With a helping mother's bill

Young chick of the Brown-throated Sunbird - Kelicap Mayang Kelapa (Malay)
Anthreptes malacensis bornensis

Short flight I can...but not able to hoover yet.

 I have been tracking this little darling for more than a week.  Today I am convinced that the little chick belongs to the Brown-throated Sunbird species.  Between 8.30 am - 9.00 am at the Provinsi Yellow Palm area she was making her fine calls and that got me attracted to watch her whereabouts.  She seemed to be everywhere trying to get accustomed to the place.  Finally I saw here coming towards her mother.  The mother had some fruits tucked in her bill and was ready to pass it on to her young chick.  All these actions were under the watchful eyes of the colourful male perching at a nearby Lumok tree.

Mother trying to feed the chick with fruits

Male of the species - Anthreptes malacensis bornensis
Kelicap Mayang Kelapa (Malay)

The appeal of the Merkubong berries

The Merkubong is a pioneer tree and is easily noticed for its broad leaves
Location : Botanic Island Two, Zone I

Merkubong (Malay)
Macaranga gigantea

 It's fruiting time for the Merkubong trees.  The small green berries are very attractive to many birds.  Today I managed to photoshoot the Brown-throated Sunbird  and the Bulbul.  There were many  Philippines Glossy Starlings enjoying the fruits too.  The Malays believe that the latex or red resins from the tree trunk can cure mouth ulcers in children.  As a pioneer tree the Merkubong tree will not have a long life but it is beautiful for its architectural leaves and its straight trunk produce branches when it is relatively mature.

Brown-throated Sunbird - Anthreptes malacensis

Yellow-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus goiavier

Branching of the trunk in a mature tree

Beautiful broad architectural foliage...

The brown-throated Sunbird shows up again

Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis) - "Kelicap Mayang Kelapa" - Malay

 The Brown-throated Sunbird is rarely seen at the park but when it is around it's such a delight to see.  It's unique feature is the deep metallic blue upper parts.  The throat is brown and the breast together with the rest of its under parts are bright yellow.   The iris is reddish brown and its legs and feet greenish yellow.  The picture shown here is that of the male of the species.

Up-close and personal with the Little Spiderhunter

Little Spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra ) - Kelicap Jantung (Malay)
Location : Zone C

 The Little Spiderhunter's favourite haunt at the park is the Ixora coccinea yellow shrub that flowers every day in the year.  Today it was more at ease and confident enough to give me a rare chance to shoot it at a very close range, that is about 2 meters away.  It saw me but because it was so very absorbed in sipping the nectar from the ixora flowers that it just gave more poses for the camera.  Let the photos speak for themselves.....

Spiderhunter for fb cover page, 1 Feb'14

Photoshoot session with the Brown-throated Sunbird

Brown-throated sunbird - Anthreptes malacensis borneensis

 Had an excellent photoshoot session with a pair of Brown-throated sunbird this morning. They posed for me while I was at Zone I and Botanic Island Two at around 8 am.  They were flying vigorously moving between the leaves and branches apparently hunting for small caterpillars.  This morning was one of the rare moments when they gave me a chance to shoot them side by side.  They make my morning!

Female Brown-throated sunbird

Sunbirds are very active and small birds and therefore pose a challenge to photograph.

The male displays the reason for its name.

A pair feeding on caterpillars

Tiny but very attractive Crimson sunbird

 The park is visited by the Crimson sunbird on a daily basis.  A recent photograph I took showed it resting on the orange bracts of the heliconia psittacorum (parrot flower).  It's small light body was kept stable on the bract and from that vantage point was able to punch the flower to get to the nectar.  The Crimson sunbird also hunts for small insects, spiders and flies.  Besides the heliconia it also takes nectar from the Chinese hat plant (Holmskioldia sanguinea). The Crimson sunbird moves fast and it's very difficult to get them posing a little while for a more stable and focussed image.  Here's more images the the sunbird.

Male of the species are more colourful than the dull olive green colours of the female.

Punching the bract to get to the nectar...

Birdwatch album - Crimson Sunbird

 It is seen daily at the park especially between 8 am till noon.  It's tiny size makes it difficult to watch and you have to be a little bit more patient to catch a good glimpse of it.  The Crimson Sunbird is a beauty to photoshoot for its bright cheerful colours. I often see it enjoying the nectar from the flowers of the Ixoras, Chinese Hat plant and the Heliconias.  They fly fast to the next branch and thus making it extra difficult to get a good focus or close-up of them....

Crimson Sunbird
Family : Nectariniidae (Sunbird family)