Waterbirds ID field trip with Dave Bakewell

briefing before we move to the ash pond.

let's stay far away from d waders n close to d bushes.

a good example on how to not let d birds see u...

observing... describing..

rounding it up. a big TQ to Dave.

a flock of curlews bid us goodbye.

wow... a giant "Tern" ???

Night disturbances

Caught in the act:Bornean horned frogs mate in the night
Photo by Yeo Siew Teck

 Teck

By Mary Margaret

The night comes early to the lowland dipterocarp forest of Gunung Gading National Park. The tree-clad mountain slopes stop the fading daylight and long shadows play on the forest floor. The creatures of the day hunker down and the night ones emerge to rule the dark hours.

The brown blue-eyed angle- headed lizard (Gonocephalus liogaster) with a crest running from its head down its back lifts its head. The herd thunders past. It hunkers down along the stem of the palm and hopes the clumsy humans would go quickly; with his hiding place intact. One, two, three... only a few more...

“Hey, did you see the lizard?” Dazzling lights flare into the night sky and into the lizard’s eyes. The motionless lizard plays dead – paralysed. How the lizard wishes the human herd would move on, but they hover.

One by one they leave, and with a final flash, the quiet returns to the blue-eyed angle-headed lizard’s world so that it can continue to hunt insects through the night after it recovers from the shock. The light had hurt. It clings to the stem waiting for sight to return. The spiders spinning their webs around their prey stop as the lights flicker across the night sky. The swaying lights sweep the treetops and forest floor in search of the reflection from the eyes of night-loving animals. The herd stumbles on over the rocks and boulders along the narrow, poorly marked trail.

A few frogs and some spiders are caught and then along the edge of a slow moving forest stream that courses along moss- covered boulders there is sudden quiet.

The Bornean horned frog (Megophrys nasuta) has come to the water’s edge to mate and lay its eggs in a safe place. The emergence of the large human herd is neither expected nor wanted. The speckled brown frog, when still, merges into the leaf litter and hunts by stealth as its prey of scorpions, centipedes and insects fall into its trap.

Thrashing about in the jungle heralds the arrival of the unwanted human visitors with

searching out night-loving inhabitants. The frogs fall victim – unable to move. The small male is clamped to the back of the much larger female; escape is not possible.

Excitement flows in waves through the crowd. The wide mouth Bornean horned frog blends imperceptibly into the leaf covered forest floor and despite being relatively common is rarely seen and even more rarely observed mating.

“This is a first.” The group stands around. “These are forest frogs and do not have webbing on their toes. They hunt along the forest floor up to about 1,600 metres. Despite being common, human visitors generally miss them as they hide in the litter.” The crowd surges forward while flashing lights and observing.

“This species is not endangered, but other frogs are. Frog populations have declined in many places around the world.

In Borneo each species of frog has adapted to a different habitat and if this particular niche disappears, it is likely that there would be a drop in population.” The waning

moonlight shadows the frogs as nature takes its course and the humans move their weary bones home. They have seen and heard and learnt much from the glaring lights natural world; no doubt they are more comfortable in the lighted world.

NTENSE EYES: A blue-eyed angle-headed lizard clings to a tree. — Photo by Robert Yeoh

Members from the Kuching Branch of the Malaysian Nature Society visited Gunung Gading National Park on Jan 22-23 and the night walk was an intense learning experience.

Malaysian Nature Society Miri: Waterbirds and Wetland Habitats Survey for the Sar...

Malaysian Nature Society Miri: Waterbirds and Wetland Habitats Survey for the Sar...: "A waderwatcher scanning the flats for interesting waterbirds. A small segment of our extensive coastline, some are very important resting..."

Iconic Rafflesia

RARE SIGHT: A Gunung Gading National Park staff member shows the Rafflesia bloom.

NTERESTING LIFE: A sign at the park describes the Rafflesia’s life cycle.

By 

Mary Margaret

THE easily accessible Gunung Gading National Park on the outskirts of the small town of Lundu is the place to be if you want to see a Rafflesia. It is all in the timing.

During the second last weekend of January, a group of Malaysian Nature Society members had perfect timing as the Gunung Gading National Park staff had recently located a Rafflesia tuan- mudae flower and several buds.

“The Rafflesia is blooming — so what are we waiting for?” With that, we headed out to view the stunningly beautiful parasitic flower.

The bloom was not along the specifically built wooden plank walk in the Rafflesia Area, but off the trail that heads up the mountain to the summit of Gunung Gading and the series of seven waterfalls.

We veered to the left into the hill dipterocarp forest thatblankets the park. The well-worn trail skirted large boulders and turned sharply to the left. A faint odour of rotting meat was the sign we had arrived.

Whether a first-timer or multi-timer in witnessing the miracle, the power of the flower is undiminished.

The two genera in the parasitic Rafflesiaceae family are Rafflesia — containing 16 species that are vulnerable to extinction and three Bornean species believed to be extinct — and Rhizanthes, which has two members found in Borneo and West Malaysia. Members of Rhizanthes have 14 to 18 lobes, while Rafflesia have five.

Unique only just begins to describe this plant. In 1818, Dr Joseph Arnold was the first European to describe it. He only saw it because his Indonesian assistant told him of the large blooming Rafflesia. They were already well known among the local communities and were used in traditional medicinal remedies.

The only parts visible of the parasitic Rafflesia are the perigone tube that branches into five large fleshy petal-like lobes. The rusty orangey red ‘petals’ are peppered with white or cream warts. The colouring pattern is a key indicator of the species. The inner wall of the perigone tube is covered with hair-like appendages and their shape and number, for example, are also used in species identification.

BIG FLOWER: The stunningly beautiful parasitic Rafflesia has five lobes. — Photos by Robert Yeoh

Rafflesia flowers are either male or female. In the centre of the perigone tube stands the column where the reproductive organs— anthers in male flowers and ovaries in female flowers — are located. The number and the size of the anthers are another feature used in determining the species.

The large fleshy Rafflesia begins to deteriorate after four to six days, as the petal-like lobes blacken and wither. The stench attracts pollinators including carrion and bluebottle flies. Small animals are likely to disperse seedsither through their droppings on their fur and claws. For a seed to germinate and grow into a new 

Rafflesia, it must land on a vine of the Tetrastigma sp (Vitaceae), a member of the 

grape family. Its absorptive organ spreads through the host vine.

The Rafflesia does not seem to damage the host. A small bud appears in one to 1 1⁄2 years, which in about nine months, if it is not aborted, will unfold into a Rafflesia.

We were warned not to touch the buds because the bacteria on our hands might cause them to die. Although unclear why buds are aborted, it has been reported that two-thirds of Rafflesia arnoldi buds observed in Sumatra die before reaching maturity.

The cabbage-like buds are also sought for use in traditional medicine. This, along with limited range, habitat destruction, reproductive dependence on a Tetrastigma sp and souvenir hunters endanger the Rafflesia, a symbol of conservation in Sabah and Gunung Gading National Park in my opinion.

Firefly survey in Mukah

Dear members,

There will be Firefly survey in Mukah in the weekend of 26 Feb. At the same time there is also a Sarawak Waterbird Survey in that area.

Maybe some of those members that had attended our first Firefly workshop and survey (Dec 2009 here at Unimas and Buntal) would like to join again? Others, who did not attend the first survey are also welcome.

Please contact Anura asap and before 20 Feb to get more information on this email address: anura7d@gmail.com

Thank you.

Regards,

Kwan Cheong

Chairman

MNS Kuching Branch 2010-2011

- Annoucement/Press Release -Additional Classroom session due to popular demand

                             Waterbird Identification and Counting Workshop 

Due to the popular demand from members and general public on the Waterbird Identification and Counting Workshop organized by Sarawak Forestry Corporation and Malaysian Nature Society, the organisers have decided to add an additional classroom session on the following day (18th Feb) to allow more people the opportunity to learn more about Waterbirds.

This training workshop is organized as part of the Sarawak Waterbird Survey (SWS), which will equip participants with skills needed to identify and count waterbirds commonly occurring in Sarawak.

The first session will cover diagnostic field characteristics of waders, terns and egrets; the second will deal with practical aspects of how to produce accurate counts of waterbird concentrations from field observations.

The workshop is suitable for anyone wishing to volunteer to take part in field survey work as part of the SWS or involved in the study of waterbirds. No previous experience is necessary.

The workshop is suitable for anyone wishing to volunteer to take part in field survey work as part of the SWS or involved in the study of waterbirds. No previous experience is necessary.  

A renowned waterbird expert in the region, Dave Bakewell will give us in-depth knowledge and skill of how we can identify the waterbirds in the field.  The workshop will consist of both classroom and field sessions:-

             Classroom session

Date  :17th Feb 2011 (Thur) – Registration Full

  18th Feb 2011 (Fri) – Additional classroom session

Time   : 7:30pm to 9:00pm (SHARP FOR BOTH DATES)

Venue: Samajaya Nature Reserve (Stutong Park)

            Jalan Setia Raja

            Tabuan Jaya

            93000 Kuching

Field session

Date    : 20th Feb 2011 (Sunday)

Time    : 4pm to 6pm

Venue: to be announced during the classroom session 

           Fee: FREE

Don’t miss this golden opportunity to learn from one of the best waterbird experts in the region.

A comprehensive waterbirds survey along the coastline Kuching and Samarahan areas will be carried out after the workshop from 18 to 23 Feb.  Those who are interested to learn more about waterbirds and have more in-depth field exposure are welcome to volunteer in the surveys.

For more detail and registration, please contact Rose Au 016-8909468, email: njau44@yahoo.com or Anthony Wong at 013-8333163, email: antwong@sareaga.com.

COURSE OUTLINE

Session 1: Identification (1 hr 15 mins)

Waders:

Charadriidae:

            Grey Plover and Pacific Golden Plover

            Greater Sand Plover and Lesser Sand Plover

            Kentish Plover and Malaysian Plover

            Kentish Plover and Little Ringed Plover

Scolopacidae:

Eastern Curlew, Eurasian Curlew and Whimbrel

       Bar-tailed Godwit and Black-tailed Godwit

       Great Knot and Red Knot

       Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper and Nordmann’s Greenshank

       Grey-tailed Tattler, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and Common Redshank

        Sanderling and Red-necked Stint

Terns

Greater Crested Tern and Chinese Crested Tern

Gull-billed Tern and Caspian Tern

Common Tern and Little Tern

Egrets

Great Egret and Intermediate Egret

Chinese Egret and Little Egret

Cattle Egret and Pacific Reef Egret

Leg-flags

Identification of unusual waterbirds

Session 2: Counting (45 mins)

Preparation

Planning the count

When to count

What to bring

Counting methods

Data recording in the field

Transferring data to Count Coordinator

Safety

                                                          About the presenter

Dave Bakewell is originally from the UK. Since first visiting Asia in 1985, Dave has spent almost twenty years studying waterbirds in the region. He has taken part in waterbird surveys of Bangladesh, China, the Philippines and Malaysia.

            He is co-author of The Shorebird Studies Manual, published in 1989, and co-editor of the recently published Status of waterbirds in Asia: Results of the Asian Waterbird Census: 1987 – 2007.           

            After Daved moved to Penang in 1989, he continued to pursue his passion for waterbirds by regular observations at many key sites in the country. As Chairman of the Malaysian Nature Society – Bird Conservation Council Waterbirds Group, he has been involved from the first stages of developing the Sarawak Waterbird Survey, and is excited to play a part in this important project, which will hopefully lead to better understanding and protection of waterbirds in the State.

A sought-after speaker and trainer on the topic of waterbirds, Dave has conducted many training workshops on waterbird identification and monitoring methods in the region, including Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and China, from beginner to advanced level.

His waterbird blog (http://digdeep1962.blogspot.com/) is one of the best, if not the best waterbird blogs in the region, documenting detailed accounts of the species found here with specialized tips on waterbird identification.

Photo credits: Dave Bakewell, Yadz Harudin.   

Invitation on talk

Dear all,

On behalf of the Director of Institute of Biodiversity & Environmental Conservation (IBEC) Unimas, we wish to invite you to attend IBEC Talks as follows:

 

Date  : 11 February 2011 (Friday) 

Time  : 3:00 - 4:30pm

Place :  TR4

Title:  (i) The distribution and uses of understorey plants in Mount Singai, Bau, Sarawak by Ms.  Joanna

  (ii) Distribution of fruit trees at different elevations at Mount Singai, Bau, Sarawak by Ms. Louisa

 

 Your participation is highly appreciated.

 (*Kindly e-mail me of your attendance to the above talks) smeri@frst.unimas.my

 Thank you.

 for and on behalf of IBEC's Director

 Meri Bt. Sabas

Directions to venue from the main entrance of the UNIMAS campus: 

After you enter the main gate at UNIMAS, you will see the golf course on your left. Follow the road to the 1st roundabout and take the left turn until you reach another roundabout. There, take the left turn until you reach the 3rdroundabout, then take the right turn towards the huge  building (=FRST). Note: the golf course is always on the left all the way to the 3rd roundabout.

The indoor lecture at Unimas will be at TR4, FRST building, ground floor,

next to the lobby.

Waterbird Identification and Counting Workshop

As part of the Sarawak Waterbird Survey (SWS), this training workshop will equip participants with skills needed to identify and count waterbirds commonly occurring in Sarawak.

           

The first session will cover diagnostic field characteristics of waders, terns and egrets; the second will deal with practical aspects of how to produce accurate counts of waterbird concentrations from field observations.

           

The workshop is suitable for anyone wishing to volunteer to take part in field survey work as part of the SWS or involved in the study of waterbirds. No previous experience is necessary. 

A renowned waterbird expert in the region, Dave Bakewell will give us in-depth knowledge and skill of how we can identify the waterbirds in the field.  The workshop will consist of both classroom and field sessions:-

             Classroom session

Date             :17^th Feb 2011 (Thur)

Time            : 7:30pm to 9:00pm

Venue: Samajaya Nature Reserve(Stutong Park)

            Jalan Setia Raja

            Tabuan Jaya

            93000 Kuching

Field session

Date            : 20^th Feb 2011 (Sunday)

Time            : 4pm to 6pm

Venue: to be announced during the classroom session 

                                                       Fees: FREE

Don’t miss this golden opportunity to learn from one of the best waterbird experts in the region.

A comprehensive waterbirds survey along the coastline Kuching and Samarahan areas will be carried out after the workshop from 18 to 23 Feb.  Those who are interested to learn more about waterbirds and have more in-depth field exposure are welcome to volunteer in the surveys.

For more detail and registration, please contact Rose Au 016-8909468, email: njau44@yahoo.com or Anthony Wong at 013-8333163, email: antwong@sareaga.com.

COURSE OUTLINE

Session 1: Identification (1 hr 15 mins)

Waders:

Charadriidae:

            Grey Plover and Pacific Golden Plover

            Greater Sand Plover and Lesser Sand Plover

            Kentish Plover and Malaysian Plover

            Kentish Plover and Little Ringed Plover

Scolopacidae:

            Eastern Curlew, Eurasian Curlew and Whimbrel
            Bar-tailed Godwit and Black-tailed Godwit

            Great Knot and Red Knot

            Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper and Nordmann’s Greenshank

            Grey-tailed Tattler, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and Common Redshank

            Sanderling and Red-necked Stint

Terns

Greater Crested Tern and Chinese Crested Tern

Gull-billed Tern and Caspian Tern

Common Tern and Little Tern

Egrets

Great Egret and Intermediate Egret

Chinese Egret and Little Egret

Cattle Egret and Pacific Reef Egret

Leg-flags

Identification of unusual waterbirds

Session 2: Counting (45 mins)

Preparation

Planning the count

When to count

What to bring

Counting methods

Data recording in the field

Transferring data to Count Coordinator

Safety

About the presenter

Dave Bakewell is originally from the UK. Since first visiting Asia in 1985, Dave has spent almost twenty years studying waterbirds in the region. He has taken part in waterbird surveys of Bangladesh, China, the Philippines and Malaysia.

            He is co-author of The Shorebird Studies Manual, published in 1989, and co-editor of the recently published Status of waterbirds in Asia: Results of the Asian Waterbird Census: 1987 – 2007.           

            After Daved moved to Penang in 1989, he continued to pursue his passion for waterbirds by regular observations at many key sites in the country. As Chairman of the Malaysian Nature Society – Bird Conservation Council Waterbirds Group, he has been involved from the first stages of developing the Sarawak Waterbird Survey, and is excited to play a part in this important project, which will hopefully lead to better understanding and protection of waterbirds in the State.

A sought-after speaker and trainer on the topic of waterbirds, Dave has conducted many training workshops on waterbird identification and monitoring methods in the region, including Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and China, from beginner to advanced level.

His waterbird blog (http://digdeep1962.blogspot.com/) is one of the best, if not the best waterbird blogs in the region, documenting detailed accounts of the species found here with specialized tips on waterbird identification.

Photo credits: Dave Bakewell, Yadz Harudin.            

MNS Kuching Branch is wishing all our members Gong Xi Fa Chai 2011 Year of the Rabbit.

MNS Committee 2010-2011