Sequence 2 - main road grass cutting

Zone G

Bush cutter for grass cutting

 Sequence 2 of the grass cutting operation involves the main road that runs around the park in a circuit.  The planning of the park envisaged earlier for easy harvesting and transporting  of the oil palm fruit bunches necessitate the building of a main circuitous road to enable the loading and transportation of fruit bunches within 30 minutes duration covering the park area of about 10 acres.  The main road starts from the entrance of the park and covers all zones.  The top picture shows part of the road along Zone G and below a section of the road running through Zone B.

Zone B

Zone E

Zone E

Zone D

A short and rounded pitcher plant

Short and rounded pitcher plant variety growing wild at Zone G.
This variety is different from the others that are long and elongated that grow abundantly wild in the park.

 There are a few varieties of pitcher plants that grow wild or naturally at the park.  Over the years I noticed only the long or elongated variety prevailing and they may come in short to long dimension. On a recent walkabout I stumbled upon a different variety that is short and rounded as in the picture above.  Pitcher plants are nature's wonders because they are considered 'carnivorous'.  Check out other postings of pitcher plants in this blog by following this link...>>>http://kambatikpark.blogspot.my/search/label/Pitcher%20plants .

The long or elongated variety of pitcher plant prevalent at the park.

Hello there, I'm here

Blue-throated  Bee-eater making call over the neighbourhood
Cempedak Hill, Zone G

 The early morning air was sweetened by the familiar call of the bee-eater.  I quickly decided to do my rounds checking out the source of the attractive voice.   I finally found a solo Blue-throated Bee-eater at the Cempedak Hill, Zone B.  It has been a while since I have not captured any shots of the bird, thus I began my uphill climb carefully in order not to alert the bird.  I moved in from a northerly direction and decided to take as many pictures as possible for the album. Moving stealthily I managed to get some good shots of it.  Apparently the bird was preening itself on the Cempedak tree's  perch and only when it saw me towards the end of the photo session that it flew away.  Here a few selected  pictures for today.

LS view taken at Cempedak Hill

A party of four Little Green Pigeon

 It is good to be back and be greeted by the Little Green Pigeons.  Climbing up the Cempedak Hill I was able to watch a small party of four of this fast flying bird perching on the Cempedak tree.  This tree is a favourite perch for the pigeons for years now.  Today, its the turn of the Little Green Pigeon to take a rest before night fall and survey the view of the park.  Sometimes this perch is shared by a close relative of the Little Green Pigeon i.e. the Pink-necked Pigeon.

View of the park at Zone G

Hawking for bees

Blue-throated Bee-eater (Berekberek Tadah Hujan - Malay)
Merops vividis
Location : Cempedak Hill, Zone G

 It was  still early in the morning, around 8 am and the cheerful calls of the Blue-throated Bee-eater were distinctively heard in the cool morning atmosphere.  The sole bee-eater had decided to make a pit stop at the Cempedak tree perch.  I climbed the hill to get closer and the climb was well rewarded with images of the bee-eater with a prey  caught between its beak which it hawked in mid air nearby.  Incidences of the bee-eater coming to the park is a daily phenomena.  The park lies in  their north -south flight path (from Bintulu towards Tatau ) which they habitually follow in the morning and in evening return flights. The bee-eater has striking turquoise-blue for its throat and greenish-blue for its breast. It possess green wings.  Its head or crown is a beautiful chestnut colour.

Partial view of the neighbourhood as seen from Cempedak Hill, looking south-west.

Bee-eater  settles on a twig with a bee hawked from mid air
Location : Cempedak Hill
Zone G

The Bornean Falconet surveys the neighbourhood

The tallest dead twig from where the falconet surveys the neighbourhood for insects and small birds
Location : Cempedak Hill, Zone G

 A sharp shriek sent me looking around for its origin.  I saw something dashing above me and my eyes followed its movement till it  landed on the tallest twig of the Cempedak tree at Zone G.  Today's sighting is a pleasant surprise for the fact that the Bornean Falconet (Microhierax latifrons) have never come this close to the house.  The best shot I got of it was about 40 meters from the tree before it flew away.  The falconet belongs to the smallest raptor species in the world.  What strikes me about this bird is the pale buffish belly and an overall black and white body.  Its sighting is always welcomed at the park.  

View of the group of trees not far away from the sighting where I worked and saw the dashing movement of the bird above ....

Large birds at the perch

The perch (middle top section of the picture) as seen from Zone C
Note the clump of bamboos, jungle trees and other fruits trees around the perch.

Resting on the perch at Zone G are two Hill Myna birds

Hill Myna or "Tiong" (Malay)

 The perch is an tall dead tree situated at Zone G.  Nearby the perch is a clump of bamboos, a grove of fruit trees and further surrounded by oil palm trees.  The perch is attracting two big types of birds recently viz the "Kenyalang" or Hornbill bird and the Hill Myna birds or "Tiong" (Malay). They would rest a while on the branches to scout the neighbourhood before seeking the relative safety of the jungle trees and other fruit trees to roost.  While the Hill Myna have been seen building their homes at the park and breeding, the Kenyalang has yet to show definite signs of establishing its home here.  The recent sightings of the big Kenyalang bird is a positive sign that the nature park is attracting large birds.

A Black Hornbill perching
Zone G 

Male Black Hornbill

The Black Hronbill and Hill Myna on the same perch
Zone G

I got the big one!

Black Hornbill  - male of the species

 It was only a few weeks ago that I noticed the behaviour of the Black Hornbill.  It was seen more regularly in the early morning and evening times at the park.  This morning  I was given an excellent photoshoot session by the  hornbill and it allowed me to come quite close to the perch.  I suspect that it is trying to identify a suitable tree to establish a home at the park.  The hornbill is to date the biggest type of bird to be seen here and today's photoshoot session is one of the best. At last I got you! The big one!  

Black body, long tail and white bill and casque makes the Black Hornbill easily recognizable from a distance.
Zone G

The Jering tree and fruits

The Jering tree is partly seen at middle ground of picture
Location : Zone G

Jering fruit (seed)

The Jering (Pithelobium lobatum) tree that is located beside the road at Zone G is a large tree.  Today I started to clear the undergrowth around the tree in order to make way for convenient access to the tree. I have not checked this tree earlier and to my surprise it is bearing fruits.  In Bintulu, the Melanau elders love to boil the Jering fruit, which is this case is actually the seed (see inset) and eat it together with fresh grated coconut in palm sugar.   I love Jering for 'Ulam' (Malay) which is akin to eating it as salad.  To make the Jering more palatable as a salad, it is better to eat it with a prepared paste of Bintulu 'belacan' pounded with anchovies, a bit of red chilies and ginger.

The Jering fruit is believed to be able to cure high blood pressure.

Clearing work around the Jering tree.

The wild Sukong Ranyai (Fagraea crassipes)

From bud to flower
Sukong Tanyai (Iban) - Fagraea crassipes
Location : Zone G

Note: For more pictures of the Sukong Ranyai, check them out in my other blog dedicated to plants here

One, Two Punai birds

Male Little Green Pigeon, distinguished by the maroon wings
In Malay this pigeon is called 'Punai Daun' literally to mean- 'leaf Punai'

Two, Little Green Pigeons, both sexes
Location : Cempedak Hill, Zone G

Female of the species

Two Punais, up high on the Cempedak Hill
taken today, 28 Feb'15

What have I goat?

Plaintive Cuckoo - Cacomantis merlinus
Photoshoot on 19 February,2015. 1st day of Chinese New Year (Year of the Goat)
Location : Cempedak Hill, Zone G.

Plaintive Cuckoo at the Cempedak tree, Zone G.

Today is special.  Today after years of living at the park I have the rare opportunity of catching a glimpse of the Plaintive Cuckoo.  This is not to say that it is seldom or very rarely heard at the park.  On the contrary its call is heard everyday in the park especially during early morning hours and around sunset.  After years of birdwatching here and becoming very familiar with its call the moment of truth arrived today when I saw it perching on top of the Cempedak tree broadcasting its familiar call. The sight of it and hearing it making the calls verified to me that it is the bird that has been in my hunting list since the first time I heard the call here.  On this first day of the Chinese  New Year of the Goat at long last I sighted the Plaintive Cuckoo  in clear view.  More importantly it is the confirmation of the bearer of that  familiar call that makes my day.  Yes, I've goat it !!

Striking sulphurous colour of the Grass Yellow

Upper side wings of the Eurema species or Grass Yellow butterfly
Location : Cempedak Hill, Zone G

 Today I was exceptionally lucky to have photographed a Grass Yellow butterfly just out of its pupa.  Earlier on it must have broken the transparent covering of the pupa and slowly moved out of the sac.  I would imagine that the force of the wings could have broken the ultra thin sac covering of the pupa (chrysalis) and by pull of gravity enabled it to move out of the sac.  Just out of the pupa or chrysalis this small butterfly species displayed a graphic pattern of  perfect symmetry, a wonder of nature.

Note the transparent sac covering of the pupa.
The pupa stage of a butterfly's life is a resting stage in which time it is transformed into a full butterfly.  In some butterfly species this process can take weeks or months.   Only fully transformed it breaks through the pupa to become an adult butterfly (as shown above)

Upper side of wings fully opened, in perfect symmetry.
Grass Yellow or Eurema species
Family : Pieridae - commonly call the whites or sulphurs