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| Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) |
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| Black-winged Stilt feeding |
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| Black-winged Kite in flight |
On a short
trip to Miri (28.2.18) I went to the Kuala Baram wetlands to find out what the
place has to offer. There were ponds and
swampy areas just by the roadside where we parked our car. The wetlands is situated between the coastal
road and the continuous shore line. Towards one end of the road were a few
kampungs and on the opposite end were seen destructive activities such as
clearing and bull-dozing works and prawn farming ponds.
Since
time was limited, I just waited by the roadside or a few meters away from the
road shoulder. I was quite disappointed
by the facilities there. There’s tons of work to be done to make the place
favourable for birders which is for the authorities to think about and do.
Anyway,
there were plenty of Blue-throated Bee-eaters coming as low as the road
shoulders hunting for prey. Sounds of kingfishers , Brahminy kites and Wood
swallows were loud and clear. Two birds
made my day during the very brief visit, which was about two hours. Firstly, I managed to come quite close to
the Black-winged Kite with a wonderful picture of it in flight. Secondly, I was able to add a new sighting to
this blog – Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus
himantopus) which was a lifer for me.
I guess I
will come back again to this place in near future not only to see the birds but
also to the destruction of the habitat due to man’s greed and inconsideration.
