Yes! They have arrived and it is the time of the year again, at least for Langkawi.
Depending on the species, some of them came all the way from Europe, Japan, the Himalayas, Taiwan West and North China.The island maybe a stop over or they can stay on until the end of the season.
Take out your binoculars, clean those fingerprints off the lens, dust off your tucked away guidebook, get a new fine drawing pen and put on your hiking shoes. For the feathered migrants have arrived.
Aida getting excited
Who are the early ones?
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Common sandpiper was spotted exactly a month ago on the mudflats and mangroves of Tanjung Rhu, Langkawi. Through my naked eyes, I have also seen lots of Plovers (Charadrius genus), about 12-15 of them.
While in the garden and at the edge of the forest, my cute little Brown Shrike has been spotted too.
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus)
Are there any other migratory birds spotted besides these three birds in August and September this year?
Did anyone spot these three birds earlier than the month of August?
Common sandpipers were spotted exactly the same time last year. And I am not too sure about the Plovers and Brown Shrikes. If there is anyone out there doing such observation, it will be great to share.
Langkawi is now experiencing a dry rainy season this year. I feel like Langkawi has entered the dry season again and it is the rainy season with the lowest rainfall as compared to those six years ago. While the visitors here felt they were lucky to have such hot sunny weather, it is a worrying factor for the locals in the agriculture sector. If this year's rainfall is very low, will this affect the natural water supply to the agriculture like the rice field?
It will be interesting to know how our climate change can also affect the migration of birds.
Posts
Must be exciting to welcome the migrants.
ReplyDeleteHi WChinner,
ReplyDeleteIt's a sure thing climate change is going to hit Langkawi fast and hard, including the migratory bird populations. Cases of changes in migratory bird behaviour and seasons in recent years have been reported globally.
It's only wise that people should get down to climate change mitigation as soon as possible. But in Malaysia's case, we should first focus on educating more people about climate change and its effects on the locals. There are just too few people with complete awareness of the gravity of this issue and the immediate economic (and the ecological) threats it poses.
Perhaps more will be aware of the growing reality of the threat by realising that their livelihood is in immediate danger from climate change (ie agriculture failures, loss of economically-important tourists sites, increased severe storms, landslides, forests fires etc.)
Hope Langkawi will be saved before the lowlands became several feet under the Andaman Sea...
JK
i spot bout 4 eurasian curlew last few month at kubang badak.. really cool..
ReplyDeletekulark
Hi YC;
ReplyDeleteYup.. yup... birding season is back.
Hi JK;
Climate change is inevitable. It is just matter of time. Unfortunately, we are unable to slow it down.
Hi kulark;
Eurasian curlew last few months?? Are you sure few months or last month?
Got pictures ah? heh..heh...