Species Highlights of this Trip
- Asian Glossy Starling
- Malayan Night Heron
- Cachar Bulbul
- Oriental Pied Hornbill
- Leopard Cat
- Green Imperial Pigeon
We started the Trip from Dhaka City on a Thursday Night and arrived Kaptai, Rangamati quite early in the Morning. Visibility was great and sun was out smiling. We wanted to check out a quick and reliable spot where Asian Glossy Starlings come to feed off of a Banyan Tree. It was breeding season so the birds kept coming, quickly grabbing fruits and flying off to their nests shortly again. We watched them for some time and took nice photos. We found their nests also afterwards, inside holes and crevices of a nearby Buddhist monastery. Which was also used by several Pigeons and House Sparrows for nesting. It was Beautiful, prayer goers didn’t bother the birds at all.
After spending about Two Hours seeing and Photographing the Asian Glossy Starling, we had Breakfast & entered Kaptai National Park looking for the Elusive Malayan Night Heron, which was described as Ultra Shy and not seen before evening, and evening was much later. Anyway, we started walking along a dry stream and after few hundred metres, Boom. An Adult Malayan Night Heron landed in front of us, only about a 100m ahead. It was foraging and walking cautiously. We stopped and took photos, and slowly started to approach the Bird. It gave pretty good photo opportunities before suddenly flying away. While checking the flight photos, one of our team members found that a LEOPARD CAT out of nowhere leaped on the Heron to hunt it, that’s why it suddenly took off, but thankfully did not succeed. I could not see the Leopard Cat but seeing the Photos on Mr. Tanvir Ahmed’s camera were a treat.
We explored several streams looking for more Birds, but that was the driest season of the Year so Bird Activity was quite low. We found another Malayan Night Heron perched on a tree later. Other Highlights of the Day was Cachar Bulbul, White-bellied Erpornis, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Blue-naped Pitta, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Green Imperial Pigeon etc.
Later in the Afternoon, few more Birders joined us, they also Found the Original Malayan Night Heron and this Time we all got the Best Shots of the Day. It allowed us literally within 10m of it. We had fun photographing a Pied Hornbill carrying food to it’s nesting Hole and feeding it’s mate or chicks inside. We had a refreshing Swimming Session in Karnaphuli River and returned to Hotel at night. The Next day was more or less same so we returned to Dhaka Happy, with Two Lifers each.
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