The Crimson-winged Woodpeckers in the taman are so used to human proximity that they do create some apprehension, lest they be nabbed!
This male was so absorbed in its foraging or curiosity that I could have reached out and touched it, mere arm's length away. In fact I had to step back in order to capture these images, and it was minutes before it realised my presence, and merely flew up to the branch above.
I suppose I can safely say that the Brown-throated Sunbirds are territorial, perhaps of their nest or food source. On the few occasions that I came across them in confrontation, and it has always been males, these birds would flap and posture but never got close up or physically touched.
And the same happened with these two although this time, there was no physical display but merely sharp cries which drew my attention, and then silent confrontation. Then it's game over when one suddenly took off.
And the other flying down to see it off feeling victorious!
The taman can truly turn out to be a woodpecker haven going by the now regular nesting of a species here, and the regular and irregular spotting of other species.
To date there are about 7 species of woodpeckers spotted here, namely the regularly seen common flameback, crimson-winged, rufous, banded, and the occasional collared, lace, and grey-capped pygmy woodpeckers, not bad at all for an urban park that can attract both forest and forest edge, even mangrove woodpeckers.
The latest occasional visitor which could yet become more regular is the Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker (Picoides canicapillus) of Least Concern status in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1 2016.
It's one of the smallest woodpeckers at less than 14cm and can be found from garden to even highland (which is not to be mistaken with the almost similar looking sunda pygmy woodpecker that has brownish crown and conspicuous sub-moustache).
It's a long post for a long morning for a little avian fella.
When I arrived at the nest site, the last Lineated Barbet chick had fledged and was all alone on a nearby tree. It was reported to have suddenly shot off from its cavity nest, got spooked by an Asian koel and sought sanctuary in this tree, where it would stay on to call constantly for its parents for almost two hours continuously.
It was observed that its last feed was about one and a half hour before it fledged so it meant that this little one had no food for more than three hours now.
It did appear to be weak when it tried to stand on one feet to scratch a couple of times and lost its balance each time.
And when it couldn't lift a foot to scratch its beak, it had to ease it by rubbing its beak on the branch.
And so what did a fledgling have to do while waiting for its parents for its feed, and the parents were seen to fly above and over it a few times perhaps to lure it to them. It did have energy to fluff, stretch and preen.
Oh mine, what big ... eh, small tongue you have! This one was seen repeatedly to make these wide soundless movements.
It was either out of hunger or simply boredom that caused it to peck about as if seeking food.
It was quite distressing to watch the little one's reaction when it heard its parent's calls, hoping for an appearance, and none came.
And finally when it decided that it had had enough, and the parents were not coming for it, it made a dash for another tree, however, it could make only a short flight being weak and a new fledgling, and it was almost disastrous but for the dexterity of a bird, even a fledgling.
Unfortunately the light and unsteady palm leaf was almost its undoing.
