Natural Born Tailors (30/08/2014)

The Red-bearded Bee-eater is one of the most enigmatic species of forest birds in Malaysia. It also possesses one of the most diagnostic calls as well. The forest at Sungai Sedim in Kedah has always been a stronghold for these beautiful birds and despite their colours and vocals, it is not easy to photograph them as they use the cover of the canopy to near perfection. A pair calling from the topmost part of the canopy was gracious enough to reveal themselves to Choo Eng and I this time round and a prolonged photo session was inevitable. The male, with his complete lilac forecrown, was on a relatively exposed perch but unfortunately, just a little too far for any good images.

The female, sporting a partial red forecrown, is equally as stunning as her mate and was calling from a lower and closer perch. That’s a good girl…

Wild Bamboos will flower quite randomly without any specified season. But when they do, you can pretty much be sure that the Pin-tailed Parrotfinches will be there to feed on the flowers. These brilliantly coloured finches have been recorded quite regularly at this locality for the past couple of years. I have to add that they are quite shy and wary of human presence and this image of the bamboo flowers but without the finches pretty much speaks for itself. 

Not that I am complaining but I have been quite lucky with Black-headed Bulbuls of late. But it will take many more close encounters like this for the fascination of this colourful bulbul to wear off. A slightly soaked individual drying itself in the open provided another memorable encounter.

And here is one - all prim and proper...

Now, the Grey-bellied Bulbul does bear some resemblance to the Black-headed Bulbul but it is a rarer bird. The striking contrast of grey and yellow makes it one of the most attractive bulbuls around. But as usual for the pretty ones, photographic opportunities are hard to come by. So, I am quite happy with the images despite the bird being partially blocked. After all, this is a wild bird shot in its natural habitat. Some factors are just beyond my control (not for me or anyone to control and manipulate in the first place) but that is what makes this hobby so challenging and intriguing. And it is also what makes you feel so much satisfied and grateful when you finally get your perfect shot. The bottom line is the well being of your subject always comes first. If only everyone adheres to this one simple rule...

When it did finally move to an open perch, this was the pose it gave me. I guess you cannot have your cake and eat it too all the time....

Tailorbirds are a very interesting group of warblers. As the name implies, they literally sew up their nest, either two leaves together or one single bigger leave to form a cup-like nest. The Dark-necked Tailorbird is undoubtedly the most successful and adaptable of all the tailorbirds in Malaysia. This widespread species occurs from montane forest down to the coastal mangroves. The forest here at Sungai Sedim houses a healthy population of this tailorbird. Come to think of it, so does any forest in Malaysia. A family with ravenous juveniles foraging through the vegetation usually causes so much commotion that you simply can't ignore them even if you wanted to. This over-zealous youngster alighted almost directly overhead. The yellowish vent is a good field identification mark to separate it from a juvenile Common Tailorbird. The latter replaces the Dark-necked Tailorbird in more urbanized areas but sometimes their habitats do overlap. 

The Dark-necked Tailorbird shares the pristine forest of this locality with another species - the Rufous-tailed Tailorbird. The latter is the rarest of all the tailorbirds and only occurs in lowland and hilly forest. I have recorded this species here on a number of occasions but today, I finally managed to photograph it. Tailorbirds are extremely vocal creatures and this individual was calling from a slightly exposed perch at the edge of the forest. I just had enough time to capture a few shots before it moved deeper into the undergrowth. A photo lifer is always a great way to wrap things up for the day and is all thanks to a little forest dweller with a knack for sewing.