Soraya Jamal, Bernama 24 Mar 10;
TANJUNG TUAN, March 24 (Bernama) -- Not many among us are aware that the raptors or birds of prey are the direct descendants of the velociraptors (the voracious dinosaurs with bird-like hips that walked on two legs featured in the 'Jurassic Park' movies).
And, in Melaka's Tanjung Tuan, formerly known as Cape Rachado, thousands of these birds can be seen circling majestically overhead on their incredible journey back to their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere.
Raptors have been using this promontory for thousands of years to cross over the Melaka Straits and this annual migration is definitely one of nature's spectacular events. Truly, it is a sight to behold that takes place every March over the protected forest area of Tanjung Tuan.
The birds of prey are not the only avian species that could be observed over Tanjung Tuan at this time of the year as there are also migratory bee-eaters, swifts and wagtails that could be seen heading north.
RAPTOR WATCH
To mark the return of these birds of prey and raise awareness on the conservation of raptors and their habitat, the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) has been organising the Raptor Watch weekend annually since year 2000.
It has become the biggest and most widely attended public event for MNS, attracting visitors from all over the world for a mere two-day period.
The chairman MNS' Bird Conservation Council Mohd Rafi Kudus says raptors are birds of prey (such as hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures and owls) and are highly mobile, wide-ranging, area sensitive land-based predators.
Raptors are large carnivorous birds. They have many adaptations for hunting other animals including having light wings, acute vision, hooked beaks and large sharp talons.
Many originate from the cold northern hemisphere and can be found in the forests of Siberia, northern China, Mongolia, Japan and Korea.
MIGRATION
The act of migration is influenced by the availability of food sources and climate. During the northern winter, when food resources in their breeding range are scarce, raptors migrate to other areas where food is more readily available.
A very interesting fact is that these raptors are highly territorial in their own habitats.
Each requires several square kilometre as their personal hunting ground. Yet, in the migratory season, they would gather into flocks numbering over thousands and fly over the open seas to warmer destinations.
Raptors can fly over long distances.
To do so, they cruise at high altitudes and make use of the thermals, or warm air rising to gain height before gliding. That way, they do not have to flap their wings much and are able to conserve energy.
Raptors migrate during the day and require thermals to travel efficiently.
This is the primary reason why Tanjung Tuan is the focal point for raptor migration. The warm air rising from Tanjung Tuan means the birds can rise, and they circle as they gain height.
It also offers the shortest crossing from Peninsular Malaysia to Sumatra over the Melaka straits and vice versa.
FLYING GRACEFULLY UP CLOSE
However, many would reach the Malaysian mainland utterly exhausted. Some birds do not make it. Some fall into the sea and drown while others die from starvation or exhaustion and some, unfortunately, are shot.
As they approach the Malaysian coast, the birds lost height, and have to flap their wings in order to reach land. Because they come in so low, bird watchers have a chance to see them flying gracefully up close.
As there are no thermals at night or on wet days, this is when they rest and feed.
MNS head of communication, Anthony Sebastian says visitors can expect to view five main species of migratory raptors around Tanjung Tuan after the birds crossed the straits.
They are the Oriental Honey-Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus), Black Baza (Aviceda leuphotes), Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis), Chinese Goshawk (Accipiter soloensis) and the Grey-faced Buzzard (Butastur indicus).
The best time to watch these raptors is between 11am and 3pm.
The main negatives are rain, haze or a change in wind direction. On some days, more than 3,000 birds are recorded passing over a period of six to seven hours.
This year, the MNS volunteers at the Tanjung Tuan's lighthouse spotted some 33,806 raptors over a 21-day period from February 21 to March 14 compared to 37,176 birds spotted over a 65-day period last year.
The MNS monitor these birds passing through and the data would be carefully recorded and posted on www.worldbirds.org/malaysia where it will be validated by skilled birders.
The website also serves as a tool for Malaysian birders to share their sightings of birds. MNS is the first in South East Asia to launch this database.
ENVIRONMENT HEALTH INDICATOR
MNS president, Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor says it is extremely important to conserve raptors because since the birds exist at the top of many food chains, their populations are especially sensitive to the alterations in ecosystem structure and energy flow.
As a result of this factor, raptors are relatively good indicators of the health of the environment and food chain.
For example, the decline of the Brahminy Kite (a resident raptor in Malaysia) population is intricately linked to the disappearance of the mangrove habitat.
Raptors currently face a variety of human threats, most notably the loss of natural habitat and consequent decline in prey availability.
They are also threatened by the widespread use of pesticides, shooting, tapping and the wildlife trade.
Dr Salleh says bird watching is one of the oldest and most popular hobbies in the world, and there are thousands of birders who enjoy watching their feathered friends and willing to spend thousands to pursue this hobby.
"Eco-tourism is a US$60 million a year industry. Raptor watch is a truly unique event and definitely one of the best eco tourism in Malaysia.
The local economy, especially the local hotels and resorts have both benefited from the event," he says.
TANJUNG TUAN
Tanjung Tuan has been listed as an important raptor site by various international bird organisations and also by the National Geographic Society.
Apart from gawking at the raptors overhead, visitors will be able to embark on short nature walks into the forest and the mangrove in order to have a first hand encounter with the beauty of this last remaining coastal rainforest on the West Coast of Malaysia.
It is also home to small mammals and primates such as the shy silver-leafed monkey. Hawksbill and Olive Ridley turtles have been spotted playing off the shores and its quiet beaches are little-known turtle nesting grounds.
The coral reef surrounding the Tanjung Tuan peninsular is healthy and diverse too, in spite of the lack of clarity of the water.
Listed in the Directory of Important Bird Areas in Malaysia, Tanjung Tuan, together with 54 other sites in the Peninsula and East Malaysia, has been identified as key sites for conservation of biodiversity using birds as key indicators to gauge the health of the environment.
-- BERNAMA
