Showing posts with label Hairy-backed Bulbul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hairy-backed Bulbul. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Panti :: Black Magpie & Orange-backed Woodpecker!

I guess I am Trogonised somehow, last weekend a total of 10 Trogons were sighted , 7 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday. But wait, before you start yawing and fall asleep with more Trogon pics, let me freshen you with two species that I have always wanted for some improvement shots - the Black Magpie and the Orange-backed Woodpecker!


Black Magpie (Platysmurus leucopterus)
Burung Kambing * 白翅鹊 * クロカケス
Geai à ailes blanches * strakana cepcová * นกกาน้อยแถบปีกขาว



The 3-hour wait for the Blk Magpies to perch low was rewarded reasonably well, with an Orange-backed Woodpecker landed on a trunk nearby, motionless for more than 10mins. And thanks god that it didn't move as another few inches up or down my view would be partially blocked by the branches in front. Around 30 shots that all looked similar was the only regret though!


Orange-backed Woodpecker (Reinwardtipicus validus) male
Belatok Dada Merah * 橙背啄木鸟 * アカハラコガネゲラ
Pic vigoureux * zlatoš tmavokrídly * นกหัวขวานหลังสีส้ม

Quite a few parties were seen looking for the Banded Kingfisher on both Saturday and Sunday, A species that I have quit searching after learning that they are more easily seen perching quietly low unexpectedly than luring them with music only to see them perching higher than Petronas Tower. 

When I chance upon a ODKF near the Forktail's Corner, I told GCWong to stop his car as I wanted this common species on my blog and he had a good laugh while agreeing we should take a breather. Before I could setup my gear the ODKF was screaming and fleeing as if she just saw Jack The Ripper! 

While I felt insulted by the fleeing ODKF, my pet birds show up, male and female Red-naped Trogon! And Across the road, a male Scarlet-rumped Trogon. I am Trogonised!

Forget the SRT I told GCWong, lets concentrate on training the RNTs, and while I do the usual old man trick to the RNTs, a convoy of photographers from across the borders whom were earlier seen at the BKF spot, arrived with gloomy faces, so needless to say the BKF did not show up. 


Red-naped Trogon (Harpactes kasumba). male
Kesumba Tengkuk Merah * 枕咬 アカエリキヌバネドリ
rogon à nuque rouge dravcík kasumba * Краснозатылочный Трогон * นกขุนแผนท้ายทอยแดง

"But I have Red-naped Trogon here for you guys!" I smiled! Trust me, within 10sec 10 sets of bazookas were already pointing at my pet! Naturally all were very thankful as the RNT was cooperative, making two clean perches at reasonably close range of around 20', and I actually forgot to tell them that the Scarlet-rumped was just across the trail at low level! The female RNT was shy on the other hand, hiding behind the thick foliage all the time. 


I spent the later part of Sunday looking for the Blk Magpies again after the 2nd YSB. They showed up cautiously and I advised most of my friends that make sure that the thumb is glued to the shutter release as they could come very near for a 3-sec surprise perch! It did happen twice but none of us get the shot due to some blockage. 

And the rest of the species for the last weekend....

 Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike

 Hairy-backed Bulbul

 Scarlet-rumped Trogon, male


Scarlet-rumped Trogon, female


Monday, November 1, 2010

Panti :: 31st Oct 2010

Panti surprised me on Sunday with an unsually tame Red-naped Trogons along the bunker trail. It   perched under a extremely dark canopy but its loud and persistent calls easily gave it away just after mins of looking.



Red-naped Trogon (Harpactes kasumba)
Kesumba Tengkuk Merah * 红枕咬鹃アカエリキヌバネドリ




The peculiar thing about the male RNTs is that they have a very distinctive centre folded line along the breast, making them looked like their bodies are made of two halves. (See closely on the top two pics )

The Red-napeds are quite frequently seen last year, but in the past 10 months I have only seen the female twice. 





This particular RNT seemed so attached to me that after photographing it for 30mins, it perched on a swing for an hour just above my head at the bunker trail.  I ended up spending more than two hours with it.  I tried to get closer just to find out how much closer I could get and obviously I have no problem within 20'. 

OK, so i got greedy, i wanted 10' for a super duper closeup portraiture shot and as i moved in slowly with a friendly smile, the bird wasn't panicked at all, but a speeding car along the trail with a friendly loud horn scared it away. 



And I always wonder why they are called Hairy-backed Bulbul when they have silky feathers behind their back, as their Chinese name implies? :)


Hairy-backed Bulbul (Tricholestes criniger)
Merbah Bulu Tengkuk * 丝背鹎エリゲヒヨドリ


I have not ID'ed the Bulbul abv and it looks like Cream-vented/Buff-vented to me. 

And the Tiger Shrikes in Panti are getting too much of my attention nowadays. I was dying for a record shot last year but it looks like they are here in abundance this year. 7 were sighted on Sunday.

Tiger Shrike


Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker.

Lizard at the temple trail

Below is pic of the female Red-naped Trogon taken last year in Panti.

Female Red-naped Trogon

Video capture of the Red-naped Trogon