As I was passing by

 

Always my pleasure to encounter you, however briefly!

Power of the Bat Lily

The beautiful White Bat Lily aka Bat Flower aka Keladi Murai (Tacca ristata Jack) does dot Bukit Kiara.

The plant with broad leaves that spread out generously in a rosette grow by the roadsides and is easily dismissed until it blooms wherein the unusual long-stemmed flower with its petals that fold backwards, stunning 'whiskers' and berries draws one inevitably for more than a closer look.

However, there is a superstitious belief among the orang asli that the plant is inauspicious, perhaps why it's also known as the Devil's Flower?  Yet, parts of the plants like the rhizomes, berries and leaves have been used for medicinal purposes in Traditional Chinese Medicine, eg, the rhizomes have been used to treat ailments like high blood pressure, gastric ulcers and burns.

So much for the Yin and Yang power that this plant symbolises!

One that was with more greenish berries/fruits in the centre of the bloom.

Drongo-cuckoo teaser

When you get the pose but not the light, a Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo is still ... so it goes without saying, and to aggravate the wound, it has to be two, which looked like a a juvenile and an adult.

 

As I was waiting

The hyperactive visitor!

In a wave

 

A mere stopover, a quick preen and it's like, did you really pause here?!

As I was waiting

 Never happier to see a different side to you!

As I was passing by

 

The most obliging, omnipresent, longest-staying visitor!

A trail less taken

 Birding in Bukit Kiara can truly be a comfortable activity because a lot of both common and uncommon birds can be sighted along the tarmac road.  However learning of a couple of rare sightings of a thrush and robin spurred me to attempt the hiking trails.  And certainly not disappointing in terms of bird calls for there seemed to be aplenty but alas, not of sightings.  The mostly intertwining and twisted foliage plus challenging terrain do not encourage easy sightings.

But it was without regret anyway when to my surprise, I arrived at the much touted Bamboo Grove and the Twin Peaks after almost losing tracks.

I only learnt later that the following image constitutes one of the famed 'Cat's Eyes' if the bamboo canopy is viewed in perspective, for which I would have then creatively tweaked my focus!

I guess it doesn't take much imagination if the two adjacent trails were placed side by side  ...

and ta-daaaah ... the Cat's Eyes!

As I was passing by

 Thanks for showing up!

Pond heron in waiting

 It has been slightly more than 14 days since I first saw the Pond Heron in its arrival plumage.

And it's a first for me to see it display this early moult with delicate pristine white plumes before it further transforms to the familiar chestnut colouration to its head, neck and breast.

Preoccupied or more accustomed to human presence now?

As I was waiting

 

Thanks for visiting again!

No fight after all

I guess there's never enough even for a Pink-necked Green Pigeon.  Space was vast but not for this one that tried to intimidate another off, but one couldn't be a winner all the time.

Sometimes doing nothing is the best defence!

And the undisputed winner till the end.

As I was passing by

Good catch!

Cuckoo strike, again

Strike no 4, and also a wish materialised as I wanted a better image of this extremely elusive Chestnut-winged Cuckoo at eye level, in the taman.  This was the third time I've come across this one in this season in the taman, another most unexpected encounter, and so heartening that this one does repeat visits.

And as typical it disappeared the minute it knew it was spotted.

Even the branch and leaf and twig across the length of its body couldn't hide its allure. 

The raptor is unyielding

It's one of those days when you are at the right place at the right time, but four strikes in one morning?!  It's the magic of the taman, when avian gems pop up ceaselessly, or in this case, pop down?

And this was my third strike when this awesome raptor swooped down.  But what happened when one like an Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) found a favourite perch but the foliage was not so accommodating?

I saw this beauty flying about and it was a prayer come true when it decided to land in one of the shadiest spots of the taller trees in the taman.  It looked like it was there to simply rest because it was not at all fazed when I tracked openly below trying to secure the best angles.

And then I noticed how stubbornly it refused to move even as it looked annoyed with the branch that was brushing its face every time a strong breeze blew by.  And it was indeed entertaining to watch how this big one react and continue to hold its perch.

Finally a brief respite.

Still holding strong even as the wind blew harder going by the flapping back feathers.

After being amused for almost 30 minutes watching it I decided to walk off and hoped that it would still be around when I returned, and sure enough it was, but this time it was facing the opposite direction, a wiser move I would think to avoid the swaying branch.

But as I zoomed in on it, it instantly turned around, so much for its instinct, immediately alert to being watched from behind, which made me wonder if it had withstood the swaying branch earlier because it wanted to have a vantage view with me hovering below albeit trying to be inconspicuous.

And so back to its original stance following which it flew down immediately to a lower branch.

And looked like it was on the hunt as it scanned about.

Who would not fall in love with its majestic bearing and I couldn't be more grateful for this rare view opportunity as it landed relatively low from one tree to the other.

 

And then it struck me that it was lingering about and above the pond, which was for more than an hour now, because it was waiting for an opportunity to fly down to drink!  Unfortunately it never did have the opportunity for the park worker that was busy with a leaf blower below.

The lowest it came down which provided an opportune observation of its powerful claws.