"Stopping every once a while along the way the convoy spotted common birds like the Pink-necked Pigeons and Dollar Bird. After Tanjung Tualang we stopped along the road after spotting a Stork-Billed Kingfisher to scan the periphery of an ex-mining pools used for rearing ducks hoping to spot some migrant birds but again the common Egrets, Herons, Blue-Tailed Bee-eaters, Bitterns and Snipes were the dominant ones. Further down the road I was elated to see a patch of marshy area covered with the broad-leaved water plants and the beautiful terete orchid, commonly known as the Kinta weed, Vanda hookeriana, growing so abundantly.
Further down the road I spotted a pair of Black-shouldered Kites resting on an old dry tree in an open area. As the group stopped to watch, one of them flew off and landed on a tree nearby. Looking through the scope I could see that it was sitting in a nest and scanning the vicinity with its fierce red eyes. No chicks were seen so we concluded it must be newly made. We decided that cars and stomachs needed a refill while our bowels needed a discharge so we stopped for a bite at the stalls at the kampong before turning to Ulu Dedap - the mee rebus and rojak were quite tasty at a reasonable price.
Our next stop was at the usual durian seller's stall hoping to show the Selangor birders the Long-tailed Parakeets. There were hardly any birds to be seen other than the common mynas as the area next to the house has been cleared for a canal - probably preparations for La Nina. The tall trees in the distant were cleared so there were no barbets or horn-bills. Dr. Chan reported seeing a brown barbet as we were leaving the area for our cars. As we were about to start our cars Dr. Chan's Wira started to sound the siren indicating a weak battery. Fortunately Chan Beng Tiow came equipped with battery cables to enable the car to be started. So members who are going on long trips please check your batteries especially the terminals for corrosion and encrustation and if possible get a pair of battery cables to avoid any inconvenience as our trips are usually on Sundays.
Journeying on we turned to the Ulu Dedap road and the ever-hungry MNS members (Makan Non-Stop) spotted one stall selling dokong for RM3.50 a kg. Stopping to buy the fruits (cheap compared to the RM7.00 quoted when we went to Kota Bahru), we witnessed a Malay wedding with the groom resplendent in his "Raja sehari" costume. While choosing the dokongs I noticed that the swallows had a peculiar flight pattern and a white necklace band across their forked tails. Leafing through Boonsong's book we confirmed that they were juvenile barn swallows. On my way back to the others Dr. Chan had spotted a Black-thighed Falconet on a tall dry branch.
Turning into the Ulu Dedap area we entered a small road (before the road we turned into during the August 2nd trip) and saw the usual padi field birds - Purple and Grey Herons, Chinese Pond Herons, Egrets, Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, White-throated Kingfishers, Brahminy Kites and Bitterns. The heat caused the group to cool down with all sorts of liquids but James topped them all - he cooled down with the long cool dane. Reversing out we turned into another small road that Glenda had shown us in 1996 (also on Deepavali day) we went right into the vast padi area to a small shed where the group was able to watch the birds in relatively cool comfort. Terns and egrets were seen in large flocks. A Harrier was seen in the distant - the second raptor so far.
We decided to move on to have a late lunch at Amu's place in Kampong Koh. By then it was was 2.30 pm. We reached Amu's place at 3.00 pm but it was closed so we opted for the next one. The cooking and the price was not so good compared to the last time at Amu's (Sitiawan members please write in to recommend better value-for-money MNS (Makan Nak Sedap) eating places.
Our final destination for the day was Amir's Chalet in Kampung Bahru where we had booked earlier. At RM7.00 per person per night it was reasonably clean as the hostel was opened for about a year. After bidding farewell to the Selangor members who had not prepared to stay for the night we cleaned ourselves and had our cuppa. Our electric kettle came in handy. We had the whole hostel to ourselves - 5 persons in a room of double deckers for 22 persons. Amir has two ponds for rearing tiger prawns and fishing facilities. The common macaques could be seen among the mangrove trees behind the ponds and sandpipers can be seen feeding at the water edge. After a late dinner we enjoyed the sea breeze with our dokongs.
The next morning was gloomy. When the clouds cleared a litte we quickly went out with our binos and field scope. We had hoped to see some kampung birds but only the Common Tailorbird and a scarlet-backed and a Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker was seen. The rains came and we had to shelter under a kampong house. When it subsided we decided to move back to our cars and move out. On reaching our cars the rain poured again. As we took shelter a small bird was seen flitting about among the coconut tree flowers. The bird decided to seek shelter under a frond and I pointed my scope to it. At first it looked like a Black-throated Sunbird but as it turned its head the reddish metallic copper throat sent us to the books. It was indeed a Copper-throated Sunbird - a lifer for all of us!
Bidding good-bye to Kg. Bahru we headed towards Pantai Remis and turned to the Segari Power Station. Following a wrong track I went into a chicken farm. As I neared the dead end I saw a barred button quail scurrying away into the grass. Continuing our journey on the correct path we saw a Crested Serpent Eagle sunning in a tree and then a Brahminy Kite. Parking our cars in an open space we followed a track to the forest reserve where we spotted a Dollar Bird, Pink-necked Pigeons and some birds which were too fast to be identified.
It was time for Beng Tiow to go for his shift duty so we decided to call it a day at 2.00 pm. Birding may be boring for some people but with the right company (not too serious) it can be fun and educational. Ms Foong Hui Wen who joined a day earlier wrote in to say that she "learnt a great lesson during the birding trip". Who were the great teachers, I wonder."