Across the water She rows her makeshift canoe One stroke at a time.

The Kuala Baram Wetlands is my favourite place to go for bird photography in Miri. Located about 35 minutes’ drive from the city centre, the marshland has been hailed as a sanctuary for migrating birds from around the world. Kuala Baram Wetlands The wetlands’ total size is about 600 hectares consisting of mudflats, mangrove forests, salt pans, freshwater lakes and prawn and fish ponds. At the last ...

I have been doing bird photography for a few years and the black hornbill is a bird that I have encountered only a few times in Kuala Baram Wetlands area near the roundabout going to Brunei. The black hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus) is a sooty black bird of the hornbill family Bucerotidae. It can be found in Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Indonesiua, Thailand and Singapore. The ...

It was on the January 1 of this year that I encountered a lesser adjutant (秃鹳 in Chinese or Burung-Botak Kecil in Malay) for the first time in my life at Kuala Baram Wetlands. I viewed that as a great start to 2022! The Lesser Adjutants (Leptoptilos javanicus) are large wading birds in the stork family Ciconiidae that are found in South and South-east Asia. They ...

I see many dead trees all around Miri and I used to wonder why they are not cut down. But now I know why. Standing dead and dying trees are called “snags.”  Such trees occur as a result of disease, lightning, fire, animal damage, too much shade, drought, root competition, as well as old age. Many dead trees remain standing without posing a threat ...

Under the revised MCO 3.0, outdoor photography is not allowed. As an avid photographer,  I feel like my wings have been clipped. I am going to miss “shooting” my avian models. I am going to miss my outings to Piasau Boat Club, Piasau Nature Reserve, Kuala Baram Wetlands, Miri Central Park and Coco Cabana. It is very frustrating not being allowed ...

The Oriental darter or Indian darter (Anhinga melanogaster) is a cormorant-like waterbird with a long, slender, snakelike neck, and a straight, pointed bill. It can be found in tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. With its body submerged in water, it hunts for fish, darting its neck to impale the fish underwater, bringing it above the surface, tossing and juggling it before ...

Regarded as one of the noblest and most spectacular of all birds of prey, the peregrine falcon is reputed to be the world’s fastest bird as well as the fastest member of the animal kingdom, capable of reaching 200 miles per hour with its continuous powerful wingbeats. Its speed makes it a formidable hunter that preys on other birds in ...

I finally made a visit to Kuala Baram Wetlands at about 11am this morning with my wife after much procrastination. I have read about the wetlands being a bird-watching sanctuary as it is a haven for winter migrating birds. From Senadin, we drove to the Asean Bridge. After passing the Asean Bridge, we took the left exit at the roundabout, ...