Red Bearded Bee-eater - nyctyornis amictus Another very early morning start at first light saw us heading up the mountain on a very rough dirt road in a rugged 4x4 owned by a local bird guide sub-contracted by Tony. The local man spoke very little English but his vehicle was up to the job and he obviously knew exactly where to find the best birds.
Finally we came to a halt and then we walked into the forest to a specific spot where we stood quietly and waited. After a few minutes it was there, almost like an apparition it just appeared on a branch a few meters away, holding a large cicada. A Red Bearded Bee-eater. I think this is the most stunning bird I have ever seen. The colours here do not do it justice, it was very dark in dense forest so I had the ISO set at 3200, aperture open wide on f5.6 so the photos are not of pristine quality, but the bird itself was just amazing.
Finally we came to a halt and then we walked into the forest to a specific spot where we stood quietly and waited. After a few minutes it was there, almost like an apparition it just appeared on a branch a few meters away, holding a large cicada. A Red Bearded Bee-eater. I think this is the most stunning bird I have ever seen. The colours here do not do it justice, it was very dark in dense forest so I had the ISO set at 3200, aperture open wide on f5.6 so the photos are not of pristine quality, but the bird itself was just amazing.
Red Bearded Bee-eater - nyctornis amictus This shot shows clearly just why it is named Red Bearded. A fiery red throat with, in the male, a bright pink brow contrasting well with the deep green back and clear bright yellow eyes.
Moments later a female appeared and we were treated to the spectacle of the two birds coming and going between their nest hole in a sandy bank and the nearby branches, all just a few meters from where we stood. They seemed quite unperturbed by our presence, even as we aimed our lenses & took photographs without hiding. They obviously sensed no danger.
Moments later a female appeared and we were treated to the spectacle of the two birds coming and going between their nest hole in a sandy bank and the nearby branches, all just a few meters from where we stood. They seemed quite unperturbed by our presence, even as we aimed our lenses & took photographs without hiding. They obviously sensed no danger.
Red Bearded Bee-eater - nyctornis amictus Of all the wonderful birds we had encountered on this trip to SE Asia, this was the highlight. Even better than staring a Great Hornbill in the face. These Bee-eaters had an aura, they seemed to glow in the murky light of the jungle. Their strange and gutteral croaking and hoarse chattering calls were clearly contented sounds with no trace of alarm or fright. This is most unlike other exotic forest birds such as Pittas and Trogons that are very wary of humans. I think this trusting demeanor added to their overall appeal, plus the fact that we were in a very remote spot a long way from human habitation. A taste of how things once were before most forests were destroyed by people.
Black Backed Kingfisher - ceyx erithacus Eventually we left the Bee-Eaters to themselves and moved on in search of other birding highlights. We were not to be disappointed as we soon found a pair of Black Backed Kingfishers, busy at their nest by a forest stream.
Black Backed Kingfisher pair - ceryx erithacus Although the nest was by a stream their food consisted of spiders and other insects, so like the Banded Kingfisher these are another forest species that do not fish for a living.
Once again very poor light conditions prevented me from getting sharp images, but I was happy to get any record at all of such a special little bird species. Not many people will see this kingfisher in their lifetime. We were privileged to watch them bringing food for their young for some time.
Once again very poor light conditions prevented me from getting sharp images, but I was happy to get any record at all of such a special little bird species. Not many people will see this kingfisher in their lifetime. We were privileged to watch them bringing food for their young for some time.
Black Backed Kingfisher with spider Just to prove the point here is a shot of one with a spider, not a fish. Now perhaps they should be renamed "Spiderhunters", but there is already a whole family of birds named just that, so kingfishers they will stay.
Red Headed trogon - harpactes orrhophaus As we were watching the Black backed Kingfishers our local guides were seeking out other forest species. The guides know all the calls and in fact occasionally use recordings to attract birds into view. Sometimes it works, others not. Some people do not approve of this, believing it to be disruptive, particularly in the breeding season. I usually form my own opinion on these matters and whenever we attracted birds using playback I could see no evidence of any harm or negative effects. The birds came, looked and after a little while went back about their business unharmed. This is different from the mass "Blinging" of birds that takes place in Europe. Apart from the trauma of trapping, manhandling, measuring, ringing etc. common sense must tell you that having permanent lumps of metal and/or plastic around their legs, sometimes several, will have a debilitating effect on a wild creature. Ostensibly for scientific reasons, What? don´t make me laugh. more like self aggrandizement, people do it because they can, it makes them feel important. Anyway here is a bird that was attracted by playback, and what a bird! The Red Headed Trogon is visually stunning. The uppers are mostly a gorgeous burnt orange with grey trim. The head and undersides are radiant in pillar-box red with a white collar, and the underside tail feathers are a beautiful black and white geometric design. To see such a magnificent bird at close hand in the rain forest is about as good as birding gets, the pulse quickens, senses are heightened as the rush of excitement takes hold. Once again poor light is the only reason the images are not pin sharp because the bird sat still quite calmly at close range for several minutes. Superb.
Red headed Trogon - harpactes orrhphaus
Black & Red Broadbill - cymberhynchus macrorhynchos Birds were appearing in quick succession now. From the deep forest we moved out to the dirt road and here was a Black & Red Broadbill´s nest with parent birds in attendance, so the red theme continued. A lot smaller than the Trogon but almost as spectacular with that typical Broadbill´s "penguin-like" face and deep rich red colour. They were a delight to watch, another dash of red against the forest green.
Black & Red Broadbill - cymberhynchus macrohynchos
Dusky Broadbill - corydon sumatranus Here´s another Broadbill, this time a less colourful Dusky Broadbill. A nice bird and a strangely welcome sight after all the bright coloured species, a reminder that not every bird in the forest is spectacular which enhances the experience when they are.
Dusky Broadbill - corydon sumatranus The Dusky Broadbill may not be brightly coloured but it has that characteristic broad bill and large face, which makes these birds stand out from other species, quite unique amongst all he birds we had seen and very appealing.
I am not sure how that bill shape is adapted to their food gathering? Insectivores would normally have sharp, often quite long beaks and I believe broadbills take mainly grubs & larvae, so one would expect the need for a more probing tool. I will look into their feeding habits because such a broad bill seems quite unsuitable in this habitat.
I am not sure how that bill shape is adapted to their food gathering? Insectivores would normally have sharp, often quite long beaks and I believe broadbills take mainly grubs & larvae, so one would expect the need for a more probing tool. I will look into their feeding habits because such a broad bill seems quite unsuitable in this habitat.
Greater Yellownape chick - picus flavinucha There are many woodpecker species in the forest as one would expect. They are quite easy to locate from the drumming sounds but surprisingly difficult to photograph, being quite shy and wary of people, so I mostly have distant shots for the record but nothing much to look at. This Greater Yellownape chick in the nest hole though gave me a perfect opportunity for a closer look. I must say it looks very cosy in there, waiting for attention from the parents. This chick looks almost fully fledged and ready to flee the nest, but I can understand why he´s reluctant to do so, too comfortable by half with Mum & Dad bringing food, why would he want to leave?
Here is another woodpecker, this is a Greater Flameback, distinguished from the Common Flameback by the stripe pattern on the side of the head. This would be a very photogenic bird, if only I could have got closer, or at least had some better light. We saw probably eight different woodpecker species on our travels but have very little to show for it photographically. I hope to return and do better in the future.
It was a similar story with a lot of potentially stunning birds, getting closer and having better light would be great, but so often I had to make do with record shots such as those below of an Orange Bellied Leafbird, which is a stunner & these photos do not do it justice at all.
It was a similar story with a lot of potentially stunning birds, getting closer and having better light would be great, but so often I had to make do with record shots such as those below of an Orange Bellied Leafbird, which is a stunner & these photos do not do it justice at all.
 Orange Bellied Leafbird - chloropsis hardwickii |  Orange Bellied Leafbird - chloropsis hardwickii |
Lesser Racket Tailed Drongo - dicrurus remifer Here is a Lesser Racket Tailed Drongo at the nest. It was interesting to see such a relatively small nest for the size of bird. It would be impossible to build a nest big enough to accommodate those tail feather extensions & in fact watching the bird on the nest it was merely an egg depositary and incubation platform.
Dark Sided Flycatcher - muscicapa sibirica With so many large and spectacular birds it is easy to overlook the little brown jobs, but I did grab a shot of this Dark Sided Flycatcher out in the open in decent light, so it is worth posting. It should be said that photographing small birds in the forest is doubly difficult, poor light, thick canopy and high leaf density, plus the fact that most of them flit around continuously not allowing time for one to focus and click even when they do come into in full view.
I was lucky enough to catch another shot of a very special small bird up in the trees though, one we had met before, the Banded Kingfisher. Just one shot on this occasion but given the scarcity and difficulty of finding and photographing this forest species I will post it here.
I was lucky enough to catch another shot of a very special small bird up in the trees though, one we had met before, the Banded Kingfisher. Just one shot on this occasion but given the scarcity and difficulty of finding and photographing this forest species I will post it here.
Banded Kingfisher - lacedo pulchela
Grey Treepie - dendrocitta formosae The major advantage of having hand held equipment as opposed to tripod mounted bazookas such as those all around me & which cost ten times more, is that I am ready and able to take a photo instantly. No tripod to manouever into position with subsequent lining-up problems. For example no-one else grabbed a shot of the Kingfisher or of this Grey Treepie, caught quickly between the branches. Not a technically geat shot I admit, but at least I got it. Even if I could afford the many thousands required to buy a big lenses & full frame cameras I doubt if I would do it. I prefer to be quick on the draw.
Crested Serpent Eagle - spilornis cheena I think this is a Crested Serpent Eagle. Not the clearest photo but the yellow face and the barred tail feathers are indicative. I just saw him perched up there & took a shot of this typical forest bird.
The Green Vine Snake - ahaetulla nasuta This slender Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla nasuta) was over two meters in length. I know this because Tony picked it up by the tail & held it above his head & the snake´s head was still on the ground. It was a beautiful green colour & what I didn´t know at the time is that it is mildly venomous, a bite will cause painful swelling. I am not sure if Tony knew it either?
