilts, shanks, herons, ospreys, grebes, moorhens, drongos, shrikes and eagles. It was only later in the morning that I came to know why Kim Chye and Swee Yian were making that particular trip. It seems that the day before Cheang had enticed them with the promise that there was a high possibility of spotting several Black-winged Stilts. These migrants are quite rare winter visitors appearing in Malaysia only for a few weeks a year. It didn't matter that KC and SY had seen scores of them on their recent trip to India or that Lak and I had also spotted them in Werribee, Australia just a fortnight ago.
Before we came to the spot where these stilts frequented we were joined by Boon with his German-made Leica spotting scope and binoculars. Boon said that it was in a moment of madness that he was prompted to make the purchase at an exhibition when the offer price was irresistible. These up-market glasses costing a few RMK each added to the many expensive photography equipment lugged around by Cheang. The various cameras and bazooka-like lenses looked so impressive to passers by and the occasional anglers we encountered. S.Y.'s portable stove, coffee maker, collapsible stool and the various ice chests and coolers filled with food, fruits and drinks all gave a satisfactory picnic atmosphere to that day's outing. Amidst jokes, arguments over bird species and some lit-up cigarettes the morning passed quickly. When we were tired of bird watching we watched Cheang wading knee-deep to photograph water lilies or lotus flowers. Most incredibly KC spotted a tilapia gulping its babies and spitting them out again, a protective practice called 'mouth brooding'. Cheang used up about half a roll of film to record this phenomenon.
It was much later in the morning that we spotted our first group of Black-winged Stilts. Needless to say we were all very excited. Beng Yean said that it was a lifer for him making it worth his while to get up extra early on a Sunday morning to make the trip. We had lots of time to observe these beautiful birds at close range. I drank in every detail. The Black-winged Stilt has been des-cribed as the 'aristocrat amongst waders with proportionally the longest legs of any bird.' (Davison & Chew, 1995). The reedy red legs support a slim pied bird with a white head, breast, underside and rump. The long beak, crown, nape, back and wings are black. At an average size of 38 cm it is a small but extremely elegant and neat-looking bird usually seen carefully picking its way in shallow waters as it scavenges for food. In flight its long legs protrude well beyond its body. Found in fresh water swamps, old mining pools and coastal mudflats it is quite a rare visitor to Malaysia.
Our group of seven birders could take our time watching these regal waders, admiring their exceptionally long legs and speculating over how many of them would fracture their legs and how they would cope if that were to happen. All the time we were watching them these stilts never stopped scavenging for food as their long legs enabled them to wade into deeper water than the other waders. The only time they were not working was when they were sailing serenely on the water surface to seek another spot to do their "fishing". I am glad I went along that morning if nothing else but to observe, admire and appreciate these rather rare and regal 'daddy long legs' of the bird kingdom. To end this account I leave you with some bird watchers' comments which can sometimes be quite humorous and most times unintelligible to non-birders.
Happy Birding.