30 September, 2010

Very Considerate! : Asian Paradise Flycatcher

26th September 2010, Kemensah, Selangor

They were out in numbers but most of the time limiting themselves to the upper storey of the canopy. I think this bird took pity on me and came down  to a more reasonable height.

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29 September, 2010

Yellow–Rumped Flycatcher

25th September 2010, Kemensah, Selangor

The migrant birds are back.  I saw a few of this species in a bird wave. Just couldn’t get close enough for better shots.

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28 September, 2010

I Like It Raw : Blue-Winged Leafbird

25th September 2010, Kemensah, Selangor

A young female  preparing her  food  ( a leaf insect),  banging it against the  tree branch before swallowing it whole.

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I’m wondering why the eyering on this  female Blue-winged Leafbird is so prominent like that of a   female Greater  Green Leafbird?

27 September, 2010

I see You: Drongo Cuckoo

25th September 2010, Kemensah, Selangor

She was eyeing  every movement that I made from this high perch in case I was a threat.

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26 September, 2010

Hide & Seek: Straw-Headed Bulbul

25th September 2010, Kemensah, Selangor

She wasn’t keen on being seen, tried her very best to hide from the paparazzi.

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She won!

25 September, 2010

I’m Back : Blue-Eared Kingfisher

25th September 2010, Kemensah, Selangor

Today is my first outing after  a month of  being away. Back in Kemensah,  I’m slowly trying to get into the rhythm of things. I thought I’d begin with the Blue- eared Kingfishers- they are always great subjects to shoot.

The juvenile seemed happy to oblige,  she kept coming back to the same area to hunt._DSC0195_f

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I stumbled upon the adult and juvenile birds resting together as I entered the trail at the far end of the pond.

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21 August, 2010

Fly ‘Hakem’ Fly: Whiskered Treeswift

21st August 2010, Kemensah, Selangor

The tree where they nested was covered in new green leaves and the surrounding vegetation looked lush after  the spell of wet weather we’ve had.

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The nest was still there but the swiftlet and the parent birds were nowhere to be seen._DSC0002

Later I saw  the parents flew to a nearby tree. Still no sign of the swiftlet. Had she fledge or had she become another casualty of our recent unsettled weather?

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Still no sign of the swiftlet….. I guess I will never know what had happened to her.

20 minutes had passed when I heard a faint but familiar sound coming from a Rambutan tree behind me, it’s the swiftlet! She had fledged and judging by the rather sluggish way she flew and a few aborted landings she must have fledged  quite recently, maybe yesterday or even today!_DSC0008
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It’s a  male based on the barely visible rufous ear coverts.    Yes, …….. I will name thee ‘Hakem’.
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He  flew onto a dead tree  up the slope
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This was the last I  saw ‘Hakem’ when I lost sight of him after he flew further into the orchard. I waited  for another half an hour should  he return to the area…… no luck. Probably he just came  to say goodbye. 

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In conclusion, the chick fledged after   27-30 days ( my best estimates). Thanks for briefly letting me into their lives,  at least there’s a happy ending to this story.

Adios Amigos.   

( Previous post of the chick)