Two blue kingfishers

Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris)

 Around 4 pm this afternoon while paying a visit to Bintulu town, I dropped by at the Pantai Temasya beach, some 4 km from Bintulu town center.  I was kind of lucky to see two beautiful blue  Collared Kingfishers perching on a tall dead tree.  It is very common to see this type of kingfisher at this beach and are often seen perching on  tall casuarina trees that are a feature of the coastal vegetation here.  To see two of them was somehow delightful for me.  All these while I could only capture it solitary.  As a side attraction I noticed a single Common Sandpiper among the rocks.  It dawned upon me the reason why it prefer the rocky landscape.  Its light brown body easily camouflaged itself among the rocks.

Camouflaged among the rocks - Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Two blue kingfishers

View of development near the Pantai Temasya beach, Tg. Batu, Bintulu.

Birding by the Bintulu beach

The Reef Egret coming close to the rocks, but not landing.

Pacific Reef Egret
(Egretta sacra)

 It has been quite a while since my last visit to Tanjung Batu.  There is the popular picnic spot and sunset watching at the Pantai Temasya, situated somewhere in the middle section of the Persiaran Pantai Temasya or the Pantai Temasya Drive at Tanjung Batu.  Tanjung Batu is a breezy place to relax and many recreational activities are carried out here like fishing, jogging, cycling, swimming, photography and beach games.  Today I planned to take pictures of the Common Sandpiper that can be seen on any day on the rocky outcrops characteristic of Tanjung Batu.  My visit was given extra bonus with the sighting of the Pacific Reef Egret (Egretta sacra).  It was flying solo.  The Common Sandpiper came in a small group of three and were moving about places.  It was when I wanted to photoshoot them on the rocks that I saw the egret appearing from the sea.  It flew close to the rocky outcrop for me to photoshoot it.  I guess I was lucky today to have captured it, my first lifer.

Rocky outcrops like these are typical features at Tanjung Batu, Bintulu.  They slip gently into the South China Sea.

Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos

Reef Egret