One problem with buying digital cameras overseas is that you have no
warranty on them. With some (eg the cheaper Nikons) this can be a
serious
disadvantage.
-----Original Message-----
From:
Behalf Of Jennifer
Spry
Sent: Monday, 11 April 2005 6:04 PM
To: ; Barb Williams
Subject: [BIRDING-AUS] Taman Negara, Malaysia
Hi all,
I have just had a work trip to Malaysia and wangled a 4 day break in
the
middle. With the choice of cheap shopping, birding or cultural travel I
did a bit of all.
First, if you are lucky enough to get to Malaysia at the moment the
exchange rate makes buying a digital camera something you should do
when
you get there, rather than duty free in Melbourne. Right now you can
get
one for just about 50 percent of the Melbourne duty free price.
And then, there is the birding!! I went to Taman Negara which is a rain
forest national park in central Malaysia. There are three options for
accommodation. First is the Mutiara resort, which is very expensive.
Next is the little village (Kampung) across the river which is cheap
and
good from what I was told. I went further up river to a place called
Nusa Camp. This was basic, cheap and good.
It is "further" though! To get to Taman Negara you first do a three
hour
bus trip from KL. Then you get in a beautiful, long, wood canoe that is
2 people wide and takes 20 passengers, so it is about 12 meters long
with an outboard on the back. The river trip is 3 hours to the Mutiara
Resort and then another 15 minutes to Nusa Camp, and there is no way
off
or out. So it is wise to remember your parents admonition before you
got
in the car to go on a family trip "have you been to the bathroom?"
I am told that at the Mutaira it was full of very noisy tourists; but I
am also told none but the keenest went more than 500 metres from the
bar. At Nusa camp there were only about 8 guests at any time so, I had
miles and miles of trails all to myself and saw over 60 species of
birds. Sunbirds were everywhere but maybe the most startling bird was
the Fiery Minivet. It really is Fiery in colour, especially when seen
in
the full sunlight. Swifts were everywhere and while I heard Great Argus
calling all the time I could never get close to one due to the
thickness
of the jungle.
Hornbills were not common and I did better with those on my last trip
when I went to Fraser Hill for the weekend.
Bird of the trip? Probably the Green Broadbill because it is bright
green all over and looks just like a little round ball of electric
green
radiance.
Moral dilemma for the trip?
Well, back in the hotel in KL a Red Junglefowl arrived in a secluded
little corner of the garden. It was obviously an escapee as it had a
band on one leg. It had probably escaped from the KL Birdpark which is
a
flight cage where most birds are free flying under a cover of heavy
mesh. It covers some 3 to 5 hectares and is some 2 K from the hotel as
the chook flies. Now, this escaped bird was within its normal range,
was
free flying and looked nothing like a domestic chook. In Victoria we
count Cape Barron Geese and Magpie Geese that have probable been
captive
bred and released, it is just that my Junglefowl had not been bred for
release, it had obviously flown the coop, was AWOL.
So, what to do? It was and is a free flying bird within it its normal
range, was not a hybrid, was not domestic, was not dead and was not
captive. I still have not claimed it for my list, but …..
Anyway, the trip to Nusa Camp was wonderful and I highly recommend it
to
anyone who is going to have at least 4 days spare for birding in
Malaysia.
Jen
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