Javan Frogmouth!

Panti 5th March 2011

The is one species that has caused me many sleepless nights! When a pair together with a juvenile appeared last year, photographers flocked to Panti but I shy away from the crowd, thinking if everyone could get it easily then It must be easy for me!

Big mistake, three weeks later when the crowd receded, the three frogmouths disappeared altogether. And for that I spent a number of times venturing into the trails as early as 6am hoping anxiously for one lousy record shot......

So on Saturday, when I learnt that three of my friends has chance upon a frogmouth in the trail, I was thrilled! And after much persuasions, tickling and unlimited offer of my homemade GLGs,  I went later to the given spot, praying hard that the bird of toad would be there for me this time!

The 3 heroes were handsomely rewarded with the tipoff of the frogmouth!

L-R : Chris Li, Calvin and Micky

Without leech socks and in a trail that is infested with thousands of the blood-sucking little eel-like creatures, the Frogmouth was spotted half an hour later, 6 leeches were already having big feast on my juicy legs, but i guess i have enough blood for a thousand more so without delay, I proceeded to shoot without bothering the 6 fattening leeches!  

The Javan Frogmouth is not easy to spot in the dark forest canopy of Panti, it just appears as a dead leaf and now I believe I must have walked past hundreds of them without noticing. In fact when it perched on another branch two feet away, I couldn't even find it for mins after shifting my gear.

But thanks god it's tame! I am still grinning like a toad, after capturing two hundred shots of this precious beauty of Panti.   :))))))!

Yipee-doo!

 staring and frowning at me as if she has been 

looking for me for a long long time!

Javan Frogmouth (Batrachostomus javensis)

Burung Segan Jawa * 爪哇蟆口鸱  *  ジャワガマグチヨタカ

Podarge de Java * žaboústka jávska * Яванский лягушкорот * นกปากกบพันธุ์ชวา

Last Saturday was not a fruitful day though as there were not much bird activity along the main bunker trail. So i made a trip to the old spot where the Blk Magpies used to hang around,  and the usual 2 showed up an hour later. Spending 30mins simply walking around to gain their trust eventually I was allowed to approach slightly nearer to them this time.

But I guess i will be back for more of these black birds.

Others::

                                                                   Dark-throated Oriole

                                                            White-bellied Woodpecker

I saw this gorgeous spider near the Green Tower fencing, below is actual uncropped shot at 10', which is the min focussing for my lens, not surprisingly also the same dist I dare to go near to this giant Spider!

Below @80% cropped! Thanks god that it couldn't fly and hop around to attack!

And this pic of bird is the funniest i have seen! Poor Woodpecker!

Obviously a so-called "The True Nature Lover" was frustrated with photographers flashing at the nesting woodpeckers, so he decided to "relocate" the woodpeckers to another hole,  A plastic Coke bottle was plugged into the hole and a note to vent his frustration.

But the woodpeckers keep coming back to their home! 

Photo copyright of Kmsim, S'pore and used with permission here.