Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

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moloch
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Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by moloch »

My wife and I spent four nights at Fraser's Hill. This area is situated about 100 km to the north of Kuala Lumpur and is about 1500m in elevation. The temperature at Fraser's Hill is always pleasant and is a welcome relief after a few days in steamy KL. It often was misty with low clouds and occasional rain but it was not cold. I could walk quite comfortably in shorts and t-shirt into the night.

Fraser's Hill is famous with birders for its amazing birds. Birding is a big deal here and there is an international bird race every June. The infrastructure is great with well-marked trails and often signs that indicated what was likely to be seen. The mountains in Malaysia are home to a number of birds that are more typical of the Himalayas further to the northwest. Birds like Sibias, Cutias and Laughing-thrush are here and sought after. Monkeys like such as the Macaques, Leaf-Monkeys and Siamang are frequent. Years ago, while I drove around looking for night birds, I found a Leopard Cat on the road. This is one of the smaller cats and is not much bigger than the domestic variety.

Fraser's Hill is mostly forested. Here are habitat shots of the area:
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There is plentiful hotel and bungalow accommodation here. This is a popular place on the weekends so advance bookings are a good idea.
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We stayed here at Pekan Banglo:
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The local mosque is something all visitors know about. The first call to prayer is at 5:15 each morning. For me, this was a call go get out and get into the forest before sunrise.
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Most of the trailheads had signs and maps like this to help out with the birds that were likely:
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We did not have a car here on this trip so I did lots of walking at night. This proved to be successful and I found a few snakes.

A sad find was this gorgeous but DOR Blue Malaysian Coral Snake (Maticora bivirgata). It was killed around 1 pm, which was quite surprising since this is usually a nocturnal snake. This individual was huge and about 1.5m in length.
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I found this Thai-Malayan Pit Viper (Popeia fucata) on the road on one of my night walks. I originally thought this to be a White-lipped Pit Viper but I was told on another site that the White-lipped is a lowland species whereas Popeia lives in the uplands.
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This Variable Reed Snake (Calamaria lumbricoidea) was a challenge to photograph since it never stopped moving.
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I found two of these tiny Malayan Mountain Reed Snakes (Macrocalamus lateralis) on the road.
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This Southern Mountain Slug Snake (Pareas vertebralis) was active during a rainstorm one night.
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Lizards were represented by a couple of skinks and a single dragon. I think the following are Blotched Forest Skinks (Sphaenomorphus praesignis). These were all found along road cuts and usually had burrows into the bank. One was found on a log.
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I think that these are (Mabuya multifasciata) but I am not certain.
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This little dragon was a bright green until I caught it and moved it off the road. It changed colours in just a few moments when it was stressed. I am not certain of its identity. Any ideas?
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Frogs were not plentiful but I did see a few. I need help with these since I don’t know their names.

Frog 1:
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Frog 2:
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Frog 3:
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Frog 4:
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Toad 1
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… more to come


Regards,
David
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MHollanders
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by MHollanders »

Cool post. Do you have any bird shots to post?

Later, Matt
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rosy-man
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by rosy-man »

great stuff
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moloch
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by moloch »

Thanks, guys.

Matt,
I did not really try for bird photos. This is one of the few that I took of a lovely Silver-eared Mesia:
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Birding is Malaysia is excellent. On this trip, I was looking more for butterflies and herps so my list was not as long as before. Here is a link to a report that I produced the last time that I visited this area:
http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/trip ... sia98.html

Does anyone know the purpose of the red tail on the green pit vipers of Asia?

Here are some of the inverts that I encountered.

I found this trilobite beetle (Lycidae, I think) along a trail before sunrise. It had two spots phosphorescent spots on the abdomen. I saw two green "lights" moving around on the forest floor and found then found this amazing creature.
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I was lucky to see the following spider one night. It apparently is a rare and primitive trap-door strange abdominal plates. I saw legs beneath a rock so teased it with a stem of grass. It did not take long for it to charge into the open. Elsewhere, I was told that this is probably Liphistius malayanus. Here is a link to more info about it:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?fi ... sec=nation
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I found several tarantulas but I could not convince any of them to come out into the open for better photos:
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One of the odd jewel spiders.
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An odd looking harvestman:
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This huge Rhinoceros Beetle visited a street light one night. I only saw this single horned male but several unhorned females.
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I discovered that some ways of holding this beetle were not a good as others. Many years ago, I let one walk on my arm. It suddenly clamped down with its grappling-hook toes and I had many little puncture wounds that were bleeding. On this visit, I held it at the articulation of the head and thorax but ended up with an impaled thumb when the beetle suddenly elevated its head.
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... a huge Dung Beetle:
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Regards,
David
Paul White
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by Paul White »

!!! That's a hell of a wound from a bug. Ouch.
great pictures
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Viridovipera
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by Viridovipera »

Nice find on the Popeia! I'd guess the purpose of the tail is a caudal lure, however as most of the species hang from low-hanging vegetation, I could be wrong. The natural history of these snakes is sadly lacking in the scientific press.

Any thoughts Hans? I know you'll be reading this beautiful thread.
DavidG
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by DavidG »

Great pictures!

Yep, they are mabuya multifasciata
The grey lizard that was green is a green crested lizard (Bronchocela cristatella).

Frog 1 – rhinoceros frog Limnonectes plicatellus, Frog 2 – Four-lined tree frog Polypedates leucomystax, Frog 3 – Malayan treehole frog Metaphrynella pollicaris, Frog 4 – Poisonous rock frog Odorrana hosii, Toad 1 – River toad Phrynoidis aspera

Also, the trilobite beetle is in fact a firefly larvae, not a trilobite.

Wow that wound must have hurt considering its from a bug O_o!

Thankyou, David
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moloch
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by moloch »

Thanks very much, guys.

David,
I really appreciate the help with the identifications. What reference do you use? I only have "A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand".

Also, I am adding a link here to your post. The colour of the juvenile Variable Reed Snake is amazing and worth viewing again. I would be concerned about touching it since it does resemble the coral.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=402

Have you ever seen Red-headed Kraits? They also look to be beautifully coloured.


Regards,
David
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Thanks for a great series - the Sundaland area truly never lets the naturalist down....

Did you find most snakes sitting in the road, or by the trailside or in trees/ditches, too?
Viridovipera wrote:Nice find on the Popeia! I'd guess the purpose of the tail is a caudal lure, however as most of the species hang from low-hanging vegetation, I could be wrong. The natural history of these snakes is sadly lacking in the scientific press.
Any thoughts Hans? I know you'll be reading this beautiful thread.
I sure am! The Taiwanese representative of that large and cryptic Green Tree Viper complex, Viridovipera s. stejnegeri, also has a brown, worm-like tail end, and it's widely believed here to be indeed a caudal lure to attract worm-eating frogs.
DavidG
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by DavidG »

Hi David,

No worries about the id's, in fact i love idying south east asian species :D . I'll help with these kind of id's anytime, just not those from other parts of the worlds as im not familiar with snakes other then those from south east asia haha.

Basically i use myself as a source because i lived in Singapore for 10 years so i know my snakes in the surrounding areas. But, a friend of mine (although older than me) has the following great website which has recently had some updates to it: http://www.ecologyasia.com/
Than the group is volunteer with has published the following book: http://www.dracopublishing.com/en/draco ... 810594596/
As you can see, again Nick Baker from ecology asia helped publish this book. Kelvin Lim is collections manager at the raffles museum of biodiversity of Singapore.
Next year Dr. Tzi Ming Leong is publishing a book based on all the surveys carried out by a lot of fantastic volunteers (im also a volunteer), and the great people mentioned above. Together we form the vertebrate study group.
Than theres other books and websites that you may encounter such as http://singaporesnakes.blogspot.com/ which hasnt been updated in a while but is still good.
Books like snakes and other reptiles of borneo and frogs of borneo are also fantastic considering the fact that borneo is home to most animals you may encounter in west malaysia, singapore, and other islands in indonesia.
When im not sure of an id i like to compare pictures to my own if i have any if a similar species.
Finally, i memorize the pictures of the animals so that if i cant id the animal immediately i may remember the source/email where i found a similar looking animal.
Hope the sources help :thumb:

Haha you didnt have to link me in your post ;) , but than again it does fit in quite nicely.

Nope i have not seen red headed kraits before, in fact i havent even seen the blue-malayan coral snake yet :shock: :cry: :(
If anyone ever needs a herping buddy in singapore btw just send me a mail lol cos im probably one of the few herpers on this island :lol: and it would be fun to help others finding stuff here ;) .

*Seperate message to all flippers in Singapore incase they read this forum*
Sadly though today i discovered that im not the only one. You may be thinking why am i sad about it? Well because whoever that other person is has been flipping and not putting back all the logs etc. Worst of all, you cannot find reptiles or amphibians in Singapore and the surrounding countries by flipping. Maybe if you flip a million logs you discover a brahimny blind snake but really in this region that method is non-existant. On the other hand no you may be thinking, who cares than if logs are not replaced? Well underneath the logs in Singapore is a whole new ecosystem based mainly upon termites which are in fact necesarry for some herps, because the recently rediscovered white-spotted cat snake lays eggs in termite nests. So if whoever has been flipping here and not been putting back logs, please start putting therm back and dont waste your time, stop flipping lol.

Thankyou,

David
urodacus_au
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by urodacus_au »

Awesome David! The Popeia and the primitive trap door were stand outs. I find the arboreal vens really interesting, we have nothing like them over here unfortunately ;)

Cheers
Jordan
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Cole Grover
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by Cole Grover »

David,

Your posts never disappoint. Never. The Maticora is glorious - too bad it was dead... though that probably made it easier to photograph! Thanks for the good show (again)! Keep 'em coming!

-Cole
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moloch
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by moloch »

Thanks, all.

Hans,
They do have drains like those in your photos from Taiwan. I hoped to herp like you and had visions of kraits and vipers. Unfortunately, they were not good at the moment. I suppose that during the wet they might have been productive but at the moment, I found a few crickets and a toad ... a little light on my expectations.

I found all of the snakes (except the DOR coral) simply by walking the roads at night. Normally, I would have gone night driving but I did not have a car on this visit.


Thanks for all the info, David. I have seen Nick's site before and it is a good one. Your idea of using the Borneo books is also a good one. I had not previously seen the singaporesnakes blog. It is great! Thanks. I hope to get back again next year in Feb or Mar.


Thanks, Jordan and Cole.

Regards,
David
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moloch
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Moths, Fraser's Hill

Post by moloch »

I found an Atlas Moth (Attacas atlas) one night. What an incredible moth! It was huge and you can get an idea of the size by looking at the pavers where it is standing.
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Lyssa zampa were abundant at the moment. They are uraniids but are nocturnal unlike those that I have seen here in Australia and Peru.
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Arctiids were common. I quite like this Snouted Tiger (Peridrome orbicularis?):
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Vamuna remelana -- another arctiid
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Cyana malayensis -- arctiid
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Barsine flavodiscalis -- arctiid
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Some moths had very oddly shaped wings:
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This moth looked much like a Lycaenid butterfly. I think that it is Tasta micacaeta.
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Urapteroides sp
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These Noctuiids were feeding on crushed figs.
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Geometrids?
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Sphinx Moths were numerous.
Ambulyx obliterata?
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?Cechenena lineosa?
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DavidG
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by DavidG »

Hi David,

:thumb: Sounds great! You must visit the area again and come back with such amazing shots :D

Sorry im no moth expert but i know that those indeed are geometrids and they can also be found here in singapore.

Thanks,

David
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moloch
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by moloch »

Thanks, David.

Fraser's Hill is a popular place with the lep photographers. Diversity and numbers of butterflies are high. The most spectacular species that I observed was the Rajah Brooke's Birdwing. These are huge swallowtails with black and glistening green wings and with patches of red on their bodies. They are a gorgeous in flight. Unfortunately, I only saw them flying over but they will stop to puddle at times.

Here are some of the others that I encountered:

Black-tipped Archduke (Lexias dirtea) -- male and female. These have dark clubs on their antennae.
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Archduke (Lexias pardalis) -- similar to the above species but with yellow clubs on their antennae.
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Common Earl (Tanaecia julii) -- Brown butterflies with blue-edged lower wings seems to be a common pattern in Malaysia.
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Blue Admiral (Rhinopalpa polynice) -- resembled Mourning Cloaks in form, size and behaviour.
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Commander (Moduza procris) -- in flight, a little like Sister or Admiral Butterflies in the mountains of southern California.
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Redspot Duke (Dophla evelina) -- big, powerful Nymphalids.
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Branded Yeoman (Paduca fasciata)
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Map-wing (Cyrestis maenalis) -- one of several species found in Malaysia.
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Dark Blue Jungle Glory (Thaumantis klugius) -- these are Asian members of the morpho tribe. They behave a little like Owl Butterflies and are crepuscular.
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Malay Tailed Judy (Abisara savitri) -- a metalmark
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Spotted Sawtooth (Prioneris thestylis) -- a large and beautiful pierid.
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Redbase Jezabel (Delias pasithoe) -- another beautiful pierid. This was a common species but they tended to remain high in the canopy.
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Orange Emigrant (Catopsilia scylla)
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Lesser Gull (Cepora nadina)
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Psyche (Leptosia nina)
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Danaidae were also common. One of my favourites was the huge Tree Nymph whose wings seemed to be too large for the body. They just floated along effortlessly with hardly a wingbeat.
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Yellow Glassy Tiger (Parantica aspasia)
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Chocolate Tiger (Parantica agleoides)
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Great Helen (Papilio iswara)
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Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon)
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The Quaker (Neopithecops zalmora)
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dezertwerx
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by dezertwerx »

great herp pics.
Brian Eagar
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by Brian Eagar »

Very nice Moloch. What a cool place that looks to be to visit.
That Malaysian coral was a beautiful snake. Too bad it was dead.
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Martti Niskanen
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by Martti Niskanen »

Great post again. I was aching to go to Malaysia and this isn't making it any easier. The Calliophis is amazing!

edit: Oh, and the Macrocalamus was a lovely find.
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moloch
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by moloch »

Thanks, guys. Malaysia is well worth a visit.

Here are a few shots from Kuala Lumpur. KL is a big, modern city that appears to be booming. There is so much building underway. My wife and I stayed at Hotel Istana right in the city centre and I would highly recommend it. It is easy to walk at from there to see the various sights such as the amazing Petronas Towers (or KLCC building).
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There was a park at the base of the towers and I wandered over here since it was about the only patch of green in the city centre. I saw a few birds and about 15 species of butterflies in the gardens.
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Shining Starling:
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I found a board and "flipped" this to find a frog and toad:
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Dragonflies:
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To my tastes, Malay food is the best of all. It is so much better than the western rubbish that we normally eat. This was Nasi Lemak, what I ate for breakfast on most days:
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Regards,
David
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Carl Koch
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by Carl Koch »

Wow -- really fantastic photography, David, and such a huge number of incredible creatures. That DOR coral is stunning...that's been one of my favorite herps of all time ever since I saw a photo of one in an article by Chris Mattison. Your leps were a treat, as well, and that rhino beetle...amazing! Thanks for a killer post and killer follow-ups!

Carl
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jordo
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by jordo »

Top pics as always, love the dragon fly shots you got :)
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Rags
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Re: Malaysia, Fraser's Hill

Post by Rags »

Great post. The frog near the end of the post looks like a grass frog (also called Field frog) Fejervarya limnocharis- and the toad looks like an Asian toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus.

I was really interested to hear about Frasers Hill. We were in Malaysia a couple of years back and a some of the newspapers ran stories on how run down the area had become. I know its always been popular with birders but it sounds as if its turned around again. Good to hear you had such a productive time.

The butterfly IDs on your photos have been really helpful too as I fell well short on the identification of the ones we photographed. I would have to say Malaysia is THE place for butterflies.

Your shot of Petronas at night is a good one. Thanks for posting this report, I really enjoyed it. (anymore to come?)
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