Bird- Kidnapping Incident Brings Birders And Simee Community Together

Junior with Mummy.... Oriental / Honey Crested Buzzard Torquatus race.

 A baby bird-kidnapping incident has brought the community of bird watchers and Simee residents together. 

Their close co-operation had enabled them to locate the baby Oriental / Honey Crested Buzzard expediently and enabling the young chick to be returned to its nest 3 hours after it was abducted.

The incident occurred on Sunday 14 March at the cross roads of the abandoned Silver Star Cinema in Simee Ipoh.

On a tree in front of the cinema perched approximately 30 meter atop on the upper branches a pair of Oriental / Crested Honey Buzzards Torquatos morph had built a nest to have their little Junior.

Daddy and Mummy. Oriental / Honey Crested Buzzard Torquatus race. Mummy is a Tweedale morph whose fur and feathers make her an exceptional beauty.

Setting up nest ..an early photos taken in January. Above photos by Gilbert Chin 

Nesting location in Simee .. on the upper branches in front of an abandoned cinema

Junior was born around February 25 and was 3 weeks old at the time of the abduction.

Junior Bird-napped 

On that Sunday at approximately 2.20pm 4 men showed up with gondola crane. When asked what was going on by Sam Chu a photographer the reply was they wanted to photograph the bird.

The gondola went up with one of the abductors and came down with the bird in a basket. The whole incident lasted no more than ten minutes and the abductors gone.

Up went the gondola crane ....

 .. and came down with baby Junior in a basket 

When the crane first arrived a nearby resident named Angela Ng was observing out of curiosity. When the abductor entered the gondola Angela called to Jek Yap a regular birder photographer. Jek in turn called to Yvonne Blake also a birder/ photographer who was updating the OHB nesting on her FB page Perak Natural Heritage.

Just then another photographer, Sam Chu together with his wife Veron, showed up. It was Sam who inquired what was going on while Veron had been busy shooting a video of the abduction.

With the abductors gone Jek took the witnesses Angela and Veron to the police station to make a report. Meanwhile another witness who was familiar with the crane operator approached them to return baby-bird.

 The abductors agreed but only upon withdrawal of the police. A heated negotiation between the birders and the abductors ensured. Ultimately the birders relented in order that Junior be returned but set conditions such as (1) only if junior is alive and well (2) the crane to be at their disposal to take baby up to nest and (3) if parents reject it to bring junior down.   

The entire drama lasted three hours from abduction till its returning to the nest. But the drama was far from over. 

Would Mummy and Daddy accept Junior back. Oriental Honey Buzzards diet is honey and meat. The abductors said they had fed Junior fish so it was skeptical whether the parents would unite with Junior.

Every evening Mummy Buzzard returned home to nest with Junior but on the night after the abduction it was left all alone.

The day after .. Mummy with a 'honeycomb for Junior ..

...while Daddy watched from a nearby tree.   Pic: Irwan Fahmy Darwis

However the birders fear was unfounded as Mummy was seen entering the nest at approximately 930am the next morning with a chunky honeycomb for Junior while Daddy watched from a nearby tree. 

Several hours later it was Daddy’s turn to drop by with ‘meat’ all for Junior. From then onwards life had returned to normal.

Setting Up Nest

“The pair of Buzzards set up nest towards the end of December 2020” said Gilbert Chin one of the group of birders who had noted their presence in December.  According to residents this was not the first year that these birds had nested here.

He had alerted other enthusiasts and they could be seen with their long-lense cameras especially at weekends.

Photographers aplenty everyday

The location of the nest at traffic light cross road and the attendance of photographers further publicized the presence of birds.

The birds had also brought luck when its number won first prize and subsequently a consolation prize further endearing it to the community.

Junior only arrived two months later on the 25 February.

The end of February saw the presence of Yvonne Blake. a birding enthusiast who administers the Fb page Perak Natural Heritage, about everything natural to Perak, birds, otters even butterflies. 

She was told by her friends there were people ‘shooting up a tree’ when on their way to Simee market.

Enthusiastic birders Yvonne Blake, Sam Chu and Veron and Jek Yap 

What she saw the next day was a subject close to her heart, two Oriental / Honey-cested Buzzards nesting and awaiting the arrival of their newborn.

“From the look they are both Oriental/Crested Honey Buzzard Torquatus race. However the mother is rare. It is an Oriental /Crested Honey Buzzard torquatus race Tweedale morph- resident which is exceptional.

She is black and white and the coloring of her fur and feathers makes her beauty exceptional like the Blyte hawk–eagle something that a lot of old time birders have never seen a morph like that”

Yvonne’s goal is to document the birds and the growth of Junior until it fledges (when a baby gets its wing and takes flight)

This was posted on her page ” Raptors are hard enough to see close up let alone nesting. The Oriental Honey Buzzard Torquatus race is Malaysia's resident and the female Tweedle morph is a rare find. ..We shall be observing them until the babies fly... once in a lifetime chance BUT we are all praying they will come back to nest in the same place next year and following years to come. Hoping MBI does not cut down this tree in the future”

Since February 23 when her first post of the buzzards she has continued till today making daily posts until Junior fledges.

Simee residents dismayed

Residents of Simee could not understand why the crane operators would want to bird-nap Junior. S.Sundram  who lives just two blocks from the nest was dismayed when he saw the commotion on the evening but was glad when the bird was returned later.

Assemblyman Jenny Choy asked authorities to investigate the persons involved. Pic:Sin Chew 

State assemblyman Jenny Choy said that the bird was a protected species and was incensed about the incident and made a press statement that the authorities should “investigate the persons involved in order to avoid similar incidents from happening again."

By the time this report is out Junior will have grown feathers and his wings would be stronger and getting ready to fledge.

February 24 .. Nesting 

February 24

March 21.. getting ready ??

March 21

March 21

March 21

Soon the nest will be empty and photographers gone, until next year when maybe, the Oriental / Honey Buzzard decides to Nest at Simee once again. 

JAG