Winter begins to close in on the north.
And down here, in Malaysia, we know.
We know because the birds start arriving…
Saturday I was one of the presenters at a raptor identification workshop. What better than to spend a day in the company of a group of maniac birders? Great fun for me, anyway. Probably utter confusion for some of the beginners.
Sunday we followed up with an early morning trip to Bagan Lalang, where we got to hang out on a bund (those are mangroves behind us) and watch the bypass of Oriental Honey Buzzards – a few hundred – and Chinese Goshawks, also a few hundred. And an Osprey for good measure. All as they travelled south through the Malay Peninsular, seeking warmer climes for the next few months.
I can’t believe I have been reading your blog for a full year. This is about where I came in, the raptor migration last year. I still envy you being able to see it. That won’t change.
Maybe not a full year, Jo. This is the southward migration. Our big show is the northward one in March.
Oh, OK, I think I was reading your blog before March this year.
I’m trying to imagine seeing a few hundred Oriental Honey Buzzards, or Chinese Goshawks, all in the air … and failing. Wow.
I am so envious! We moved to the suburbs of Perth from Kakadu National Park. We went from regular sightings of a multitude of birds from glorious Sea Eagles to Pheasant Coucals, to migrating Caspian Terns and Channel-billed Cuckoos. The list is long, colourful and exciting. Here in our new home we have a couple of feral doves and a pair of Brown-Headed Honeyeaters. Not even a Willy Wagtail or a Magpie. There are no big trees in the area – even though the housing estate is about 15 years old. We’re trying to remedy the problem by planting a forest/sanctuary of native plants in both our front and back yards. We do see the occasional falcon in the high distance – not close enough for a photo, though.