It has been quite a while since i last went to my favorite hill for birding due to my busy work schedule. The thing is whenever i am under duress due to work pressure my mind will automatically think of this place as an escape. I always feel recharged after a few days breathing fresh mountain air.
For the last few trips here i enjoyed them just for being on the hill instead of the attraction of the birds mainly due to less presence of birds based on my observation. I will consider it as a bonus if i could get to see ten or more species per day or one or new species a day to add to my list. I do not know why but i feel there is something wrong with the hills that made the birds presence dwindling. It could be due to the weather or less food source i.e blooming flowers, fruiting trees or insects population, or less migratory birds, i just could not point my finger to the exact cause but it feels like the hill is slowly dying. There are still common birds like Swallows flying in the sky, or Long-tailed Sibias and Silver-eared Mesias showing up at some spots but the species mix and frequency were a lot less. You would still hear Fire-tufted Barbets making call on top of the trees but not as loud and frequent as before. I only saw only once the Blyth's Hawk flying high above during my three days there even while going down toward the Gap. What happened to them? Where did they all go? Has the weather become less favorable to them? The food source is less now? Quite worrying in my opinion.
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| This little guy - a Pacific Swallow - kept me company at my roof balcony |
Nowadays i have to search the birds further and in wider area as there are less of them. Usually i would concentrate not far around the Golf Course, near the Singapore House, Barkat House, the abandoned Jelai Resort, near Silver Park Apartment road leading to the Bishop Trail, the junction at Hemmant Trail, and the Telekom Loop road as my favorite spots, but during this trip i had to descend 4 KM down toward the Jeriau Waterfall to increase my chance of finding birds to photograph. It was a lot of work but you need luck too, being at the right place at the right time.
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| The Jeriau Waterfall is a breathtaking place to take a break or a dip |
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| I was lucky to have spotted this Racket-tailed Drongo on the way back from the waterfall |
I went into Hemmant Trail to try my luck to see if i could find any birds. It is not the best place to take photos of birds especially without flash as the light is not that good in the jungle. The trail had been upgraded with hard plastic footpath, rope and posts and resting gazebos. The previous timber usage did not last that long in the jungle as it is a damp place with termites and what not. You have to take care of your head as there are a few falling trees across the pathway.
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| A sign before entering the Hemmant Trail, always take care of nature |
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| Newly constructed footpath for a safer walk |
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| Almost 1 KM walk, i was only greeted by this cute Mountain Fulvetta |
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| You should look for other things the forest has to offer when the birds are not around - White Fungus |
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| Red Fungus on a dead tree trunk |
Jungle trekking was tiring but worth it. I usually do birding and a bit of macro photography at the same time like killing two birds with one stone they say. But at the end of the day even though i did not get that many photos of the birds i should not complaint too much as just being here in the Frasers Hill was really refreshing for me compared to the city. I just hope the birds start coming back to the hills as they are one of the main attractions for the visitors. Meanwhile if they are not around i just come here for the view and cool weather.
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| Frasers Hill at 7.30 a.m |
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| Frasers Hill Golf Course at 7.30 a.m |
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| Sunset in Frasers Hill, breathtaking view |
Until next time, happy birding and take care.
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