Friday, October 25, 2013

Today's klikz


The Jungle Crow


 I am most delighted today to see the arrival of three jungle crows to the park.  During midday they flew from the tall trees at Botanic Island One and Botanic Island Two.  The colour of the feathers seemed bluish black and they produced extremely loud crackle and sometimes in very low tones.  Their calls reverberated throughout the park.


Photo journal - 25 October, 2013



Monday, October 21, 2013

Singing the eco-diversity mantra

View of oil palm trees planted amidst introduced tree species - Eugenia oleina

 In the park the business model is radical when compared to the vast plantation-style oil palm mono cultivation in Sarawak.  I feel very much at peace with my conscience doing business using the Kambatik model because here profits go hand in hand with preservation.  This is primarily possible because the prime criteria in the development of the park is ecological diversity placed in the context of an agro-forestry management.  It takes me a good 6 years to achieve some resemblance of success in this new oil palm based business model.  The pictures indicating the return of wildlife to park park are concrete examples of the model's performance index.  Enjoy the park through the lenses of diversity....butterflies, insects, small animals, all wild and free......




 Among the existing native or exotic fruit trees and timber trees are planted flowering trees, shrubs and vines that provide food, shelter and breeding grounds to the extensive web of wildlife but with little or no maintenance.  When singing the ecological diversity mantra we sing out loud that "doing good is doing well ".....la la la la..




Recreational activity like wildlife and nature photography helps promote the idea of the park's sustainability mantra.

Doing good is doing well...

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The making of chicken cooked in bamboo or 'Ayam Pansuh'

The making of chicken cooked in bamboo..
The above picture is half of the story...slices of chicken mixed well with other ingredients prior to inserting them into the bamboo

Bamboos like these can be bought at
'Tamu' or jungle produce market for
Rm 2 each in Bintulu.
 This is a very special dish popular among the Bidayuhs of Sarawak - the making of chicken cooked in bamboo.  This method of cooking is called 'Pansuh', thus chicken cooked the Pansuh way.  Here's how it is done step by step.
Ingredients:
You need young tapioca leaves, bamboo, lemon grass, garlic, kantan (torch ginger) buds or flowers, shallots, chillies, salt, and slices of chicken meat.



Chicken sliced into small pieces

Young leaves of the tapioca - these are mixed and cooked as vegetables and to cover the top of the bamboo to help indicate whether the chicken is well-cooked i.e. when the young leaves turned soft and yellowish

Shallots and chillies are pounded into a paste

Mix the pounded paste with the chicken meat, crushed lemon grass and garlic and flowers or buds of the kantan (torch ginger)

 The next process is most interesting because it involves inserting the chicken and ingredients into the bamboo and then to stand the bamboo over a fire to cook.  Keep adding wood to the fire to allow for cooking about one hour.  Within that hour, turn the bamboo around to avoid over-burning of the bamboo.  The process of slow burning the bamboo is complete if you notice the tapioca leaves turning yellowish.     
The bamboo needs to be turned around to allow for consistent heating  and to prevent over-burning of  the bamboo which may result in damage and thus leaking of the chicken 'soup'

Young tapioca leaves turn yellowish to indicate the chicken is well-cooked..
Remove the contents of the bamboo and served the cooked chicken hot....

Served Pansuh ....yummy,yummy,yummy...
(Note : Compliments to the chef...my yours truly)

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Birdwatch album - Flowerpeckers


 Flowerpeckers are a delight to watch because they are tiny but colourful.  They make happy tunes in the park.  The one species that attracts me most is the Orang-bellied flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonostigma dayakanum) of which the male of the species is very colourful.  Recently I have been successful in attracting them for a photoshoot session.  I made the jackfruit as the bait.  I waited patiently from a hideout  and in one morning was able to capture many shots of the male.


Orange-bellied flowerpecker

Orange-bellied flowerpecker enjoying the jackfruit...
(Dicaeum trigonostigma dayakanum)

Up close and personal with the red-headed Ashy Tailor bird



 Photoshoot session on 12 October, 2013., location : Zone C