Palm | Kelapa Sawit

Zuhaila Sedek-De Booij New Straits Times 1 Mar 13;

Four birdwatchers tell Zuhaila Sedek-De Booij about the joys of observing the creatures on their migratory journey

IT is scorching hot at Tanjung Tuan in Port Dickson and there are beads of sweat on everyone’s foreheads. Birdwatchers Andrew J. Sebastian, Khoo Swee Seng, Caroline Ho and Lam Mow Sum are waiting anxiously. They hope to see raptors emerge from among the cottony clouds.

Ho keeps one eye on the lens of her telescope. In one hand, she holds a clicker counter. Click... click... She is counting the number of raptors she spies with the telescope. The instrument lets her see what’s not visible to the naked eye.

While Ho is busy taking count, the rest carry big digital cameras in their hands. They wait patiently, observing the clear blue sky.

Every end of February till early March, the four birdwatchers go to Tanjung Tuan to be part of the Raptor Watch, an event organised by Malaysian Nature Society. At the event, bird lovers witness magnificent views of migrating raptors that fly over the waters of Straits Malacca. Among the species of raptors that migrate through this waterway are the Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black Baza, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Chinese Goshawk and Grey-faced Buzzard.
The quartet’s effort at Tanjung Tuan is not only a hobby, but also a contribution to the environment. Here’s why:

CONSERVE RAPTORS

For Sebastian, 42, birdwatching has been a passion since the last decade. He became hooked on it after seeing a rare Red Head Dragon bird in Fraser’s Hill some years ago.

“I was so surprised to see such a wonderful creature in Malaysia. I saw this beautiful bird on a bench but I didn’t know what species of bird it belonged to. I bought a guidebook and saw a picture of of it. It triggered my interest in birdwatching,” says Sebastian who is also Malaysian Nature Society’s head of communications.

Apart from Tanjung Tuan, he has gone birdwatching in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand. To date he has seen about 800 species of birds.

He believes that birdwatching can bring people closer to nature. “Sometimes, in our busy lives, we forgot to look up at the sky and see how wonderful the world is. Birdwatching gives you a chance to do that.”

At Tanjung Tuan, events like Raptor Watch can help the public understand the importance of conserving natural forest, such as the coastal forest at the area. Tanjung Tuan is significant to migrating raptors. The coastal area offers a shorter passage from Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra to Pulau Rupat in Indonesia. From Pulau Rupat, the migrating birds will continue their way towards Indonesia’s other archipelago islands.
Tanjung Tuan is also one of the last remaining coastal rainforests in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

Raptors need the right thermals for flight. Tanjung Tuan acts as a rest stop for the raptors while waiting for the right thermals.
“Tanjung Tuan is located along their way, they need trees to take a break from a long journey.”

The migrating raptors originate from North Asia, Northeastern Asia, Eastern Siberia, Kamchatka, Northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula and Japan and fly along the East Asian Flyway.

COUNTING FOR THE FUTURE

For married couple Khoo and Ho, watching the raptors at Tanjung Tuan is an annual event. They spend a few weeks at Tanjung Tuan lighthouse to watch and capture images of the raptors and, most importantly, count the number passing through Malacca Straits. Both are volunteers for raptor-counting.

Khoo, 52, is a remisier by profession. He takes time off from work to go birdwatching. The couple go up the lighthouse at 9am and set-up their tents and equipment to carry out the count till the evening.
Khoo captures the images while Ho, 34, counts the birds.

The data collected is given to Malaysian Nature Society for researchers.

Though they are volunteers, Khoo and his wife have spent RM30,000 on equipment for birdwatching.

“When you see hundreds of Honey Buzzard in the sky, words can’t describe what you feel. Even though you’ve seen it before, the amazement never seems to wear off,” says Khoo.

For Ho, not knowing what’s coming their way makes the venture more adventurous. If they are lucky, they get to see rare species.

“We have been counting the birds for many years. We feel like it is a responsibility,” says Khoo.

The duo started birdwatching at Tanjung Tuan since the first Raptor Watch in 2000. At that time, they watched by the seaside. Now, they get a better view from the lighthouse. But they worry that there may not be anyone to take their place.

“Finding an apprentice is not easy. You must have the passion to watch out for and count the birds,” says Ho.

LIFE LESSONS

Watching the migrating birds is calming. Lam suggests birdwatching as a remedy for stress.

“Whenever I watch the migrating birds, I feel very relaxed. Birdwatching is all about observing and doesn’t require you to run around,” says the 62 year-old retiree.

The former teacher started birdwatching around his school compound.

“The raptors are amazing. They are so beautiful and they make the world a better place,” says the soft-spoken Lam.

“These birds need their habitat so we have to safeguard it.”

He also learns a lot from these wonderful creatures. “They are tough. Despite the challenges ahead of them, they will try to make it,” says Bentong-based Lam.

He recalls raptors gasping due to fatigue while in the air.

“You can tell they are struggling when their beaks are open. Once, I saw a bird crash into the trees. I felt so bad for not being able to do anything.” .

As a senior citizen, he believes that the younger generation can learn life lessons from the raptors.

Birds of prey
• Their population is sensitive to the alterations in ecosystem structure and energy flow.
• They are birds of prey like hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures and owls.
• If they fall in the water while migrating, chances are they are going to die. This is because they need thermals to elevate them so that they can fly.
• Sixty five species of raptors are protected under the protection of Wildlife Act 1972 in Peninsular Malaysia.
• In the 1990s, the numbers of raptors migrating through the Straits of Malacca was about 350,000. Last year, the number was 47,000.
• The biggest threat for raptors is the loss of habitat.

Chuah Bee Kim New Straits Times 22 Jan 13;


A flock of Asian Openbill Storks spotted in a padi field in Teluk Rimba, Muar, Johor, on Sunday. Pic courtesy of Vincent Chow

FIND OF A LIFETIME: Nature society chairman chances upon rare storks in padi field

MUAR: A MALAYSIAN Nature Society (MNS) Johor member who has been on the trail of the Asian Openbill Storks since a pair was spotted in Johor Baru recently, scored big when he came across more than 140 of the rare bird species at Teluk Rimba here on Sunday.

MNS Johor chairman Vincent Chow said he was on the way to the Johor National Park in Gunung Ledang when his instincts prompted him to make a left turn instead of right at the junction to Gunung Ledang.

The detour led him to Teluk Rimba, where Chow said he saw a group of Asian Openbill storks frolicking at a padi field there.

Chow said he had been carrying out research on the birds (Anastomus oscitans) since the first pair of Asian Openbill was spotted in Johor Baru.

"Hundreds of the species had been spotted in Kuala Gula, near Taiping, and Penanti, Penang, on Jan 8 and the Batang Tiga padi fields in Malacca the following day.

"The species was first sighted in Ulu Dedap, Perlis, in March 2008.

"I knew there would be more of the birds in Johor. Since there are numerous padi fields in Muar, I decided to check the place out.

"True enough, the birds have found their natural habitat which included lakes, marshes and padi fields," Chow told the New Straits Times yesterday.

He said the Asian Openbill was the smallest of the nine species of storks found in Southeast Asia.

"In Peninsular Malaysia, we have the Lesser Adjutant, Milky Stork, Painted Stork and the rarer Storm's Stork. Sightings of the Asian Openbill in such a large group is unprecedented and a very important entry for the record of our local natural history as it is not found here," said Chow.

He estimated the flock in Muar to number more than 140.

"To a regular person, they may just be a flock of birds. But birders will drop everything in an instant to come here because they know that it is a rare occurrence and once these migratory birds fly off, birders would have missed the opportunity of a lifetime."

He said the Asian Openbill was so named as the beak was arranged in such a way that a gap was seen in the closed mandibles in adult birds. This feature was not developed while at the juvenile stage.

"They serve to accommodate the snails that they feed on and this rather usual feature gave them the name of 'openbill'.

"The bird ranges from India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and are occasionally seen as a vagrant in Malaysia as records indicate.

"I spent an hour watching the Asian Openbill here and confirmed that they were the real McCoys.

"I also talked to the farmers in the area and they confirmed that they have never seen these birds at the padi field before.

"I don't know what the birds are doing here, but let us welcome them with open arms as their presence will certainly boost the tourism sector."

Avitourism is a multi-billion industry, with birders from Singapore willing to pay as much as RM16,000 to local guides who can help them find a particular species of bird.

However, MNS Johor has called on the relevant authorities to step up efforts to train more nature guides if the Iskandar Regional Development Authority was serious in developing the lucrative niche market.

Landscape Change Leads to Increased Insecticide Use in U.S. Midwest
Recently a study was published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences linking the increased use of insecticides to landscape simplification. Replacing natural habitat with crop land causes an increase in crop pest problems. The continued growth of cropland and loss of natural habitat have increasingly simplified agricultural landscapes in the U.S. Midwest. The cause of pest increases is brought on as the removal of natural habitats destroys the habitat for the beneficial predatory insects. Creating more cropland creates a larger target area for pests giving them what they need to survive and multiply. According to Tim Meehan, the leading author of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, counties with less natural habitat have higher rates of insecticidal use than counties with more areas of natural habitat. It was noted that perennial crops provide a year round habitat for insects, birds and other animals, which are beneficial to the area.
More on this article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110711151455.htm


Simplified landscapes, with lots of cropland and little natural habitat, promote crop pest problems and increased use of insecticides. (Credit: Illustration courtesy of Tim Meehan, UW-Madsion)

Fewer Aphids in Organic Crop Fields, Study Finds
According to the results in a study done by the Department of Animal Ecology & Tropical Biology, conventional triticale fields treated with insecticides to kill off aphids does not show any improvement and produces a bigger problem as aphid numbers increase. The problem is when fields are treated with insecticides it not only kills off the aphids but it also kills their natural enemies. They compared this to an organic crop field where they discovered three times the amount of natural enemies and five times fewer aphids.
Read the article at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110713101944.htm

By Carol Staats