Malaysia, Langkawi - Sea Eagles

There were gasps as a fast flying raptor that flashed shades of red, orange and brown streaked through the sky before making contact with the surface of the calm waters of the cove. Our small boat with its load of tourists, including myself, our guide and boatman were excited but calm. Seconds later, a second raptor joined the first and we were treated to a front-row seat of a real-life wild documentary  in action as the pair of raptors before us fished for prey in the waters.

A pair of Brahminy Kites, Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia (2002)

The Scene

We were in Langkawi, enjoying a day out in the sun cruising along the coast and the many coves of this Malaysian island situated in the Andaman Sea, off the mainland of West Malaysia, somewhere in the north-western region of the peninsula. 

The Trip

My trip was stretched over a short weekend, courtesy of a free stay at a newly opened five-star resort on Langkawi. Only the resort stay was free, thanks to my rare good luck in a lucky draw. The other costs including air tickets, meals and this adventure into the wild were paid out of my own pockets. 

The Excitement

Along our coastal cruise in the small sampan (a small flat bottomed boat), we had encountered other native wildlife including Long-tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis), Malayan Water Monitor Lizards (Varanus salvator) and even a Mangrove Snake (Boiga dendrophila). But compared to the fishing raptors before us, those earlier wild encounters seemed a lot more mundane.

A long-tailed Macaque foraging for crustaceans during low tide, Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia (2002)

Again and again, the raptors circled the sky above the calm waters before diving in for the catch presumably after spotting fishes unfortunate enough to be near the surface of the water.

The pair of majestic birds paid no attention to the humans in the small boat as they went about their business of fishing for food.

Finally, one of them smashed its way into the calm body of water and emerged with what appeared to be a fairly large fish in its talons as it quickly regained altitude and soared back into the sky. 

One of the Kites made contact with the water as it went in for the fish it had spotted, Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia (2002)

These raptors that we had encountered were Brahminy Kites (Haliastur indus). With their distinctly red-chestnut coloured plumage, white head and chest as well as black wing tips, they were indeed a sight to behold in their native environment.

As fast as it occured, our little wild adventure was over and we were headed back to shore and civilisation.

The Lesson

Our little adventure trip and our encounters with the various wildlife and the raptors instilled in all of us the lesson that mother nature and wildlife need to be respected. More importantly, they are best left to flourish in their natural environments.

Prior to that day, most of us had seen a Brahminy Kite before, in a zoo or some wildlife parks. But we were never as awed by the magnificent raptor until that encounter.

The short nature trip instilled in my fellow tourists and myself, a new found respect for Mother Nature and its wildlife, Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia (2002)