At the durian orchards where the trees were flowering in April, there were now, in August, durians, langsats and rambutans hanging from the branches. Kampong folk were also seen selling fruits by the roadside. At the branches and holes in the trunk of some durian trees, there were the activities of the long-tailed parakeet feeding their young (some say they were kissing). It was indeed a wonderful sight to behold especially through the scopes. It is unfortunate to learn that these parakeets are regarded as pests by some kampong folk, perhaps due to their role in eating the durian flowers and hence reducing harvests. We were also fortunate to witness 3 southern pied hornbill honking across the sky to settle on the branches of tall trees some distance away. Again the scopes brought them very much closer to us and everybody took turns to view these magnificent creatures.

At the paddy fields, we spotted a few black shouldered kites, grey herons and black crowned night herons. A species which was new to me was the white-rumped munia where a few were spotted among the branches of a small tree beside the paddy fields. At the paddy fields, we also saw a few men putting up nets which I suppose could be for catching small birds which ate the paddy.

There was also some open burning in certain areas in the padi fields. Outside the Bernas rice mill, there were mountains of rice husk which I hope would not be burnt but rather compressed into floor tiles or converted into compost. (Editor: Later we stopped at a spot near a fruiting fig tree beside the Perak River estuary which was constantly visited by small birds, especially bulbuls, sunbirds and flowerpeckers).

Next, we had seafood lunch at Kampong Koh and were refreshed by fresh young coconuts. We then traveled to the Sg Dindings mangrove park to check out the place. It was low tide and the atmosphere in the mangrove forest was very humid. The place was not very well maintained as there was rubbish everywhere, left over by inconsiderate picnickers which encouraged the monkeys to scavenge for tidbits. There was also lack of information in the form of signboards which would be useful in informing tourists on the mangroves. Not much bird life could be seen except for a colourful male brown-throated sunbird.

While traveling, we came across dead pangolins on two occasions (before Ulu Dedap) and a dead snake, victims of hit-and-run motorists. We took the opportunity to examine and photograph one of the dead pangolins. I also had the opportunity to see the GPS (Global Positioning System) device in action where the route we had taken during the entire trip was tracked by satellites miles above in the sky and recorded in Laurence Poh's tracking device.

In conclusion, it was a great outing where, with an open mind, we saw more than just birds. We enjoyed the great outdoors, shared the experience with others and appreciated the Malaysian natural heritage. It was indeed a welcome break from hectic city life.

Birds spotted during birding trip to Ulu Dedap on 2nd August 1998

Durian and fruit tree orchard in Kampong Gajah, (near Pasir Salak) 10 am - 12 noon

1. Long-tailed parakeet (feeding young), more than 5+
2. Gold-whiskered barbet, 1
3. Hill mynah, 2
4. Lesser golden-backed woodpecker, female, 1 (flameback)
5. Southern pied hornbill,
6. Dollar bird, 1
7. Brown barbet
8. Black-thighed falconet
9. Little green pigeon
10. Artic warbler

    Paddy fields which have already been harvested 12 noon � 1.00 pm

11. White-rumped munia, 4 (on a small tree)
12. Brahminy kite, 1
13. Black shouldered kite, 4
14. Back crowned night heron, 3 (muddy banks of irrigation channel)
15. Baya weaver, 1+
16. Zitting cisticola, 1
17. Lesser coucal, 1
18. Purple heron, >3
19. Moorhen, 1

    Fig/Mangrove trees on Sg. Perak estuary bank and in Sg Dindings recreation park, 1.00 � 4.00 pm

20. Brown throated sunbird, male 1
21. Buff-vented bulbul
22. Flyeater
23. Scarlet-backed flowerpecker
24. Ashy tailorbird24) Blue-throated bee-eater
25. Great reed warbler
26. Ruby-cheeked sunbird
27. Green-billed malkoha

Yeoh Lam Swee ([email protected])