Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur (meaning muddy confluence in Malay),  colloquially referred to as KL, is a federal territory and the capital city of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 square miles). Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of nearly nine million people. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, both in population and economic development. Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur) is ASEAN’s fifth largest economy after Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, and Manila.

The city serves as the cultural, financial, tourism, political and economic centre of Malaysia. It is also home to the Parliament of Malaysia and the official residence of the monarch of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur was first developed as a town serving the tin mines of the region and served as the capital of Selangor. It was the founding capital of the Federation of Malaya and its successor, Malaysia. The city remained the seat of the executive and judicial branches of the Malaysian federal government until these were relocated to Putrajaya in early 1999. However, some sections of the political bodies still remain in Kuala Lumpur.

The city is one of the three federal territories of Malaysia, enclaved within the state of Selangor, on the central west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and lies at the confluence of Gombak River and Klang Rivers. It is the 6th most-visited city in the world. The geography of Kuala Lumpur is characterised by the huge Klang Valley, bordered by the Titiwangsa Mountains in the east, several minor ranges in the north and the south, and the Strait of Malacca in the west. Protected by the Titiwangsa Range in the east and Indonesia’s Sumatra Island in the west.

Crimson-winged Woodpecker Picus puniceus – ©Lim Kim Seng

 Kuala Lumpur is sheltered from strong winds and has a tropical rainforest climate; hot, humid and sunny, with abundant rainfall, especially during the northeast monsoon season from October to March. Temperatures tend to remain constant. Maximums hover between 32°C and 35°C and sometimes topping 38°C, while minimums hover between 23.4°C and 24.6°C and have never fallen below 17.8°C. Kuala Lumpur typically receives at least 2,600 mm (100 in) of rain annually; June to August are relatively dry, but even then rainfall typically exceeds 131 millimetres (5.2 in) a month. Kuala Lumpur is highly prone to severe thunderstorms and lightning strikes. The Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur, is one of the places where thunderstorms are most frequently observed on Earth. Floods are frequent in Kuala Lumpur after heavy downpours, especially in the city centre, because irrigation structure lags behind the intense development in the city. Smoke from forest fires in nearby Sumatra and Kalimantan sometimes casts a haze over the region, and is a major source of pollution, along with open burning, motor vehicle emissions, and construction.

Birding Kuala Lumpur

The Perdana Botanical Garden or Lake Gardens, a 92-hectare (230-acre) botanical garden, was the first recreational park created in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Parliament building is located close by, and Carcosa Seri Negara, which was once the official residence of British colonial administration, is also sited here. The park includes a butterfly park, deer park, orchid garden, a hibiscus garden, and the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, which is the world’s largest aviary bird park.

KLCC Park – ©Jordiferrer, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Other parks in the city include the ASEAN Sculpture Garden, KLCC Park, Titiwangsa Lake Gardens, Metropolitan Lake Gardens in Kepong, Taman Tasik Permaisuri (Queen’s Lake Gardens), Bukit Kiara Botanical Gardens, the equestrian park and West Valley Park near Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), and Bukit Jalil International Park.

There are three forest reserves within the city, the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve in the city centre, the oldest gazetted forest reserve in the country 10.52 ha or 26.0 acres, Bukit Sungai Putih Forest Reserve (7.41 ha or 18.3 acres) and Bukit Sungai Besi Forest Reserve (42.11 ha or 104.1 acres). Bukit Nanas, in the heart of the city centre, is one of the oldest virgin forests in the world within a city. These residual forest areas are home to a number of  species, particularly monkeys, treeshrews, pygmy goats, squirrels, feral budgerigars and other birds. A walk in any of the parks can turn up some surprising birds as well as guarantee a range of locally common species.

Apart from the area immediately around the city there are several birding sites within easy reach, notably Frasers Hill, which is about 100 kilometres from the City and Kuala Selangor Nature Park (less than 80k.) For anyone on a few days stopover these unique areas are the prime targets as they hold species that are very much harder to see elsewhere.