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Penaga shorelines- 22nd January 2004
My last trip to this vicinity was after Christmas 2003. This morning
Charles and I had plenty of time on hand. The low spring tide was
receding and would hits its lowest point just after 8.00 am. We
passed the Container Port after 9.30 am and it would be around noon
when the full high tide would reach the shore lines, at least that
was what the GPS reported.
So, at more than 600
meters away, even a scope would not help much. We decided to do more
recce from the point after the port to Kuala Muda. Very soon we
reached what by now, my favorite "watch hut" at the estuary in
Padang Benggali. The mudflats appeared dry and even parched, a
Collared Kingfisher perched just 8 meters away waiting for the
occasional feeding size Mudskipper s. In the 20 minutes we spent
with him, he had 3 fishes and we almost emptied or more
realistically Charles filled his chip with a bountiful of 6 megs
pictures. In the back drop, few Chinese Pond Herons were doing the
"freezed" act as what Little heron would normally do. Looking
carefully, the whole mudflats were filled with Wood Sandpipers. That
made the estuary filled with bird life. So far we sighted only the
residents. Not expecting more we moved on to hunt for new sites
where a land route would lead us to the open mudflats.
We reached the tiny
township of Kuala Muda, southern settlement that is under the
administration of Penang State. It was a interesting experience for
1st timer like me. The fishermen bringing in their catches,
middlemen and family members all waiting eagerly to see the outcome
of the day's efforts. From there hugging the bank, we drove upstream
to see flocks of Little Egrets nesting by their choice spots. Upon
hitting the Highway 1, we crossed the Merdaka Bridge and reached
Tikam Batu. From there we turned west for Kota Kuala Muda and Pantai
Merdaka.
Next was a welcoming
sight among the rice fields waiting for harvest. There were over 60
Cattle Egrets hovering at very low level over their landed
colleagues. Pity that it was about 400 meters away and we managed
some low quality shots to commemorate the scenes. The rest of the
trip we did not see any birds that worth mentioning, except near the
narrow sandy shore near town a colony of Terek Sandpiper were seen
escaping the rising tides.
On the way back over
to Penang Island, we stopped and checked out the Great Egrets
hanging around the Marine Police landing jetty. There was a fair
number. I, off course, returned the next morning to capitalize on
the morning sun for my pictures.
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