Provinsi Liana

Provinsi Liana
Zone E

Great Mormon
Papillio memnon agenor

 I was checking out the Botanic Island Two this morning and decided to add another provinsi to the area surrounding the island.  The Provinsi Liana will house the many types of lianas or climbers present there.  The main feature of the Provinsi Liana area the tall trees packed closely together and transversed by a complex web of woody climbers or lianas,  These 'tarzan ropes' are right at my back door.  No need to go to the virgin jungle to see them.  This is the great pleasure of having your own nature park.  To my surprise this morning I encountered the Great Mormon butterfly that was fluttering and flying around the lianas.  All said, I am looking forward to do more work at the Provinsi Liana in the near future.

Pholidacarpus sumatrana palm at center
Provinsi Liana

Paku Kelindang (Iban) - Blechnum orientale

Twisted and coiled into a nice weave pattern

Strong 'tarzan ropes'

From tree to tree...a liana tranversing

Close up of a liana successfully twinning itself to a nearby  tree

Great Mormon (Papillio memnon agenor) among the lianas

A fruity harvest

The Jering fruits

 What is living without fruits?  What is life without plants?  Don't think about it, you'll die!  So to feel alive we decided to bring along the bamboo pole and see what's there to be collected.  This morning the weather was fine, a good day for plucking fruits.  However, the seasonal fruits are becoming less and very soon their season will be over.  The remaining fruits collected this morning were the Ong Lumok, Cempedak, Jering and Rambutan.  Bintulu is blessed with many unique tropical fruits.  Checkout the many fruits of Sarawak or Bintulu for that matter in my other blog here ....>>>>http://mysarawak2.blogspot.com/p/unique-fruits.html

Can you recognize the fruits? ... Discover which is Jering, Rambutan, Cempedak and Lumok

Plucking the Ong Lumok and in-flight serving

Bamboo pole with fork used to snap the soft fruit stalk

Ong Lumok - the brownish one is over-ripe

 We were collecting Ong Lumok ( Artocarpus odoratissimus) fruits this morning.  The Ong Lumok tree is tall with broad maple-like leaves.  The fruits look like canon balls and out of the ancient world.  Its sweet pulpy fruits are one of my favourite seasonal fruits.  The season of the Ong Lumok is almost over now but there are still fruits hanging on the tree for the plucking.  To reach them I used a long bamboo pole with a fork at the tip.  A firm twist will do as the fruit stalk is soft.  Once detached from the main branch bring the pole slowly down so as not to drop the fruit.  If dropped the fruit can easily be smashed into pieces.  The Ong Lumok fruit attracts plenty of wildlife e.g. squirrels, tree lizards, birds etc.. However today was time for in-flight serving.  The  Yellow -vented Bulbul hoovered close to the very ripe fruit to enjoy the pulpy flesh ...Check out the pictures below....

Sweet and delicious.  Best eaten immediately after plucking...Oh, tropical paradise!

Yellow-vented Bulbul enjoying in-flight serving

Flower and fruit power at the park

Pink Poui - Tabebuia rosea

Heliconia psittacorum

Bromheadia finlaysonia

Ixora coccinea

Ripe fruits of the Rambutan

Rambutan tree

Early in the morning

Up on the Cempedak Hill, Punai at left and Tekukur at right

Bromhaedia finlaysonia

 The early morning air is cool with a little breeze.  I climbed the Cempedak Hill at Zone G to check on the Punai Daun or Little Green Pigeon.  On the way up the climb I could see the orchid bush has given out its fresh morning flowers.  This bush is right below the Cempedak tree.  As expected the Little Green Pigeon was patiently waiting for me, so it seemed.  Resting at the very tip of the tree it was accompanied by a Spotted-necked Dove or Tekukur in Malay.  When the Tekukur flew away the seat was taken by yet another male Punai.  I realised I just had a wonderful morning and before I walked down the hill, a Yellow-vented Bulbul perched on the Cempedak branch not wanting to miss the  morning party.....

Two male Punai

Male of the species - Little Green Pigeon

Little Green Pigeon - male

Tekukur (Malay) - Spotted -necked Pigeon , image is enhanced to show the spots on its neck

Yellow-vented Bulbul

This orchid ( Bromheaia finlaysonia) is native to the park.  It has grown into a bushy form.

Many wheats in the air above

 There are two types of birds that fly over the park everyday.  The swiftlets and the bee-eaters.  The park just happen to be in their flight path which they have used for many years now.  The calls of the bee-eaters is easy to identify.  It sounds like ' wheat- wheat-wheat'.  Every time I hear the 'wheat' sounds I would take the opportunity to watch these beautiful birds fly high and then dive for the insects especially the bees.  Often they would perch on nearby dead trees to take a rest or to enjoy their kill after battering them on the branches.  Today I stumble upon one bee-eater that was having a rest on its favourite .....

Blue-throated Bee-eater
Zone C

Checking out the wildlife

Lime Butterfly at the Ixora coccinea flowers

 Checking out the wildlife this morning.  The Lime Butterfly was visiting the bright orange Ixora coccinea flowers.  There were many sounds or call of various birds.  Overhead were various calls of swallows. swifts and the bee-eaters.  The pipits, bulbuls, spiderhunters and flowerpeckers were also seen and heard. It was very interesting to observe the Perlings or Asian/Philippines Glossy Starlings and the Blue-throated Bee-eaters giving  knock-out blows to the bees before devouring them.

Adult Asian Glossy Starling

Blue-throated Bee-eater

A juvenile Perling

Flora photography at the park

Flash floods again this morning

Looking east.  This is the start of the Kambatik stream

 The flash floods that occur at the park is an important part of the garden ecology.  The planning of the park takes great account of the need to have a fall back position in times of floods.  I am talking here about the flash foods that ravages the plain areas along the Kambatik stream.  This is an accepted fact at the park, a moment of great interest, excitement and play.  Here's today's views of the flash floods from the start of the Kambatik stream moving downriver.....

Passing part of Zone C

Passing part of Zone F, Provinsi Carpentaria area at left

Passing area between Zone C and Zone F

Passing Zone F

Passing Zone C

Passing Zone D

Passing Zone D, Provinsi Borneo area

Passing Zone F