Early morning captures at the park

Little Green Pigeon from a distance
Cempedak Hill, Zone G
Kambatik Park, Bintulu.

 This morning was a wonderful time for birding at the park.  The clear blue sky made the pictures like postcards.  A pair of Little Green Pigeon was perching on their favourite perch at the Cempedak Hill.  They saw me but did not seem to be bothered with my presence.  I too respected their cooperation and left the scene with them still spending the early morning hours on the perch  while I moved to another location. At the Pazau lookout I saw  a few Blue-throated Bee-eaters resting on the perches in between their sorties.  Finally to close the early morning birding which took me between 7 - 8.30 am I stumbled upon a Philippine Glossy Starling.  It has been a worthwhile walk around the park.  More photoshoots below....

Lovely pair of Little Green Pigeon, colourful male is at left.

Philippines Glossy Starling

Blue-throated Bee-eater

Bee-eaters seen from a distance
Pazau lookout

A company of birds on old Rambutan tree

Blue-throated Bee-eaters and the Yellow-vented Bulbuls sharing the top spot at the old Rambutan tree

Photoshoot 28 Feb'15
Note the company of bee-eaters and bulbuls on top of the Rambutan tree
Location: Zone C
The Kambatik Park, Bintulu.

This morning the Blue-throated Bee-eaters and the Yellow-vented Bulbuls were having a fiesta of bees at the old Rambutan tree.  Check out the full stsory here ...>>>http://kambatikpark.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-company-of-birds-on-old-rambutan-tree.html

Birds on the hill

On the 12th of October, I went for a brief walkabout at the Kambatik Park and managed to photoshoot a few of the feathered species.  The full story is here...>>>http://kambatikpark.blogspot.com/2014/10/there-are-birds-on-hill.html

After the bees and nectar

Blue-throated Bee-eater (

 I started early this morning to do a little bit of birding at the park, between 8.00 - 9.00 am.  I went to three birding look-out points.  At the Cempedak point (Zone G) I encountered two Blue-throated Bee-eaters.  They were having a field day chasing and catching bees.  From the perches they organised many sorties and after catching them in mid-air rushed to the branches to batter their prey.  The bee-eaters are a regular visitor to the park.  Everyday they would pass the place to go southerly towards Tatau and in the evening would return using the same route.  At Heliconia point (Zone C) I was rewarded with a sporting Little Spiderhunter.  She gave me the opportunity for a photoshoot session.  Hiding behind the Sawit or oil palm  tree I was able to take images at close range using my Nikon D5100.  The Little Spiderhunter was at the Heliconia 'Sexy Pink'  to have a go at the nectar.  Obviously she succeeded well in her job.  Finally I walked up to one of the hilly areas at the park i.e. Zone I where two Hill Mynas were happily getting ready to go out for a shopping spree in the close neighbourhood and far beyond.  I know they would only return by evening time to their 'temporary hole' called home at their favourite dead but standing tall tree.

Little Spiderhunter at Heliconia 'Sexy Pink'

Hill Myna

Birding before sunset

Chestnut- breasted Malcoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris borneensis)

Blue-throated Bee-eater

Late afternoon I decided to have a walkabout at the park.  I thought the day will not be over until I pay another visit to the Licuala Hill at Zone I to check out whether the Hill Myna birds are still around.  On the way to the site my attention was directed to some movement among the branches at Zone C.  I moved quietly below the cover of trees and leaves.  I could get only a glimpse of the bird.  It was a  Chestnut -bellied Malcoha.  Today has been special because earlier in the morning I observed a solo Blue-throated Bee-eater having a rest on its favourite perch.  It kept on coming back in between hunting flights for bees.  Before the day was over the pair of Tiong or Hill Myna turned up to claim their nest.  It has been an interesting day and to wind it up, a beautiful sunset.

A pair of Hill Myna calling it home at the park

A female Hill Myna peeping out from its nest, a hole in the tall dead tree.

The two Tiongs (Hill Myna) seen from a distance
Location: Zone I, Kambatik Park, Bintulu.

View of Bintulu sunset from highest point at Zone I

After the bees

Perling Mata Merah - Philippines Glossy Starling
Aplonis panayensis

Blue-throated Bee-eater
Merops viridis

 It was a fine windy morning.  I could hear clearly the calls of the bee-eaters.  Checking on the Cempedak hill at Zone G, I saw from a distance a bee-eater resting on the branch of a dead tree.  When climbing the hill I saw another bird was busy smashing the bees on to another living  cempedak tree branch nearby.   It was the Philippines or Asian Glossy Starling.  The juvenile of the species was learning to batter the bees against the branch. The drama was for only about 30 minutes and by 7.30 am sooner than later they flew away giving me new additional information.  For this is the first time I managed to get a picture of the Perling devouring  bees and battering them on branches of trees.  Unlike many previous occasions  they were mainly seen eating the Eugenia oleina berries and other berries of jungle trees at the Botanic islands here.

As usual the bee-eaters batter the bees on to the branch

A juvenile starling knocking unconscious and immobilizing the bees.

A mature or adult Asian/Philippines Glossy Starling