Oriental Pratincole (Glareola Maldivarum).

Although a wader, the Oriental pratincole normally hunt while flying. They live in the open country and are often seen near water in the evening catching insects. The bills are short and are adapted for aerial feeding. Their long pointed wings, long forked tails and short legs are their characteristics.

These photographs were of a pair of them feeding their two babies out in the open. Surprisingly though, these birds were known to only breed in the northern states of Malaysia. To see them here in Perak with their brood is something new.

At the moment of take off.

A pair of eggs on the ground.

One of the parents regurgiting

food for its babies.

This baby is very smart
for it stayed very still for
 along, long time.

An adult in flight.

At the moment of take off.

Another baby is chirping for its food.

A soft landing.

One of the parents with its
chicks. They are
clamouring for food.

Sometimes the parents
 move a meter away before
take off. While at other time
 they just fly knocking the
 babies off balance.

A baby running to the parent for food.

Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus).

This bird was flapping its wings vigorously

Sometimes they move in pairs.

Dragging its beak from right
to left. I think it is scrapping
 the bottom for food.

              They are very fond of
standing on one leg.

This bird is submerging its head
 to look for food.

Small snails are part of
their food chain.

These birds are normally found at marshy areas, mud flats and ponds. The sound they make is a sharp kik, kik, kik. They are migrants as well as residents in Malaysia.

Little Egret (egretta garzetta).

I noticed this little egret walking along a shallow canal looking for food. It pushes its foot forward disturbing the muddy bottom. When the tiny fish or other creatures moves the bird just pick them up.

The little egrets are considered as pests by the fish farmers around Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Some of them are being shot at. Some farmers stringed wire cables across the surface of their fish ponds to prevent the birds from feeding on their fish stocks. I think the smart birds found a way to overcome these obstacles.

Just picked up a
 small prawn.

Wires strung across the
ponds are not a problem
 for this egret.

I am rather curios, why
 this monitor lizard did
 not attack the bird.

It sure has a good sense aof balance.

Just pick up another
 morsel.

A flock of Little egrets.

Pied Fantails (Rhipidura javanica)

I saw these pied fantails' nest while out fishing one day. Went back a number of times to photograph their activities. Most of the time I was there in the morning as there were no other people nearby. The parents were rather good house keepers as they regularly check for droppings from the babies. One of them grabbed the dropping from the baby's back as it was been expelled. As many fantail nests were built on tree branches hanging over some ponds or rivers, the dropping was dropped into the water some meters away. I think this is a method of preventing predators from finding the nest.

A parent picking up dropping from
one of the babies and dropping it into
 the water a few meters away.
I think this is to prevent any
 predators from locating the nest.

One of the parents sizing me up.

The babies will open their
 mouths chirping away to
 the parents hoping to be fed.

Another one of the parents.

The babies been fed.

Funny though, this
parent is sitting on its babies
without suffocating them.