For this post i have decided to include a Google map to help you guys get the bearing on the location of my favorite birding spot in Alor Sena which is roughly 1.0 KM from my in-laws's house in kampung Padang Pauh on the left. It is also my favorite fishing spot for the Snakehead and Puyu(Climbing River Perch). The Jalan Alor Sena cuts through the canal and you can fish or do birding on the both sides of the road as shown by the circle. There is a canal gate and a green-colored pump house near the favorite spot for the Black-naped Orioles and Baya Weaver nests. There is also a small resting area with a gazebo on the opposite side but sadly it has been fenced up.
Other species frequenting this area are the White-throated Kingfishers due to an abundance of small fishes in the canal, Scally-breasted Munias, White Egrets love the paddy fields, Grey Egrets, sometimes Black-winged Kites, Common Mynas, Zebra Doves, Tree Sparrows, Brown-throated Sunbirds and paddyfield Pipits.
Upon my arrival i saw a few White Egrets in the paddy field which is common as the area is practically surrounded by paddy fields. They seemed to have sharp vision as they noticed me and my six year old daughter(my apprentice he he) instantly. Of course getting too closed with a long lens will make them fly away before you can say hi.
The day was really hot and i felt bad for my daughter Soraya as she was struggling with her EOS60D + Canon EF70-300mm f4.5-5.6 L lens which weighs around 2KG plus! But she has a big heart and she wanted to try because she loves taking photos of anything. After a half an hour she needed a rest and i had to carry two sets of heavy equipments my self, duhh!
Then we decided to call it off since it was getting too hot and decided to come again later in the evening when the weather cooled down. As we were walking toward our car we saw a Black-naped Orioles eating its favorite fruit from a tall tree next to the pump house. Since i have discovered that Black-naped Orioles are very sensitive to human presence i had to hide behind a tree trunk to snap some photos.
In the afternoon around 5.00 p.m we went to Alor Sena again with a hope of snapping some photos of the Grey Egrets. My in-laws reported that he saw some Grey Egrets when he was fishing there the day before. We saw one but it was too far to shoot photos of it.
We were greeted by a Scally-breasted Munia on the edge of the paddy field, i have always loved Munias, they look cute.
My daughter spotted some White-throated Kingfishers hanging out with a Zebra Dove on a dead branch near a rest area which is a rare treat.
The last hour of the session was spent stalking Baya Weavers at their nests as shown in the map. There were four hanging nests of various sizes tied to a big tree facing east.
One thing i admire about these birds is their ability and patience to gather grass and weave their nests hanging in the trees. Where did they learn it? It is unbelievable, they are like architects and engineers combined!
The male as marked by a yellow color on the top of the head and back of the neck are tasked with gathering the grass and building the nests while the females which do not have the yellow marking are tasked with gathering the food like insects for their young.
The session ended around 7.20 p.m when the sun almost set and the light was getting very low. It was quite a good outing as i managed to get some good photos of the Oriole and Baya Weavers to add to my collection.
Happy birding, i hope some of the information i gave on the Alor Sena birding will be helpful to you all in case you want to try your luck there. Thanks.
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