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Air Itam Dam - 24th January 2004
- Where could you find a forested
area to see birds while on a visit to Penang Island? No- not the
stretch of forest along the Hill
Railway track! Next best could be the valley around the favorite
"84" shed. But most visitors have little time and do not
fancy trekking!
This trip, a party of 3 of us,
my Penang friends and me made a bee line for the temple. While at
the Kek Loke Si Temple waiting for the Chestnut headed Bee-eater, I
realized that this year would be my 3rd year repeating the ritual.
Time to reflect the fact that long I had spent on bird's
photography. That morning, the Bee-eaters were promptly there - at 2
specific spots. Got my pictures but would return in the afternoon
for more pictures under a better lighting. There were a pair of Hill
Mynas as well. I thought that they are collectors item, among the
Chinese. Enough of shooting and getting out out from the temple, we
were mooching around the road overlooking the ravine. A pair of
Chestnut-breasted Malkohas dashed across and started hanging around
the trees for their breakfast. Also at the same time, a Rufous
tailed Shama landed on the road just ahead of me. I was attracted by
some movement in the ravine. There was this unfamiliar brown bird
hopping around. Later browsing through a video recording, that bird
was confirmed to be juvenile Shama with very short tail.
It was time to drive up to the
Dam car park to explore the potentials there. Walking around the
Ring Road there was not much activity on the western edge. At the
extreme end where the source of water supply poured into the Dam,
met up with a family of Copper throated Sunbirds. Further on, where
the wooded eastern edge starts. Some bird life. Here there were a
pair Asian Fairy Bluebirds. The constant calls of the Lesser Racquet
tailed Drongos were very prominent during most part of our walk up
till then. Here we saw them high up in the slope. The Malkohas were
also spotted again. Among the fern filled jungle slope,
Babblers were making their presence felt, though armed with a video,
none was captured to satisfy our curiosity.
Very soon, the round completed
and we were back to the car park. For those of you familiar with the
area. on the bare tree at the edge of the Lake, stood a pair of
Crested Mynas. This was my lifer for the day. Satisfied, we started
our car for a slow drive downhill. At the first junction where the
staff quarters were located, we were attracted by loud calls of the
Barbet. Confirmed that it was the Gold whiskered Barbet. That brief
stop was topped up with sighting of Grey Wagtail. The first I saw in
Penang.
We did not expect much from
this place as it was very much frequented by joggers and farmers.
For those numbers we saw, it was a rewarding day indeed.
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