Tag Archives: Taiping

Bus From Taiping To Cameron Highlands

Posted on by
Reply

After a successful birding trip to Taiping Lake Gardens, I was looking forward to our next main birding stop in Taman Negara but first we would spend a night in Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands.  This hill resort has completely different birds to the rainforests.

I had Sentosa Villa call the taxi driver from yesterday and he showed up in 10 minutes.  IMG_1230

I sat in the front seat knowing that as we came down the hill we would pass the trees where we had seen the Long-tailed Parakeets the day before.  I was not disappointed.  One parakeet was sitting in the tree eating.  The driver stopped while I jumped out and grabbed some photos.  A 2nd bird flew by and this bird flew off with the other one.   A nice but brief sighting!

IMG_1234 IMG_1243 IMG_1246 IMG_1254We continued on to the bus station and bought tickets for the first leg of the trip to Ipoh.  We didn’t have long to wait as a bus was already parked there and boarding.  Fares were pretty cheap, less than $5 and this was a simple bus, not the deluxe bus we were in before.

IMG_1259 IMG_1262 IMG_1263 IMG_1265

Here’s a few shots out the window between Taiping and Ipoh.  The bus only had a few passengers.

IMG_1269 IMG_1270 IMG_1271 IMG_1272 IMG_1273 IMG_1274 IMG_1275 IMG_1277 IMG_1279 IMG_1282 IMG_1285In Ipoh, we changed to a different bus for the longer trip to Tanah Rata, the main town in the Cameron Highlands.

IMG_1286 IMG_1287 IMG_1288 IMG_1289

Was this Kingfisher lost?

IMG_1294

Now entering the Cameron Highlands.

IMG_1295 IMG_1296 IMG_1297 IMG_1299 IMG_1301 IMG_1303 IMG_1304 IMG_1307 IMG_1308

Tanah Rata bus station – end of the road.

IMG_1305 IMG_1306

Greater & Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus & Dicrurus remifer)

Posted on by
Reply

Since these two species are so similar and are found in roughly the same area, I am going to combine the profiles of the Greater & Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus & Dicrurus remifer).  You can tell them apart by the size of the bird, the crest on the Greater RTD and the shape of the tails.  The Greater has a fork shaped tail and the Lesser’s tail is more of a wedge shape.

This is a Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo from Mae Ping NP in Thailand with the smooth head and wedge-shaped tail.

IMG_0236Here is a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo with the forked tail in Taiping.

IMG_1174Both birds have a large, varied range in South-east Asia with the Greater having a larger distribution including India than the Lesser.  I saw both birds in northern Thailand, in Doi Inthanon and Mae Ping, also in Taiping and Taman Negara in Malaysia.

RTDGreater RTDLesserLEARN MORE ABOUT THESE BIRDS

Wikipedia – Greater

Wikipedia – Lesser

Birdlife – Greater

Birdlife – Lesser

Xeno-Canto

VIDEOS

A Gretaer RTD in India.

And another one singing.

See how his tail floats while in flight!

 

And here’s a Lesser from Singapore.

Braving The Rain To Bird Sentosa Villa Grounds

Posted on by
Reply

We knew we were on the cusp of the rainy season although we had been pretty lucky so far.  This time the luck ran out.  After a successful birding excursion to Taiping Lake Gardens and an afternoon siesta praying the rain would let up it finally did for a bit.  I grabbed my camera and a plastic bag to keep it dry and braved the grounds despite the still threatening clouds overhead.  The grounds of Sentosa Villa are quite extensive and potentially very birdy.  I had to stick near the shelters to stay as dry as possible as bursts of rain drove me undercover.  Below are the only shots I was able to get, ironically the best one is the dancing chicken!  The Racquet-tailed Drongo showed very nicely as well.  There were some monkeys running around to keep me amused while I waited under the shelters for the rain to let up so I could dash on to the next one.  I finally gave up after an hour and went back to the room.

IMG_1075 IMG_1076 IMG_1077 IMG_1079 IMG_1084 IMG_1087 IMG_1091 IMG_1093 IMG_1103 IMG_1105 IMG_1074 IMG_1108 IMG_1113 IMG_1114 IMG_1118 IMG_1124 IMG_1129 IMG_1130 IMG_1133 IMG_1140 IMG_1142 IMG_1144 IMG_1146 IMG_1147 IMG_1153 IMG_1155 IMG_1158 IMG_1160 IMG_1164 IMG_1167 IMG_1168 IMG_1172 IMG_1173 IMG_1174 IMG_1177 IMG_1178 IMG_1180 IMG_1181 IMG_1187 IMG_1188 IMG_1191 IMG_1193 IMG_1194 IMG_1195 IMG_1203 IMG_1205 IMG_1207 IMG_1210 IMG_1211 IMG_1215 IMG_1232 IMG_1229

Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda)

Posted on by
2

The Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda) is an elegant Psittacula found in South-east Asia.  My views of them in Taiping Lake Gardens were from a distance so I have to use a close-up from Wikipedia.

Lgtl PktAnd here’s some of my shots of the parakeets in flight.  I think the ones with the shorter tails are juveniles.

IMG_0979a IMG_0979b IMG_0980a IMG_0975a

IMG_0984They have a large range throughout the regions of Andaman islands, Nicobar islands, Sumatra, Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia (including Singapore).  The easiest places to find them are Taiping Lake Gardens (blue dot) and occasionally Taman Negara in Malaysia and Singapore.

LongtailPktLEARN MORE ABOUT LONG-TAILED PARAKEETS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Malaysian Birds

VIDEOS

Parakeets courting.

Eating out in Singapore.

 

 

 

A Morning Birding Trip To Taiping Lake Gardens

Posted on by
Reply

After my online research had determined Taiping Lake Gardens to be the best bet for Long-tailed Parakeet in Peninsular Malaysia I was eager to get down there early and start looking for them.  It was about a 20 minute walk down hill from Sentosa Villa and of course we had eyes and ears open!

Taiping Birding mapIMG_0907

 

The poor lighting completely fades out the brilliant yellow of this Black-naped Oriole.

 

IMG_0910

IMG_0912IMG_0913IMG_0934

 

First glimpse of what I suspect to be a parakeet.

IMG_0925

 

After seeing some random LBJ’s that didn’t stick around, the cause quickly became apparent with this Brahmiiny Kite keeping a watchful eye.

IMG_0917IMG_0918IMG_0919IMG_0923IMG_0924IMG_0930IMG_0933IMG_0938

 

We kept walking and finally reached the lake in Taiping Lake Gardens.

IMG_0942IMG_0943

I don’t know why this guy doesn’t have a long tail – maybe a juvenile but he is definitely a Long-tailed Parakeet.  Unfortunately he was on the wrong side of the sun so the colours got washed out.  As you scroll down, there are some photos of about 12 parakeets, some of which do have long tails.  There are also some random bird shots in as I was pointing at anything that flew by!

 

 

 

IMG_0944

IMG_0946IMG_0950IMG_0953IMG_0954IMG_0959IMG_0960IMG_0965IMG_0969IMG_0971IMG_0972IMG_0975IMG_0977IMG_0978IMG_0979IMG_0980IMG_0983IMG_0984IMG_0988IMG_0990

 

The parakeets eventually took off so we continued a slow stroll through the garden and found this White-throated Kingfisher looking for a fishy breakfast.  He did a good job of finding some!

IMG_0994IMG_0997IMG_0998IMG_0999IMG_1001IMG_1002IMG_1003IMG_1005IMG_1007IMG_1008IMG_1010IMG_1011

 

The scenery in the park is gorgeous!  We found a group of locals who were exercising.

 

IMG_1012IMG_1013IMG_1027IMG_1015IMG_1021IMG_1024IMG_1026

 

Asian Glossy Starling

 

 

IMG_1031IMG_1034IMG_1037IMG_1039IMG_1040IMG_1042

 

Some Cattle Egrets and another Kingfisher on the other side of the park.  By this time, we were headed out to find some conveniences and someplace to eat breakfast.

IMG_1049IMG_1050IMG_1052IMG_1053IMG_1054IMG_1056IMG_1057IMG_1059

 

Maccas – always a cheap breakfast and free wifi!

IMG_1060

 

Not sure what these guys are but they were everywhere!

IMG_1061IMG_1062IMG_1063

 

I looked all through the bird book for this very cool looking bird.  I wish I had a better photo but one minute he was there, the next he was gone.  If anyone can identify please comment below!

 

 

IMG_1065IMG_1067

 

We ended the morning with a walk around town, a trip to the mall to get some drinks and snacks to bring back to the hotel, then a taxi back and just barely beat the rain!

Since taxis don’t cruise the streets of Taiping, you have to go to the main market to find one.  I suggest getting the driver’s phone# so if you need a taxi from the hotel to the bus station, you can call him.  10-15 ringgits will get you to most places in town.

IMG_1064IMG_1070

Lodge Review: Sentosa Villa, Taiping

Posted on by
Reply

Since the Sentosa Villa website is down, I will also include their Facebook page for reference.  You can easily get there from KLIA by bus to Taiping’s bus station, then taxi to the lodge.  Sentosa Villa is located in a residential area near a bird-rich forest and there is no public transport here.

Taiping Birding mapThey are on top of a hill so you can walk down the hill to get to Taiping Lake Gardens and the town centre, then get a taxi back for around 15 ringgits.  Get the taxi driver’s phone number so you can have reception call him if you need to go elsewhere and don’t want to walk to town.

IMG_1230

Here you can see the beauty of the local area surrounding Sentosa Villa.

IMG_0904 IMG_0901

Reception is in a separate building just as you come in.

IMG_0900

We were in the main building (booked the cheapest room) which is linked to reception by a covered area.  It does rain a lot here so this is a good thing!

IMG_0893 IMG_0898

The room was simply furnished and spotless.

IMG_0894 IMG_0895 IMG_0896 IMG_0897

The restaurant is about 5 minutes walk from the main buildings.  We had dinner and breakfast here and the food is excellent!

IMG_1221

We did cop some rain so I had to leave the walkways when birding and take shelter here.  They have wifi in the restaurant.

IMG_1223 IMG_1224 IMG_1225

Root beer floats!  I couldn’t believe how huge they were!

IMG_1226

I had lamb chops which were amazing and my husband said the seafood was equally delicious.

IMG_1227This is a really amazing lodge which is off the main birding trail for the usual groups visiting Malaysia but it shouldn’t be.  There are plenty of birds in the lodge grounds as you will see on the birding posts and even more just a short walk down hill to Taiping Lake Gardens.  I booked it on Hotels.com to add to my list of 10 nights for a free night but you can also book direct if you prefer.