My house is situated in the heart of the bustling Petaling Jaya uptown area, surrounded by urbanization and constant activity. However, just a short five-minute drive away, I can escape to a serene pond where wetland birds gather. Despite the daily abundance of birdlife there, this destination isn't my favorite due to the lack of relaxation and enjoyment it provides.

This page is dedicated to a second spot, a bit further away, requiring a 15-minute drive. This place is spacious and open, allowing me to spend the entire day sitting under the shade on a bench. Some years ago, this sunken land was intended for use as a holding lake for flash floods. When I returned to this location, I was astonished to find that condominiums had been erected right up to its edge, leaving a narrow pathway. The water in the lake had vanished, replaced by a marshland covered with tall weeds. The avian life at the lake primarily consists of large birds such as Painted Storks, Grey and Purple Herons, with a collection of Egrets ranging from the smallest Little Egrets to the largest Great Egret.

For such an expansive area, it's challenging to spot the smaller birds. From the pathway encircling the lake, the nearest point of the marshland is over 50 meters away. There's also a bird-watching platform extending into the middle of the lake, but birds tend to be wary of any movement on this platform. Observing birds at the forest edge is more straightforward. While the bird life is good, I wouldn't describe it as "abundant." The timing for spotting birds at the lake is essential.

The star attraction of this place is a permanent flock of 14 Painted Storks that make their appearance at the lake, not as a family but in small groups. They usually arrive in the morning and depart when the place gets too hot for their liking. A few stragglers stay here throughout the day. The large Herons also follow this pattern, dropping in for their meals and flying away. Their patterns vary as these birds are often solitary and quickly blend into the tall weeds. The Purple Herons are easier to spot as they occasionally extend their long necks beyond the heights of the weeds. The handful of Little and Chinese Egrets primarily remain in the stream to forage throughout the day. There is a continuous flow of Egrets making their rounds, suggesting the presence of a Heronry not too far away. However, their flight paths and inconsistent dispersion patterns have not provided any clear clues. As for the Painted Storks, I have a better idea of their stopovers—they often visit the pond near my house and another pond at Rahman Putra, about 3 km away in a straight line.

This place is fascinating as it hosts many more forest and wetland birds, including Night-Herons, Little Herons, which stay a few meters upstream and avoid the marshland. The forest birds can be constantly heard calling and occasionally spotted on the opposite edge from the condominium. A substantial secondary jungle area lines both banks of the river as it flows downstream.

My target birds in this destination are the Pond Herons when they are in their breeding plumage, as well as the occasional Raptors.

I have done a couple of field report on this destination, click on here, the destination to view my report and the click on here Birds in PJ to see the bird life and lastly if you interested the Raptors