After such a long break from trekking, we decided to take a long drive 70km northwest of Kuala Lumpur to the Kuala Selangor Nature Park. By the time we reached our destination, it was already almost noon, and the sun directly right up above our head.

Kuala Selangor Nature Park is a forest reserve with an area of 2.4 square kilometres just outside town on the estuary of the Sungai Selangor river. It is known for its mangrove swamps and variety of birds.

The emerging roots of the secondary forest along the trails at the Kuala Selangor Nature Park

Birdwatching is perhaps the most exciting activity here. Over 140 species of birds have been sighted. Among the rare ones are the Nordman Greenshank and the Mangrove Pitta.

A Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) or Pucung Seriap is seen here landing on her nesting up on the mangrove tree.

High up from one of the observation tower overlooking the inland lake we managed to catch some good photos of the Grey Herons gracefully flying up to their nest in the mangrove trees.

Making a quick dash across the lake in search of food.	Is seen here stalking for fish from the river bank.

Wading across the brackish inland lake in search of food.

The brackish lakes and ponds in the Kuala Selangor Nature Park is man-made, and is controlled via sluice gates

Under the soaring mid-day heat, we decided not to walk the open space of the full Ring Bund mangrove trail, but to pursue the much shady Pangolin trail instead.

The beautiful patterns of the roots across the trail path	Tom busy focusing on a closeup shot of some of the butterflies at the Park

On the forest floor flourishes beautiful white mushroom

The Nature Park has 497 acres (201 hectares) of secondary forest. This area was formerly a mangrove forest. After the coastal bund was constructed, the mangroves trees were unable to compete with the forest species which started growing faster. With the emergence of the mangrove fern, which eventually took a strong hold of the area; it became quite impossible for the mangroves to flourish.

The secondary forest is now mainly dominated by strangling figs and other Coastal trees like the Cordia dichotama; along with the mangrove fern. Some stands of mature mangrove trees are still surviving in the secondary forest here and it claims that this relatively "young" forested area has attracted 13 species of Mangrove trees.

Azril taking a ground angle camera view of some of the roots of the matured mangrove trees	The roots literally drops down perpendicularly to the ground from the branch high up in the tree.

The endangered Silver Leaf Monkey and the Long-tailed macaque has survived well in the Park. Despite their constant apealing for food from the tourists, they can be mischievous at times.

A 'troop' of Silver Leaf Monkey or Langur (Presbytis cristata) - Lotong Kelabu, are arboreal (live in trees) animals,

The infant fur gradually changes from orangey colour to the grey silver-tipped hairs of the adult monkey after 5 years.	A closeup view of the one-eyed male Silver-Leaf Monkey

Caring for the young, just as we humans do.	Over the years, monkey have coexisted well with human visitors at the Bukit Malawati.

Kuala Selangor was once an old royal capital of Selangor. It was conquered by the Dutch in 1784 who destroyed the existing fortifications on the Bukit Melawati hill during their 1784 invasion followed by British occupation later before our country's Independence. All that remains today are some scattered ruins and a Museum and Mausoleum of the early Sultanate was erected on top of the hill today.

A beautiful, high noon skyline

The contrasting shot of the fallen tree stump on the hill against the sky.	Some of the ruins of the fortification stones at the Bukit Melawati

The Bukit Melawati is a hill overlooking estuary of the Sungai Selangor river on one side and and the Strait of Malacca sea on the coastal side.

The fisherman village on high stilts at the river estuary to accomodate for the ever changing high tides from the sea.

Just downhill from the Bukit Melawati is the secondary forest which froms part of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park, and the far yonder in the horizon is the sea of the Straits of Malacca overlooking Sumatra