Banded Kingfisher of Kemensah- Diam Diam Ubi Berisi

11 July 2009, Kemensah, Selangor

As promised, this is the other bird from yesterday’s trip. A lifer

We were walking along a trail heavily shaded by very tall trees with the sun in our eyes when suddenly we saw a silhouette of a bird flying and stopping on a branch. Took one shot in the dark and saw a Kingfisher which I hadn’t seen before. It turned out to be a male Banded Kingfisher (Lucedo pulchella) local name: Burung Kaing-Kaing Rimba. These birds live in the forest, not necessarily near water and feed on insects and small reptiles. Hardly 30 feet from us, we took shots after shots, changed position several times to get better angles, and he just sat still for almost 10 minutes, occasionally raising his blue crown. We were wondering why – this is very unkingfisher-like!      Our question was answered when he suddenly swooped down onto a root of a tree that was jutting out from the steep bank about 10 feet from us to catch a prey and off he went.All the while when the cameras/ flashguns were going off, he was actually observing the area for potential prey. A malay proverb: Diam-diam ubi berisi (Cassava grows abundant in silence, meaning silence not without substance).

They are not Cassavas but I thought I’d post this. They are fruits of a Rattan tree. Took this near the location of the Kingfisher.