The monsoon rains have come

The end of year monsoon has come.  A few days ago I noticed that the rains have habitually poured during the nights.  The rains will continue to pour though lightly till the first part of the morning.  The arrival of the monsoon  is a welcomed phenomena at the park.   

The rains and birds

Flash floods at Zone F

 It rained the whole day.  The stream overflowed and there was flash floods for about one hour.  Despite the rains  and cold weather  the birds did show up but preferred to conserve energy by resting on branches.   Seen were the Oriental Magpie-robin and a small company of Little Green Pigeons.  At another location I noticed a Brahminy Kite was surveying the park from above the canopy of trees.  It circled with the aid of the strong winds and then left the scene.

Oriental Magpie-robin

A small flock of Little Green Pigeon resting at the Cempedak tree

Brahminy Kite

Flash flood

The stream overflows in a matter of one hour torrential rain
Zone F

Red Hibiscus after the rain

 It rained just for about an hour between 2 - 3 pm.  The rain came down in a torrential downpour and within one hour swelled the stream and cleared whatever debris that clogged the small stream.  Today's flash floods confirmed that the end of year rainy season has arrived.

Taken on 8 Oct'15, Zone C

January rains and flash floods

Flash floods at fall back area , Zone F.  As fast as they come, they leave the scene once the rains stopped.  Flash floods occur when it rains heavily  for at least two hours.

Paku Kelindang (Iban)
Blechnum orientale

 Situated in the headlands, the park is subject to flash floods because of the small size, shallowness and the  many turns of the  of streams here. The flash floods happens regularly in the rainy month of January but it  affects mainly the fall back areas.  These are areas on both sides of the streams (valleys) that are planned to receive as much excess water and let it overflow the banks and  surrounding areas.  This phenomena is however short-lived, lasting about two to three hours when the rains are extra heavy.  Flash floods are a welcome site here because they clear unwanted debris, replenish the banks with a new layer of soil once the floods subside and bring to life many activities associated with water.

Heavy rains at Zone C.

Little Spiderhunter comes a calling in between rains....

Rainy days and wet months ahead

 For the last three days, there has been occasional rain lasting for hours and hours on end.  Today (Sunday 26 Oct) it rained the whole day and evening.  I am more or less convinced that today's continuous rain marks the start of the monsoon season.  The park climate is typically equatorial with the heaviest rains and wettest months towards the end of the year.  This season of rains is called the "Landas" in Sarawak.  This phenomena is due to the North-East Monsoon winds (October to March)  that pick up the moisture and clouds from the open seas of the South China Sea and bring forth the heaviest rainfall between November to February to the coastal areas of Sarawak and Bintulu is not spared.  On top of it all, the forest cover at the park will make the nights even more colder and chilling to the bones during the above months.

Walkabout in the rain

 It has been raining for half of the day and the drizzle never seems to stop.  There's not much outside activity that could be done today.  So I had a walkabout in the rain to photograph any interesting  subjects.  A bird, a group of plants, the stream overflowing and the bright pink colours of the Heliconia chartaceae 'Sexy Pink' has boosted morale somewhat.....

December rains

The park looking south-west from hill at Zone C

Zone F

 The Kambatik Park is right in the midst of the monsoon rains which is from the months of November to February every year.  As usual when the rains are heavy the stream waters will overflow and creating flash floods.  Here's some images of the park in the rain today.

Zone F, Provinsi Carpentaria

Zone F, Provinsi Carpentaria

The Kambatik stream overflows...

Zone D, near Heliconia Valley

Eugenia oleina fruits

 Despite the rains, the bulbuls came throughout the day to eat the Eugenia oleina fruits that are in abundance at the park at the moment. The presence of an old dead tree provided convenient perches  for them to rest amidst their flight  schedules.

Bulbuls rest at an old dead tree

Bulbuls rest at an old dead tree

Flowers in the rain (Dillenia suffructicosa)

Flowers in the rain

 In light rain  the little spiderhunter  took to  the brief opportunity to search for food.  While the bulbuls kept themselves busy at the Eugenia oleina fruits the little spiderhunter was hurrying in bewteen the ixora and cream fruit flowers for their nectar.

Little spiderhunter at the cream fruit lowers...(Strophantus gratus)

Red flowers of the Drunken Sailor (Quisqualis indica) in the rain...

Eugenia oleina branches bending over due to the combined weight of the fruits and rain..