The Van Hasselt Show

Sunbirds especially the males are spectacular creations of Mother Nature that have intrigued Man for ages. Generally, there are no rare sunbirds here in Malaysia. However, a few species are uncommon. There is one species that occurs here in my beloved Penang Island that has become increasingly rare of late is the Van Hasselt’s Sunbird. Formerly know as the Purple-throated Sunbird, this new name has yet to grow on me. Anyway, my last encounter with this species here in Penang is now a distant memory. When news broke of a flowering Saraca Tree in the Penang Botanic Gardens that was attracting a number of Van Hasselt’s Sunbirds, it was an opportunity not to be missed. As a matter of fact, it would be shameful if I did. Eventually, I managed to wriggle out some time to seek out the tree and hopefully the striking sunbirds as well. The weather was far from ideal. It got even gloomier when I reached the spot only to find the tree void of life.

I waited restlessly. The usual stares I was drawing from the weekend crowd was no help either. I would have thought that by now the folks of Penang would be used to the sight of a birder and his gear. Anyway, the first sunbird arrived at the tree a while later and it was an eclipsed Van Hasselt’s Sunbird. And once a few other sunbirds darted into the flowering trees, the stares ‘vanished’ and it was only the sunbirds and me. The lighting could have been better but the splendour of the male Van Hasselt’s Sunbirds was undeniable. Yes, there was more than one present.

They were transfixed on the sweet offering and my presence was totally ignored. I was presented with the opportunity to observe and photograph these striking birds up close and personal.

So confiding was one of the Van Hasselt’s Sunbird that I could even managed to shoot a short clip…

The tree was alive with glittering feathers as the sunbird went into a feeding frenzy. The first thing that came to mind was a Christmas tree. It is that special time of the year after all. But a tiny, active bird high on sugar was a big challenge for my humble photographic gear – a very big challenge indeed.

But today, I think I did relatively well. I must say most of the images turned out better than I had expected. I also did not expect to be surrounded by a handful of Van Hasselt’s at such close proximity. It was a remarkable experience.

The birds were finding it a little crowded and inevitably, tempers flared…

When the lighting improved, so did my images. With more available light, the iridescent part of their plumages became more apparent and it was truly a sight to behold. This is certainly my best encounter with this resplendent species to date.

The Olive-backed Sunbirds were also attracted to the feast. Honest to God, I tried my best to spend some time on this commoner species as well but I was difficult to pull myself away from my target birds. The male of the northern subspesies has an orangey border to the dark blue throat. He would have made a great subject but today belonged to the Van Hasselt’s Sunbirds.

As I was enjoying the performance of the sunbirds, a Crested Myna alighted on the flowering tree close to my position. I find Crested Mynas to be shyer than the rest and getting close to them usually takes effort. The Penang Botanic Gardens is one its major strongholds on the island and maybe, it felt slightly more invincible here. There was no point pondering about something that has no certain answer. So, I took off my thinking cap and just enjoyed the moment. This local speciality was a great bird to cap off an hour of exhilaration and fascination courtesy of a tiny feathered jewel that goes by the name of Van Hasselt’s Sunbird.