At close range

When I saw this Common Iora at eye level, I remember another occasion when I saw a pair, at eye level too, and one of them was moulting.  
     This is the beauty of the taman where there are so many varying shapes and sizes of trees that one is able to view birds at all angles.  It is simply to my dismay that the taman supervisory often deems it more appropriate to chop down trees then trim!

It is believed that birds moult to keep their feathers in good condition, or some moult to attract a mate.  Whatever it is, it is simply amazing to see such transformation taking place.

A little bird tale

Someone asked me, "Do you spin stories of birds?"
I said, "No, birds tell me stories."
And this is one such moment:

"Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee

And I’ll forgive Thy great big one on me."

What's beautiful

When the sun shines, it can reveal the ugly, it can also reveal the beauty.  This morning I saw what's beautiful.  As some one sang,
"I know what's beautiful
Looking at you."

Hornbill - bully or bullied?

It was survival time again at the taman.  I saw the Oriental Pied Hornbill being chased off once more by the Jungle Crow.
     It flew off into a territory which caused much anxiety to some of the smaller birds like the Black-naped Oriole and Yellow-vented Bulbuls which obviously harbour nests in that tree.  The continuous desperate cries eventually caused to OPH to fly off.
     Talk about one bullying the other!

The presence of the OPH created some moments of distress for these parent birds.

When there is food

I did not even realise that the tree was fruiting.  As I walked by the gate on the way out I was immediately attracted to the din up the tree, which sounded like a real busy noisy marketplace!  There are three trees in a row but only one was fruiting and fortunately it was the end one which made photography slightly easier.

Then I spotted the Coppersmith Barbet, not easy at all when the foliage is pretty thick and the light is not in your favour, and the bird is predominantly shades of green!

And then I spotted the Yellow-vented Bulbul and was absolutely delighted to capture it with a fruit.

A very satisfied bird after having swallowed the fruit

Another Yellow-vented Bulbul on another branch, and a satisfied one too.

The Asian Glossy Starlings were everywhere, both adults and juveniles.  This one is a juvenile.

Dollar but not the currency type

This morning I was entertained by the Dollarbird and its preening.  It was also continuously calling out.  I was hoping that another one will turn up but none did.  I plan to stalk it out because it will certainly be a treat to spot a pair.
     This bird may look black from afar but it's not.  It has a rich glossy greenish-blue colour, brownish head and thick wide orangey-red bill.
     The Dollarbird likes flying insects and after doing sorties will return expectedly to the same or surrounding perch.  It also favours high perch on exposed bare branches of the tallest trees.

 This is a favourite perch position, and upright too, on the bare branch tip of the tallest tree, seen here continuously calling out.

The following image was shot about the same time last year.  It could be the same bird - stunning colour too!

Grass food

The park attracts birds because of the numerous trees and shrubs that provide flowers for nectar, insects and of course, fruits.  The other big attraction is grass seed which regularly attracts the Scaly-breasted Munia and the Baya Weaver.

The ugly side

A bird's nest is a natural wonder.  It is almost a privilege to see a nest, even more so to see the bird active around it because I know that nature's cycle is in progress.  It is not easy to spot the Brown-throated Sunbird's nest, what more to see the parents around it.
     Unfortunately, a couple of days after spotting this splendid work of art, it went missing, or more precisely, was poached.  That's the ugly side of man, unable to leave nature be.

And it was the same with this nest which I am unsure of which bird.

And with this too - soon after I saw the Zebra Dove brooding, the nest was swiped, and perhaps the egg or eggs too.