Brown-throated Sunbirds enjoying banana nectar

Brown-throated Sunbird, male top left,female bottom right
Zone C

Female 

 You will not be mistaken that these two birds are a couple because they are often seen together hunting for food.  It is confirmed. The colourful of the species is the male while the female has dull coloration i.e. olive-green upperparts, pale yellow around the eye and yellow underparts.  The male comes to town in gorgeous metallic blue upperparts,  bright yellow breast and dark brown wings.   The Brown-throated Sunbird loves to sip the nectar from the banana flowers even though it means doing it upside down. Once they have caught sight of  a  banana inflorescence they will make many return trips to the flowers throughout the day. That means you need to get ready at the banana tree to catch up with this lovely couple in order to get a good glimpse of the birds in action.  Patience and passion plays their part.

Sipping the nectar from the banana flowers

Male

Photoshoot session with the Brown-throated Sunbird

 The tiny Brown-throated Sunbird was a bundle of joy when it showed itself this morning.  It was continuously making calls but I did not see any female of the species coming close to it.   It is a very colourful bird here with colours all over the top half of the body.   What is most interesting is to watch the metallic blue colours of its upper parts and the brownish throat.  Below are more pictures from today's photoshoot session...

Chasing the Brown-throated Sunbird

A pair of the Brown-throated Sunbird, male is at right with metallic blue upper parts.

Ants and a little spider...

 On a Sunday morning (25 May'14)  my mind gets philosophical upon seeing the many tiny birds that paraded  themselves early just outside my verandah.  The colourful Orange-bellied Flower pecker made an early visit at the Jackfruit tree, the Eastern Crimson Sunbird with its beautiful scarlet feathers dropped by at the heliconia bracts and the Little Spiderhunter was the first to get a bite of little spiders.  Have we worked and not enjoy?  Have we looked but not see? Have we fought the power of nature than follow its rhythmic flow of events?  So today I decided to enjoy a little chase, so natural -  just like the early birds chasing insects and foraging for food.  There is much unspoken joy when I saw the Brown-throated Sunbird hunting in pair.  The male of the species typically in the animal world being more colourful than the female. The male of the species has very colourful upper body - rich metallic blue.  Splendid.  The opposite of the species possess a dull olive-green upper body, yet I was attracted to its ability in snatching a juicy red seed of the Simpoh Air while in flight.  Slightly later I chased it to the Botanic Island One where it successfully captured a tiny bee and about to devour the prized catch for breakfast.  All these happenings in just a turn of the hour makes me wonder how much more should I fill my life with the wonders of nature and the joy of living.  Life is not short, really.  It is long enough to fill it to the fullest.  Have I got an answer to this recurring question - Do you look at an empty glass with a smile? A philosopher does.  Do you?

Dull olive-green upper body of the female Brown-throated Sunbird.

A male Brown-throated Sunbird foraging for insects at the Pong-Pong branch

A frontal view of the female Brown-throated Sunbird at the Simpoh Air (Malay) - Shrubby Dillenia.

Female Brown-throated Sunbird successfully plucking a juicy red seed of the Shrubby Dillenia
Location : Provinsi Carpentaria, Zone F

Female Brown-throated Sunbird with a bee pinched at its beak
Location : Botanic Island One, Zone D

Two Sunbirds

Brown- throated Sunbird
Anthreptes malacensis

Eastern Crimson Sunbird
Aethopyga siparaja

 The heliconia bracts are a real attraction to two sunbirds.  I saw very early in the morning the Brown-throated Sunbird and latter joined by the Eastern Crimson Sunbird having their time at the inflorescence.  Both birds are tiny yet very attractive.  The Eastern Crimson Sunbird with its amazing crimson head and back while the Brown-throated Sunbird has very striking metallic blue upper parts.  On many occasions I notice that both birds like to pierce through the bracts to reach the nectar ....