Lucky grasshopper sighting

It was a most refreshing distraction for me when I spotted this stunning grasshopper while seeking more feathered beauties.  Unfortunately without a macro lens it was difficult to get sharper images to better show off its gorgeous colours.
It's a Monkey Grasshopper that is also known as Matchstick Grasshopper, its characteristic features are its protruding head and wings.  This grasshopper belongs to the Eumastacidae family which is the most primitive Orthopterans (which is an order of insects that comprises grasshoppers, locusts, crickets and katydids).

And because of its position, I just about managed to shoot it in parts to highlight its distinct features before it flew off as I had to approach closer.

This image focused on its head and metallic green body, and it looked like it also spied me!

This image showed off its gorgeous veined wings and patterned legs.

One Malkoha

I almost missed this one despite it being a big one, including its tail it's almost two feet long.  The Green-billed Malkoha is a regularly seen bird in both the taman and Bukit Kiara.  It's one of only two species of malkohas found in the Bukit, the other one being the chestnut-breasted malkoha, more irregularly spotted.
The malkoha belongs to the cuckoo family but is non-parasitic, and commonly seen foraging in the dense foliage for larger caterpillars or insects.

Zooming in I could see that it was preoccupied with something above it.  Unfortunately it disappeared into the thick foliage and I lost it momentarily.

When I returned to the same spot a few minutes later I could sense something moving, or rather hopping about, from branch to branch.  Finally it stopped long enough in the open for me to get another long shot, another angle.  I supposed I shouldn't complain, having got pretty good frontal and side views of this bird.

Little Flowerpecker bonus

Once again the lack of avian varieties led me to walk Bukit Kiara.  This place was also relatively quiet but just as I decided to call it a day following a rather lacklustre search, this cute little thing flew right in, very close to where I was standing pondering how long I should still stay, hoping that some bird, any bird would show up.
It was the Orange-bellied Flowerpecker, resident, yet not so regularly sighted.  To have it fly down to the bushes for its favourite berry-like fruits was an unexpected bonus.  In fact it was a pair that flew in but unfortunately the female chose to stay within the bushes and this male simply and absolutely commanded my full attention by virtue of its close proximity that I had no time to seek out the female.

This could easily be my favourite pose.

Soon after it crushed and swallowed its fruit meal, it scouted around for more but I guessed with no more suitably ripe ones in sight, it flew off as suddenly and rapidly as it flew in.

Another close Goshawk encounter

I was absorbed watching the two Crested Goshawk looking like they were playfully pursuing one another.  Suddenly these two flew towards me and landed right up front.  Both looked like male, one older than the other.
I can only say, Gorgeous, Gorgeous birds!

This older one stayed a little farther up.

When the younger one flew off, the older one stayed on but was spooked by the sound of the leaf blower that approached, and flew off to seek haven even higher up but shielded in the middle canopy.  Fortunately it stayed long enough for me to approach and get  a couple of close-ups, and mind, what huge and stunningly sharp claws, and hook-beak!  Just look at the hook-grip on the branch.

As I was passing by

Thanks for the pose!

* This is my 1000th post, certainly cause for celebration, and my gratitude to Taman Rimba Kiara that has so much to offer in terms of avian excitements!

As I was passing by

Thanks for the pose!

Tracking bird movements

It's always a challenge to try and make out that movement in the leaves, knowing that a bird is there, and could be gone in a split second.

One could only guess what it could be going by the location of the movement.  Still, the feeling was that it could be something else?!

It turned out to be just the female Plain-throated Sunbird.  Nevertheless the reward was discovering how gorgeous and varied the flowers were way up high there, only distinct with zoom lens.

Goshawk at eye-level

I almost literally walked into this Crested Goshawk, perching quietly.  Well perhaps not so quietly because it was actually on the look-out.  It flew off suddenly and I thought I had given my presence away but no, it was the movement of a squirrel close by that got it to take off.

Kingfisher once more

Another day another visit, by our irregular visitor Collared Kingfisher.  This time the Kingfisher displayed a rather uncharacteristic behaviour, going after insect prey.

As always, it's so heart-warming to see an uncommon bird visitor (as this kingfisher is a winged resident of the beach) to the taman, and I couldn't repeat enough that this's attributed to the uniqueness of this taman, that keeps on attracting an unusual range of birds.

This was by far the nearest, and lowest, I got to the Kingfisher as it had its back to me, and it's truly a gorgeous bird the closer I get to see it.  

As I was passing by

Thanks for the pose!

A common sparrow

It's a common bird and one would normally walk past with nary a look at it.  But this time when a couple allowed me to get close and watch it preen, these birds were just as fascinating to watch as any.
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is rather attractive if one goes by its shades of brown.  And it must be said too that these rich colours can only be appreciated when facilitated by photography.

This one was a sub-adult, still moulting, that eventually hopped off to preen by itself.

Falconets outing

I had thought that the silhouette of a bird perching up high looked familiar and I was right when I zoomed in, it was the Black-thighed Falconet, occasionally seen in the taman.  Against backlighting, it was pretty challenging to get a sharp image of this bird.  Then I just managed to make out that it was feeding on an insect prey, going by the outline of wings.

And then I thought it was on the hunt again when it cast around.

And then something flew pretty close past me and zooming in I was thrilled to spot a juvenile Falconet, at the lowest perch that I had come across so far.

It looked like this one was practising its flight as it simply flew around the vicinity, with the parent still perched up there.  It was playing hide-and-seek with me as I had to run about trying to locate it.

And then there were three!  An adult and its pair of young!  The juveniles have rufous on parts of the head while the adult's is whitish.

The adult falconet also has a darker beak.

The two juvies were left behind as its parent took off.

It was certainly a day out for these birds as these juveniles finally flew off too and then gathered again, minus one juvy later.

The sharp-eyed adult living up to its name as a raptor as it spotted me.  I wished then I could stay longer to observe what would come next with this family of three.