Early migrant arrival

 And so the count has begun.

My first visit to Bukit Kiara since it re-opened following the recent lengthy lockdown, I was almost immediately greeted by this dark plummage bird that flew across my path, that I guessed immediately to be a migrant visitor going by its unmistakable tail, and I was happily right.

The Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris) has been a regular visitor to the bukit for the past years but this is the first time I recorded such an early arrival in August.

Being of seemingly black colour, it's not really sought after by photographers although it's relatively easy to photograph as it could be rather sedentary if undisturbed.

01/2021

Get it at the right angle, it displays a lovely metallic sheen.

And it also has striking white bars in its undertail which I was not able to capture this time as the bird was rather skittish this time, perhaps because I was pursuing it.