Flower-related turf war

Consecutive days of storm washed away any plans for birding this weekend. However, a visit to somewhere within the island of Penang was still viable. The Relau Metropolitan Park is a green area that I have not visited before. This park is located next to a residential area and as expected, it was not raining upon my arrival. I bet if I was at some far off birding hotspot, I will mostly probably be talking shelter from the rain. Murphy would have made sure of that.

This site happens to be one of Hor Kee’s local patches and according to him, the bed of Heliconias near the main building of the park is a good bet for foraging sunbirds. Although the Plain-throated Sunbird is one of the commoner species, I do not have as many photographs of it as I would like. Well, that certainly changed after today. A male bird seemed to have proclaimed this bed of flowers his and defend it vigorously from other nectar-loving species.

Although he was confiding, sudden erratic movements occasionally derailed my photographic efforts. Like all public parks, there will be the weekend crowd. Although it is not as bad as some other prominent parks, my gear and behaviour attracted the usual stares and questions. But I stood my ground. The resplendent plumage of the male, especially his upperparts, is worth the irritation.

He feeds in intervals. When not indulging he alights on the same nearby perch to rest, preen and keep a look out for intruders.

I was surprised when he went after a female that invaded his turf. However, shortly after I saw her savouring the sweet nectar right in the open. It looked like our boy realized his mistake and he has a soft spot after all.

The female was even more confiding and she soon had the undivided attention of not one but two males following her every move.

With the male Plain-throated Sunbird being so utterly aggressive, there is very little hope of any other species visiting the Heliconias. Since it is my first visit and all, I was eager to explore the remaining areas. Unfortunately, I did not have much opportunity to photograph except for a male Common Tailorbird that occasionally took a breather before commencing on his morning hunt for sustenance.

Near the far end of the park, I came upon a watch tower. Much to my delight, the surrounding trees were fruiting. So I was presented with a rare opportunity to observe and shoot an active fruiting tree at eye level. And of all places, it is at a modest residential park in my own island home of Penang. My faith in the island for providing exceptional birding experiences has been somewhat questionable of late.

Thoughts of guilt were running through my head as I climbed the steps up the tower. But those thoughts vanished when I caught sight of a handsome male Yellow-rumped Flycatcher.

He is one of the early arrivals as the migratory season will only peak in about a month’s time. It was a good encounter for a visit to a site so close to home. Could have been even better if he had been slightly more confiding.

The presence of a plainer flycatcher among the fruiting trees pulled me away from the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher. No, the elevation of the tower has not clouded my senses. With last season’s episode of the rare Narcissus Flycatcher still lingering at the back of my mind, the drab one was fully scrutinized for unexpected surprises. However, it turned out to be only a female Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and a camera-shy one as well judging from this one single photo that I managed to take.

I made myself comfortable at the tower and waited for what else that might drop in for a feed. Being surrounded by fruiting trees also has its drawback especially when one is alone. I had to constantly move around to make nothing slips pass my radar. Frustration started to set in when most of the patrons chose to feast among the furthest trees and often partially obstructed from view. You know, I would never had thought the Yellow-vented Bulbul would be so shy here...

The Black-naped Orioles made frequent brief visits to the loftiest branches. Enough said...

I was given only one chance to the photograph the Pink-necked Pigeon. It was after the flock has gorged themselves whilst completely hidden from view and a female bird alighted on an exposed perch before flying off with the rest of the flock.

Although there were hardly any notable species present, some the commoner did provide moments of delights during my time at this elevated stakeout. The Olive-winged Bulbul may be the second commonest bulbul on the island but it was still nice of it to provide some photographic opportunities.

The resplendent beauty of the Asian Glossy Starling is often difficult to capture accurately and lighting plays a major role here. Well today, I had ample time to attempt as quite a number of them were present at the fruiting trees.

Some of the starlings I captured appeared duller than the rest. But it was no fault of mine nor my equipment. They were subadults that have had to obtain the adult’s true splendour.

The tower provided me with a means to photograph the foraging starlings at eye level. With a little patience and luck, some of the images almost did these common but stunning birds justice. There is no denying the advancement in photographic equipment but I still feel that nothing beats first hand experience. The moment you lay eyes on the bird. The emotions that run through your soul. The conditions that you had to endure or savour. No photograph, no matter how remarkable, can ever capture those.

The forecasted storm finally started to show itself as the noon hour approached. I managed a few more shots of the starlings before the fruiting trees no longer show any signs of life. The vicinity grew dark and silent except for the distanced rumbling of thunder. It was then that I descended back down to Earth. Inevitably, I was caught by the downpour but am glad I decided to make this visit and enjoyed a few hours of unexpectedly rewarding birding.