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www.nst.com. In the 90s, a remarkable change began taking place in the international tourism industry. More and more travellers were looking for destinations of natural splendour.
The environmentally-conscious and nature-loving tourists were born. A new term was coined in an attempt to classify this new genre of mass travel – eco-tourism.
Whatever the definition, it is acknowledged that eco-tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the global travel industry. More and more people are travelling to enjoy nature, and among them are millions of birdwatchers.
In fact, some eco-tourism experts say that birdwatchers are the most significant niche within the entire eco-tourism industry.
In Malaysia, there are many birdwatching destinations, some famous ones and some lesser known.
One renowned place is the Kuala Selangor Nature Park which covers about 324 ha of secondary scrub, wetlands, inter-tidal mudflats and mangrove swamps. It is a bird sanctuary with about 160 species recorded here.
Run by the Malayan Nature Society, it features hides, paths, watch-towers and boardswalks with facilities for lectures and accommodation. The park, with its mixed mangrove forests, represents a habitat that has become scarce in recent years.
It is a key destination for birdwatchers who come to see the many species that exist only in this habitat, and the many migrants that flock to the mud-flats and swampy areas every year during the northern temperate winter months of October to March.
According to a park officer who does not wish to be named, the migratory bird season, which is normally around September, will see a wide variety flying in from as far as northern China and Siberia.
At the park, they are found in the man-made bird wading brackish lake in the centre. At the height of the season, about 100,000 birds converge at the park. Over the years, there has been an increase in their numbers – at least 140 species have been sighted.
The park is also home to a large colony of grey herons as well as host of other birds such as the lesser adjutant stork, purple heron and common kingfisher.
In Selangor, the Batang Berjuntai area is also a place where several species of birds frequent. These include the purple heron and the white-browed crake.
At Pulau Layang-Layang in Sabah, the brown booby are frequent visitors. They mainly feed off food which they find on the surface of the sea.
Their large size, big bill and bluish webbed feet make them easy to spot as they love hanging around the island embankment. However, just before the monsoon season begins, the birds flee to a safer and drier place to live.
The island is also home to thousands of migratory birds but with increasing development and human presence, their stopovers may be affected. As a compromise, a 100 sq metre artificial island is being built in the lagoon for the birds.
There are at least four species regularly seen on Pulau Layang-Layang – the brown booby, common brown noddy and two species of terns.
The seabird colony found at the west end of the island can be heard long before they are seen. The most abundant seabird is the sooty tern which is a medium sized bird with black upper parts, wings and head and a white belly.
Other seabirds seen at Layang Layang are the great crested tern, black-naped tern, brown noddy and brown booby.
At Sungai Kilim in Pulau Langkawi, it is the eagles which take centrestage. It is said that the name Langkawi was derived from the second syllable in the bird's name in Malay – helang – while kawi came from the island's famous marble, batu kawi.
At a specific location, there is a number of eagles roaming freely as if waiting for their meal of the day. It is the spot where tour boats make a stop and feed the magnificent birds of prey.
Not one, not two but they come in tens. On good days it is hundreds. One will easily spot three species – the white-bellied fish eagle, brahminy kite and the gigantic sea eagle.
By enjoying the beauty of our feathered friends, we can learn to appreciate their habitat, and the other creatures that share our environment.
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