Ripe fruits for morning breakfast at Limbang

Philippines Glossy Starling

Weeping Fig ( Ficus benjamina)

 On a recent trip to Limbang (26 Oct'16)  I was attracted to a huge Weeping Fig tree or Waringin (Malay) that was heavily fruiting.  It was early in the morning when a small group of us were having breakfast at a coffee shop close by the river. The tree was located about five meters from the corner shop.  It was a fine morning and flocks of the Philippines Glossy Starling came to enjoy the ripe fruits oblivious of the people around.  I took the opportunity to gather some close-up shots of the birds consuming the juicy fruits for their morning breakfast.    

Enjoying the juicy ripe fruits of the ficus tree

View of Limbang town, 26 Oct'16.

Shooting the Tiong before sunset

A 'Tiong ' bird resting on a nearby perch before settling for the night at their nesting home some 50 meters away
Location : Licuala Hill, the Kambatik Park, Bintulu.

Hill Myna or 'Tiong' (Malay)

 The 'Tiong' birds or Hill Myna have been seen coming back again to their favourite nesting home at Licuala Hill since about a week ago. Habitually, once they start making nest at the old dead tree they will be seen regularly from now onwards especially towards the end of each day to return to their nest after a long day's outing over the land looking for food.  Their daily return before sunset afford me opportunities to study their behaviour.  Adjacent to their nest is another tall tree that they used as a convenient perch to rest temporarily before settling for the night at their nest.  They will normally call it a day past sunset time.

The Tiongs hanging out at one of the tallest tree in the park which has a hole they call home.
Location : Licuala Hill

Two Tiongs have a rest before settling in their nest which is a hole inside this tall dead tree.

Enjoying today's sunset

The Tiong or Hill Myna is back this May

Above pic taken on 2 May'15
Location : Licuala Hill, Zone I

2 May'15

 This month the Tiongs are back at the park.  I took photographs of them first on the 2nd of May and then on the 25th of May.  Their favourite place here is the tall tree (dead tree) at the Licuala Hill, situated at Zone I.  The park is blessed with the presence of the tree and the Tiongs or Hill Myna birds that are attracted to a hole in the tree, a home made ready for them.  Below are pictures taken on the 25th of May.

25 may'15

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

Tiong making good its nest

A Hill Myna bird  (Tiong - Malay) whistling from its favourite perch at Licuala Hill

Making good its nest

A long grass blade used for additional comfort for its  'nest' at hole in the tree

Get together before flight off...

I was watching the Hill Myna birds at Licuala Hill this morning.  It is obvious that they need additional padding to their nest which is a hole in the tree.  After placing the long grass blade inside the nest and there's nothing more on the agenda, they flew away probably to look for food.  As is customary now, they would return home around 5 in the afternoon.

Watching the whistling Hill Myna

View of the Hill Myna birds from Sunset point, Kambatik Park.
Date taken : 29 September, 2014.

 The Hill Myna or 'Tiong' in Malay is one of the loudest birds at the park.  Their calls and whistling sounds can be heard for kilometers away.  The Tiongs are common pet birds in Sarawak because they can imitate human syllables or language and as such are referred to as talking birds.  Today I saw two Tiongs at their regular perching place, which is a tall dead tree near the Provinsi Licuala and close to a birding point I call 'Sunset point'.  At this point which is at the top of the hill I often  watch the Bintulu sunset.  The best time to watch the Tiongs is between 5- 6.30 pm when they would return to their hole in the tree, called temporary home. This afternoon they were seen moving about places.  They used three perches exchangeably when I was there trying to photoshoot them.  Here are the pictures....

Just before sunset....

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

Birding at break of dawn

At break of dawn the Hill Myna delivered loud and sharp whistling calls
Location : Zone I
Kambatik Park, Bintulu.

Hill Myna with grass

 At the break of dawn I started walking towards the tall dead tree to watch the Tiong Mas or Hill Myna bird.  From afar I could already hear their whistling calls which helped boost my steps as I began to climb the steep slopes to reach at their favourite tree.  Both were there.  However today was slightly special in that the female bird was seen many times peeping out of the nest with a long blade of grass.  My best guess is that she could have used it to make her nest comfortable.  The pair later flew to nearby trees and moved about the branches and leaves while broadcasting their noisy calls over the neighbourhood.  After they disappeared into the surrounding jungle,  I moved to another location some 200 meters away to observe the pigeons at their favourite perch, a Cempedak tree at Zone F. There I met a female Little Green Pigeon or Punai Daun ( Malay).  It must have been a juvenile one since it seemed curious at me and had no urgency to fly away.  I guess she must have born here and make the park their home.

A Hill Myna partly hidden among the branches and leaves of a jungle tree.

A juvenile Little Green Pigeon

Little Green Pigeon (Treron olax) on the Cempedak perch
Location : Zone F