Kuala Baram Mudflat (South)

Kuala Baram Mudflat (South).
31st. Jan 2010
Time 6:30 am – 10:10 am
Air temperature 28.5 ° Centigrade. Total cloud covered sky. Tide is low.
Participants: Steve, Liz, Nazeri, Ali, Aisya, Clare, Rosie, Mike, Mary, Alyssa and Musa (writer).


The 6 kilometers walk south of Kuala Baram Lagoon in yellow.

By the time we reached the Kuala Baram section of the retaining wall, it was already quite bright. We started off from the temporary fishing hut by the beach.


Crossing the flats from mud to sand.

As we reached the beach, we saw 200+ waders flying in, flashing their wings synchronously, likely the same group we saw the previous day. They are made up of mostly Kentish Plover, Lesser and Greater Sandplovers, we believe they just came in from their overnite roost site in Kpg Masjid prawn farms.

We walked south. There were scattered number of Sanderling, Lesser and Greater Sandplovers. We also sighted a grey morph Pacific Reef Egret and a Little Egret. One other white egret present caused a fair bit of discussion with regards to it's actual id. Is a white morph Pacific Egret, it was seen hunting near the grey morph but unnecessarily hostile to each other? Or is it our oft seen and photographed Chinese Egret. We weren't ale to decide on the beach but took many pictures and videos of the birds. It was settled at home after looking the pictures : Chinese Egret.

Further south, about halfway to our destination, we sighted 3 Brahminy Kite engaged in mid-air play. WIth claws locked, two birds were flinging each other in mid air while a third stayed close by. They were several feet higher than the tallest casuarinas. We weren't sure whether it's was a courting game or a display fight for a mate between two males. Their antics were recorded on camera in the following sequence.









Brahminy Kite mid air dance sequence.


White-bellied Sea Eagle


Unidentified raptor

Further south, we sighted a White-bellied Sea Eagle flying high out at sea. There was also an uid raptor flying higher above our heads. It had a long tail and was definitely not as WBSE.

We reached the end of the walk after 6kms.

Bird list:
White-breasted Waterhen 1
Sanderlings 11
Pacific Reef Egret 2
Mixed flock of Kentish Plover, Lesser and Greater Sandplover 200+
Little Egrets 4
Dollarbird 2
Collared Kingfisher 4
Barn swallow 9
Brahminy Kite 3
Common Greenshank 3
Yellow-vented bulbul 5
Tricoloured Munia 3
Common Sandpiper 4
Pacific swallow 3
Striated Grassbird 2
Whitebreasted Woodswallow 5
Spotted Dove 4
White-bellied Sea Eagle 1

Musa Musbah, Jan 2010