A park of many returns

Malkoha in flight
Location : Paya Point

'Tiger Butterfly'
Location : Provinsi Yellow Palm

 This morning seemed exceptional.  I had a walkabout at the park between 8-9 am  and upon reaching the Paya point  met many surprises.  Firstly, I noticed the flight of the Chestnut-breasted Malkoha as it changed places to a nearby tree. Secondly, it was slightly more than a year ago that the 'Tiger butterfly' visited the oleina flowers here.  Its re-appearance was spent sometime at the flowers of a creeper in the wet and swampy area of  Paya point.  Unfortunately its wings were badly damaged and the real beauty of why I call it the 'Tiger Butterfly' was not clearly illustrated.  However, please go to this link to see the true beauty of this butterfly among the list of pictures here... The Black -headed Bulbul after missing in action for quite sometime decided to show itself too at the same location.  The striking yellow body contrasted with the forest greenery.  Climbing up the Cempedak Hill, I was greeted by the Yellow-vented Bulbul, a female Green Pigeon and a male Chestnut-breasted Malkoha.  Today's brief walkabout was comforting because it re-inforced confidence in me on the planting plan of the park with its linkages of forested or green passageways allowing for the return of many birds and butterflies to the park.

Black-headed Bulbul
Location: Provinsi Yellow Palm

Female Green Pigeon

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha - male of the species
Location : Cempedak Hill, Zone G

The elusive Black-headed Bulbul

The black-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus atriceps)

Note the black berry it snatched...

Though the literature about this bird says that it is a common bird in Southeast Asia but try looking for it around the neighbourhood. Hardly.  At the Kambatik park, they seem to be arriving in considerable numbers now that a certain jungle tree shrub is flowering and producing small black berries.  I have not been able to name the shrub yet.  When I saw it this afternoon, it was perching on a nearby branch before it snatched a berry while hovering.  Two beautiful things about this bird is the striking yellow colour of its body with a black hood.  It's call is very crisp and rings throughout the park.  They come very early in the morning and can be heard throughout the day till late afternoon.  From a distance it is not easily recognizable for its yellow feathers and you need to track its call to observe the beauty of its yellow body.

Bulbuls are having a fiesta

Red-eyed bulbul

 The bulbuls are kept busy at the park with the abundance of the tiny berry-like fruits of the Eugenia oleina.  They dashed and frolicked, chasing one another and then stopping to have a bite of the black juicy fruits.  The sounds of their flapping wings and their twittering calls makes the park lively everywhere.  All three species seemed to be oblivious of each other as they intermingle freely.  The rarely seen Black-headed bubul took time to get away from the edges of the forests and have fun in the park too.

Yellow- vented bulbul

Black -headed bulbul