N   02°00632
E 103° 04017' (WGS84)
Yong Peng Heronry
As the Crows Flies
Direction -128° 203.26.kms
 from my house
Terrain - Residential area Size of Birdable area -2x50 meters Distance to walk or trek -nil
Birding distance - Binoculars Special attire- nil   Other special mention- nil
Bird's life:- Bird species:- For budding birder :-
Imagine a place where wild birds and human living side by side of each other. Or imagine you open the door at the back of your house -hey presto!- hundreds of big birds flying around and the babies making all kind of noises.

To a stranger, seeing this Heronry in town is unbelievable. The main trunk road running north-south, the shop houses along this trunk road. Behind these shops on elevated land, the rear portion the land suddenly drops another 15 feet. There in this pool, filled with stagnant water, dotted with trunks of dead trees, plenty of nest. The bulk of which are Black capped Night Herons. Of course, they are joined in big numbers by the Purple Heron and some Egrets.
  The picture shows the row of shop houses towards the southern exit of Yong Peng town.

From this view, you could not imagine that there are flocks of wild birds residing just at the back of these shops.

 On one side - The shops along the Trunk Road and Yong Peng's  main thoroughfare.

 
     
This is the view from a spot far behind the shop houses. In fact looking from the edge and across the football field to watch the Heronry.   See the white colored shop houses? 

 

Herony- the other side a football field

   
  Birders and visitors would be standing on the roadside that divides the Heronry and the football field.  It was quite inconsiderate as the residents were using the roads as the same time.

Separating the football and the swamp, the link road of the housing estate
 
 

This is a picture of the heronry taken in March 2003.  Notice that the trees are bared and the place almost like an open empty swamp land.  The birds were making their nests on whatever branches that existed above the ground.

The scenes are quite different a year later - see picture below.

Picture of this little swampland.

 
  One more picture for our album.  Just make a note of the cars and terrace houses.  It also goes to show that the wild birds are perfectly comfortable with the presence of human activities and the noises created by the people and traffic.

Another view of curious birders.

 

The overall view - the football field, road and the swamp with birders
 
 

This place is officially declared as a protected sanctuary.  There are two such signboards to signify this fact.  One was placed behind the shop houses and the residential area.

Officially protected area.-a signboard

 
 

During our last visit to the place in late April 2004 we noticed that the population of Black-crowned Night Herons have reduced dramatically.  This has also thinned down the population of the whole colony.  Purple Herons were monopolizing this Heronry.  .

Purple Herons dominating the sanctuary with an occasional Night heron 

 

  
 
 

 

 

There was a row of trees behind these shop lots. 

A better view of the Heronry would be a stroll along this back lane.

 

 

The back lane

The Heronry as it was in April 2004 - overgrown in most part and devoid of bird life

Pictures by KHONG, text by Alice @ May2004
Another VWander photographic guide

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