Captivating Ioras

 It's all in the family for this trio of  Common Ioras (Aegithina tiphia).

This young adult was the first to appear.

And soon after calls were everywhere but before I could locate the one calling continuously, this female emerged with a success.

And one would think that this would be a winning spot for Junior.

Hmmm, it wasn't after all.

And so the search continued.

Meanwhile the male that was foraging in the upper canopy had a catch.

Elsewhere, was this what Junior had settled for?

It was quickly discarded!

The diet of a Common Iora consists of insects such as caterpillars, dragonflies, praying mantises, beetles, spiders, other smaller insects and reportedly also berries.

So, guessed figs do not count!

And finally the male parent that was calling the shots made a lower entrance, and was I enchanted!

As I was waiting

 

Thanks for the pose!

Olive-winged, not streaked

 My frequent encounter with the Olive-winged Bulbul (Pycnonotus plumoses) has changed my stand that this species is next most common here in the bukit to the Stripe-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus finlaysoni).

I wonder what has happened to the Red-eyed Bulbul (Pycnonotus brunneus) which I used to think was more ubiquitous.

The Olive-winged Bulbul announces its presence with its sharper calls compared to the more throaty Strip-throated Bulbul and the whistle-like calls of the Red-eyed Bulbul.

And newer birders in their over-zealousness have tended to mistake the olive-winged bulbul for the streak-eared bulbul whose presence is restricted to the northern part of the country.

Magpie Robin, ehh

 So, it's only the Oriental Magpie Robin?  

I dare say 'Not so!'

It's not guaranteed, at least nowadays, when it looks like this bird population is also on the decline, that one would always easily chance upon a young handsome male like this one.

The female, by comparison duller with greyish brown overall, that was heard calling, a warning that I was approaching (?), before she appeared.

And did we say that it was a rather simple looking one?  

Perhaps, it's because its lovely bloom of under-tail coverts were not fully appreciated!

Stunner of a nightjar

 He never fails to delight despite the countless times one can encounter him when he's in the taman, despite the easily hundreds of images one may have of him.

Its' the Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus), a gorgeous-looking nocturnal bird, whose night calls 'tok, tok, tok' are unmistakable if one were to walk by the taman at night.  This male is larger than the female who is "paler and greyer on upperparts and breast .. (has) Smaller buff-coloured wing patches. Duller buffy/whitish buff tail patches."

And that morning, he sat in all his glory, open and bold despite the few admirers about him, and from whichever angle, this stunner looks almost majestic.

Nature's wrath

 A giant fell and unfortunately took down some future ones too, the gliding type though.

The eggs that were collected from inside the tree trunk, on advice from an expert belonged to a tree snake.

Babbler doesn't come easy

 I've sighted the Abbott's Babbler (Malacocincla abbotti) so far only at the forest edge and this was the first time high up in the bukit, nevertheless I guess it serves well as a record of the range it covers.

Sensing its movements and calls, I waited and waited but true to its nature, only forages low and deep in, so only afforded a record image.