Growing up in a Malaysian household, we would have heard of, or even better, sung a popular whimsical Malay folk song, “Bangau Oh Bangau“. The song tells of a humorous story where a group of animals are blamed for the predicament of the stork (known as bangau in Malay language) becoming thin. Storks are often portrayed as an iconic and familiar creature in the Malaysian culture due to their popular sightings at the paddy fields. They are featured in children fables and used even in Malay proverbs. During one of my travels to a small town in Malaysia, I had the opportunity to visit a hidden gem – Pulau Bangau. It’s a small wetland teeming with graceful storks in the middle of the Perak River at Teluk Intan.
Photo by Shaalni Param
Storks Are So Common… Always There
When I stumbled upon a tour company named Firefly Marvels which offers a tour to Pulau Bangau through the Internet, I wasn’t particularly excited. Storks are so common in our daily life and memories. They were just…always there. After all, how special could a small island full of bangau really be? Nevertheless, the convincing factor was the attractive price, i.e. MYR 30.00 per person. An hour long boat ride on the scenic Perak River together with the possibility of capturing one of the most beautiful sunset by the river? I’m sold! It’s affordable! Hence my friend and I decided to give it a try.
Photo by Shaalni Param
We arrived at the jetty about 90 minutes before sunset for the boat ride. There were seven of us on the boat – a group of three friends from Singapore, an elderly couple and the two of us. We geared up our phone cameras ready to capture the picturesque river view and the birds which we were about to discover.
How Well Do You Know About Storks?
Our tour guide gave us some handouts featuring various types of stork species. I was amazed and I realised how little I know about them. Apparently, the common white ones we see by the roadside or early morning near the paddy field are known as the Little Egret. We spotted quite a few near the riverside on our way to the island. They were busy hunting for small fish and insects as it was low tide.
Image shared with expressed permission of Firefly Marvels
Suddenly, our guide pointed towards the sky. We saw two Lesser Adjutant storks flying towards the island. They were so huge! I’m starting to see more storks of different sizes and colours. As the tide began to come in and raise the water level, this was a good sign to enter the wetland. In fact, we had been waiting patiently for deeper water levels, otherwise the boat would have gotten stuck on the mud flats if the tide wasn’t high enough at the wetland.
Brace For Bird Poop Smell And Feather-Trees
We were enjoying the river breeze and storks sighting until the boat slowed down at the mouth of a wetland entrance. We could hear the symphony of squawks and the sound of tree branches creaking and sagging under the weight of clustered birds. There were easily more than 5,000 storks guarding their nests securely! As the popular saying goes – birds of a feather flock together. It wasn’t just a proverb but a reality which I had witnessed. Same species flocked together on the trees. Now, I could easily distinguish them. Oh, this tree belongs to Woolly-Necked Storks and another tree belongs to Milky Storks. Just a word of caution, the entire place smelled of bird poop, do have a good face mask handy.
Image shared with expressed permission of Firefly Marvels
Photo by Shaalni Param
As I observed silently by the river, watching hundreds of them soar above the treetops and in thick clusters, I realised – there’s a world of wonder even in what we think we already know.
We Called It A Day In Pulau Bangau
We went on the tour with zero expectations – just hoping for a chill ride and maybe a breeze. But what did we get? A front-row seat to nature’s showstopper! Picture-perfect views, cool breeze, and an island buzzing with storks like they owned the place. Totally unexpected, totally magical! If you’re an avid bird watcher or interested in wetland ecosystem, I would highly encourage you to take the tour offered by Firefly Marvels to discover this hidden gem. Last but not least, do listen to the popular Malay folk song, Bangau Oh Bangau. It was my all-time favourite song and do let me know in the comments if you like it as well!
