PUTRAJAYA may be known as Malaysia’s federal administrative capital but that is not all that this modern city has to offer.
Apart from the government buildings, architectural bridges and parks, the city is also a paradise for birds.
The Putrajaya Wetlands Park is now home to nearly 2,000 water birds from almost 200 species.
The man-made wetland was actually constructed to treat pollutants coming from the upstream areas of the Putrajaya Lake’s catchment.
Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) Ecology and Hydrology Management Unit of the Environment, Lake and Wetland Section head assistant director Normaliza Noordin said that trees such as banyan and fig helped to clear the pollution in the water.
Grey Heron can be easily identified with its grey upperparts of the wings and long yellow beak.
“This had enabled us to breed freshwater fish such as kelah and temoleh that requires good quality water and a healthy habitat to survive,” she said.
As the ecosystem grows, more and more species of birds have made the park their home.
StarMetro visited one of top spots to observe the birds at the Upper Bisa 1 in Precinct 16.
There are two big islands and one smaller island that housed at least 500 birds from three species.
The islands were named after the trees planted on it, such as Fig Island, Sea Hibiscus Island and Ficus Island.
Birds such as the purple heron, grey heron and black-crowned night heron can be seen in this area.
One can lose track of time just observing the birds’ antics.
A breeding pair of Purple Heron greet each other at their nest.
Some birds were preparing their nests, others were busy looking for food while some were just wading in the shallow waters.
The wetland is also a popular spot for migratory birds.
“We can usually see migratory birds from the north stopping by from September to December,” she said.
Since 2004, at least 50 species of migratory birds have stopped by in Putrajaya.
In 2015, they found six new migratory birds species in the wetland such as green-backed flycatcher, Germain’s swiftlet, Himalayan swiftlet, two-barred warbler, asian paradise flycatcher and osprey.
She added that some migratory bird species, such as heron and egret, have made the wetland their home.
“From our observation, we are of the opinion the birds may have found the wetland to have an abundance of food and that it feels safe for them,” said Normaliza.
It is not easy to find so many different species of water birds together in a bustling township.
She said that the birds in the wetland may not be exotic birds, however with Putrajaya being a bustling city, it is not common to see such birds in a busy area.
PPj has hired Alam Sekitar Malaysia Sdn Bhd to record the data of the birds in the wetland.
Its wildlife surveyor, Mike Chong said that the birds breed throughout the year.
“Usually, if you go to Kuala Selangor, the breeding season is seasonal but here, they take turns to breed,” he said.
He explained that the birds would share their nests on top of the trees, and once the chicks were able to fly, they would switch places and head to the lower branches.
“Also perhaps because of the space confinement, one nest would have up to three hatchlings.
“Usually there are only two hatchlings in a nest,” he said.
Predatory monitor lizards can sometimes be seen in the area as their main food source is either fish or hatchlings.
Normaliza said they had been keeping track of the data since 2011, however, it was only for water birds.
“We only have the data for water birds because we are focussing on the wetland.
“I am sure the number of bird species would be more if there is a forest bird data for Putrajaya,” she said.
If visitors would like to visit the Upper Bisa 1, they can park their vehicle at the Putra Square parking lot and walk about 2km along the lake until they reach the islands.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2016/02/18/flocking-to-the-city-migratory-birds-find-putrajaya-wetlands-parks-ecosystem-a-healthy-habitat-for-t/
