Birds are an indicator of how healthy our environment is. When they’re in danger of extinction, our survival is too, writes Intan Maizura Ahmad Kamal
A SINGLE emphatic note fills the air. Then, a series of short high-pitched notes ensues, piercing the early morning calm at the Langkawi Geopark Hotel, where I’m seated al fresco, tucking into a simple breakfast that couldn’t even lure a bird to come for a nibble.
How I wish I knew “bird lingo” to understand just what the excitement is all about.
Perhaps I can learn something here at the 5th Asian Bird Fair, I remember thinking to myself, abandoning my sorry breakfast at the sudden sounds of rustling of leaves on a tree just ahead of me. Hornbills! Two of them. I give myself an imaginary pat on the back at being able to recognise at least one bird species.
Organised by the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and hosted by Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) with the support of Tourism Malaysia and the Asian Bird Fair (ABF) Network, the bird fair is an annual event founded by six organisations from Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Malaysia to highlight the different bird fairs in Asia, promote the protection of birds and their habitats, encourage birdwatching activities and other eco tourism activities.
The 5th instalment of this avian fair, held in tropical Langkawi, is a first for Malaysia as a host. The first ABF was held in 2010 in Davao, Philippines, followed by Tainan, China, in 2011, Bangpoo, Thailand, in 2012, and in Taipei last year. The baton will be passed to Singapore for next year’s avian extravaganza.
Langkawi, dubbed Hornbill Island of the World, says Tan Sri Khalid Ramli, chief operating officer of Lada, makes the perfect location for the fair as this beautiful isle is home to 221 different species of birds, has coastal areas consisting of limestone ridges, with an extensive surface area of forest-covered mountains, hills and abundance of natural vegetation.
FLYING HIGH
The first day of the fair is blessed with incredibly good weather. The sky is a rich blue canvas painted with moving images of cable cars making their stealthy ascend up Gunung Machinchang. The sun rays are searing but you can’t help but be buoyed by the buzz of activities around you.
Booths, manned by birding enthusiasts and international delegates from bird clubs and organisations, vie for attention through their decorations and colourful paraphernalia and gimmicks. Strolling around the grounds of the fair, the sense of passion uniting this birding community is palpable. Snippets of conversation caught reveal a common concern: The threats facing many bird species.
“Do you know we have around 600 bird species in the Philippines, of which 200 are endemics? And every year new species are being discovered,” says Christine “Tin” Telesforo, a member of the Wild Bird Club from the Philippines, whose booth I found myself drawn to by virtue of the liveliness of the ladies manning it. The bespectacled 41-year-old, a designer for a software company, enthusiastically shares that the birding scene in her country is huge. “We have 200 members and we’ve done a great deal to raise the awareness (to locals) on the special bird life in the Philippines. We hold many bird festivals around the country to highlight other special species that can be found.” Aside from resident bird populations, migratory birds also contribute to the dynamic bird landscape in the Philippines.
Tin has yet to miss an Asian Bird Fair since its inception in 2010. Like those around her, she is also concerned about the future of many of the bird species. She cites her country’s national bird, the great Philippine eagle, as an example.
“This beautiful bird species is under threat from habitat lost. Their hunting ground is the huge forest so when forests are being destroyed, their livelihood is also threatened.”
Her concerns are echoed by San Sikol, a passionate bird guide from the Sam Veasna Centre for Wildlife Conservation in Cambodia, whose booth is mere steps away from Tin’s. The 30-year-old says his country is home to 600 bird species, of which two are endemic - the Cambodian tailorbird and the Cambodian laughingthrush. The former, which makes its home in thick lowland scrubs in Phnom Penh and other sites in the nearby flood plain, is under threat, says San, due to declining habitat from agricultural and urban expansion. The laughingthrush meanwhile, found in the south-western part of the country, is listed as Near Threatened owing to ongoing logging and conversion of forest to agriculture.
“It’s really worrying,” says San, brows furrowing. “The forests and floodplains of my country form refuges for many of the threatened bird species that have been stamped out from much of their former range. These include critically-endangered waterbirds such as the giant ibis and white shouldered ibis as well as three species of critically-endangered vultures.”
CLOSER TO HOME
Leaving my new international birding friends behind me, I make a stop at the Selangor Bird Group booth to see how things are faring closer to home. The group, part of the Selangor branch of MNS, has its interests in birds, conservation and environmental protection. Greeted by a beaming Mark Ng, I’m duly informed that the group’s main purpose is to educate the public on the importance of birds through their outreach programmes. “Birds are a very good indicator of how healthy the environment is,” says Ng, emphatically.
The awareness level here still remains low, he says. “Probably only five per cent of the population can actually recognise what the birds are. One of the programmes that we have focuses on local birds. For example, garden birds (www.mygardenbirdwatch.com). We get students and families to take part and all they have to do is sit for half an hour at home, look out to their gardens or outside, and note down the birds they see. We call them ‘counters’ and they provide us with data. This is the chance for people to become citizen scientists,” he says.
“By noting down details like timing, number etc, we’re actually studying bird behaviour. For example, what time are the birds active or less active. In My Garden Birdwatch programme, we suggest for observations to be conducted from 7am-11am and 4pm-6pm for these are the times when birds are most active.”
At present, the number of birdwatchers in the country is 300. Ng hopes this number will grow. “Birdwatching is very exciting,” he says, enthusiastically. “When you see a bird on a tree with your naked eye, it’s just a bird. But when you look through the binoculars or telescope, you see all the colours. It’s very attractive.
“Birdwatching is a good hobby. Contrary to what people think, birding isn’t a sedentary hobby. It gets you out there, climbing hills, enjoying walks, nature and clean air. And it’s not an expensive hobby. All you need are a pair of binoculars and a notebook to record your observations.”
WORK TOGETHER
Finding respite from the scorching midday sun under the shelter of a huge marquee, waiting for the launch ceremony to begin, I find myself seated next to Martin Davies, an Englishman who has turned salmon pink and perspiring buckets.
Despite that, he’s in good cheer and enthusiastically engages me in “bird talk” the minute the preambles are over.
The Londoner is here to represent the Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds (RSPB), the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, which, together with its partners, protect threatened birds and wildlife, and play a leading role in a worldwide partnership of nature conservation organisations.
The RSPB, says Davies, was formed in 1889 and has more than one million members. “The birding scene in the UK is very active. There are a lot of local societies, many of them based in counties. Every county has its own birdwatching group or club. There are also local wildlife groups, not only for birds but also for butterflies, flowers, spiders and many more. There’s always somebody studying something and taking an interest,” he says, adding that most people in England have a strong interest in the wildlife of their country. “I guess it’s because we’re a lot of people living on a very small island. And there’s a lot of pressure on the natural world. Perhaps we come to notice effects more acutely. “
All of us, he says, are dependent on the natural world and an interest in wildlife isn’t an esoteric thing. “It’s conserving the resources that we all depend on. Birds are often the most visible source of wildlife compared to other mammals so they become an emblem for the whole conservation movement.”
To conserve birds, one needs to conserve their habitat, says Davies, who’s also a director with an ecological and training consultancy. “Around the world the biggest problem is looking after wild places. Langkawi is a fantastic example where big chunks of the island has been set aside as a geopark and there’s protected areas because people realise that wildlife matters in its own rights.”
Details on ABF at www.asianbirdfair.net.
LANGKAWI BIRDS FOR SERIOUS BIRDERS
MOUNTAIN BIRDS: Drive towards the summit of Gunung Raya, Langkawi’s highest peak, to spot the great hornbill and wreathed hornbill in the rainforest.
RAINFOREST BIRDS: The dense rainforests are found in Datai Bay area on the north western end and also on the slopes of Gunung Machinchang, located on the western end of the island and Gunung Raya in the central part. You can expect to see flower pecker, hill myna, eagle, woodpecker, oriental pied hornbill, dollarbird, green pigeon, drongo, tailorbird, babbler, bulbul, sunbird and more in the jungle’s open corridors.
MANGROVES BIRDS: There’s a vast stretch of mangroves swamps and forests in the Kilim area and along the Kilim River. Birds like the white-bellied sea eagle, golden brown eagle (brahminy kite) brown winged kingfisher, collared kingfisher, black capped kingfisher, sandpiper, heron etc, make their homes here.
WETLAND AND POND BIRDS: Go down to a village area to spot different types of birds near the pond area where birds like moorhen, little grebe, pond heron, egret, little heron and swallow converge.
PADDY FIELD BIRDS: There’s vast stretches of paddy fields in Langkawi, particularly in the Padang Matsirat areas. Spot sandpiper, plover, egret, bittern, white-throated kingfisher, lapwing, pond heron, spotted dove and plain-backed sparrow etc here.
SCRUBLAND & MUDFLATS BIRDS: In some areas like Tanjung Rhu when the tide recedes, you can find birds like sand piper, artic warbler, golden plover, sand martin on the mudflats. Meanwhile, in the scrubland areas look out for birds like black-hooded oriole.