jasnjohn's Nature Photography

Welcome to nature.jasnjohn.com. This site is dedicated to Malaysia's animal kingdom, where you can find an array of photos of subjects ranging from birds to lizards, bugs, butterflies, dragonflies and more.
To view photos of the various categories of life, you can click on the various menu buttons which will display a list of links for photographs of those species.
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International Bird Race 2008

20th - 21st June 2008

This weekend marked the 20th Anniversary of the International Bird Race in Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia.
Although we did not participate (again), we did help out with the MNS effort. Together with the education division, we led teams of school children (about 80) in learning about bird watching, taking them out on practical field trips, and also with a mini bird race.
We also took them on a 1hr jungle trek along the Bishop's Trail. We managed to get them all through without a single casualty of the leeches, and I believe the weekend was a great success as the youngsters enjoyed themselves and learnt a lot from the MNS team.
We did manage to get a bit of free time to go birding ourselves, starting off the day on Sunday with a lifer (thanks Bee Cheng!!).
While we wouldn't win the birdrace with such a short bird list, it wasn't a bad effort for a short stint.
Our Malaysian Bird Count now stands at 434 (actually, Jasmine's is about 445), and the year list now stands at 361.
Here is the list for the weekend:

Babbler, Black-Eared Shrike (Pteruthius melanotis)
Babbler, Buff-Breasted (Pellorneum tickelli) heard call
Babbler, Golden (Stachyris chrysaea)
Barbet, Black-Browed (Megalaima oorti)
Barbet, Fire-Tufted (Psilopogon pyrolophus)
Broadbill, Long-Tailed (Psarisomus dalhousiae)
Bulbul, Mountain (Hypsipetes mcclellandii)
Crow, Large-Billed (Corvus macrorhynchos)
Cuckoo, Oriental (Cuculus saturatus)
Cuckooshrike, Javan (Coracina javensis)
Dove, Little-Cuckoo (Macropygia ruficeps)
Eagle, Black (Ictinaetus malayensis)
Eagle, Blyths-Hawk (Spizaetus alboniger)
Eagle, Rufous-Bellied (Hieraaetus kienerii)
Fantail, White-Throated (Rhipidura albicollis)
Flowerpecker, Fire-Breasted (Dicaeum erythrorynchos)
Flycatcher, Little-Pied (Ficedula westermanni)
Flycatcher, Rufous-Browed (Ficedula solitaris)
Flycatcher, Verditer (Eumyias thalassina)
Flycatcher-Shrike, Bar-Winged (Hemipus picatus)
Fulvetta, Mountain (Alcippe peracensis)
Laughingthrush, Chestnut-Capped (Garrulax mitratus)
Laughingthrush, Chestnut-Crowned (Garrulax erythrocephalus)
Leafbird, Orange-Bellied (Chloropsis hardwickii)
Mesia, Silver-Eared (Leiothrix argentauris)
Minivet, Grey-Chinned (Pericrocotus solaris)
Minla, Blue-Winged (Minla cyanouroptera)
Niltava, Large (Niltava grandis)
Oriole, Black And Crimson (Oriolus cruentus)
Pigeon, Mountain-Imperial (Ducula badia)
Pigeon, Wedge-Tailed Green (Treron sphenura) LIFER, photo added (female)
Pipit, Paddyfield (Anthus rufulus)
Robin, Oriental Magpie (Copsychus saularis)
Shortwing, Lesser (Brachypteryx leucophrys) heard call
Sibia, Long-Tailed (Heterophasia picaodies)
Spiderhunter, Streaked (Aracnothera magna)
Sunbird, Black-Throated (Aethopyga saturata) male and female photos updated
Sunbird, Plain (Anthreptes simplex) photo updated
Swallow, Pacific (Hirundo tahitica)
Tailorbird, Mountain (Orthotomus cuculatus) heard call
Trogon, Red-Headed (Harpactes erythrocephalus) heard call
Warbler, Chestnut-Crowned (Seicercus castaniceps)
Yellownape, Greater (Picus flavinucha)
Yuhina, White-Bellied (Yuhina zantholeuca)

Endau Rompin

7th - 9th June 2008

This was our first trip to Endau Rompin. We joined in with the MNS organised trip, so, together with 18 others, we headed into the Endau Rompin National Park (taman negara) via 4x4 vehicles, taking approximately 2 hours to reach the park entrance.
It's a bummer having to pass through almost 45km of Palm Oil estates just to reach the forest edge, only to find that they're logging the Buffer-zone, thus, working towards reducing the forest size to that which has been protected as a national park.

Anyway, we all felt like we'd been in the ring with Mike Tyson upon arrival after bouncing around for 2 hours, but it was worth it.
Here is a video of our bridge crossing. This was actually taken on our way out of the park. The journey in was even more hairy as it was pouring with rain and the trails were extra slippery.

The park is in fairly good shape. Some areas of land have been converted to Rubber plantations, but the fauna looks quite healthy.
One of the highlights was that we managed to see a herd of wild Elephants, which was truly amazing. We were seperated by about 20ft, staring the bull in the eye. We didn't hang around too long, but soaked up the experience, as who knowns when we could witness such a thing again? After all of the time we've spent in the forests over the past few years, this is the very first time we've witnessed wild Elephants. Great stuff!!
The accomodation was pretty good too. We had electricity during the night which provided a bit of comfort in the form of a ceiling fan. The humidity was as close to saturation as possible. Our wet clothes never dried in the 3 days we were there, even though hanging in the direct sunlight for some time.
The birdlife was great. We managed (as a group) to clock up 103 species. Personally, we managed about 77, which included 3 lifers, which now pushes the count up to 433, with a yearlist of 359.

Babbler, Chestnut-Winged (Stachyris erythroptera)
Babbler, Horsefields (Malacocincla sepiarum)
Babbler, Moustached (Malacopteron magnirostre)
Babbler, Rufous-Crowned (Malacopteron magnum)
Babbler, Scaly-Crowned (Malacopteron cinereum)
Babbler, Striped-Tit (Macronous gularis)
Barbet, Blue-eared (Megalaima australis)
Bee-eater, Red-Bearded (Nyctyornis amictus)
Bluebird, Asian-Fairy (Irena puella)
Broadbill, Banded (Eurylaimus javanicus) photo added
Broadbill, Black-And-Red (Cymbirhynchus macrohynchus)
Broadbill, Black-And-Yellow (Eurylaimus ochromalus)
Broadbill, Green (Calyptomena viridis)
Bulbul, Buff-Vented (Lole olivacea) photo added
Bulbul, Cream-Vented (Pycnonotus simplex)
Bulbul, Grey-Bellied (Pycnonotus cyaniventris)
Bulbul, Olive-Winged (Pycnonotus plumosus)
Bulbul, Puff-Backed (Pycnonotus eutilotus)
Bulbul, Spectacled (Pycnonotus erythropthalmos)
Bulbul, Yellow-Bellied (Alophoixus phaeocephalus)
Coucal, Greater (Centropus sinensis)
Cuckoo, Drongo (Surniculus lugubris)
Cuckoo, Indian (Cuculus micropterus) photo added
Cuckoo, Plaintive (Cacomantis merulinus)
Drongo, Bronzed (Dicrurus aeneus)
Drongo, Greater-Racket-Tailed (Dicrurus paradiseus)
Fantail, Spotted (Rhipidura perlata) LIFER photo added
Flowerpecker, Crimson-Breasted (Prionochilus percussus)
Flowerpecker, Plain (Dicaeum concolor)
Flowerpecker, Yellow-Breasted (Prionochilus maculatus)
Flycatcher, Asian Paradise (Terpsiphone paradisi)
Flycatcher, Tickells Blue (Cyornis tickelliae)
Flycatcher, Verditer (Eumyias thalassina)
Flycatcher-Shrike, Bar-Winged (Hemipus picatus)
Flycatcher-Shrike, Black-Winged (Hemipus hirundinaceus)
Forktail, Chestnut-Naped (Enicurus ruficapillus)
Fulvetta, Brown (Alcippe brunneicauda) LIFER
Hornbill, Rhinoceros (Buceros rhinoseros)
Iora, Great (Aegithina lafresnayei) LIFER
Iora, Green (Aegithina viridissima)
Kingfisher, White-Throated (Halcyon smyrnensis)
Leafbird, Blue-Winged (Chloropsis cochinchinensis)
Leafbird, Greater-Green (Chloropsis sonnerati)
Malkoha, Chestnut-Breasted (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris)
Malkoha, Raffles (Phaenicophaeus chlorophaeus)
Malkoha, Red-Billed (Phaenicophaeus javanicus)
Minivet, Scarlet (Pericrocotus flammeus)
Monarch, Black-Naped (Hypothymis azurea)
Munia, White-Rumped (Lonchura striata)
Myna, Hill (Gracula religeosis)
Needletail, Silver-Rumped (Rhaphidura leucopygialis)
Nuthatch, Velvet-Fronted (Sitta frontalis)
Oriole, Dark-Throated (Oriolus xanthonotus)
Parrot, Blue-Crowned Hanging (Loriculus galgulus)
Philentoma, Rufous-Winged (Philentoma pyrhopterum)
Pigeon, Little-Green (Treron olax)
Pigeon, Pink-Necked Green (Treron vernans)
Pigeon, Thick-Billed Green (Treron curvirostra)
Robin, Oriental Magpie (Copsychus saularis)
Shama, White-Rumped (Copsychus malabaricus) photo updated Show Video
Spiderhunter, Grey-Breasted (Arachnothera modesta)
Spiderhunter, Little (Aracnothera longirostra)
Spiderhunter, Spectacled (Aracnothera flavigastra)
Sunbird, Plain (Anthreptes simplex)
Sunbird, Purple-Naped (Hypogramma hypogram)
Swallow, Pacific (Hirundo tahitica)
Tailorbird, Common (Orthotomus sutorius)
Tailorbird, Dark-Necked (Orthotomus atrogularis)
Tailorbird, Rufous-Tailed (Orthotomus sericeus)
Treeswift, Grey-Rumped (Hemiprocne longipennis)
Trogon, Scarlet-Rumped (Harpactes duvaucelii)
White-Eye, Everetts (Zosterops everetti)
Woodpecker, Banded (Picus mineaceus)
Woodpecker, Crimson-Winged (Picus puniceus)
Woodpecker, Grey-And-Buff (Hemicircus concretus)
Woodpecker, Orange-Backed (Reinwardtipicus validus)
Yuhina, White-Bellied (Yuhina zantholeuca)

In addition to the birds, we also took this photo of a squirrel.
Squirrel, Plantain (Callosciurus notatus)

Bukit Sepang Destroyed

6th June 2008

Rainforest
Ah, the majestic Rain Forests of South East Asia.
The Equatorial region which has spawned millions of species of life forms which make the great machine that is our earth run smoothly.
From insects, fungus, reptiles, mammals, birds and plants in numbers you can't imagine, many species of which remain undiscovered.

Think about the above image for a moment.
Listen to the river flowing over those rocks,
hear the constant buzz of cicadas, insects, the songs of Gibbons, the calls of the Hornbills.
Try and picture Otters running along the banks, breathe in that pure air.
Imagine that in that great forest, Tigers prey on wild boar,
Elephants control the growth of saplings on their 3 month lap of the forest which they and their ancestors have trodden for centuries.
Termites are actively breaking down the fallen trees and foliage to ensure it doesn't build up.
Birds and primates are feeding on fruits and depositing seeds to spread the growth of the jungle.
Egrets and Kingfishers taking their feed of fish from the rivers and streams.
Deer feeding on small growth plants and ferns.
Bears feeding on combs of honey, gecko's feeding off insects, Tapir feeding on termites and anthills.

A fabulous never-ending cycle which has been on-going since before man arrived.

BUT........

The system is failing at a rapid rate. Forests are disappearing at an unprecedented rate.
We have written this to try and depict an understanding of the consequences behind the actions and decisions we as individuals make.

Below are images I took very recently (1st June 2008).
We were supposed to go to this area of known great forest to look for a particular species of bird known to be present there, but when we arrived, we were greeted with this heart-stopping sight.

Sights like this are not uncommon in Malaysia. Much of the forests in South East Asia, Africa and South America have already succumbed to such treatment to fuel our personal demands for timber products, and the use of products grown on the converted land.

This timber is used often used for:
Furniture (Tables, Chairs, Dining sets, beds etc...)
Housing materials (Doors, Window frames, Flooring)
Construction materials (plywood, roofing, pallets etc..)

Once used up, the land is converted into agricultural based businesses.
In the case of Malaysia/Indonesia/Thailand, the land will be converted into a monoculture (1 species) by planting Palm Oil trees.
Millions of hectares of Palm Oil plantations are now in operation throughout South East Asia, fueling the demand for edible oils and bio-fuels.
The Palm Oil tree is not native to South East Asia, it is introduced. Therefore, no animals or plants can adapt to this environment.
There is nothing that feeds or lives in these vast estates except for rats, snakes and domesticated livestock feeding on the grass.
Other forests around the world are cleared for Soya plantations, Live-stock pastures, Sugar, Coffee, Tobacco plantations etc..
With over 6 billion mouths to feed, the demand for food has never been greater, and the land required to fulfill those requirements is forever increasing in area. To the detriment of the forests.

With the destruction of this forest, the direct sunlight has dried up the soil, killed off the insects and fungus which enable the soil to be so fertile.
Birds now have no nesting sites, the mammals will most likely have been killed while the loggers were ripping through the land.
In effect, the system has died.

I walked alone, along this logging trail and the sound was eerily quiet. It was very disturbing, as one should be hearing the orchestral sounds of millions of living creatures but instead, I heard lone chirps from distant birds, perhaps wondering what on earth has just happened to their home.
You may ask why there are still trees standing when the loggers have already finished their job.
Well, look at what remains. There is little economic value in what is left, as the loggers are mainly interested in the high value old growth, the trees that are hundreds of years old.

The job is not yet complete. While standing at this point, I faced a stretch of rubber plantation (those tall skinny trees in the distance) that had spliced the original jungle, and from beyond, back into the main jungle, I could hear the constant roaring of huge diesel engines at work.
It's a really nasty sound to hear the huge Caterpillars and chainsaws at work, and to think that the rate at which they can destroy swathes of forest is unimaginable.

So what will become of this land?
Most probably, the Caterpillars will gather up all remaining trees and cuttings into huge piles, and the whole lot will be burnt, releasing thousands of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, and choking millions of people. It's illegal to do such things here in Malaysia, but it is still done, as is the case with our neighbour, Indonesia.

Consider every large tree felled. A fraction of those trees can support the nesting requirements for Malaysia's prized Hornbills.
And while the numbers of these great birds still appears to be quite healthy, we will see in a short period the numbers falling to grossly endangered levels.
These birds are capable of living up to 30+ years old, so today's destruction of forests will result in a drop in numbers of these birds in the coming years, where less reproduction has taken place.

Believe it or not, but this area, known as Bukit Sepang is actually a Permanent Forest Reserve. But in Malaysia, as you can see, this holds little or no meaning in terms of conservation.
The only form of protection a forest can gain here, is to be raised to the status of a National Park.
Malaysia has few such parks, and whilst one can visit them, one can feel that they span for miles upon miles, the truth is that on the whole scale of things, they're actually quite small islands of rain forests which have been granted protection, surrounded by much larger areas of Palm Oil plantations.

While living in the West, you may not know how much forest remains in South East Asia. You may think that there's still plenty of it, and we should start being concerned in a few more decades. Well, I'm sorry to say that the world's richest forests have just about gone.
Take Borneo for instance (synonymous with pristine virgin jungle), where vast areas of wonderful forests have disappeared and been replaced with Palm Oil plantations.
It's irreversible (in our life time and many generations that follow) I'm sorry to say.

So why am I writing this?

1) to get it off my chest, as it's still a fresh open wound
2) to try and raise awareness to those who do not see the savages of man on a daily basis
3) to try and provide an understanding of the consequences of buying into the products which come from such environmental destruction

I'm not sure how this will leave you feeling, having read this far, but it must be understood that the countries playing host to the worlds richest natural resources are often some of the poorest, so you must appreciate that what appears to be their "savagery" is no more than a means to an end when it comes to economic growth.
I often feel like blaming the Malaysian government for permitting such destruction, but ultimately, a demand is present, and that demand can be supplied.
Take away that demand, and the supply will have to stop too. Whether it be demand for timber products or Palm Oil additives.

So, think twice about that nice hardwood flooring, think again about whether you need that garden furniture, that lovely Teak dining set, that lovely Mahogany dining table. The above pictures depict exactly where it has come from.

"But the shop says it's from sustainable sources", you might say.

Rain Forests can't be planted, they're not planned or designed by man. You can't perfect nature or replicate it's complexity.
You NEVER see a plantation of hardwood trees. It takes hundreds of years for them to mature, so it is not an investment many would be willing to make.
Some forests are set aside for regenerative purposes, so that trees can be pulled out once matured, but as I have just highlighted, Rain Forests can't tolerate interference from man.
Take the above photos as an example. If the government were to set aside this land for regenerative purposes, you can see already that the majority of living organisms have vanished, therefore, the rainforest will not operate as a living organism such as those few precious primary forests remaining, those that support the millions of life-forms I mentioned in the first paragraph.

So, sustainable sources are a myth when it comes to tropical timbers, and you should be cautious about buying into such notions.

Thanks for reading, and I hope it has raised at least some awareness of what the timber trade and edible oils business is doing to our environment here in Malaysia. Don't let this mail stop you from visiting. Eco-tourism is on the increase, and with enough pressure placed in the right places, we may be able to turn this mess around as the economy gains from the increased interest in the amazing diversity of this wonderful place.